BMS Group
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1980
- HeadquartersLondon, United Kingdom
- Headcount1,001–5,000
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What BMS Group does
BMS Group is an independent specialist insurance and reinsurance broker founded in 1980 and headquartered in London. The firm operates across three core solution lines: Insurance Solutions (covering property, casualty, marine, energy, construction, cyber, financial lines, war/political violence, and PEMAT), Reinsurance Solutions (programmes, facultative, multinationals, regionals, retrocessionals plus advisory services), and International Solutions spanning Asia Pacific, Iberia, Latin America, Canada, the US, MENA, and Turkey. Sub-brands such as BankServe (shipping and offshore finance for lenders), Harris & Dixon Marine, and Lions Gate Underwriting Agency serve specialized client segments including 15 of the world's top 20 financial institutions.
The firm's technology stack centers on proprietary analytics platforms including iVision, a spatial analytics tool for catastrophe risk management that enables response within hours of an event, and Pathlight Analytics, a tailored analytics capability combining actuarial, catastrophe, and capital management services. BMS has integrated EigenRisk's EigenPrism into iVision for expanded real-time data sources and adopted mea Platform's AI-powered Broking Operations suite, built on a proprietary insurance language model and an Insurance Industry Knowledge Graph derived from $400bn of transactions, to automate enquiry intake, document processing, and digital placement. A new Global Capability Centre in Mumbai, led by Managing Director Nipun Mapara, is being built to develop in-house AI and analytics capabilities.
BMS generates revenue primarily through transaction-fee commissions on insurance and reinsurance placements, with additional consulting and advisory income from catastrophe analytics, actuarial services, capital management, ratings advisory, and BankServe due diligence work. The company is privately held under Spitfire TopCo Limited, with Eurazeo (up to 34%), BCI, and Preservation Capital Partners as institutional shareholders alongside management and roughly one-third of staff. Group premium managed stands at $10.5bn across 52 offices in 13 countries, with reported revenue having grown from approximately £100m in 2019 to over £250m by 2022, and a 90% group client retention rate signaling strong customer stickiness.
BMS Group firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- BMS Group
- Legal name
- BMS Group Limited
- Website
- https://bmsgroup.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1980
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1,001–5,000 employees
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Where BMS Group is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- London
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices14 records
Markets served
BMS Group business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Insurance Broking: BMS acts as a specialist insurance broker arranging coverage for corporate clients across various lines including property, casualty, marine, energy, construction, cyber, and specialty risks. Revenue is generated through commissions from insurers on placed coverage.
- Reinsurance Broking: BMS provides reinsurance solutions including treaty, facultative, and retrocessional placements. The company designs tailored reinsurance solutions for insurers seeking to manage their exposure and protect balance sheets.
- International Solutions: BMS arranges comprehensive insurance and reinsurance coverage across multiple territories, providing access to international markets with tailored solutions and dedicated support.
- Shipping and Offshore Finance (BankServe): BMS provides specialist insurance advice, risk transfer, and due diligence services exclusively for financiers including banks, lessors, and financial institutions in shipping, offshore, and aviation sectors.
- Consulting and Advisory Services: BMS provides strategic advisory services including catastrophe analytics, actuarial services, capital management, ratings and capital management, contract and wordings, and client account management.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Multi-year contract | Bespoke insurance and reinsurance brokerage services tailored to client requirements |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels5 records
BMS Group product offering
Product offeringCore offering
BMS Group is an independent specialist insurance and reinsurance broker that places property, casualty, marine, energy, construction, cyber, financial lines, and political violence coverage for corporate clients, and arranges treaty, facultative, and retrocessional reinsurance for insurers. The firm layers advisory services on top, including catastrophe modelling, actuarial analysis, capital management, and parametric solutions, and operates proprietary analytics platforms (iVision, Pathlight) to support underwriting and risk transfer decisions.
Product overview
BMS Group is an independent global insurance and reinsurance broker offering a comprehensive portfolio of products across multiple segments. The core offering comprises Insurance Solutions (covering Cargo, Construction, Cyber, Energy, Financial Lines, Liability, Marine, Property, War/Political Violence/Terrorism, and PEMAT), Reinsurance Solutions (Programmes, Facultative, Multinationals, Regionals, Retrocessionals with advisory services), and International Solutions spanning Asia, Australia, Canada, Iberia, Latin America, New Zealand, Turkiye, and UAE/Middle East. Key proprietary platforms include iVision (catastrophe risk management), Pathlight Analytics, and the BankServe brand for shipping/finance advisory. Specialized sub-brands include Harris & Dixon Marine (International, est. 1797) and North American Marine. The group manages $10.5 billion in group premium across 52 offices and 2,000+ staff worldwide.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- BankServe: Specialist broker providing insurance advice, risk transfer and due diligence services to shipping, offshore and cruise lenders and lessors. Known as leaders in the market for 25+ years, working with 15 of the world's top 20 financial institutions.
- BMS Re
- Harris & Dixon Marine
- iVision
- Pathlight Analytics
Products and services
- Insurance Solutions
Quantifiable outcome
- 90% group client retention rate
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use BMS Group
Customer profileNamed customers1 record
Segments8 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
BMS Group technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration2 records
AI capability6 records
Feature9 records
BMS Group partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
19 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Berns Brett IndiacoreBMS formed strategic partnership with Berns Brett India including acquiring a minority stake. This partnership includes a Global Capability Centre in Mumbai and forms a central part of BMS's long-term operating model in India.
- BMS (DIFC) LtdcoreBMS launched Dubai subsidiary BMS (DIFC) Ltd to strengthen regional strategy across MENA (Middle East and North Africa) region.
- mea PlatformcoreBMS adopted mea Platform's AI-powered broking operations products to enhance placement efficiency and drive digital transformation. The collaboration deploys mea's Operations suite built on proprietary insurance language model and Insurance Industry Knowledge Graph to automate enquiry intake, data ingestion, document processing, market submissions, and digital placement.
- EigenRiskcoreBMS partnered with EigenRisk to integrate the EigenPrism platform into its catastrophe risk management system iVision. This integration enhances the platform's capabilities with real-time data, expanded data sources, and new analytics tools to assist insurers in risk evaluation and portfolio management.
- EYminorEY advised BMS on feasibility, design, and build of the Global Capability Centre in Mumbai, supporting the establishment of AI and analytics capabilities.
- Carbon Footprint LimitedminorBMS partnered with Carbon Footprint Limited to offset backdated greenhouse gas emissions through ecosystem conservation projects in Brazil, domestic energy access in India and Uganda, and renewable energy in South Africa, Turkey, and Dominican Republic.
- Trees4TravelminorBMS partnered with Trees4Travel to offset GHG emissions from business flights by planting saplings within carefully-managed forestry projects in Europe, Americas, Asia, Australia and Africa.
- East London Business Alliance (ELBA)minorBMS London HQ partnered with ELBA for community outreach, supporting 300+ people, 50+ employees, and 250+ hours of volunteering locally in 2024.
- GAINminorBMS is a proud member of GAIN (Global Autism Inland Northwest), supporting broader industry progress in neuroinclusion.
- Equity CityminorBMS forged strategic partnership with Equity City to foster inclusivity in the company and wider community.
- Insurance Cultural Awareness Network (iCAN)minorBMS partnered with iCAN to foster inclusivity in the company and wider insurance community.
- Sou SegurosminorBMS partnered with Sou Seguros to foster inclusivity in the company and wider community.
- Dive In FestivalminorBMS is a sponsor of the Dive In Festival, supporting diversity and inclusion initiatives in the insurance industry.
- Moody'sminorBMS uses Moody's external third-party service for adverse media screening and supplier risk monitoring, including indicators of modern slavery risk.
- VerominorBMS conducts employment screening in collaboration with Vero in line with relevant employment laws to mitigate human trafficking and modern slavery risks.
- The Communication PracticeminorBMS implemented Inclusive leadership training in collaboration with The Communication Practice. Also provided 'Speaking Up' training sessions to employees globally.
- Clyde & CominorBMS delivered Sexual Harassment Training as part of mandatory training programme for senior leadership in collaboration with law firm Clyde & Co.
- The Clear CompanyminorBMS provides inclusive recruitment training for recruiting managers in collaboration with The Clear Company.
- HoltaraminorBMS undergoes independent annual benchmarking of ESG credentials through Holtara, which provides ESG scoring (73/100 rated as Excellent).
Scale indicators11 records
Recent moves10 records
Expansion highlights7 records
BMS Group competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Howden Group: Independent specialty insurance and reinsurance broker with strong London Market and international presence, similar PE-backed trajectory and acquisition-led growth model to BMS.
- Miller Insurance Services: London-headquartered independent specialty insurance and reinsurance broker offering comparable specialty lines including marine, energy, and political violence — a direct competitor in the London market.
- Lockton: World's largest independent insurance brokerage, directly comparable as a privately-held, employee-owned specialty broker competing with BMS across commercial and reinsurance lines globally.
- Acrisure: PE-backed global insurance brokerage built primarily through acquisition, sharing BMS's growth-by-acquisition playbook and specialty commercial focus.
Broad incumbents
- Aon plc: Global professional services firm with a major insurance brokerage arm; competes with BMS across specialty lines while serving many of the same multinational clients at larger scale.
- Marsh & McLennan: Parent of Marsh, the world's largest insurance broker, competing with BMS across reinsurance, specialty and multinational placements with materially greater scale and resources.
- Willis Towers Watson (WTW): Global advisory, broking and solutions firm with significant specialty and reinsurance brokerage operations overlapping with BMS's specialty and international solutions.
- Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. US-listed global insurance brokerage and risk management firm with a growing specialty and international footprint that increasingly overlaps with BMS's specialty lines.
Regional players
- Asta Capital Partners: London Market managing agency at Lloyd's overlapping with BMS's Lloyd's Consortia and delegated authority activity, though primarily focused on managing agency services rather than direct broking.
- Ed Broking: Independent London and Dubai-based reinsurance and insurance broker with comparable specialty lines (marine, energy, property), operating in many of the same markets as BMS internationally.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
BMS Group social profiles
Digital presenceBMS Group compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
BMS Group financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
BMS Group leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles14 records
BMS Group subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries6 records
BMS Group funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds2 records
Investors4 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
BMS Group M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A7 records
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about BMS Group
What does BMS Group do?
BMS Group is an independent specialist insurance and reinsurance broker that places property, casualty, marine, energy, construction, cyber, financial lines, and political violence coverage for corporate clients, and arranges treaty, facultative, and retrocessional reinsurance for insurers. The firm layers advisory services on top, including catastrophe modelling, actuarial analysis, capital management, and parametric solutions, and operates proprietary analytics platforms (iVision, Pathlight) to support underwriting and risk transfer decisions.
Is BMS Group a public or private company?
BMS Group is a private company. It is classified as private equity controlled and is currently operating.
When was BMS Group founded?
BMS Group was founded in 1980. It employs 1,001 to 5,000 people.
Where is BMS Group based?
BMS Group is headquartered in London, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does BMS Group make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. Insurance Broking is the primary driver. The others are reinsurance Broking, international Solutions, shipping and Offshore Finance (BankServe) and consulting and Advisory Services.
Who are BMS Group's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Howden Group, Miller Insurance Services, Lockton and Acrisure. Broad incumbents are Aon plc, Marsh & McLennan, Willis Towers Watson (WTW) and Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.. Regional players are Asta Capital Partners and Ed Broking.
Does BMS Group have an API?
No public API is recorded for BMS Group.