Aon and Guy Carpenter Partner with The Institutes RiskStream(TM) Collaborative to Streamline the Reinsurance Placement Process
MALVERN, Pa., May 15, 2019 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- The Reinsurance Solutions business of Aon plc (NYSE: AON), and Guy Carpenter, a subsidiary of Marsh & McLennan Companies, are pleased to announce a joint effort with The Institutes RiskStream(TM) Collaborative to bring greater efficiency to the reinsurance placement process through distributed ledger technology (DLT).
The collaboration leverages advancements in blockchain and DLT technology and existing industry standards to harmonize the approach to digital reinsurance transactions. The organizations are commited to driving better outcomes for clients through industry standard capabilities that will streamline the flow and verification of data and reduce frictional costs across the marketplace.
The organizations, along with industry partners including RenaissanceRe and Everest Re, have successfully tested a proof of concept to digitally and securely distribute submissions and receive quotes using distributed ledger technology. The project was built on RiskStream Collaborative's Canopy framework and made extensive use of ACORD data standards.
The project is now moving to the next phase of development through a RiskStream working group with member carriers, brokers and reinsurers invited to contribute. The intent of the next phase is to digitize the reinsurance placement process with the overall goal of streamlining interactions within the reinsurance marketplace by creating secure digital methods and processes for cedants, brokers and reinsurers to manage treaties.
"There has been tremendous hype around blockchain in our industry, but few results to date. This is a very practical use case perfectly suited to a blockchain; multiple parties adding data, building upon the last until an agreed contract is formed through consensus. This shared single version of the truth brings immediate efficiency to the process while laying the foundation for further smart contract automation on downstream processes," said Bob Olson, CIO of Aon's Reinsurance Solutions business.
"This project is an important first step in the path to improving transactional efficiency and creating value for our clients through blockchain," said John Crichton, Chief Information Officer of Guy Carpenter. "We believe an open platform that is supported by industry stakeholders will maximize adoption, which is so critical to the success of any new technology."
"Distributed ledger technology has the potential to decrease costs, simplify processes and increase data security across all areas of risk management, and reinsurance, in particular, stands to benefit significantly from this technology," said Christopher McDaniel, President of The Institutes RiskStream Collaborative. "The best solution for the market and for reinsurance buyers is to build a successful solution alongside brokers, reinsurers and carriers. Each has a vital role to play and DLT can provide efficiencies to all participants."
The organizations' successful track record of implementing digital ecosystems for reinsurance have already positively impacted the market, but there is greater efficiency to be realized by bringing further consistency to the transactional parts of the process. This efficiency will in turn better connect buyers of reinsurance to the broadest markets and capital at the best terms and conditions.
About Aon
Aon plc (NYSE:AON) is a leading global professional services firm providing a broad range of risk, retirement and health solutions. Our 50,000 colleagues in 120 countries empower results for clients by using proprietary data and analytics to deliver insights that reduce volatility and improve performance. For more information, please contact Alexandra Lewis, David Bogg, or Andrew Wragg at +44 207 086 0541, or visit http://www.aon.com.
About Guy Carpenter
Guy Carpenter & Company, LLC is a leading global risk and reinsurance specialist with more than 3,100 professionals in over 60 offices around the world. Guy Carpenter delivers a powerful combination of broking expertise, trusted strategic advisory services and industry-leading analytics to help clients adapt to emerging opportunities and achieve profitable growth. Guy Carpenter is a wholly owned subsidiary of Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE: MMC), the leading global professional services firm in the areas of risk, strategy and people. With 75,000 colleagues and annual revenue approaching $17 billion, Marsh & McLennan helps clients navigate an increasingly dynamic and complex environment through its market-leading companies including Marsh, Mercer and Oliver Wyman. For more information, visit http://www.guycarp.com and follow Guy Carpenter on LinkedIn and Twitter @GuyCarpenter. For inquiries, please contact Edward Dixon (edward.dixon@guycarp.com).
About The Institutes RiskStream(TM) Collaborative
The Institutes RiskStream Collaborative, formerly known as The Institutes RiskBlock Alliance, is an unprecedented, industry-led consortium collaborating to unlock the potential of blockchain across the insurance industry. We are accelerating time to market and adoption through real-world applications and impactful blockchain use cases. More information is available at http://TheInstitutes.org/RiskStream.
SOURCE The Institutes
