Embedded protection pioneer and global insurtech success story Cover Genius will provide critical insights on disruption at next month’s Insurance News technology conference.

Co-founder and CEO Angus McDonald will take part in a fireside chat entitled What’s To Disrupt? at the event in Sydney on August 6. Tickets are on sale here.

Cover Genius, based in New York but founded in Sydney in 2014, distributes across 60 countries from 10 global offices, serving 30 million customers.

The chat with Mr McDonald will encompass the Cover Genius journey, the future for embedded insurance and how disruption could affect industry incumbents.

“We’re really excited about the next stage,” Mr McDonald told insuranceNEWS.com.au.

“Embedded insurance 1.0 is travel insurance, ticket insurance, warranty programs with e-commerce stores and things like that. Embedded insurance 2.0 is a whole raft of things. We do contents insurance in the US, we do income protection programs around the world. There are really no restrictions.”

Mr McDonald says Cover Genius has been a “category-defining business”.

“We’ve created this category of embedded insurance, and we think there is going to be a whole lot of insurance sold through these kinds of platforms, and we are really excited about that theme playing out over the next five to 10 years.

“There are lots of different use cases and increasingly, as everything digitises, you are going to see more embedded programs around the world.

“We’re the vanguard but there will be others coming behind us, including the big global digital platforms who have all the customers. Companies like Amazon and Google have shown interest in disrupting insurance, and it’s going to continue to happen.

“There are opportunities to disrupt traditional channels.”

The conference, Insurtech – Moving Forward Faster, is made possible by event partner Insurtech Australia and sponsors AAMC, SSP and JAVLN, and supporting sponsor HDI.

Other speakers include QBE Ventures head of emerging technology Alex Taylor, Marsh Pacific head of digital Johannes Veldsman and Insurtech Australia CEO Simone Dossetor.

Also in the line-up are NTI CEO Tony Clark, Evari founder Daniel Fogarty, HDI Global claims manager for Asia-Pacific David Lloyd, ZapCentral co-founder Lisa Woodley, and JAVLN CEO Dale Smith.

The event, at Dockside Cockle Bay Wharf, will examine technology, and its benefits and challenges. Attendees qualify for 5.5 NIBA CPD points and six ANZIIF CIP points.

An insurtech pitch competition and a debate on Promise v Reality: Can Technology Really Change a People-Based Industry? will feature among informative panel sessions.