Insurance Innovation Challenges

Insurance Innovation Challenges
Overview
UNDP’s Insurance Innovation Challenges are powering a new generation of insurance products and services tailored to underserved households and businesses in developing economies.
9 in 10 people in low-income countries lack the formal safety net provided by insurance, which is often unaffordable, inaccessible and not designed to meet their actual needs. Bridging this financial protection gap is a substantial market opportunity for insurance providers and a critical step to safeguarding development.
UNDP is rolling out Insurance Innovation Challenges in 25 countries, with an investment of over US $2.1million to incentivise industry transformation and provide tailored technical assistance to bring winning solutions to life.
Our approach
Insurance Innovation Country Challenges
Tailored insurance innovation challenges in 20 countries are addressing specific barriers and opportunities to scale financial protection, with a particular focus on women. Insurers, intermediaries, insurtechs and other private sector actors are being called on to design new products, services, models and distribution methods to close financial protection gaps and develop new markets.
UNDP-ICMIF Insurance Innovation Challenge Fund
The UNDP and International Cooperative and Mutual Insurance Federation (ICMIF) Insurance Innovation Challenge Fund is scaling up low-cost, inclusive insurance products for women in low-income communities and women-run micro, small and medium-sized enterprises. The 4 winning projects in Malawi, Kenya, Sri Lanka and the Philippines are rooted in the mutual and cooperative insurance approach of working with grassroots communities to co-create risk models.
UNDP-Generali Insurance Innovation Challenge Fund
The UNDP- Generali Challenge Fund is facilitating and incentivizing the development of two insurtech solutions in Malaysia tailored to small and medium-sized enterprises (SME) faced with rising climate and weather-related risks. The winning solutions will apply their innovative approaches to scaling existing SME insurance products by partnering with diverse distribution channel providers and integrating new technology solutions.
Our impact
New and inclusive insurance solutions designed with each new round of the Insurance Innovation Challenge are driving the urgently needed insurance industry transformation globally.
31
Insurance solutions being developed
Protecting people, businesses, jobs, agriculture and public assets
1/2
Million projected beneficiaries
Impacting thousands of people through insurance and risk finance solutions
2.1
Million in UNDP investment
Bringing a new generation of affordable and accessible insurance solutions to life

"The UNDP ICMIF Insurance Innovation Challenge demonstrates the power of partnerships and the pivotal role of mutual and cooperative insurers in creating affordable insurance solutions for women in underserved communities.”
Partners
Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ)
The Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) is responsible for German development policy.
BMZ is focused on fighting poverty and hunger and has a commitment to healthy people in a healthy environment, under the framework of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the Paris Climate Agreement. BMZ is working to support a worldwide transformation to a sustainable, climate-friendly and nature-friendly way of doing business, while also strengthening peace, freedom and human rights. BMZ is an essential part of the Tripartite Agreement (TPA), a public-private partnership between UNDP, BMZ and 20 of the world’s largest insurers under the framework of the Insurance Development Forum.
Generali
Generali is one of the largest global insurance and asset management providers in the world.
Established in 1831, Generali has a presence in over 50 countries, with more than 82,000 employees serving 70 million customers. It manages over €500 billion in assets and had a total premium income of €82.5 billion in 2023. Generali is partnering with UNDP to enhance small business resilience to climate change and other natural hazards in Asia, while also addressing the global protection gap. Generali supports UNDP’s Insurance Innovation Challenges to incentivize the development of innovative and affordable insurance solutions that can build SME resilience and protect global value chains. Additionally, Generali and UNDP are committed to collaborating with public institutions to promote research and advocacy, raising awareness about risk management, prevention, and adaptation measures.

ICMIF
The International Cooperative and Mutual Insurance Federation is a global organization representing cooperative and mutual insurers.
The International Cooperative and Mutual Insurance Federation (ICMIF) promotes and works with the cooperative and mutual insurance sector, acting as a leader in providing information and services to members and representing the interests of the cooperative and mutual insurance sector worldwide. Through its charitable foundation, it supports ICMIF members in emerging markets to scale up microinsurance programmes. The ICMIF Foundation is cooperating with UNDP on the Insurance Innovation Challenge Fund, a project to support mutual insurance organizations in creating and distributing innovative and affordable insurance products for the most vulnerable.
Where we
work
Insurance Innovation Challenges Across 25 Countries
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