This piece is by Oliver Evans, Head of Growth UK, Root
The UK insurance market is on a journey to adopt modern, solutions orientated technology that transforms the way market participants manage and distribute their business. As we assess where we stand in the sector half way through 2025, the industry’s equivalent of The Manhattan Project continues to gather pace with many insurers having either recently adopted new technology or in the process of delivery. Traditional growth models that once relied on slow, siloed systems are being replaced by more agile, collaborative and customer-focused solutions. The catalyst is API-first platforms.
Once considered a technical feature, APIs are fast becoming the backbone of modern insurance distribution. They are the enablers of growth, unlocking faster partnerships, seamless customer journeys and highly personalised products. Consumers expect choice, simplicity and speed. APIs provide insurers and brands with the flexibility to meet these demands head-on, as well as gaining a competitive edge.
My view of this is grounded in my experience underwriting in the London Market in the pre-pandemic era. Approaching my sixth anniversary in the insurtech space, we’re at a point where momentum continues but clearly the job is not done. We’ve seen immense progress on adoption and a whole new perspective on what is driving the market.
I see APIs as the foundation for building, launching and scaling insurance products quickly unlocking vast growth potential as well as the ability to adapt at speed to changing market conditions.
When insurers partner with platforms that offer open APIs, they improve connectivity and fundamentally transform how products are created, managed and distributed. Seamless integrations make it possible to embed insurance directly into the customer journey, ensuring that protection is available when and where it’s needed, without friction. This is increasingly critical in a regulatory environment shaped by Consumer Duty, which rightly demands greater transparency and better customer outcomes.
What’s particularly exciting is that embedded insurance is no longer confined to the retail space. We’re now seeing rapid expansion across financial services, mobility and travel. The market is evolving with rapidly developing potential for new partnerships and distribution models. In addition to insurers and brokers, a broad array of companies in different sectors are now integrating insurance into their offerings to solve an ever increasing range of customer problems.
Parallels exist with Stripe; simplifying complex processes to deliver a seamless customer experience. In insurance, we’re seeing similar momentum, particularly in technology providers tooling the new breed of MGAs with business defining systems. MGAs are thriving, with
significant backing from major market participants and experienced underwriters jumping ship from establishment companies to join ambitious, younger MGAs. These partnerships are accelerating the evolution of the delegated authority and embedded models, opening up exciting new growth avenues.
At its core, embedded insurance is a growth strategy. Growth ambitions should lie in getting a better range of products and better coverage to customers. This is not an inwards view of growth but one that is outwards looking and rooted in improved customer experiences. Consumer Duty is helping to reinforce this shift, demanding that insurers prioritise customer outcomes and build resilience into the products they offer. This alignment between regulation and innovation is driving the market in a more sustainable and customer-centric direction.
Looking to the second half of 2025 and beyond, it’s a hugely exciting time for Root in the UK. With our new London office open and our team expanding, we’re building our momentum in the market, bringing fresh energy and a powerful, proven product to the table. We’ve had fantastic support from key partners, and we’re helping businesses solve real, practical problems, for example with enhancing distribution channels and solving ongoing pain points. These issues persist across the market, especially for MGAs, and we know that by automating and simplifying these workflows, we can unlock meaningful efficiency and growth.
As we look to 2026, we see our growth journey centred around playing a key supporting role in the market, enabling our clients, across a broad range of product lines to gain competitive advantages that ensure long term profitability. While personal lines were our foundation in South Africa, we believe the future for Root in the UK lies in broadening our impact, enabling more insurers, MGAs, and brands to launch innovative products at speed.
Ultimately, the shift we’re seeing is all about building an insurance ecosystem that’s faster, smarter, and more collaborative, where growth comes from delivering real value to customers.
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