This timely article is by Jemma Ashley, assistant vice president of strategy, LexisNexis® Risk Solutions, UK & Ireland
As risk grows more complex and claims costs continue to rise, the insurance industry’s success in 2026 and beyond increasingly depends on its ability to harness data at speed. From underwriting and pricing to claims and compliance, data integration and real-time intelligence is transforming how insurance providers operate. The ultimate goal is to achieve an end-to-end view of risk — from point of application and quote generation through to the point a claim is settled. The result? Faster, fairer, and more resilient decision-making across every stage of the policy lifecycle.
From Information to Intelligence
Take the motor market, for instance. The average car insured in the UK is now over a decade old, bringing new claims and repair cost challenges. Meanwhile, electric vehicle (EV) adoption and Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) continue to reshape both driver behaviour and repair economics.
Insurance providers are no longer assessing these risks in isolation. Through our data gateway for the insurance market – LexisNexis® Informed Quotes – they can merge ADAS intelligence, maintenance insights, driver data and even overnight parking locations to assess flood or theft exposure — allowing risk to be understood with speed and accuracy. This connected insight improves pricing precision and enhances the customer experience through quicker quotes, products more suited to the risk and therefore better claims outcomes.
Smarter Claims
Data enrichment at quote through a single gateway has transformed the speed and accuracy of the quote experience. The same applies at claim. There is massive potential at first notification of loss, for data to verify third party information in motor claims for example. This could also extend to geospatial flood data and weather overlays — to empower claims handlers to make swift decisions on liability, fraud, and settlement.
Expanding data ingestion at the point of claim in this way would allow insurance providers to automate critical validation processes, driving faster claim resolution, clearer communication for policyholders and compliance with regulatory standards.
Commercial Property: Closing the Data Gap
Commercial property is another example of an insurance market requiring a broad range of intelligence, at speed as it enters 2026 with renewed energy. Market activity picked up in late 2025, with investor demand for office and industrial assets rising by roughly 30% in Q3 i. Insurance providers have responded with increased appetite and there’s been solid growth in e-traded business. But this optimism sits alongside a steep rise in climate-driven losses ii.
In this environment, underwriters and brokers need to understand buildings from top to bottom as well as what lies beneath: age, construction type, roof condition, number of storeys, extensions, presence of basements, topography, and how exposures may shift as climate patterns evolve. These physical characteristics must be combined with insight into business operations, occupancy type and employee-level risks. Again, all these insights should be from one data partner that can provide the most comprehensive set of location-specific data possible, sourced from trusted and reputable providers.
This crucial information must be operational, empowering insurance providers to make better decisions across the lifetime of a policy. Modern geospatial platforms, such as LexisNexis® Map View, allow insurance providers to visualise flood, subsidence, fire and windstorm exposures down to the individual building outline or across an entire portfolio. Stacking multiple data layers helps highlight accumulations, monitor zones in real time and support more informed pricing, underwriting or reinsurance decisions.
The next step is integrating even more granular intelligence on property use and business activities to create smoother, faster decisioning. This approach can help reduce underinsurance and help deliver pricing that reflects the true nature of the risk.
Building Resilience for 2026 and Beyond
The year ahead will not be short of volatility. Claims inflation, economic pressure and climate-related events will continue to test the market. Insurance providers that use data to anticipate and mitigate risk will be better positioned to manage costs and protect customers.
In a world where risks are growing and changing, more insight means better preparedness — for pricing, for claims and for whatever 2026 brings.
i UK Property Market Figures Q3 2025 | CBRE UK
ii https://www.abi.org.uk/news/news-articles/2025/7/1.6-billion-paid-in-property-claims-in-q2-2025/
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