Ki to launch in 2021 as standalone, fully digital syndicate

Brit Limited plans to launch Ki, a standalone business and the first fully digital and algorithmically-driven Lloyd’s of London syndicate that will be accessible anywhere, at any time. In collaboration with Google Cloud, Ki will redefine the commercial insurance market as a ‘follow-only’ syndicate launching in 2021.

The creation of Ki marks a step change for an industry that is yet to face the disruption seen across the rest of financial services and other industries. Ki will aim to significantly reduce the amount of time and effort taken for brokers to place their follow capacity, creating greater efficiency, responsiveness and competitiveness. Google Cloud will bring to Ki enterprise-grade cloud solutions powered by innovative technologies that enable rapid transformation at scale.

Ki’s algorithm will be able to evaluate Lloyd’s policies and will automatically quote for business through a digital platform which brokers can access directly. The selection process is performed using a proprietary algorithm developed with support from University College London and their Computer Science department. Ki will follow several ‘nominated’ lead syndicates across the Lloyd’s market, including Brit. Ki offers brokers a line on every risk in the selected classes led by these markets.

James Birch, Head of Innovation at Brit, and the Brit Innovation team have led the incubation of Ki. Ki will be run by a dedicated team reporting to Mark Allan, Group CFO at Brit, who will act as Executive Chair. The business will be backed by Brit, Fairfax and other private capital investors.

Matthew Wilson, CEO, Brit, said: “Ki is a significant milestone for our market, combining Brit’s heritage of underwriting outperformance and Google Cloud’s technology expertise. Over time, Ki will look to play a central role in the transformation of the specialist insurance market in London, creating a whole new and fully digital segment which operates seamlessly alongside the traditional marketplace.

Recent events have demonstrated the importance of electronic trading and I expect Ki to be at the forefront of the accelerated transition in how the Lloyd’s market transacts business. Through building a truly quantitative-based approach to insurance, Ki aims to do what quantitative hedge funds did to Capital Markets in the 1990s.”

Adrian Poole, Head of Financial Services, Google Cloud commented: “We are proud to be the cloud provider for Ki, and to collaborate with Brit to transform the London insurance market. As the first algorithmic syndicate, we see this as an exciting first step by Brit to support the Future at Lloyd’s vision and are delighted to bring our market-leading technologies to support this innovative venture.”

John Neal, Lloyd’s of London CEO added: “Ki truly embraces all that is represented in “The Future at Lloyd’s” by bringing data, technology, innovation and artificial intelligence to the fore in the complex world of corporate and specialty underwriting. It is an exciting first for Lloyd’s and paves the way for others to follow.”