Insurance Times rounds up the top five stories making headlines across the market from 23 to 27 March 2026
The news that Axa will merge its commercial and retail arms into one unified insurance business hit the headlines on Tuesday, with readers voting it this week’s most popular story via their clicks.
The new venture will be led by current Axa Commercial chief executive Jon Walker, while Julie Barbey will head the new retail arm and Mike Crane will look after the commercial business.
This week’s second most read story followed Principal Insurance’s acquisition of Bristol-based broker Europa Group. The purchase sees the firm become a top five player in the motorcycle market.
Aviva hit the news with the announcement that it will launch a ChatGPT app that will help customers obtain their initial home insurance quotes faster.
Owen Morris, chief executive of Aviva UK personal lines, said the app “will be a brilliant new addition to Aviva’s existing distribution channels, allowing more customers to access our products when and how they want”.
More unmissable news came in the form of Axa XL’s appointment of Michael Reynolds as its new head of marine for UK and Lloyd’s, as well as its global chief underwriting officer for hull.
Finally, this week’s top five most read news stories were rounded out by the retirement of Nathalie Dufresne, following more than two decades with Intact Insurance. Intact Insurance UK chief executive Ken Norgrove wished her well for her retirement following an “exceptional career” with Intact.
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