Widespread roll-out of the electronic trading platform imarket has finally begun after a series of setbacks.

Martin McLachlan, managing director of Polaris, which developed the system, said that plans to provide access to all registered brokers by the end of January were delayed.

This was due to problems with the system's servers affecting service availability and the process for insurers to authorise brokers, he said.

"The pilot identified a couple of technical problems that we needed to address before further roll-out. The good news is the problems have been solved and we have now started sending out the welcome packs to brokers," McLachlan said.

More than 500 broking firms registered to use imarket will now be added to the service in batches of 100 during February and March.

"We regret the delay, but while imarket is free to intermediaries, it does not reduce our responsibility to provide an efficient and responsive system," McLachlan said.

The 2025 Insurance Times Awards took place on the evening of Wednesday 3rd December in the iconic Great Room of London’s Grosvenor House.

Hosted by comedian and actor Tom Allen, 34 Gold, 23 Silver and 22 Bronze awards were handed out across an amazing 34 categories recognising brilliance and innovation right across the breadth of UK general insurance.
Many congratulations to all the worthy winners and as always, huge thanks to our sponsors for their support and our judges for their expertise.