Blockchain Technology and Life Insurance | ThinkAdvisor

In an environment of fast-emerging crypto and blockchain technology, searches like “Bitcoin and Life Insurance,” are producing a wide range of content and topics.

Concerns ranging from the likelihood of life insurance companies moving toward accepting Bitcoin, to the involvement of major life insurers in purchasing large amounts of Bitcoin, to the increasing investments of major life insurance in efforts to prepare to offer Bitcoin (or other cryptocurrency) investing, are all front and center considerations in the life insurance industry.

At the same time, “decentralized finance” (DeFi) — a key component in the Bitcoin and crypto infrastructure —is not only changing the game of finance, but appears to be challenging the foundations of the current financial system. Regulators are now scrambling to address potential concerns and the major crypto companies are responding in kind to educate regulators.

As the life insurance industry becomes more acquainted with, Bitcoin, crypto in general, and DeFi, the involvement and impact on the life insurance industry is still in its infancy.

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This being the case, this article will attempt to offer an overview of the current state of affairs related to the impact of Bitcoin and the blockchain on the life insurance industry to date.

Then we will look at DeFi, first by reviewing what constitutes the modern financial infrastructure and its inherent concerns related to currency devaluation, inflation and centralized control.

Next we will look more deeply at what DeFi really is and how it may dramatically impact the current financial system in the U.S. and abroad.

Finally, we will consider the Bitcoin, crypto and DeFi horizon, as it may offer new opportunities for life insurance companies in the space.

Bitcoin

Top mutual whole life company, MassMutual, has a particular interest in Bitcoin. In December, 2020, MassMutual purchased 100 million in bitcoin for its general investment account and acquired an equity stake in NYDIG, a leading provider of technology and investment solutions, for a Bitcoin fund.

The deal between MassMutual and NYDIG concerning Bitcoin, was predicated on what MassMutual sees as an the increasing involvement of cryptocurrencies in the financial landscape and the demand from financial professionals and their clients to gain bitcoin exposure.

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“MassMutual continues to innovate and to lead the pack when it comes to Bitcoin,” stated Robert Gutmann, co-founder and CEO of NYDIG.

Blockchain

Other life insurance companies are beginning to utilize blockchain technology, a cryptographically assured form of shared record keeping, to prevent insurance fraud and track records, file claims, and more.

For example, MetLife is apparently using Ethereum blockchain technology to add transparency and efficiency to the life insurance claims process.

Related Questions

There are many other various questions related to Bitcoin, crypto and the impact on life insurance companies, such as when various life insurance companies will start accepting Bitcoin (or other crypto) as payment or companies insuring crypto holdings.

There are also related questions such as getting insurance for crypto. For example, Lloyd’s of London has an insurance policy that protects cryptocurrencies held in online wallets. Finally, there are numerous estate planning considerations such as taxation, identification and transferring of crypto assets to future generations.

Decentralized Finance

DeFi is a fast-emerging ecosystem which allows financial products of all kinds, from coins to digital art (NFTs), to be made available on a decentralized blockchain network.

The programmable applications and protocols being created on the blockchain, the foremost of which is Ethereum, allow financial transactions to be executed automatically on the blockchain, through “smart contracts” without the need for middlemen like banks for brokerages.

Peer to Peer

Unlike a bank or brokerage account, government issued IDs, social security numbers or proof of address are not necessary in the world of DeFi. DeFi transactions make it possible for buyers, sellers, lenders and borrowers to transact “peer to peer” with only computer-based systems in place to serve as the middleman, eliminating the need for a company or institution to initiate a transaction.

Thus, DeFi is not only changing the game of finance, but, in my estimation, is challenging the current financial system by throwing out the entire gameboard. What this will mean for DeFi, remains to be seen.

So, what would a world without traditional banks look like, and how does this relate to the life insurance industry?

The Current Financial Model: Hub and Spoke

The modern financial infrastructure that most of us has come to know pretty well is characterized by a “hub and spoke” model.

Key financial centers of activity such as New York and London serve as hubs for the financial industry (banks and brokerages) which then influence economic activity at regional spokes or nerve centers such as Milan or Mumbai.

Economic activity or hardship then radiates from the spokes to the rest of the economy.

Arguably, this model has worked pretty well over last 100 years; however, a few big problems have revealed the flaws in the existing code, pun intended.

For example, the relatively recent banking crisis that led to the great recession showed that a few problems with the balance sheets of a few large institutions sent the global economies tumbling toward years of recession.