“The winners will be the ones who can launch products faster and more predictably. Whether it’s a startup MGA with a niche idea or an established player looking to enter a new market, speed to launch is critical. If you identify an opportunity, but it takes nine months to stand up a product, that window is gone. MGAs that can launch in 60 to 90 days will win. And so will the platforms that enable that kind of speed and predictability.”
— Tushar Bholé, EVP of Sales & Partnerships
This article is an excerpt from the P&C Insurance Leaders’ Outlook 2026.
Tushar Bholé, EVP of Sales & Partnerships, has the exciting opportunity to meet with insurers and MGAs at 20+ conferences each year, including those sponsored by industry association like TMPAA, WSIA, AAIS, PIPSO and NAMIC. With this level of engagement, Tushar has a great grasp on the competitive advantages insurers and MGAs can gain by leveraging modern digital insurance solutions.
Michael: What trends are shaping how carriers and MGAs are thinking about technology?
Tushar: The market is definitely hardening, especially within P&C. We’re seeing a lot of activity in the MGA and DUAE segments, especially around broker acquisitions. Brokers are acquiring retail agencies and expanding their footprint that way. This is fueling growth, and we’re seeing more consolidation, particularly in the wholesale broker space. Excess & Surplus (E&S) is another area with strong momentum. We’ve directly benefited from that growth as there are more new programs, product launches, and niche offerings than ever.
On the carrier side, there’s increasing interest in replacing core systems. More companies are taking a strategic view of their technology stack, especially to support faster product launches and better data exchange. This is putting pressure on core platforms to better integrate with AI applications and third-party data sources.
Michael: Are you saying the emphasis is shifting from individual solutions to a full ecosystem approach?
Tushar: Exactly, Michael. It’s about improving workflows, user experience, and interoperability across the tech stack. As new and complex risks emerge, especially in the non-standard and E&S space, insurers need to bring in external models like CAT models or hazard scoring tools. That means your underwriting workflows and core systems must be able to integrate with those models seamlessly. The volume of third-party data has exploded. For large risks, it’s critical to have those data points embedded directly into the underwriting workbench from submission to policy issuance. So yes, the emphasis is very much on the entire digital ecosystem, not just a standalone tool.
Michael: What do you believe will define the winners in insurance tech by the end of 2026?
Tushar: The winners will be the ones who can launch products faster and more predictably. Whether it’s a startup MGA with a niche idea or an established player looking to enter a new market, speed to launch is critical. If you identify an opportunity, but it takes nine months to stand up a product, that window is gone. MGAs that can launch in 60 to 90 days will win. And so will the platforms that enable that kind of speed and predictability.
At Cogitate, we’ve helped customers launch across 22 different lines of business. We’ve built the capabilities – core functionality, AI embedded throughout the platform, and pre-integrations – that allow our partners to move fast and win. We’re well positioned not just to support winners, but to be one of the winners ourselves.
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