As Canadian insurers race to modernize, one of the biggest shifts ahead won’t be a new product or a new policy form – it will be how often, and in what ways, they show up in customers’ lives, according to Melissa Carruthers (pictured), global life and health insurance leader at Deloitte Canada.
In recent research, Carruthers and her team identified five “megashifts” they believe will define the next decade of insurance. Two of them, she said, are the move to “always‑on, data‑driven advice” and the rise of ecosystem partnerships that pull insurers into everyday health, wealth and risk decisions.
For most policyholders, insurance has long been a “set and forget” relationship: buy a policy, hear from your carrier at renewal, and call only if something goes wrong.
“Insurers have traditionally engaged customers in a reactive, transactional way – often only at key moments like purchase, renewal, or claims,” Carruthers told Insurance Business. “Always‑on, data‑driven advice represents a shift toward continuous, proactive, and highly personalised engagement.”
In practice, that means using permissioned data – not surveillance – to anticipate needs and offer timely, simple actions rather than waiting for the client to pick up the phone.
Carruthers pointed to a range of data sources that could power this model, from plan utilisation and telematics to wearables, smart‑home devices, banking patterns, or HR and benefits systems. The goal, she said, is to identify risks and opportunities early and turn them into “meaningful, contextualised recommendations.”
For a Canadian policyholder, that could look like:
“It should feel less like a sales pitch and more like a helpful coach in the background.”
Getting there, however, will require sustained investment behind the scenes. Carruthers said carriers need stronger customer data platforms, advanced analytics and new digital experiences that can support rapid, frequent and relevant communication at scale.
“With advancements in AI, the industry is closer to this reality than many realise,” she added. “As insurers shift to always‑on engagement, they move from being passive payers of claims to active partners in wellbeing, financial security, and risk prevention – building deeper trust and improving outcomes across life, health, wealth, and P&C.”
That “partner” role is already starting to emerge in life and health, where Carruthers sees some of the most promising ecosystem opportunities.
“For Canadian life and health carriers, the most promising partnerships centre on health, wellbeing, and workforce ecosystems,” she said.
Virtual care providers, digital clinics, pharmacies, wearable platforms and mental‑health apps all offer ways for insurers to shift from pure protection to prevention, coaching and early intervention. Rather than only stepping in at claim time, carriers can integrate into day-to-day health and employment journeys.
On the distribution side, HR, payroll and benefits‑administration platforms are becoming partners, creating embedded channels for insurance and ancillary solutions, she said. For plan sponsors and employees, that could mean benefits, advice and wellbeing tools that are woven into the systems they already use to manage work, pay and time off.
“These partnerships allow carriers to improve claims outcomes and create more personalised protection offerings,” Carruthers said. “You’re not just pricing and paying for risk – you’re helping to shape it.”
For retirement and wealth players, the centre of gravity is different – but the logic is the same.
“Ecosystems built around financial wellness, banking, and digital investing platforms present the largest opportunity,” Carruthers noted.
She pointed to neobanks, wealth managers and robo‑advisors as natural partners to embed protection directly into mortgage, lending and goal‑based investing journeys. Within the confines of the Bank Act, that opens up more holistic “protect and grow” offerings where insurance sits alongside savings and investment products rather than as a bolt‑on.
Fintech partners – from payments apps and digital wallets to buy now, pay later providers – also create space for micro‑insurance and income‑stability products tied to everyday cash‑flow behaviours.
“These partnerships help carriers move closer to customers’ financial decisions,” she said. “They can support retirement readiness and build integrated accumulation‑to‑decumulation ecosystems, with protection and longevity solutions at the core.”
On the property and casualty side, Carruthers sees ecosystems forming around three main pillars: mobility, housing and small business.
“For P&C carriers, the strongest partnership opportunities sit in mobility, housing, and SMB ecosystems,” she said.
In mobility, auto OEMs, telematics platforms, car‑sharing providers and gig‑worker networks enable embedded auto insurance, usage‑based models and real‑time risk scoring. A rideshare driver, for example, could have cover that flexes with hours worked, priced off telematics data and accessed through the same platform they use to find trips.
In the home ecosystem, real‑estate platforms, smart‑home IoT providers, utilities and property‑management apps open the door to embedded home insurance, climate‑resilience programs, and leak or fire‑prevention sensors tied directly to cover.
“For commercial lines, accounting, payroll, e‑commerce, cyber‑security and cloud platforms offer scalable routes into the SMB market,” Carruthers added, “through embedded general liability, cyber, E&O, and business‑interruption cover.”
