A closer look at the main areas of change
Charity & Not‑for‑Profit
Cyber cover is now widely available for this sector and we’ve widened appetite across other product lines for charitable organisations, recognising this is a large and diverse sector. Our overall underwriting appetite has also expanded to include more charities, including those supporting mental health, poverty and the elderly.
Trades, construction and engineering
We’ve expanded appetite for a number of specialist and emerging trades, including those linked to modern methods of construction and offsite manufacturing. We’ve also widened access to personal accident cover across many of our existing trades - particularly relevant for small businesses where injury or illness can quickly impact income.
Healthcare, beauty and wellbeing
We’ve updated business descriptions and appetite across areas such as slimming clinics, makeup artists and certain diagnostic services, aligning definitions with real-world activity and providing greater consistency across property, liability and personal accident.
Consultancy and Professional Services
As professional services become more specialised, we’ve introduced new business descriptions in areas like forensic accounting and science, food technology, fundraising and conservation consultancy. Alongside this, we’ve improved appetite across selected property, liability and personal accident risks in this sector.
Training and Tutors
We’ve introduced new business descriptions for online teaching and online tuition, reflecting the shift towards digital and hybrid learning models. Appetite has also been reviewed and improved across related professions to better reflect how education and training is now delivered.
Marketing, Media and Creative
Business descriptions have been expanded to reflect modern creative businesses, including video editors, podcasters, live shopping hosts and web streamers, making it easier to place risks that previously sat in grey areas.
Specialist Retail
We’re placing increased focus on retailers with a strong online presence, including fashion, home furnishings, groceries and consumer electronics. With continued growth in online sales, we’ve updated our retail business descriptions list to better capture this opportunity.
Technology
We’ve introduced new business descriptions aligned to current industry language, including Software as a Service (SaaS), AI software and Managed Service Providers (MSPs). We’ve also expanded our appetite to cover property and casualty risks for a wide range of manufacturing and assembly businesses in the consumer electronics sector, enabling brokers to place risks beyond purely software or service led businesses.
Sports and Leisure
We’ve broadened our appetite beyond more traditional venues such as museums, galleries and theatres. This now includes a wider range of experience‑led venues, including escape rooms, mini golf courses, bingo halls and selected emerging concepts such as rage rooms (on a controlled basis). Our appetite also extends to the fast‑growing e‑sports sector.
What to do next
If you have clients operating in any of these newly introduced or clarified trades, or risks that would previously have sat just outside our appetite, please speak to your local Hiscox underwriter to explore what’s now possible.