Life - Articles - UK Life Insurers can thrive by offering a broader package

 his is according to The Retirement Franchise Opportunity by global management consultancy Oliver Wyman, which reveals how the industry can offer a broader retirement franchise, or ‘Financial Home’.

 The report encourages life insurers to make the most of an environment where auto-enrolment, the decline of defined benefit pensions and the ‘Pension Freedom’ reforms have increased the need for retirement advice or guidance. To capture this opportunity, however, they must transform their business models to extend beyond the sources of revenue they now capture.

 John Whitworth, Oliver Wyman partner and lead author, says: “Life insurers must shift from their current narrow product focus to a client relationship-based proposition. In doing so, they have the potential to build client relationships that are stronger than those with retail banks, becoming the ‘Financial Home’ for the over 50s.”

 The report recommends a significant investment in technological advances – such as digital channels, data analytics and robo-advisory services – to broaden and deepen client relationships, reduce costs of serving clients and generate greater profits.