Innovation, Digital Ecosystems & CHF 1billion goal: Bâloise’s Masterplan

Electric vehicles(EVs) form a 10% slice of new car sales in Europe, with the proportion expected to reach 30% by 2030. Still, buying EVs can be intimidating with multiple unknowns. Drive Electric, an initiative of Bâloise group, provides value-added services to help customers making the switch to electric. From support to set up home charging stations to cards with access to 180,000 recharging stations across Europe, it includes an app to see charging stations while driving. Bâloise prides itself on being “client obsessed” and is envisioning a future that transcends insurance, by simplifying the lives of clients.

Bâloise is a profitable mid-sized European P&C player, making bold moves in Embedded Insurance. Akin to PingAn’s ecosystem strategy, it has created a portfolio of non-insurance digital platform ventures around mobility and home. The Swiss insurer serves core markets in Switzerland, Germany, Belgium, and Luxembourg providing prevention, pension, and insurance solutions.

Those who assume a pivot in insurance strategy to digital means staying ahead of the innovation curve, might be missing the forest for the trees. While enabling direct-to-consumer digital distribution channels is key to business strategy, it serves as a prerequisite step. With newer players selling insurance to their clientele, consumers are becoming increasingly inured to an embedded insurance journey.

Innovation at Bâloise

Innovation is a key tagline in Bâloise’s strategy. Propelled by its innovation engine and partnerships, the insurer is futureproofing its business model while sharpening its customer focus.

In 2021, Bâloise received accolades in two categories of Efma Awards. Inshareance – a modular insurance product for sharing platforms – and Drive Electric won awards in the ‘Product & Service Innovation’ and ‘Connected Insurance & Ecosystems’ categories.

Digital Ecosystems

In April 2021, Bâloise continued expansion of its Mobility ecosystem by acquiring a stake in GoMore, specialist in car sharing and leasing services. Subsequently, GoMore launched services in the Swiss market with Bâloise’s support. With 2.6 million members in Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Spain and now Switzerland, GoMore is a key player in sustainable transformation of personal transport in Europe.

Alongside partnerships and investments in startups, Bâloise also developed innovative new concepts inhouse. Parcandi AG, a spin-off, enables property owners to conveniently rent out parking spaces, via the app of Touring Club Switzerland(TCS), a corporate partner. Its Home ecosystem spans house moving platform MOVU, marketplace for tradespeople and cleaning services Devis.ch, laundry start-up Bubble Box, cleaning service booking platform Batmaid. Customers access an ecosystem of home services, with Bâloise linking up different touchpoints to offer new customer journeys.

Based on innovation initiatives that further these ecosystems and contribute to the business, the target is to create CHF1 billion of value by 2025.

In its first strategic phase, Bâloise laid the foundations for digital transformation. The focus hereon is to scale and expand offerings within their ecosystems. FRIDAY, a digital subsidiary, notched up premiums of CHF52.7 million, an increase of 68.3%. The aim is to generate business volume from innovation initiatives of CHF350 million by 2025, up from CHF70 million in 2021.

By 2025, Bâloise aims to break into the top 5% of companies, attract 1.5 million new customers and generate CHF2 billion in cash.

Based on insights gained, it is intensifying efforts to make collaboration easier for customers and partners. By providing simpler experiences to customers and cross/up-selling to its 1.5 million new customers, it aims to build long-term and profitable revenue sources, total value creation of nearly CHF1 billion by 2025.

Bâloise expects to play a pivotal role in facilitating the ownership of EVs. Their move into this segment illustrates the opportunity that is emerging for insurers to play a prime role. Embedded insurance continues to evolve. Coverage becoming easily understandable, price more affordable is paving the way for faster decisions. Insurers gain by profitable and diverse distribution channels alongside specialization in standardized insurance products.

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