From data ambition to intelligent insurance: key takeaways from TinTech DataJam 2026

TinTech DataJam 2026 wasn’t about whether insurers should invest in data and AI – the industry has already made that commitment. What stood out to me, both in the sessions and the roundtable discussions, is that the real question now is how to turn that investment into operational advantage. 

What I heard throughout the sessions and roundtables was a clear shift in the conversation. The focus has moved beyond experimentation and isolated proof-of-concepts towards production-grade intelligence embedded into underwriting, claims, pricing and customer journeys. 

But alongside that momentum was a consistent message: AI alone won’t fix structural challenges. Without strong data foundations, aligned operating models and modernised technology, insurers risk scaling complexity rather than value. 

The takeaway: insurance is becoming real-time, connected and intelligence-led 

Across the agenda, a consistent theme emerged: the insurance enterprise of the future will be built on continuous, trusted data flow. 

Whether the discussion focused on: 

• Agentic AI 
• Algorithmic underwriting 
• Digital self-service 
• London market interoperability 
• Legacy transformation 

…the same challenge kept surfacing in the conversations I had: data still is not moving as seamlessly as it needs to across systems, teams, partners and customer journeys. 

This reflects broader market pressure. Insurers are balancing: 

• Margin and cost pressures 
• Rising customer expectations 
• Increasing regulatory scrutiny 
• The need for faster, more informed decision-making 

The result is a shift towards operationalising data and AI, not just investing in them. 

1.Data strategy is now a board-level growth lever

One of the strongest messages from DataJam was that AI success depends on disciplined data strategy, governance and architecture, not experimentation alone. 

For insurance leaders, this makes data strategy a commercial priority: 

• Faster risk selection through better data access 
• More accurate pricing using trusted datasets 
• Smarter claims triage with improved visibility 
• Stronger portfolio insight and control 
• Better evidence of customer outcomes 

From what I heard at DataJam, organisations that treat data as a strategic operational asset, not just a reporting output, will be better placed to respond to market volatility and protect profitability. 

TXP perspective
Insurers need practical, execution-led data modernisation. That means: 

• Assessing data maturity 
• Simplifying and connecting data flows 
• Strengthening governance and ownership 
• Designing architectures that support AI and operational decision-making at scale 

2. Agentic AI is promising,but governance will decide who scales

Agentic AI was a major focus at DataJam, particularly the evolution towards agent-to-agent workflows across underwriting, claims and service. 

The opportunity is significant: 

• Coordinated automation across complex processes 
• Faster decision-making and handoffs 
• More responsive operations 

However, the reality is more nuanced. 

The challenge is not simply deploying AI agents. It is: 

• Structuring data, metadata and event flows 
• Establishing shared standards and controls 
• Ensuring auditability, explainability and accountability 
• Managing risk across multiple interacting systems 

In a regulated industry like insurance, uncontrolled automation is not viable. 

TXP perspective
The starting point should always be business value: 

• Identify where agentic AI removes friction 
• Define governance and control upfront 
• Build delivery roadmaps that balance innovation with responsible adoption 

3. Legacy transformation is now an operational imperative

Legacy technology remains one of the biggest barriers to progress. 

Across sessions and in the conversations around them, insurers highlighted: 

• Constraints caused by monolithic core systems 
• Fragmented workflows and manual handoffs 
• Difficulty delivering consistent customer journeys 
• Limited ability to scale AI and automation 

The key shift is in how the market is responding. 

Transformation is increasingly: 

• Incremental rather than disruptive 
• Built on modular, API-enabled ecosystems 
• Designed to add intelligent layers without destabilising the core 

The question is no longer if legacy must change, but how to sequence that change effectively. 

TXP perspective

TXP supports insurers to modernise without forcing a ‘rip and replace’ approach, through: 

• Architecture assessment 
• Integration and API enablement 
• Cloud and platform strategy 
• Application modernisation 
• Delivery governance 

4. Customer experience will be won behind the scenes

Digital self-service is now expected, but DataJam made it clear that customer experience is driven by operational capability. 

Seamless journeys depend on: 

• Connected systems 
• Reliable data flows 
• Efficient internal processes 

For claims leaders and COOs in particular, the priority is not simply digitisation, it’s process redesign. 

What came through strongly for me is that automating inefficient processes rarely delivers lasting value. Instead, insurers need to: 

• Simplify workflows 
• Remove duplication and rekeying 
• Improve end-to-end visibility 
• Enable faster resolution and decision-making 

TXP perspective
Transformation should start with operational insight: 

• Map where friction exists across claims, underwriting and service 
• Target automation where it improves both efficiency and outcomes 
• Align technology investments to measurable performance improvement 

5. The London market must reduce friction through interoperability

Sessions focused on the London market highlighted a persistent issue:
too much cost and delay is created by disconnected processes and inconsistent data standards. 

In a softening market, reducing friction is critical. 

The direction of travel is clear: 

• Shared data standards 
• Improved interoperability across insurers, brokers and partners 
• More connected workflows for placement, claims and reporting 

What stood out to me is that organisations that focus only on internal optimisation risk missing the bigger opportunity: market-wide efficiency and performance. 

TXP perspective
TXP supports interoperability through: 

• Integration and workflow redesign 
• Platform and data architecture strategy 
• Enabling collaboration across internal and external ecosystems 

The leadership question: are you building intelligence into the business, or around it? 

The most thought-provoking takeaway from DataJam for me is that transformation is no longer just about deploying technology. 

It is about how the organisation operates. 

For different leaders, this means: 

• CIOs/CTOs: building scalable, flexible technical foundations 
• COOs: designing operations around flow, resilience and measurable outcomes 
• Senior underwriters: improving decisions without losing judgement 
• Claims leaders: combining automation with control and transparency 

The insurers that move fastest won’t necessarily have the most technology.
They will be the ones that can connect strategy, data, architecture, governance and delivery into a coherent transformation approach. 

Where TXP can help 

TXP works with insurers to turn ambition into practical delivery. 

In the context of the themes from TinTech DataJam 2026, we see four priority areas: 

• Data and AI readiness – Assessing data maturity, governance and use cases to ensure AI delivers measurable value 

• Legacy and platform modernisation
  Creating modular, integrated foundations that support agility without unnecessary disruption 

• Operational transformation
  Redesigning workflows before applying AI and automation 

• Responsible delivery
  Moving from strategy to measurable adoption through structured delivery and governance 

Final thought 

DataJam 2026 made one thing clear: the next phase of insurance transformation will reward disciplined ambition. 

The opportunity is not simply to deploy AI faster.
It is to build organisations that are more connected, adaptive and intelligent by design. 

If you’re exploring how to move from data ambition to practical transformation outcomes, I’d be happy to continue the conversation – get in touch using our contact form.

By David Marshall, Technology, Data and AI Director of Insurance Sector, TXP