Vitesse, Yokahu and FloodFlash to work together to cut insurance payout times

Global fintech Vitesse is delighted to announce today a collaboration with climate risk insurance platform Yokahu, alongside flood parametric insurtech FloodFlash, to significantly accelerate payments from insurers to policyholders to prevent small and medium-sized business (SMEs) from failing after extreme weather events.

Climate change is impacting the frequency and severity of weather events around the world. Natural disasters through to the end of the third quarter of 2022, for example, are estimated to have caused total economic losses of approximately US$227 billion – of which an estimated US$99 billion was covered by public and private insurers, meaning that insured losses are likely to exceed US$100 billion for the third year in a row according to Aon’s Global Catastrophe Recap report. This represents a significant insurance protection gap of over 50%.

SMEs and vulnerable communities in particular are disproportionately impacted by natural catastrophes with 90% of smaller companies failing within a year unless operations resume within five days of a flood, for instance. However, traditional claims payments from insurers can take weeks or sometimes months in the case of complex claims requiring loss adjusters – time that SMEs and the individuals who work for them do not have.

To address this challenge, fintech Vitesse – which has digital banking distribution in over 170 countries globally – has developed a platform that allows cross border payments for insurers to pay a claim in real-time, and has partnered with FloodFlash and Yokahu to enable this through parametric insurance.

Harnessing Vitesse’s worldwide digital banking channels combined with parametric insurance products reduces claims payment times from months to minutes and ensures that cash goes straight into the hands of those individuals and SMEs worst affected.

Daniel Andrews, Insurance Director of Vitesse, said:

“Our collaborative approach with FloodFlash and Yokahu demonstrates our desire to positively impact change and deliver quicker outcomes for consumers and businesses at a time when they need it most.  Whether that be to repair a residential property or to get a business back up and trading.  The partnership is a match made in heaven, where third parties can come together to deliver a compelling insured experience from end-to-end.”

Phil McGriskin, CEO and founder of Vitesse, said:

“Seeing the positive impact on lives and small businesses makes me proud that Vitesse is the payments partner of choice for Yokahu and FloodFlash. Technology and insurance coming together to change a customer’s experience is just the beginning….it’s exciting to see what’s next.”

Tim McCosh, CEO and Founder of Yokahu, said:

“The climate change emergency is accelerating, and this year’s COP27 focused minds once again on the urgent need for action on the ground where it will have the most impact. No one person or company can solve the challenges that climate change presents – only through truly collaborative efforts can innovation reach the scale that is required to have the most impact and bring the biggest cost savings to society.

The partnership with Vitesse means that when a parametric climate risk policy is triggered, we are now able to pay each individual or business covered by the policy, so that they wake up the day after an event happens and the money is there to support them in rebuilding. That’s the power of technology.

The potential for scaling is vastly improved by collaborating with Vitesse, which is present in over 170 countries globally. This brings us a step closer to protecting businesses and individuals who can’t otherwise access affordable insurance in face of natural hazards, and expedite support to victims of disasters around the world.”

Adam Rimmer, CEO of FloodFlash, said:

“One of the themes that has emerged from COP27 is that developed countries are putting forward financial tools (most notably the loss and damage fund) to support the poorer nations that will fall victim to climate catastrophes. In parametric insurance we have a powerful financial tool that can help everyone, from governments down to individual citizens.”

“Parametric cover is the best way to help more people recover from catastrophe. As the world changes faster and recovery demands become more intense, the speed at which funds are made available will only become more important. This partnership signals a great step towards fast, sustainable financial resilience.”

About Yokahu

Yokahu is a climate risk insurance platform. Operating as a fully automated insurance intermediary, Yokahu develops and sells parametric insurance policies that are based on provable events rather than resulting losses.

As soon as a defined parameter is met – wind speeds reach 74 miles per hour in a policyholder’s set location for example – the policy pays a predetermined amount automatically, within hours.

Yokahu spent two years developing technology to automate this insurance experience for people, creating the distribution network to reach those people efficiently, and testing the data to ensure a reliable outcome.

Yokahu achieved its position as a Lloyd’s of London Coverholder and launched operations in November 2021. Sales began in nine Caribbean islands in May 2022.

For more information, please visit: www.yokahu.co

About FloodFlash

80% of the world’s catastrophic flood losses aren’t insured. That’s US$58 billion of uncovered damage, and it’s getting bigger each year because of climate change, population growth and urbanisation. FloodFlash is an insurance technology company that combines computer models, cloud software and internet-of-things sensors into flood cover that protects those the insurance industry has left behind. For more information, please visit https://floodflash.co/

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