ITC Vegas 2025: Six Moves Insurance Leaders Should Make in 2026

you’ve ever been to ITC Vegas, you know it’s not just another insurance conference—it’s the industry's pulse check. This year, walking the Mandalay Bay floor felt different. The buzz wasn’t about theoretical “innovation” —  it was about tangible execution.

AI, embedded insurance, and customer experience weren’t secondary themes anymore — they dominated the main stage, hallway chatter, and even end-of-day happy hours.

More than 9,000 attendees showed up with one shared thought: insurance has the potential to move faster than its reputation suggests.

AI is here —  but insurers are deciding how far to go

AI isn’t new to insurance. Carriers have quietly used predictive models for years —  in pricing, claims, and fraud detection. But 2025 marked a turning point: the conversation shifted to generative AI and agentic AI —  systems that don’t just analyze but act.

Still, the industry has caution deeply woven into its DNA. In fact, many executives at ITC admitted they’re balancing enthusiasm with risk aversion: What if we move too fast and get it wrong? Yet, as one panelist put it, “waiting may now be the bigger risk.”

That sentiment echoed during Salesforce’s panel, “Revolutionizing the Insurance Customer Experience with Agentic AI,” where speakers from Salesforce, J.D. Power, and Bold Penguin explored how AI-driven agents can personalize policyholder interactions, summarize complex cases, and anticipate customer needs before they arise. 

The takeaway: the next wave of efficiency won’t come from replacing people —  it’ll come from freeing them to focus on higher-value tasks.

At Accelerize 360, we see the same pattern. Insurers that treat AI as a collaborator, not a replacement, are already improving cycle times, submission triage, and call center performance.. The future won’t belong to the fastest adopters —  it’ll belong to the most deliberate ones who balance innovation with governance.

Embedded Is Rewiring Distribution — And Relationships

2025 marked a turning point as embedded distribution gained real traction across travel, auto, and fintech partnerships. From automakers bundling coverage at purchase to travel, pet insurance, and fintech brands embedding policies at checkout, the channel is quickly maturing.

ITC made clear that this isn’t just about APIs —  it’s about rethinking relationships. Insurers are realizing that distribution isn’t owned anymore; it’s shared.

For incumbents, this means deciding whether to partner, compete, or do both. The smartest carriers are building ecosystems —  investing in embedded plays while simultaneously equipping brokers with digital tools so they can compete in a “click-to-bind” world.

A360 helps carriers do both. We’ve seen how the right Salesforce Data Cloud (Data 360) architecture can support embedded partnerships and modern broker enablement without fragmenting data or experience.

Competing on Experience

At ITC, one message came through loud and clear — customer experience has become the key to competitive advantage. Price and product still matter, but speed, clarity, and empathy are now the real differentiators.

Speakers pointed to carriers that have turned CX into a strategic weapon —  using personalization and journey orchestration to engage customers the way retailers do. When done well, customers don’t even notice the tech; they just remember how easy it felt.

For an industry that built itself on trust, that’s a powerful shift. And with Salesforce showcasing how AI can tailor every interaction—from marketing outreach to claim follow-ups—the tools are already here. Winning insurers will be those that build their operations around experience — and let process fall in line behind it.

Claims: Where Automation Meets Empathy

After years of chasing distribution innovation, insurers are rediscovering where loyalty is truly won or lost — in the claims experience. At ITC, claims took back the spotlight.

Across the floor, startups demonstrated end-to-end automation for low-complexity claims — instant digital payouts, real-time validation, and AI-assisted triage. Meanwhile, leading carriers shared how technology is freeing adjusters to focus on what machines can’t replicate: empathy and reassurance in high-stress moments.

As one panelist shared: “Innovation isn’t about replacing adjusters—it’s about enhancing their expertise and giving policyholders the seamless experience they expect.”

That balance is exactly where transformation happens — efficiency powered by automation, and trust strengthened through human connection.

Submission intake and small commercial — finally catching up

The small commercial market may be the most quietly transformative segment in insurance right now. For years, agents and MGAs have wrestled with manual submissions and endless email chains. ITC showed how that’s finally changing.

Vendors and carriers unveiled data-prefill tools, AI-assisted submission triage, and unified broker portals that eliminate duplication. The result: brokers can get multiple quotes in minutes instead of days.

This isn’t about shiny tech — it’s about restoring trust and ease between carriers and brokers. And while it may not grab headlines like AI, it might have the biggest near-term ROI for mid-market carriers trying to scale profitably.

Marketing and growth engineering move to the main stage

ITC also featured a dedicated Sales & Performance Marketing Summit, and it drew a crowd. Insurance has woken up to the reality that growth isn’t just about writing more policies — it’s about knowing, nurturing, and retaining the right ones.

Sessions explored lifecycle marketing, lead scoring, and AI-driven personalization — ideas that have powered consumer tech for years but are now finding a home in insurance. The challenge isn’t interest — it’s execution. Many carriers still operate in silos where data and insights remain fragmented across marketing, distribution, and service.

That’s changing fast. We’re seeing insurers turn CRM and data unification projects into “growth engines” that connect every touchpoint — a vision Salesforce and its partners continue to champion across the ecosystem.

The bigger signal: the industry’s cautious confidence

For all the optimism, ITC 2025 felt true to the industry’s DNA — analytical, cautious, but quietly determined. The energy in Vegas wasn’t about chasing shiny objects; it was about making smart bets.

Carriers and brokers alike know the risk of AI inaction — but they’re equally clear that rushing ahead without guardrails could backfire. That’s the balance everyone’s trying to strike: moving fast enough to stay competitive, but carefully enough to manage risk. That balancing act is exactly where strategic transformation happens. It’s also where A360 does its best work — helping insurers turn ambition into measurable progress, with governance built in from day one.

At A360, that’s where we do our best work: helping insurers translate big ideas into actionable programs that balance innovation with control. We left Vegas grounded by one simple truth — the winners in 2026 won’t be the ones who chased every new thing; they’ll be the ones who knew where to start and how.

Stay tuned —  in the coming weeks, we’ll dive deeper into each of these six moves and what they mean for distribution, marketing, service, and claims leaders charting their 2026 roadmap.

Ready to Build What’s Next for Insurance?

From AI governance to embedded distribution, Accelerize 360 helps insurers modernize with confidence — blending innovation, control, and speed-to-value.
👉 Contact us to learn how we can help your organization prepare for 2026 and beyond.

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