Yet within the insurance sector, there is uncertainty. Some organizations fear being reduced to minor supporting roles in someone else’s ecosystem. Media commentary in Europe has even declared a quiet retreat from the ecosystem dream, especially among auto insurers who worry they have little room to influence mobility platforms controlled by tech giants or vehicle manufacturers.
But here’s the truth insurance leaders must embrace:
There is no single way to join the ecosystem revolution
Not every insurer needs to be the orchestrator
Value exists across multiple levels of participation
Instead of chasing someone else’s strategy, insurers must ask a smarter question:
“Where can we deliver genuine customer value and how can technology help us deliver it faster?”
Below are five essential lessons learned from insurers building real success inside connected digital ecosystems.
1 .Make the Customer’s Life Easier Not Your Strategic Dashboard
Ecosystems only work if they eliminate friction and solve real needs. When done right, they create trust and wide-open pathways for cross-selling.
Take Prudential’s Pulse health ecosystem:
70% of users are not Prudential policyholders — at least not yet
But with just one click… they can be
Nearly 2 million policies were issued in the first year
Pulse didn’t start by selling insurance.
It started by helping people stay healthy and the business followed.
2 Fix the Core Business Before Building a Castle on Top
Digital transformation cannot be lipstick on outdated processes.
If a customer must:
- Re-enter data
- Reconfirm cookies
- Log in again and again
…they will abandon you faster than any ecosystem can save you.
Discovery’s Vitality One proves the opposite approach:
By unifying core insurance operations with well-designed health services, users demonstrate:
Healthier behaviors
Lower claims up to 14% lower health costs
Higher loyalty
When the foundation works, the ecosystem accelerates value.
3 Grow from the Core Profit Comes Later
Early ecosystem investments are like planting trees:
Growth first, fruit later
Ping An is a masterclass example:
700 million ecosystem users
1 out of 3 customers originate from those platforms
Even if ecosystem components are not immediately profitable, they create an unstoppable pipeline of new business.
4 Don’t Try to Build Rome Alone
The strongest ecosystems mix:
Build what defines your value
Buy where speed matters
Partner where capabilities complement
Switzerland’s WELL ecosystem is a great illustration:
CSS + Visana + Medi24 + Zur Rose (online pharma)
Completely different customer bases
But together, access to 2 million people nearly 25% of the country
Success comes from collaboration, not territorial battles.
5 Lean Into Your Strengths Tech Giants Can’t Copy Everything
Insurers often worry they can’t compete with companies like Tesla, Apple, or Amazon. But insurers hold assets others lack:
Decades of structured data
Claims insights
Risk intelligence
Deep regulatory trust
Auto insurers know drivers.
Health insurers know behavior patterns.
Life insurers know life stages and economics.
This knowledge responsibly used enables insurers to become essential partners in life journeys, not just the silent payer in the background.
The Future: Insurance That Lives Where the Customer Lives
Digital ecosystems aren’t a fad. They are the next competitive battleground and those who hesitate risk being hidden behind the dominant brands of other industries.
The winning insurers in the decade ahead will:
Choose the right participation role
Align strategy with core strengths
Deliver visible value at key moments in life
There is no “all or nothing.”
But doing nothing?
That’s the one strategy guaranteed to fail.
The Bottom Line
Ecosystems are a long-term play and the smartest insurers are already securing their space.
Those who move now:
- Strengthen customer relevance
- Unlock new revenue streams
- Protect themselves from disruption
The industry’s future will not be built on policies alone
but on connected experiences that follow customers everywhere they go
