Jubilee Group and development partner FSD Africa have announced a partnership with seven insurtech companies to design and test affordable insurance products for underserved Kenyans, including small‑ and medium‑sized enterprises, informal sector workers, farmers and low‑income households.

The collaboration will run an eight‑week product co‑creation sprint with Jubilee before joint pilot programmes launch in Kenya in November 2026.

The seven selected firms – Dukatech Solutions, Aura Insure Technologies, Inclusivity Solutions, DPE, Fiinovate, Agrails and Ibisa Network – were chosen through a competitive process from the BimaLab Africa Insurtech Accelerator alumni network.

Each company will focus on a distinct part of the insurance value chain: Dukatech will explore bundled and embedded coverage via its Shopokoa platform; Aura and Inclusivity will provide digital underwriting and distribution tools; DPE will test health‑and‑wellness engagement through SMS, WhatsApp and voice; Fiinovate will examine credit‑linked protection for SMEs; Agrails will bring climate‑intelligence and parametric technology; and Ibisa Network will use satellite data and AI analytics for parametric products for farmers and renewable‑energy operators.

The programme builds on Jubilee’s earlier partnership with bolttech, which embedded health insurance into digital platforms used by banks, retailers and other service providers, allowing customers to encounter insurance during routine transactions.

Jubilee hopes the pilots will show whether technology can lower acquisition costs, improve risk assessment and streamline claims processing enough to keep premiums affordable for customers historically excluded from formal insurance.

Why the initiative matters for Kenya’s insurance gap

Kenya’s insurance penetration remains low despite expanding digital channels, with research cited by NCBA Insurance indicating that about 53 % of surveyed small businesses in Nairobi had no active insurance cover.

Industry players are increasingly seeking technology that reduces distribution friction, fraud, claims costs and other inefficiencies that drive premiums up, rather than merely putting existing policies online.

Embedding insurance into everyday financial or commercial interactions – such as a trader’s point‑of‑sale system or a borrower’s credit platform – is seen as a way to make protection a seamless part of customers’ routines.

Next steps and potential scaling

After the eight‑week co‑creation phase, the seven insurtechs will run pilot tests with real customers in November 2026; successful models may be expanded to other East African markets, giving Jubilee a basis to decide on broader deployment.

The pilots will be evaluated on more than enrollment numbers, focusing on customer understanding, affordability, claims efficiency and commercial viability for both Jubilee and its distribution partners.