Artificial intelligence (AI), cyber insurance, and climate cha
nge/natural catastrophes are the three themes that will have the biggest impact on the insurance market in 2026, acc
ording to an annual prediction from GlobalData, the London-based data and analytics company.
“Insurers that establish themselves as leaders in these them
es will see improved performance, better products, and enhanced customer service. AI is undoubtedly the leading
technology trend in the insurance industry at present,” commente
d Ben Carey-Evans, senior insurance analyst, GlobalData, in a statement.
“The emergence of agentic AI throughout 2025 has only increas
ed the buzz around the technology and its capabilities. Its impa
ct can be felt throughout the value chain, and agentic AI’s ability to r
sions will accelerate the impact AI has on insurance in 2026 and beyond,” Carey-Evans continued.
The total value of M&A deals completed within AI in insurance skyrocketed in 2025, registering growth of 3
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28% in terms of value and 125% in terms of volume. Driven in part by the rise of generative AI—especially agentic AI
—this trend was also reflected in GlobalData’s other databases.
GlobalData’s jobs and company filings databases show strong
growth within AI in insurance, which indicates it is an area of focus for
insurers. One example was Munich Re’s July 2025 acquisition of Next In
surance, a technology-first commercial property and casualty insurer with a focus on AI and digitalization, GlobalData said.
Cyber Insurance and Climate Change
Cyber insurance continues to see rapid growth that is forecast to continue through 2030, GlobalData said, estimating the global cyber insurance mark
et to be worth $22.2 billion in 2025 and $35.4 billion by 2030.
Climate change, the rise of severe weather events around the world, and natural catastrophe insurance are a
lso major issues for insurers, and their impact will only continue to increase in the coming years.
“Natural fire and hazard insurance is a major insurance product globally, with premiums and claims se
eing sharp annual increases, which are forecast to continue,” Carey
-Evans said. “The frequency of severe weather events is a huge th
reat to the industry and large areas of the world are becoming uninsurable, which is a major problem for consumers.”