This article is by Emily Lewis, Business Development Manager, Pro MGA Global Solutions, and Andrew Saunders, Account Manager, Pro MGA Global Solutions
As we head further into 2026, managing general agents are firmly positioned as one of the insurance sector’s primary growth engines globally. At Pro MGA Global Solutions, our team reviews between 10 and 15 new MGA business enquiries every month.
These range from first-time entrepreneurial underwriters to seasoned industry leaders stepping away from large corporate environments to build something more agile. Collectively, these enquiries offer a real-time barometer of where the market is heading; and the picture emerging is one of confidence, sophistication and ambition.
A broader mix
One of the most striking trends is the sheer consistency of planned MGA launches. Despite well-documented market cycles, interest in the MGA model has not waned. If anything, it has intensified.
We are seeing proposals across a wide variety of classes, including motor, marine, specialty commercial lines, construction, cyber, emerging technology risks and niche liability products. Motor, in particular, has re-emerged as a theme, reflecting current market pricing conditions and echoes of a similar pattern seen around five years ago. Importantly, this is not a homogeneous wave. Business plans are increasingly differentiated by distribution strategy, underwriting focus and geographic reach.
Alongside traditional start-ups, there has also been a noticeable rise in “super MGA” or multi-cell structures. These are often holding companies designed to house multiple underwriting entities, appointed representatives or specialist teams under a single governance framework. The appeal is clear: flexibility, scalability and the ability to support multiple classes without fragmenting oversight.
Born multi-territory
Perhaps the most defining shift as we look towards 2026 is how international ambition is now embedded from day one. Historically, many MGAs followed a familiar path: establish in an anchor market such as the UK, stabilise growth, and then consider European or US expansion. Today, that sequencing is changing. Increasingly, MGAs are being designed as “born multi-territory” businesses, with plans that span the UK, the EU and the US almost simultaneously.
This is not simply about UK MGAs expanding into Europe post-Brexit – that has been a feature of the market for some time. Instead, we are seeing genuinely global thinking, including well-established US MGAs looking to enter the UK market, European platforms seeking UK authorisation, and groups structuring themselves to operate seamlessly across multiple regulatory regimes. As Emily notes, Initiatives such as the launch of the Federation of European MGA Associations (FASE) in the fourth quarter of 2025 underline this momentum, reflecting a broader industry recognition that cross-border MGA growth will be a defining feature of the next phase of market development.
Structure matters more than ever
With that ambition comes complexity; and this is where MGA business plans have become notably more sophisticated. Multi-territory and multi-class strategies place significant demands on governance, compliance and operational resilience. Andrew and the Account Management team noted that carriers, regulators and distribution partners are all asking more detailed questions than they did even a few years ago. Delegated authority due diligence is deeper, more granular and more consistent across the market.
As a result, MGAs are increasingly recognising the value of robust incubation and principal oversight from the outset. The most credible plans are those that acknowledge the realities of regulatory engagement, capital alignment, operational readiness and long-term capacity relationships, above and beyond their initial launch. Time-to-market is still critical, but so is sustainability. While a well-prepared MGA with aligned partners may be able to begin trading within a matter of months under favourable conditions. In contrast, attempting to navigate multi-territory growth across jurisdictions alone – without any incubation support – can significantly extend timelines and potentially increase execution risk.
Capacity appetite strong but selective
Another consistent theme heading into 2026 is that capacity appetite for MGAs remains healthy, even as market conditions soften in certain classes. However, this appetite is increasingly selective. Capacity providers are not simply backing ideas; they are backing leadership teams, governance structures and long-term strategies. Relationships matter. The most successful MGAs are those that Consider with a longer-term view rather than a short-term enabler.
We also see appetite shifting regularly, and sometimes class by class. A carrier enthusiastic about cyber today may pause once it has backed a preferred proposition, while motor or specialty lines may suddenly come back into focus due to internal strategy changes or distribution gaps. This volatility reinforces the importance of broad market engagement and disciplined portfolio balance.
A tech proving ground
Technology continues to feature prominently in MGA propositions, but the narrative has matured significantly. Rather than positioning technology as the product itself, most MGAs are deploying tools, including AI, to enhance efficiency, underwriting support, and operational scalability.
In practice, this might mean automated document ingestion, faster policy issuance, more intelligent triage of submissions or streamlined bordereaux and reporting processes. Only a small minority of propositions are focused on insuring technology risks themselves, such as AI-specific liability. For the majority, technology is firmly an enabler rather than a disruptor, supporting better and faster decision-making rather than replacing it.
What is particularly notable is how closely insurers are watching these deployments. Many carriers increasingly view MGAs as a live environment in which innovative technologies and AI use cases can be applied at pace, tested in real underwriting conditions, and refined without the structural inertia of a large balance sheet organisation. The delegated authority model allows innovation to be observed, challenged and proven in a controlled way.
As a result, MGAs are becoming an important innovation proving ground for the wider market. How they integrate AI into underwriting workflows, governance processes and customer journeys is informing insurers’ own strategic thinking around automation, data usage, and future operating models. In that sense, MGAs are not just beneficiaries of technological change, but active contributors to how the insurance industry as a whole evolves.
Why MGAs will continue to lead growth
Looking ahead, Emily firmly believes that MGAs will remain at the forefront of innovation in the insurance market. Taken together, the volume and quality of MGA business plans coming through our pipeline offer a clear signal of where the market stands. What we are seeing heading into 2026 is a sector that has absorbed recent volatility, learned from past cycles, and emerged more disciplined as a result. Andew continued this and noted MGAs are being launched with greater structural rigour, clearer strategic intent, and a sharper understanding of what sustainable growth requires.
Crucially, there is a renewed focus on durability as well as speed to market. Long-term capacity relationships, credible multi territory and multi class governance, a balance of both ambition and realism in expansion plans and alignment across carriers, distributors and principals are central to the strongest propositions. That level of maturity is not cyclical; it is structural, and it points to an MGA sector that is evolving into one of the most stable and strategically important parts of the insurance ecosystem
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