Periods of uncertainty are ideal times for insurers to embrace bold strategies for growth and innovation. Why? Because individuals, families, businesses and communities around the world will be looking for powerful solutions that prevent and offer protection against proliferating risks.

2026 Global Insurance Outlook: converting uncertainty into opportunity

A number of megatrends are driving non-linear, accelerated, volatile and interconnected (NAVI) change that is reshaping how people live and work and how the global economy operates. Today’s insurance sector offers more than its share of turbulence. Macroeconomic and geopolitical uncertainty, intensifying competition, new capital flows, disruptive technology and regulatory fragmentation – not to mention changing customer needs – are rewiring the industry in unpredictable ways.

As we highlight in the 2026 EY Global Insurance Outlook, the challenge for C-suites and boards is to think differently about what’s ahead. Committing to bold innovation, confronting hard decisions about capital allocation, deploying technology in creative ways, and undertaking workforce and business model transformation — that’s what it will take to navigate current market complexities and seize the many compelling opportunities that this dynamic market presents. This article outlines five priorities for the insurance sector to thrive in 2026 and beyond…