Insurers are using mobile phones to address two main challenges facing the microinsurance sector: increasing efficiency and reaching scale. By leveraging mobile phone infrastructure insurers have made processes more efficient across the insurance value chain; reducing turnaround times for enrolment, premium collection, claims processing; lowering costs; and bridging geographical distances.

This report looks at the mobile phone beyond just a self-enrolment device, but as infrastructure for delivering insurance. In addition, it reviews partnerships with MNOs and the need to balance incentives to attract and retain clients, with providing evolving value to the end-client.  In an effort to identify lessons that support practitioners looking to use the mobile phone in microinsurance, the ILO’s Microinsurance Innovation Facility and Cenfri reviewed 13 insurance schemes that are using mobile phones in some capacity to reveal good practices and lessons for insurers to consider when implementing mobile-based microinsurance.