Insurtech 2026: brokers, the new strategic channel

Ten years ago, we were promised that insurance startups would cut brokers out.

This week, the Observatoire de la Fintech published its first annual review of insurtech in France. The result: 149 active players, €2.8 billion raised in a decade. And a finding that deserves every brokerage’s attention: the sector no longer wants to go direct. It is betting on you.

The pivot

The report is clear. After a phase of rapid expansion, French insurtechs are entering a phase of maturity. Investors are becoming selective. The priority is shifting to profitability. And the model that is winning is B2B: working with existing distribution networks rather than competing with them head-on.

That pivot is not trivial. It confirms what many already knew in the field: insurance distribution rests on trust, on knowing the client’s risk, and on a relationship over time. None of which an algorithm reproduces on its own.

What it changes for a brokerage

• Management, underwriting and comparison tools are spreading to small and mid-sized firms, not only to the large brokers.
• Insurtechs are actively looking for broker partners to distribute their products or plug into your existing processes. The balance of power has flipped.
• You are no longer the target of a disruption. You are the channel they struggle to build without you.

The real risk today is not being replaced by a startup. It is failing to take advantage of what they have built, while other firms already have.

What to take from it

In ten years, insurtechs have learnt a lot. The main lesson: insurance distribution is a trade in its own right, and the broker remains essential in the value chain. These technologies can free up your time for what you do best: advise, retain, grow.