QBE Insurance Group
QBE Insurance Group is a multinational Australian-headquartered general insurance and reinsurer operating across 26 countries in three divisions: Australia Pacific, International, and North America. It provides commercial, personal, and specialty insurance — including cyber, marine, aviation, and crop — alongside reinsurance, distributed via brokers, direct channels, and embedded partnerships, serving approximately 13,000 employees and generating record FY2025 profit of US$2.16 billion.
- Company typePublic
- Founded1886
- HeadquartersSydney, Australia
- Headcount5,001–10,000
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingServices
What QBE Insurance Group does
QBE Insurance Group Limited is a multinational general insurance and reinsurance company founded in 1886 in Townsville, Australia, and headquartered in Sydney. The company operates through three regional divisions — Australia Pacific, International (Europe and Asia), and North America — with a local presence in 26 countries and approximately 13,000 employees worldwide. It offers commercial, personal, and specialty insurance lines spanning cyber, marine, aviation, crop, energy, surety, property, casualty, motor, and home insurance, alongside reinsurance capabilities. Product-level infrastructure includes the QCyberProtect cyber insurance platform with QCyber Rapid Pay business interruption enhancement, the algorithmic underwriting platform developed in partnership with Aurora Insurance (which reduced British Marine Yacht P&I underwriting time from days to under 10 minutes), and the Premiums4Good initiative allocating 7.5% of customer premiums to impact investments (US$2.4bn across 154 securities as of December 2025). The company is listed on the ASX (QBE) and also trades as a Level 1 ADR (QBIEY).
QBE's revenue model rests on subscription-based insurance premiums (net earned premium as the core stream) and investment income from assets backing policyholder funds and surplus capital — approximately US$500m in investment income was reported in the four months to April 2026, supported by higher interest rates. Distribution is broker-centric across wholesale and retail brokers, managing general agents, embedded partnerships (e.g., YAS Pay-As-You-Sell in Hong Kong), and direct digital channels for personal lines. FY2025 record profit was approximately US$2.16 billion, with Q1 2026 gross written premium growth of 11% YoY, an average 2% group-wide rate increase (~4% excluding competitive commercial property and Lloyd's segments), Q1 catastrophe claims of US$300m (well below US$517m first-half allowance), and 2026 combined operating ratio guidance of 92.5%. Active capital management includes a completed A$450m share buyback, redemption of US$524.1m of 5.875% USD subordinated notes, and issuance of new €500m fixed-to-floating subordinated notes due 2037.
QBE Insurance Group firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- QBE Insurance Group
- Legal name
- QBE Insurance Group Limited
- Website
- https://qbe.com
- Company type
- Public
- Founded year
- 1886
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 5,001–10,000 employees
- Short description
- QBE Insurance Group is a multinational Australian-headquartered general insurance and reinsurer operating across 26 countries in three divisions: Australia Pacific, International, and North America. It provides commercial, personal, and specialty insurance — including cyber, marine, aviation, and crop — alongside reinsurance, distributed via brokers, direct channels, and embedded partnerships, serving approximately 13,000 employees and generating record FY2025 profit of US$2.16 billion.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
QBE Insurance Group industry classification
Industry- Product category
- General Insurance (Property & Casualty)
- NAICS
- Direct Insurance (except Life, Health, and Medical) Carriers (52412), Direct Property and Casualty Insurance Carriers (524126), Insurance Carriers (5241)
- SIC
- Fire, Marine & Casualty Insurance (6331), Insurance Carriers, Nec (6399)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Professional Liability (E&O) (FSAJAGAC)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Product Liability & Recall (FSAJAGAG)
Keywords
Where QBE Insurance Group is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Sydney
- HQ country
- Australia
- HQ region
- Oceania
Offices9 records
Markets served
QBE Insurance Group business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Operations, Technology or R&D, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Insurance Premiums (Net Earned Premium): QBE generates primary revenue through insurance premiums across commercial, personal, and specialty lines. The company reported record FY2025 profit of approximately US$2.16 billion with net earned premium as the core revenue driver. Rate increases averaged around 2% group-wide, reaching approximately 4% when excluding competitive commercial property and Lloyd's segments.
- Investment Income: Investment income from assets backing policyholder funds and surplus capital, with approximately US$500 million in investment income reported for the four months to April 2026. Higher interest rates have supported increased investment income.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Annual | Commercial Insurance - tailored pricing based on risk profile |
| Subscription | Annual | Personal Insurance (Car, Home) - tiered coverage options |
| Subscription | Annual | Premiums4Good Impact Investments |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels7 records
Marketing channels8 records
QBE Insurance Group product offering
Product offeringCore offering
QBE Insurance Group is an international general insurer and reinsurer that underwrites and distributes commercial, personal, and specialty insurance products through three regional divisions (International, Australia Pacific, North America) in 26 countries. Its core offerings include property and casualty, cyber, marine/yacht, aviation, crop, energy, trade credit, surety, and personal lines such as car, home, and CTP insurance, distributed via brokers, direct online portals, and embedded partnerships. Investment income on insurance float and the Premiums4Good impact-investment program supplement premium-based underwriting revenue.
Product overview
QBE Insurance Group is an international insurer and reinsurer operating in 26 countries through three primary divisions: International (Europe and Asia), Australia Pacific, and North America. The company offers a diversified portfolio of commercial, personal, and specialty insurance products. Core commercial offerings include cyber insurance (QCyberProtect with QCyber Rapid Pay enhancement), specialty marine (British Marine Yacht P&I with algorithmic underwriting), trade credit, crop, aviation, and reinsurance. Personal lines span car, home, and CTP insurance primarily in Australia. QBE also operates Premiums4Good, an impact investment initiative allocating customer premiums to social and environmental investments. The company was founded in 1886 and is headquartered in Sydney, Australia.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- QCyberProtect: QBE's comprehensive cyber insurance policy offering network security and privacy liability, business interruption, cyberattack response and recovery costs, network extortion and ransomware coverage
- QCyber Rapid Pay
- Premiums4Good
- British Marine
Products and services
- QCyberProtect Comprehensive cyber insurance policy providing protection against network security and privacy liability, business interruption, cyberattack response costs, network extortion, reputation damage, social engineering fraud, regulatory investigations, and emerging threats including cryptojacking. Available globally with sector-specific support for legal, financial services, and private equity clients.
- QCyber Rapid Pay Business interruption enhancement that accelerates financial support to policyholders following a covered cyber event, providing rapid access to funds during incident response.
- British Marine Yacht Protection & Indemnity Specialty marine insurance product for yacht owners offering Protection & Indemnity cover, now enhanced with algorithmic underwriting capability reducing processing time from days to under 10 minutes.
- Australia Pacific Insurance Division Combines QBE's expertise in commercial and small and medium enterprise (SME) insurance with a targeted presence in personal lines including home, motor, and Compulsory Third-Party insurance across Australia, New Zealand, India, and the Pacific.
- International Insurance Division Incorporates European Operations and Asia (Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia, Vietnam), providing a range of insurance products and risk management solutions across commercial, personal, and specialty lines.
- North America Insurance Division Integrated specialist insurer offering specialty commercial, personal, and reinsurance capabilities to meet customers' evolving needs across North America.
- Premiums4Good Impact Investment Program Industry-first initiative where QBE allocates a portion of customer premiums to impact investments creating positive environmental and social change alongside financial returns. As at 31 December 2025, US$2.4 billion was invested across 154 securities.
- Pay-As-You-Sell Product Liability Insurance (Hong Kong e-commerce) Embedded product liability insurance for Hong Kong e-commerce merchants sold through YAS's platform on a pay-as-you-sell basis, providing coverage as merchants sell.
Quantifiable outcome
- Record FY2025 profit of approximately US$2.16 billion
- +6 more outcomes
Companies that use QBE Insurance Group
Customer profileNamed customers7 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
QBE Insurance Group technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
AI capability2 records
Feature4 records
QBE Insurance Group partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core, minor and major.
- Aurora InsurancecoreQBE partnered with Aurora Insurance to launch an embedded algorithmic underwriting platform for complex specialty risks, starting with British Marine Yacht P&I product. The new system significantly reduces underwriting process time from days to under 10 minutes. The partnership follows Aurora's seed investment from QBE Ventures in October 2024 and positions both organizations to lead in digital trading and algorithmic underwriting adoption.
- Raheja QBE General Insurance CompanycoreQBE Insurance Group is acquiring full ownership of Raheja QBE General Insurance Company in India from Prism Johnson for ₹324 crore (approximately US$39 million). This will be the first full foreign ownership of a domestic insurer following regulatory changes in India, pending IRDAI approval. The joint venture has operated for 18 years.
- Swiss Re Corporate SolutionscoreSwiss Re Corporate Solutions acquired QBE's Global Trade Credit and Surety business for approximately US$200 million in annual revenues. The portfolio operates across Australia, New Zealand, and the UK. The transaction supports QBE's portfolio optimization strategy and enables capital reallocation toward growth priorities aligned with long-term strategy. Subject to regulatory approvals.
- Deutsche Bank Trust Company AmericasminorDeutsche Bank serves as depositary bank for QBE's Level 1 American Depositary Receipt (ADR) program. Services include ADR issuance and cancellation, register maintenance, transfer agent services, dividend distribution in USD, and proxy voting facilitation.
- Pen UnderwritingmajorQBE Insurance committed £400 million in capacity to Pen Underwriting's UK and Ireland operations through two multi-year agreements. The deals support Pen's public sector, hazardous goods, environmental, and bulk liquid industry segments, with focus on property, casualty, financial, and motor risks.
- Future Generation GlobalminorThrough Premiums4Good, QBE invests with Future Generation Global, a listed investment company helping improve youth mental health in Australia through donations to non-profit partners. QBE allocates 7.5% of premiums to impact investments including this partnership.
- Bridges Social Outcomes FundminorBridges Social Outcomes Fund is a pioneering initiative led by Bridges Outcomes Partnerships that aims to improve lives of vulnerable and underserved people in the UK. Part of QBE's Premiums4Good impact investment portfolio.
- Resolve Social Benefit Bond (Social Ventures Australia)minorResolve Social Benefit Bond was Australia's first mental health-focused social impact bond, providing innovative funding for mental health support programs with NSW Health paying returns. Part of QBE's Premiums4Good impact investment portfolio.
- QBE VenturescoreQBE Ventures made seed investment in Aurora Insurance in October 2024, leading to the partnership for algorithmic underwriting platform development. QBE Ventures identifies and supports innovative insurance technology investments.
Scale indicators15 records
Recent moves9 records
Expansion highlights6 records
QBE Insurance Group competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Suncorp Group: Major Australian general insurer with very similar product portfolio including commercial, personal, and specialty lines in Australia and New Zealand. Direct competitor in the same regional market with comparable SME and personal lines focus.
- Insurance Australia Group (IAG): Australia's largest general insurer, directly comparable to QBE's Australia Pacific division with personal and commercial lines, motor, and home insurance. Both companies compete head-to-head in Australian commercial and personal insurance markets with similar broker and direct distribution models.
- Beazley plc: UK-listed specialty insurer focused on commercial and specialty lines including cyber, marine, and professional liability. Strongly comparable given QBE CEO Andrew Horton is a former Beazley CEO and QBE's algorithmic underwriting partner Aurora was built by ex-Beazley technology leadership.
Broad incumbents
- Swiss Re: Global reinsurance and corporate solutions provider that recently acquired QBE's Trade Credit and Surety business for US$200M. Comparable reinsurance and specialty operations alongside broader corporate insurance business with similar geographic diversification.
- Zurich Insurance Group: Global commercial and specialty insurer with strong presence in Australia, Europe, and North America. Direct competitor in commercial and specialty markets with similar broker distribution strategy and comparable product portfolio including cyber, marine, and professional lines.
- Allianz SE: Global P&C insurance leader with comparable commercial, personal, and specialty lines across multiple continents. Operates at much larger scale than QBE but competes in the same global insurance markets across Europe, Asia-Pacific, and North America.
- American International Group (AIG): Global commercial and specialty insurer with extensive product portfolio and global distribution. QBE's North America CEO previously held senior AIG/Chartis roles, and QBE competes directly in commercial, cyber, and specialty markets globally.
- Munich Re: World's largest reinsurer with diversified primary insurance operations and global presence comparable to QBE's reinsurance capabilities. Direct competitor in specialty reinsurance markets and global commercial insurance distribution.
- Chubb Limited: World's largest specialty insurer with significant commercial and specialty capabilities including cyber, professional liability, and marine. Direct competitor in specialty markets where QBE's algorithmic underwriting differentiation matters most.
- AXA SA: One of the world's largest global insurers with diversified P&C, commercial, and specialty operations across Europe, Asia-Pacific, and North America. Comparable as a broad incumbent offering similar product breadth across regions where QBE operates.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat7 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
QBE Insurance Group social profiles
Digital presenceQBE Insurance Group compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance8 records
QBE Insurance Group financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
QBE Insurance Group leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles19 records
QBE Insurance Group subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries4 records
QBE Insurance Group funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds2 records
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
QBE Insurance Group M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A4 records
Investments3 records
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about QBE Insurance Group
What does QBE Insurance Group do?
QBE Insurance Group is an international general insurer and reinsurer that underwrites and distributes commercial, personal, and specialty insurance products through three regional divisions (International, Australia Pacific, North America) in 26 countries. Its core offerings include property and casualty, cyber, marine/yacht, aviation, crop, energy, trade credit, surety, and personal lines such as car, home, and CTP insurance, distributed via brokers, direct online portals, and embedded partnerships. Investment income on insurance float and the Premiums4Good impact-investment program supplement premium-based underwriting revenue.
Is QBE Insurance Group a public or private company?
QBE Insurance Group is a public company. It is classified as public and is currently operating.
When was QBE Insurance Group founded?
QBE Insurance Group was founded in 1886. It employs 5,001 to 10,000 people.
Where is QBE Insurance Group based?
QBE Insurance Group is headquartered in Sydney, Australia, in the Oceania region.
How does QBE Insurance Group make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Insurance Premiums (Net Earned Premium) is the primary driver. The others are investment Income.
Who are QBE Insurance Group's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Suncorp Group, Insurance Australia Group (IAG) and Beazley plc. Broad incumbents are Swiss Re, Zurich Insurance Group, Allianz SE, American International Group (AIG), Munich Re, Chubb Limited and AXA SA.
Does QBE Insurance Group have an API?
No public API is recorded for QBE Insurance Group.
What industry is QBE Insurance Group in?
QBE Insurance Group's product category is General Insurance (Property & Casualty). Its primary akta.pro industry code is FSAJAGAC, Professional Liability (E&O), with a secondary code of FSAJAGAG, Product Liability & Recall. Its NAICS code is 52412 and its SIC code is 6331.