Enrolment
Keying customers one by one costs more than many premiums. Enrolment should come from the partner's own records.
- Bulk loads or API calls from the partner
- Reuse of the partner's customer checks where the insurer accepts them
Insurtech / Microinsurance
Microinsurance software for cover sold through partners
A policy worth a few cents a week cannot carry the cost of a paper form, a card payment and an adjuster visit. Agnotic Technologies builds microinsurance systems that enrol customers in bulk from partner data, collect premiums by mobile money or airtime and pay claims to a phone.
Partners
Operators, lenders, checkouts
Wallets
Mobile money and airtime
USSD
Claims on any phone
Trusted by global innovators
Industry Overview
What is microinsurance software?
Microinsurance software is the system that issues, collects and pays out low-premium cover sold through partners such as mobile network operators, microfinance lenders, retail checkouts and agent apps. Agnotic Technologies builds it with cost per policy as a design limit: bulk enrolment from partner data, mobile money or airtime premiums, and SMS or USSD claims.
Cost per policy
Where does the cost of each policy come from?
In microinsurance the software budget is set by the premium. These are the six cost lines we design against before choosing any feature.
Premium collection
Every debit has a fee, and failed debits cost as much as successful ones.
- Retry rules agreed with the wallet provider
- Grace periods before cover lapses
Policy documents
A PDF is useless on a feature phone. The policy reaches the customer as a short message with a reference.
- SMS confirmation and policy number
- Full terms on request or on the web
Claims
A claim must cost less to handle than it pays. Proof is kept to what the product truly needs.
- Simple evidence lists per product
- Payout to the customer's mobile wallet
Customer contact
USSD sessions, calls and messages each have a price, so journeys are short and few.
- Menus with the fewest screens possible
- Messages only at events that matter
Reconciliation
Partners remit premiums in bulk, and every cent has to be matched to a policy.
- Remittance files matched to policies
- Exceptions queued for the finance team
Industry Challenges
Why do standard policy systems struggle with microinsurance?
Most policy administration systems assume an agent, a bank account and a paper trail. Low-premium cover has none of the three.
They create one policy at a time from data an agent types in, instead of thousands from a partner file.
Billing expects cards or bank debits, not mobile money mandates, airtime deductions or premiums added to a loan.
Policy documents are generated as PDFs that customers on basic phones cannot open.
Claims need forms and reviews that cost more than the benefit being paid.
Partner remittances arrive as a single amount that nobody can match to individual policies.
Cover lapses silently when a wallet has no balance, and the customer finds out when they claim.
Decision table
Which distribution channel fits your product?
Each channel decides how customers enrol, how premiums arrive and how claims come in. We use this table to pick the first partner and the data the integration must carry.
| Channel | Enrolment | Premium collection | Claims channel | Data the partner must share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mobile network operator | Opt-in by SMS or USSD menu, with a confirmation message | Airtime deduction or mobile money debit | USSD menu or call centre, payout to the mobile wallet | Phone number, opt-in record, deduction history, the customer checks the operator holds |
| Microfinance lender | Cover attached at loan disbursement and enrolled from the loan file | Added to the loan or collected with repayments | Loan officer or branch submits the claim; the benefit may settle the loan balance | Borrower ID, loan amount and term, disbursement and repayment status |
| Embedded checkout | Opt-in at purchase on web, app or point of sale | Added to the purchase price and remitted by the merchant | Online or chat claim with the order reference | Order ID, item and price, customer contact, consent record |
| Agent app | Agent enrols the customer on a phone or tablet, working offline | Cash to the agent, mobile money or voucher | Agent captures the claim and photos for review | Agent ID, location, customer ID capture, cash collection record |
Our Approach
How should microinsurance software be designed?
Three principles shape every build. They keep the cost per policy inside what the premium can carry.
Design for batches
Enrolment, renewals, lapses and payouts run as batch or event jobs over thousands of policies, with exceptions sent to a person.
Make every premium traceable
Each debit, deduction or remittance line is linked to a policy and a cover period, so cover status is never a guess.
Keep claims short
Evidence rules are set per product, and index-based products pay from trigger data with a person approving the payout list.
Capabilities
What do we build for microinsurance programs?
Our microinsurance software services cover the partner-facing parts that a full-cost policy system lacks. Standard policy records and reporting can sit in your existing core.
Partner enrolment APIs and file loads
Real-time APIs or scheduled files from each partner, validated and turned into policies in bulk.
Simple product configurator
Fixed benefits, waiting periods, age limits and cover periods held as configuration for each product and partner.
Premium collection engine
Mobile money mandates, airtime deductions, loan add-ons and merchant remittances handled in one premium ledger.
Lapse and grace handling
Grace periods, retry rules and reinstatement, with a message to the customer before cover stops.
SMS, USSD and IVR journeys
Short menus and messages for enrolment, policy checks and claims on any phone.
Simplified claims with mobile payout
Claims captured by menu, agent or chat, checked against simple evidence rules and paid to a wallet.
Index trigger processing
Weather or other index data loaded from your data provider, matched to covered areas and turned into a payout list for review.
Partner remittance reconciliation
Bulk remittances matched to policies, with shortfalls and unknown lines queued for finance.
Engineering Stack
Systems and standards behind a microinsurance build
Chosen per market and partner. Mobile money and airtime interfaces differ by operator, so we confirm them on the scoping call.
Channels
SMS gatewaysUSSD aggregatorsIVRAgent mobile app (offline first)
Payments
GSMA Mobile Money APIMobile money operator APIsAirtime billing interfacesCard payments for embedded checkout
Data
PostgreSQLMessage queues for batch jobsData warehouseIndex data feeds
Platform and security
Role-based accessAudit loggingEncryption in transit and at restCloud hosting in the required region
Measured Impact
Which numbers show a microinsurance program works?
Measures we build dashboards around and review with the insurer and each partner.
Cost
Cost per policy
Technology and transaction cost divided across active policies.
Collection
Premium success
Debits and deductions that succeed on the first or a retry attempt.
Turnaround
Claim to payout
Time from a claim being reported to money reaching the wallet.
In force
Active cover
Enrolled customers whose cover is paid up today.
Use Cases
Where do microinsurance builds start?
Typical first products, each launched with one partner.
01
Hospital cash cover
A daily benefit sold through a mobile operator and paid to the wallet.
02
Credit life cover
Cover attached to small loans that settles the balance on a claim.
03
Purchase protection
Device or goods cover offered at an online or in-store checkout.
04
Weather index cover
Crop cover sold by agents and paid from index data after review.
05
Funeral cover
A fixed benefit with simple claims through an agent or call centre.
06
First partner pilot
Microinsurance software for startups: one product, one partner and one premium method.
Integrations
Which systems does microinsurance software connect to?
The partners and systems a low-premium program reads from and writes to.
Distribution and airtime
Mobile network operators
Premiums and payouts
Mobile money providers
Loan-linked cover
Microfinance core banking
Embedded cover
Merchant checkout and POS
Policy records
Insurer policy administration
Customer channels
SMS and USSD aggregators
Parametric triggers
Index data providers
Risk transfer
Reinsurers
Compliance-First Development Services Backed by Global Standards
We build secure, scalable products designed for privacy, interoperability, and regulatory readiness from day one across every sector we serve.
General Data Protection Regulation
Implement lawful consent flows, data minimization, and secure processing for global data privacy.
Service Organization Control 2
Verified controls for security, availability, and confidentiality of enterprise data systems.
Information Security Management
Adhering to the international gold standard for managing information security risks.
Payment Card Industry (PCI DSS)
Securing payment transactions and protecting cardholder data with industry-best practices.
Our Edge
Why Global Leaders Choose Us
We combine deep technical expertise with industry-specific knowledge to deliver solutions that aren't just functional, but transformational.
Enterprise-Grade Security
We implement rigorous security protocols and compliance standards (HIPAA, GDPR, SOC2) across all industrial solutions to protect sensitive data.
High-Performance Scaling
Our architectures are built to handle massive data loads and user bases, keeping performance steady whether you're serving ten or ten million.
Accelerated Time-to-Market
Using our suite of internal tools and proven frameworks, we cut setup work so your first release reaches users sooner.
Embedded AI Integration
Beyond simple wrappers, we build deep-learning integrations and predictive analytics directly into the core of your industry-specific workflows.
Engagement Model
How does a microinsurance engagement work?
One product with one partner first. Timing depends on scope and partner readiness; we agree a fixed first release on the scoping call.
01
Scoping call
Product, market, insurer and first partner, and the premium and claims methods that partner supports.
02
Partner integration design
Enrolment, premium and payout interfaces agreed with the partner's technical team, including test access.
03
Fixed-scope pilot
Enrolment, collection, claims and reconciliation working end to end for one partner.
04
Add partners and products
New channels reuse the same premium ledger and claims rules.
05
Support
Partner interface changes, product updates and reconciliation monitoring.
Facts and sources
What do supervisors and standards bodies say?
Short facts we design around, each linked to its primary source.
The IAIS defines microinsurance as insurance that is accessed by low-income populations, provided by a variety of different entities, but run in accordance with generally accepted insurance practices, including the Insurance Core Principles.
Source: IAIS, Application Paper on Regulation and Supervision supporting Inclusive Insurance Markets (2012), paragraph 1.32To reach underserved customers, the IAIS lists intermediaries such as banks, retailers, microfinance institutions, post office agencies, cooperatives and utility service providers, including telephone and mobile companies.
Source: IAIS, Application Paper on Regulation and Supervision supporting Inclusive Insurance Markets (2012), paragraph 3.18The IAIS notes that mobile insurance often relies on airtime conversion for premium payments, sometimes as the only means of payment, which can raise questions under the payments framework set by the central bank.
Source: IAIS, Application Paper on the Use of Digital Technology in Inclusive Insurance (November 2018)For cover sold on online or mobile platforms, the IAIS describes contracting through electronic signatures and electronic confirmations such as SMS rather than wet signatures.
Source: IAIS, Application Paper on the Use of Digital Technology in Inclusive Insurance (November 2018)The GSMA Mobile Money API's recurring payments use case lets service providers set up electronic payment mandates for mobile money customers and initiate payments against those mandates.
Source: GSMA Mobile Money API, Recurring Payments
Voice of success
We don't just build products; we forge lasting partnerships. See how we've helped industry leaders transform their vision into technical reality.
“I can clearly see how Agnotic has a unique way of handling end-to-end development. They are always active on quick chat and provide support quickly.”
Aaron Phelan
Founder, Benchmark
“Agnotic combines deep technical expertise with strong domain knowledge. They understand the business context, anticipate challenges, and make collaboration smooth and effective.”
John Pasmore
Founder, Latimer
“Agnotic is the best technical team we evaluated. Their engineering excellence made our work dramatically easier and allowed us to stay focused on what matters most for maternal care outcomes. They took full ownership of the technical execution, and we are always happy to continue working together.”
Kim Smith
Founder, My Lauren
Related pages
Related insurance and payments services
This page covers partner-sold, low-premium cover. These pages cover the payments and policy systems around it.
Insurance software for policy and claims administration
A full policy and claims platform when your program outgrows a light core.
Digital wallet development
Consumer and merchant wallets that can carry premium payments and payouts.
Fintech app development
Mobile apps for lending and payments, the partners that often sell cover.
Insurtech software development
Our wider insurance practice for carriers, MGAs and startups.
More in Insurtech
More Insurtech Solutions
Explore other production-grade engineering platforms we deliver across insurtech.
Cross-Industry Reach
The Same Engineering Patterns, Across Other Industries
The technical patterns behind this platform translate naturally into adjacent verticals.
Frequently Asked Questions
The main cost drivers are the number of partners, the premium methods each one uses, the channels (SMS, USSD, app or agent), the claim types and the markets you launch in. We explain these on the scoping call and agree a fixed first release rather than quoting a price.
Where the operator and the local payment rules allow it, yes. We build airtime deduction and mobile money collection side by side, and your compliance team confirms which one each market permits.
The customer dials a USSD code or replies to a message, picks the policy and answers a few questions. The claim gets a reference by SMS, and an approved benefit is paid to their mobile wallet.
Yes, and we recommend it. A pilot with one partner shows the real cost per policy and the premium success rate before you add channels.
Yes. We load index data from your chosen provider, match it to the covered areas and build a payout list. A person approves the list before any money moves.
That depends on the country and the insurer's licence. The insurer and its compliance team set the rules for disclosure, consent and premium handling, and we build them into enrolment, messages and payment flows.
Neither an insurer nor a platform vendor. Agnotic Technologies is a software development services company that builds microinsurance software for insurers, MGAs and partners, who own and run it.
Industries