Why Prevention Is the New Must-Have for European Insurance

Alejandro Martínez · 2026-10-24

France FinTech brought together insurance leaders at Les Furets on October 14, in partnership with Oliver Wyman, for a deep dive into a topic that's quickly moving from nice-to-have to must-have: prevention. With risks in health, climate, and auto insurance intensifying, how can prevention become a lever to reduce risk and keep the insurance model sustainable—without breaking the principle of mutualization? That was the big question. Insurers, insurtechs, and fintechs shared their approaches, and one thing became clear: prevention is now a condition for the sustainability of the insurance model. It has to be long-term, personalized, measurable, and genuinely useful to policyholders. ### Prevention: The New Frontier of Insurability Jérémie Viscuso, Partner at Oliver Wyman, kicked off the morning with a keynote on the pressures bearing down on the insurance model. Prevention only works if it's sustained over time and becomes a regular practice. The challenge is to support policyholders day in and day out to reduce the frequency or severity of claims. This shift is driven by economics. Insurance has made huge strides in assessing, pricing, and managing risk. Models are more sophisticated, data is more plentiful, and claims management tools are more powerful. Insurers are better than ever at measuring risk—but they still can't reduce it at scale. Rising claim costs could make insurance less accessible, even when offers exist. Repeated premium hikes eventually make coverage hard to afford, even if capital is available. Prevention then becomes a lever for competitiveness and accessibility. The best claim is the one that never happens. But that logic forces a rethink of the insurer-policyholder relationship. Prevention means being present in policyholders' daily lives to reduce exposure, limit claim frequency, and keep prices acceptable. Insurers who don't interact with customers daily need to lean on partners who are on the ground—service companies, maintenance providers, or anyone who can intervene close to where the risk occurs. Technology can help personalize prevention. A baker, a locksmith, and a homeowner in a flood zone have different needs. AI enables more targeted recommendations and tailors interactions to each policyholder's profile. It opens the door to more precise, operational, and deployable prevention. But it doesn't replace human support. When it comes to understanding risk, financing repairs, or changing behavior, trust and expertise remain key. ### Health: From Reimbursement to Continuous Support Fabrice Staad, CEO of Alan France, illustrated this transformation in health insurance. Alan's model is built on an integrated platform that combines prevention, insurance coverage, and access to health services. The goal is to reduce fragmentation in care pathways and give policyholders a single entry point for their health questions. This approach addresses two challenges: - **Healthcare access:** Care remains unequal, and some pathways are long or complex. - **Economic pressure:** Rising health expenses weigh on companies and employees. Prevention thus becomes a way to improve outcomes and control costs. It's about moving from reactive reimbursement to proactive support. > "Prevention is no longer a nice-to-have; it's the backbone of a sustainable insurance model." ### What This Means for the Industry The message is clear: prevention isn't just a buzzword—it's a strategic imperative. Insurers must embed it into their core offerings, leveraging data, AI, and partnerships to make it personalized and measurable. Those who do will be better positioned to keep insurance accessible and competitive in a world of rising risks. For professionals in the European payments and fintech space, this trend underscores the growing convergence of insurance and technology. As prevention becomes central, expect to see more collaborations between insurers and fintechs, and more innovative solutions that put the policyholder at the center.