With the publication of IFRS 17, insurers are now embarking on a journey to implement and operationalize the new standard alongside IFRS 9. As we work with insurers to analyze what the standards mean for their business and how best to implement them, the one question we hear most often is “How does my progress compare with my peers?”

To help answer this question, KPMG International launched a periodic series of benchmarking surveys. The data has provided insurers with insights that have been helpful in their planning. To continue to support insurers with valuable data-driven insights as they progress along their implementation journey, we are pleased to announce the launch of our second benchmarking report - In it to win it - feedback from insurers on the journey to IFRS 17 and IFRS 9 implementation one year in. We gathered, analyzed, and benchmarked data from 160 insurance companies across 30 different countries to understand how insurers have advanced since our last report.

Key findings and call to action:

• time pressure is already becoming acute - there is a vast amount to do
• the organizations that are furthest along with their projects (generally, larger insurers) are the ones feeling the time challenge the most - the more they do, the more they realize how hard the task is and how much work is involved
• while working on implementation, the leading insurers are seeking to optimize systems and processes at the same time in order to reap longer-term, enterprise-wide benefits too - though recognizing that this may take longer than 2021
• smaller insurers have done the least to date - many of them urgently need to engage and get started.

The journey to implementation is not easy, the time for action has come and the only way to make progress towards implementation is to start doing it - you have to be in it to win it.