Sham

What Sham does

Relyens (legally operating under Sham) is a French mutual insurance group founded in 1926, headquartered in Lyon, and structured as a 'Groupe mutualiste à mission' — owned by its sociétaires (members) rather than external shareholders. The company specializes in risk management and insurance solutions for two primary client universes: healthcare actors (public and private establishments, medico-social facilities, individual healthcare professionals, patients) and territorial actors (local collectivities, public management centers, fire and rescue services, elected officials, public agents). Its leadership positions include being #1 in statutory insurance in France and the leader in medical professional liability insurance across France, Spain, and Northern Italy.

Relyens offers five solution categories — Medical (medical liability and care security), Human Resources (absenteeism management and statutory insurance), Cyber (cyber resilience), IARD (property and equipment protection), and Training services — alongside dedicated insurance products covering statutory insurance, civil and professional liability, supplementary provident coverage, and the Fonpel supplementary retirement product for elected officials. The technology backbone consists of segment-specific customer portals (for health establishments, collectivities, agents, and professionals) supported by a field-based risk management team with 20+ years of on-site expertise who co-construct prevention and insurance solutions with clients.

Revenue is generated through recurring insurance premiums customized to client risk profiles, segment, and organizational size. Distribution combines direct enterprise field sales (for institutional clients like CHU de Bordeaux and SERMAS) with self-service portals for individual professionals and public agents. The company operates eight offices across France (Lyon, Vasselay, Olivet), Italy (Milan, Turin), Spain (Madrid, Barcelona), and Germany (Düsseldorf), serving an aggregate base of 118,235 healthcare professionals, 7,032 healthcare facilities, and 24,094 territorial actors, with a reported 97% customer satisfaction rate from a 2025 survey of 1,077 clients.

Name

Sham

Legal name

Relyens

Website

https://sham.fr

Company type

Private

Founded year

1926

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

Relyens (Sham) is a French mutualist insurance group founded in 1926 providing medical liability, statutory insurance, provident, cyber, and retirement solutions to public healthcare establishments, territorial collectivities, and healthcare professionals across France, Spain, Italy, and Germany.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Medical Liability and Public Sector Insurance

NAICS

Direct Insurance (except Life, Health, and Medical) Carriers (52412), Direct Health and Medical Insurance Carriers (524114)

SIC

Fire, Marine & Casualty Insurance (6331), Insurance Carriers, Nec (6399)

akta.pro primary industry

Healthcare Professional Liability (Med Mal) (FSAJAGAE)

akta.pro secondary industry

Group/Employer-Sponsored Critical Illness & Hospital Indemnity (FSAIAKAD)

Keywords

• Medical liability insurance
• Statutory insurance services
• Public sector insurance
• Risk management consulting
• Complementary provident insurance

Headquarters

HQ city

Lyon

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices8 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Insurance Premiums: Relyens generates revenue through insurance premiums for statutory insurance (assurance statutaire), complementary provident insurance, supplementary retirement plans for elected officials (Fonpel), professional liability insurance for healthcare professionals, and property/equipment insurance (IARD). As a mutualist group, premiums are collected from public institutions, healthcare establishments, and territorial agents.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels11 records

Core offering

Sham is a mutual insurance company that provides insurance and risk management services to public sector organizations and healthcare establishments across Europe. Its offering combines medical liability insurance, statutory insurance, complementary provident insurance, supplementary retirement (Fonpel), cyber insurance, and property/equipment (IARD) coverage, delivered alongside on-site risk prevention, training, and accompaniment services. The portfolio is structured around five solution categories — Medical, Human Resources, Cyber, IARD, and Training — each bundling prevention, expert accompaniment, and insurance coverage.

Product overview

Relyens offers a comprehensive insurance and risk management platform for public sector and healthcare organizations across Europe. The portfolio consists of five solution categories: Medical (healthcare liability and care security), Human Resources (absenteeism management and statutory insurance), Cyber (cyber resilience and protection), IARD (property and equipment protection), and Training services. Insurance products include statutory insurance (France's #1 provider), medical professional liability (leader in France, Spain, Northern Italy), supplementary provident insurance, civil liability coverage, and Fonpel supplementary retirement for elected officials. The company serves over 24,000 territorial actors, 7,032 care facilities, and 118,235 healthcare professionals.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Fonpel: Supplementary retirement solution for elected officials (Retraite supplémentaire des élus)

Products and services

• Solutions Médicales
• Solutions Ressources Humaines
• Solutions Cyber
• Solutions IARD (Incendie, Accidents et Risques Divers)
• Formations
• Assurance Responsabilité Civile et Dommage aux Biens
• Assurance Statutaire
• Responsabilité Civile Professionnelle Médicale (RCP)
• Prévoyance Complémentaire
• Fonpel - Retraite Supplémentaire des Élus

Quantifiable outcome

• 97% customer satisfaction rate based on survey of 1,077 clients
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments9 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• FonpelcoreOthersFonpel is a supplementary retirement solution for elected officials, offered as part of Relyens' product portfolio for territorial actors. The brand provides secure, adapted retirement savings specifically designed for elected officials' mandates, with dedicated employer and adherent portals (collectivite.fonpel.com and adherent.fonpel.com).

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• MACSF: French mutual insurer specializing in medical professional liability and life/health coverage for healthcare professionals — the most direct domestic competitor to Relyens' medical liability and provident insurance lines in France.
• Mutuelle Générale: French mutual health and provident insurer serving public-sector employees and healthcare workers — comparable mutualist model and overlap with Relyens' complementary provident insurance for territorial agents.

Broad incumbents

• Covéa: French mutual insurance group (MAAF, MMA, GMF) with broad P&C and health/prevoyance offerings overlapping Relyens' statutory and complementary provident insurance for public agents and territorial actors.
• CNP Assurances: Major French life, health, and provident insurer with deep public-sector group relationships; competes with Relyens' complementary provident insurance and Fonpel supplementary retirement offerings.
• Crédit Agricole Assurances: Insurance arm of Crédit Agricole group offering group health, provident, and P&C products to French public-sector and corporate buyers, overlapping with Relyens' territorial and healthcare client base.
• AXA: Global P&C and health insurer with significant French market share in commercial, public-sector, and healthcare liability lines — a broad incumbent competing for the same institutional buyers as Relyens.
• Allianz: Global insurance group with European-wide commercial and specialty P&C capabilities; competes with Relyens across medical liability, cyber, and statutory insurance products in Spain, Italy, Germany, and France.
• Generali: European insurance incumbent with strong Italian and Iberian presence, overlapping directly with Relyens' Northern Italy and Spain medical liability operations and broader European P&C footprint.

Emerging players

• Beazley: Specialty insurer with a strong cyber and professional liability franchise in Europe and the US — an emerging competitor in the cyber and medical liability segments where Relyens is expanding its product set.

Others

• Munich Re: Global reinsurer providing capacity and retro to specialty insurers including medical liability and public-sector lines — relevant reinsurance counterparty for Relyens' long-tail medical liability and statutory books.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@relyens
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sham
• Instagraminstagram.com/bloc_op__

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments21 records

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Sham