These insights are by Olga Collins, CEO, Worldwide Broker Network (WBN)
As we enter 2026, the global risk management and insurance industry finds itself balancing two competing realities: a softening market cycle offering some relief to buyers, and a world marked by volatility demanding sharper discipline from the entire value chain. Brokers, carriers, and clients alike are navigating an environment where economic strain, geopolitical instability, and transformed workplace expectations converge to reshape risk – and the business of managing it.
A Soft Market with Hard Realities
The year ahead will bring a softening market, but not softer risks. Instead, it’s an invitation – perhaps even a warning – to double down on underwriting discipline, align pricing with exposure, and prioritize sustainable strategies over short-term wins.
Cost Containment Will Be a Strategic Imperative
Economic and geopolitical pressures will make cost control a top priority. Cost containment will no longer be a reactive measure; it will become a core operational priority for clients, brokers, and carriers. Companies will rethink risk financing, optimize retention, and scrutinize every dollar. Carriers will lean on automation and efficiency to stay profitable, while brokers must deliver value that goes far beyond price.
Brokers as Strategic Advisors: Risk Appetite at the Forefront
The broker’s role will continue to shift from transactional to consultative. In today’s environment, helping clients understand and define their risk-bearing ability and appetite is critical. This will require deeper analytics, scenario planning, and alignment of risk strategy with business goals.
Talent: The Industry’s Breaking Point
In 2026, talent – finding it, keeping it, and enabling it – will remain one of the industry’s toughest constraints. As a leader deeply committed to championing talent across our global network, I find the latest Re:generation Report 2025 from our marketing partner FREE both illuminating and concerning. It reveals a paradox we can no longer ignore: while an overwhelming 94% of young professionals are satisfied with choosing insurance as a career, nearly one in three are considering leaving, and half are uncertain about their long-term future.
Insurance still suffers from an image problem – seen as “boring” despite offering what young people want: balance, purpose, growth, and impact. The common thread is perception, namely lack of visible purpose, uncompetitive pay, and a muted industry image. As CEOs and leaders, we must make insurance not only a viable career choice but a compelling one, where young professionals can see their impact, shape their future, and choose to stay.
The Client Perspective: Risk Redefined
As we move into 2026, clients face a risk landscape that is evolving faster than ever – and it demands a new mindset. A few forces that I believe will shape the year ahead:
Nuclear Verdicts and Litigation Funding
Liability risk will intensify as litigation funding fuels unpredictable jury outcomes. Companies must prepare for higher severity and rethink retention strategies and claims advocacy.
ESG and Sustainability: The New Pillars of Resilience
ESG will shift from compliance to continuity, with corporate sustainability pivoting from an aspiration to an action and becoming a bigger topic of interest for claims leaders. Crawford’s new Sustainability Report highlights how sustainability has rapidly shifted from a talking point to a true operational driver for the claims sector – an evolution we at WBN expect to accelerate in 2026. The message is clear: risk is no longer static, and neither can our response be.
Supply chain vulnerabilities, whether environmental, social, or ethical, will become central to operational and reputational resilience. Rising climate pressures will accelerate restoration-over-replacement models and embed resilience into claims and product design.
Mental Health as a Business Risk
Workplace wellbeing will increasingly emerge as a critical risk factor. Organizations that integrate mental health into their risk frameworks will protect not only culture but performance.
Global Trade in a Fragmented World
Geopolitical shifts and protectionism will disrupt trade flows. Businesses must anticipate volatility in tariffs, logistics, and political risk to safeguard continuity.
Conclusion: 2026 – A Year of Strategic Clarity
If 2025 was a year of adjustment, at WBN we believe 2026 is the year to lead with clarity, helping clients turn uncertainty into opportunity through insight, collaboration, and foresight. The risks are evolving, the market is softening, and organizations are demanding more partnership and insight from their advisors. For brokers, this means elevating our role as connectors – across markets, across borders, and across disciplines. At WBN, we’ve always believed in the power of global collaboration and local expertise. In 2026, that belief becomes not just an advantage, but a necessity.
The industry stands at a turning point. Our response needs to be measured, informed, and future-focused, and will define not only how we navigate today’s challenges but how we shape tomorrow’s opportunities.
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