PwC: Rapidly-changing life Insurance industry needs new ways to survive

By Rob Starr, Content Manager, Big4.com

The life and pensions sector is facing a rapidly-evolving and competitive environment. According to PwC US’s “Life Insurance 2020: Competing for a Future” report, companies operating in this sector will need to cope with major social, technological, environmental, economic and political factors and take advantage of emerging opportunities to survive over the next 10 years.

The overall market for life insurance is increasing in emerging markets and decreasing in the developed world, particularly in the U.S. and Europe. In the U.S., life insurance assets as a percentage of overall household financial assets have been steadily decreasing over the past two decades.  Leading up to the 2008 financial crisis, life insurance was viewed more as an investment, as opposed to a protection product, though guarantees and protection have been viewed more favourably since that time. In addition, the demographic changes occurring in the U.S., such as aging Baby Boomers, are creating a growing market for retirement planning and retirement income.

Responsibility for retirement planning and ancillary benefits has the risk of being pushed from governments and employers to individual consumers. Since customers have become accustomed to the convenience of digital education, research and transactions when they want, where they want and through any channel they want, distribution of products is changing rapidly.