The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the insurance industry – and the world – permanently, and one expert believes the industry will respond well to the challenges set forth by this catastrophic event. AAIS’s Nicole Milos spoke with Fred Karlinsky, Co-chair Insurance Regulatory and Transactions Practice at Greenberg Traurig, about his views on the COVID-19 pandemic and the short- and long-term impacts the pandemic could have on the insurance industry.

IBM, who has partnered with AAIS on the development of the openIDL data-management platform on blockchain, has long been a strong proponent of open-source software development. Chris Ferris, an IBM Fellow and CTO for Open Technology at IBM, spoke to AAIS’s Joan Zerkovich on the importance of the open-source concept and the powerful outcomes IBM has seen from building technology in an open environment.

At AAIS, we’re continually refining our best-in-class products and services to better meet the needs of our Members in a quickly changing industry. In January of 2013, we recognized the need to improve our work processes in order to respond to growing market demand. That’s when AAIS adopted Agile as a new approach to project management.

Open source technology. Collaboration and cooperation to improve the products and technologies necessary to move innovation forward. Building a platform where new applications are welcomed to extend the tool’s use cases. These fundamental practices led to the creation of the Internet…and are being seen again as distributed ledger technology takes center stage.

As today’s families fall asleep at night, they rest assured that they are protected from home perils. When thinking about keeping our homes safe, many think of the standard home perils: fire, floods, and burglary. However, as we delve further into the age of technology, many people forget that their homes are susceptible to more than physical perils. Danger can lurk within their phones, computers, and other IoT devices.

The Internet was built on the concepts of open source, open collaboration, and cooperation. One industry pioneer believes these principles can and should be put into use today for continued success.

When the COVID-19 pandemic hit the United States, regulators quickly realized two problems. They would need to collect massive amounts of data and issue multiple data calls, particularly around business interruption, and there was no secure, efficient way to gather this data to truly understand the impact COVID-19 was having on the P&C market. With business interruption claims growing, a quick, effective solution was needed.

This year, the COVID-19 pandemic changed the world. Storefronts and restaurants were shuttered; jobs were lost; many became ill, and most companies had to quickly adjust to a new, remote working environment. The effects of the pandemic are pervasive, and will have a lasting impact on families, communities, businesses, and the country for years to come.

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought great uncertainty…among families, companies, communities, and the world. Leaders must understand how to overcome their own fears to inspire and engage their teams during this difficult time. But how can leaders be calm, assertive and decisive to help their teams continue to succeed?

The COVID-19 pandemic proved what National Association of Insurance Commissioners CEO Mike Consedine already knew – the regulatory community is swift, nimble, and creative when dealing with an unprecedented emergency.