5 Key Highlights from the 2025 Life Insurance & Annuities Conference
Numerix team members recently attended the 2025 Life Insurance and Annuities Conference, a premier event bringing together industry professionals to discuss the latest trends, innovations, and challenges within the sector. This year’s event, "Reimagine Tomorrow", focused on forward-thinking strategies and adaptability. Several key themes emerged, providing valuable insight into the market’s direction.
In this blog, we share the major highlights of the conference, provide a foundational understanding of fixed indexed annuities (FIAs), registered index-linked annuities (RILAs), indexed-universal life (IUL) insurance and registered index variable universal life (RIVUL) products, and offer insight into how to stay competitive in this dynamic marketplace.
1. Enhanced Features for FIAs and RILAs
FIAs have cemented their position as a critical offering within the annuities space, blending market-linked returns with downside protection, making them especially appealing in times of volatility. FIAs are annuity contracts that offer guaranteed minimum returns with optional ties to market indexes like the S&P 500. Unlike traditional variable annuities, FIAs are principal protected products, giving the policyholder limited downside risk exposure on their original investment. Optional riders for enhanced withdrawal benefits or income features have only increased their popularity. RILAs on the other hand do not typically offer principal protection, and in exchange for this additional downside risk, do provide the potential for a greater upside return than an FIA.
The conference highlighted how carriers are evolving these products to meet rising demand, introducing innovative features like best-of-index performance, look-back/high-water mark, dual-direction and even best entry crediting strategies. At the event, multi-year guaranteed FIAs were a popular topic of discussion (MYFIAs). These products further enhance the FIA crediting chassis by guaranteeing the level of future cap rates. These enhancements are designed to deliver greater value to policyholders while offering insurers additional options for product differentiation.
2. The Rising Popularity of RIVUL Products
According to LIMRA, 2024 has proven to be a record sales year for variable universal life. To capitalize on the resurgence of variable ULs, registered index VUL products are emerging as a new potential growth story in carrier’s product portfolios. Like traditional variable Universal Life products, Registered index VULs allow policyholders to customize their death benefits and investment allocations but also benefit from various downside protections. With opportunities to choose between equities, fixed funds, and indexed-linked options, these products add flexibility to retirement and wealth planning strategies. They’re particularly appealing to clients seeking both protection and the potential for higher market-linked returns.
During the discussions, industry participants agreed that the ability to offset the complexities of these products with simplified explanations and added transparency will be key to effectively catering to this growing demand.
3. Placing Policyholders at the Center
It was clear from conference discussions that another key area firms are focusing on is a customer-first mindset. Companies are doubling down on servicing customer needs through personalization, innovation, and transparency. From improving policyholder education around complex annuities to offering cutting-edge customer service solutions powered by artificial intelligence (AI), firms are focused on reshaping their models to build stronger trust and engagement.
4. Data Analytics and AI for Efficiency
A major theme at the conference was the growing role of advanced analytics and AI in driving agility. Applied AI is increasingly being used to enhance core functions such as underwriting, claims processing, and customer service. AI technologies are also helping insurers uncover operational bottlenecks, personalize customer experiences, and make data-driven decisions faster than ever before.
In terms of advanced analytics capabilities, these are becoming essential for effective pricing, and risk assessment of sophisticated insurance products such as FIAs, MYFIAs, RILAs, IULs and RIVULs. Accelerated modeling capabilities further enable insurers to bring new annuity products to market more quickly, giving them the flexibility to respond to shifting customer preferences and emerging industry trends. This speed and adaptability are key to maintaining a competitive edge in today’s dynamic insurance landscape.
5. The Future of Life Insurance and Annuities Lies in Innovation
The conference underscored how technology and customer-centric strategies are reshaping the life insurance and annuity landscape. From exploring new solutions for delivering policyholder value to navigating market volatility with enhanced product offerings, it’s clear that innovation in this market is no longer optional, but essential. Firms that prioritize agility, digital enablement, and personalization will be best positioned to lead in this evolving environment.
How Numerix Supports Innovation in Life Insurance and Annuities
While the conference highlighted the strides made by carriers in creating innovative products, managing the operational complexities of these offerings requires robust tools. That’s where Numerix can serve as a strategic partner. With advanced analytics capabilities and market-proven offerings, Numerix facilitates the efficient management, pricing, and risk assessment of sophisticated insurance products like FIAs, MYFIAs, RILAs, IULs and RIVULs.
By accelerating modeling processes Numerix empowers insurers to bring innovative annuity products to market faster. This agility enables companies to stay ahead of emerging trends and meet evolving customer needs effectively.
Additionally, Numerix supports insurers in maintaining compliance with stringent regulatory requirements. Through transparent reporting and precise analytics, our offerings ensure confidence in meeting auditing standards while fostering trust and reliability in the face of stringent oversight.
Learn More
With Numerix as a strategic partner, organizations can overcome the complexity of managing life insurance and annuity investing.
For more information on this topic, watch our on-demand webinar showcasing how Numerix CrossAsset can be used to value insurance products with benefits: Valuing Insurance Liabilities with Embedded Financial Guarantees
