The Baromètre des décideurs de l'assurance 2026, carried out by Eurogroup Consulting in partnership with Cercle LAB, returns to a profoundly transformed context. Inflation in technical costs, regulatory pressure, market volatility, the acceleration of artificial intelligence: the sector is now operating in a more demanding, more unstable and more technological environment.
This latest edition of the Barometer highlights a major strategic shift in the sector: the insurance industry is no longer focused on growth at any price, but rather on striking a balance between performance, risk management and operational efficiency.
Selective optimism in a constrained environment
The survey results reveal a kind of «great dissonance» within the sector. While 65% of % decision-makers anticipate favorable momentum in the Savings/Life segment, driven by more favorable financial conditions, technical activities remain under heavy pressure. In P&C, nearly one decision-maker in two expects a deterioration, while Health-Provident business remains weakened by transfers of costs and changing risk profiles. In an environment marked by cost inflation, market volatility and heightened competition, growth still exists, but it is targeted and more demanding.
The defensive priority: restore margins and control risks
Faced with this unprecedented scissors effect, the strategic priority is clearly shifting towards protecting economic equilibrium. For 57 % of executives, operational efficiency is the number one priority, ahead of the customer experience. The aim is to contain cost increases and preserve technical margins, even as structural risks intensify.
Cyber & Data are emerging as the top strategic concern (76 % of respondents), ahead of legal and regulatory risks, then climate. Insurers need to secure their own systems while continuing to cover increasingly complex exposures, in a constantly evolving regulatory and technological environment.
AI and customer value at the heart of the new model
In this context, technological transformation is changing scale. Generative AI is already integrated by 76 % of managers in at least one function. It is becoming a concrete lever for industrialization, mobilized to automate processes, enhance fraud detection or improve customer relations. At the same time, the logic of growth is changing: players are focusing on market diversification and maximizing value per customer, rather than on massive conquest.
The 2026 barometer thus outlines a sector in transition, engaged in three decisive battles: restoring underwriting margins, driving portfolio value and achieving organizational transformation. More than ever, the insurance industry must combine industrialization and local presence to build sustainable business models.
Download the Barometer of Insurance Decision-makers 2026.
Study methodology
To ensure the robustness of the results and lessons learned, this study combines two complementary data sources:
A quantitative component: an online consultation of a hundred or so executives over the 4th quarter of 2025 to measure trends and investment priorities.
A qualitative component: A series of 30 in-depth interviews conducted throughout 2025. These discussions with insurers, mutual insurers, provident institutions, brokers and industry experts enabled us to qualify the weak signals and contextualize the quantitative results.
The questionnaire was specifically addressed to a population of senior decision-makers in all market families: insurers, mutual insurers, provident institutions, bancassurers... guaranteeing a strategic and not merely operational vision. The majority of respondents occupy top management positions: members of COMEX and General Management, strategy departments, development departments, technical departments, operations departments, etc.
