The project will be coordinated through J-Hub, the insurers innovation and technology unit The project will be coordinated through J-Hub, Jubilee's innovation and technology unit, which develops and tests digital and artificial intelligence-based solutions across the group.
Jubilee Group and FSD Africa have partnered with seven insurtech companies to develop and test affordable insurance products targeting Kenyans with limited access to formal insurance. The initiative will focus on small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), informal sector workers, farmers and low-income households, with pilots expected to start in Kenya in November 2026.
The seven firms, Dukatech Solutions, Aura Insure Technologies, Inclusivity Solutions, DPE, Fiinovate, Agrails and Ibisa Network—will first undergo an eight-week product development process with Jubilee before the pilot projects begin. The companies will test different approaches to distributing low-cost insurance, protecting small businesses and linking customers to health and wellness services.
The initiative comes as insurance coverage remains low among SMEs and other underserved groups in East Africa. The region has more than 10 million SMEs, which account for more than 70 per cent of jobs, but insurance penetration among the businesses averages about one per cent.
Low insurance coverage leaves households and small businesses vulnerable to financial losses caused by illness, extreme weather and other unexpected shocks. Jubilee Group deputy group CEO Juan Cazcarra said the partnership would allow the insurer to test products and distribution models before deciding which ones can be expanded.
“Working with these seven insurtechs gives us a practical way to test different products and distribution models with customers and learn what works,” Cazcarra said. “There is a large group of Kenyans who work, earn and run businesses every day but still have little or no insurance coverage.
We need to meet people where they are, with products that are affordable, relevant and simple to access." The companies will work on three areas: low-cost bundled and embedded insurance distribution, insurance products for SME ecosystems, and wellness models that link customers to health and care services.