Speakers at the opening session of the 14th Asia Insurance Brokers' Summit in Jakarta Indonesia said that Asia's insurance broking industry is entering a defining era, as they face structural pressure and increasing competition from digital platforms and embedded insurance ecosystems.
In his welcome address, Association of Indonesian Insurance and Reinsurance Brokers (APPARINDO) Chairman Yulius Bhayangkara said that while the broking community currently faces a lot of challenges, it is keen to build transforming and not just transactional brokers in Indonesia.
“We should become experts and engage with clients and provide solutions for their risk management problems,” Mr Bhayangkara said.
He further said that the broker in 2030 will compete not only through market access but through insight, innovation and trust.
“As consultants, we need to create innovative solutions for our clients and also develop future insurance leaders that will strengthen industry capabilities and create capable brokers,” he said, further noting the need for collaboration between different stakeholders in the industry.
Leading customer centric transformation
Howden Indonesia President Director Willy Ignatius spoke of the need for brokers to lead with customer-centric transformation and to build an organisation that earns trust, loyalty and sustainable growth.
“As brokers, we are looking at building an organisation that earns trust and loyalty which leads to sustainable growth,” said Mr Ignatius.
He was also optimistic that this may become a strategic framework for the broking industry in Indonesia and across Asia.
Mr Ignatius also made a clarion call for the industry to embed customer-centricity as a core business strategy, not just a service initiative.
“Brokers must go beyond their service initiative and build trust in order to drive growth. We are dealing with sophisticated clients who expect more from us, than just being a transaction broker and for this we need to have more skills in terms of analytics and benchmarking,” he said.
Mr Ignatius also spoke on the need for brokers to align with people, culture and technology to deliver exceptional customer value and drive sustainable growth by building organisations that anticipate and adapt to evolving client needs.
“Sustainable growth means earning trust with the right kind of people and having the discipline to say no when a relationship undermines the process,” he said.
The 14th Asia Insurance Brokers’ Summit, with the theme: ‘The Future Broker – Reinvention & Strategic Roadmap Towards 2030’ is organised by Asia Insurance Review, and is being held in Jakarta, Indonesia, from 22 to 23 July 2026.