ARKEL
ARKEL is a UK-based underwriting agency (MGA) that designs and prices specialist and non-standard personal lines insurance — including non-standard home, landlord, holiday home, and SME liability cover — distributed exclusively through a curated B2B broker network using FCA-regulated capacity from Lloyd's and insurer markets.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2018
- HeadquartersLondon, United Kingdom
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What ARKEL does
ARKEL is a UK-based underwriting agency (MGA) that designs, prices, and manages specialist and non-standard personal lines insurance products on behalf of capacity providers, operating exclusively through a curated network of B2B distribution partners and intermediaries. Founded in 2018 and headquartered in Chipping Norton with a London correspondence office, the company is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (Firm Registration Number 916682) and is a member of the Managing General Agents' Association. ARKEL's product suite spans household insurance (standard and non-standard homes, UK holiday homes, unoccupied properties, home-based businesses, tenants/renters), residential let insurance (landlord buildings, contents, loss of rental income, property owners liability up to £2M), personal property insurance (touring caravans, static holiday homes), and SME contractor liability (employers' liability, public liability up to £5M), with capacity sourced from both Lloyd's and insurer markets including AmTrust.
The company runs an automated underwriting platform with real-time pricing, data warehouse automation, big data analytics, and end-to-end data capture from quotes through claims loss ratios and renewal retention, feeding back into pricing and fraud-profiling models. Revenue is generated as an MGA through commissions and fees on premiums underwritten on behalf of capacity providers, distributed through select brokers and intermediaries via an agency application process. Notable distribution relationships include the placement of ARKEL's Adapt non-standard home insurance product on the Ceta general insurance panel. The company is led by an experienced team drawn from major UK insurers and MGAs, including a Group CEO with 30+ years of industry experience, a Chairman who previously led Zurich UK P&C and RSA's UK and international operations, and a Chief Executive and Underwriting Officer with deep specialist personal lines expertise from Towergate, Pen, and Plum Underwriting.
ARKEL firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- ARKEL
- Legal name
- Arkel Limited
- Website
- https://arkelunderwriting.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2018
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- ARKEL is a UK-based underwriting agency (MGA) that designs and prices specialist and non-standard personal lines insurance — including non-standard home, landlord, holiday home, and SME liability cover — distributed exclusively through a curated B2B broker network using FCA-regulated capacity from Lloyd's and insurer markets.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
ARKEL industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Specialty Insurance Underwriting
- NAICS
- Other Insurance Related Activities (52429)
- SIC
- Insurance Agents, Brokers & Service (6411)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Insurance Program Administration & MGA/MGU Services (FSAEADAK)
Keywords
Where ARKEL is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- London
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices2 records
Markets served
ARKEL 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 Underwriting MGA Services: As an MGA, Arkel underwrites insurance products on behalf of insurers and manages the technical underwriting, product lifecycle, and regulated activities. They work with Lloyd's and insurer market capacity to provide competitively priced products and services. Revenue is generated through premiums earned on policies underwritten and management fees from insurers.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Annual | Bespoke insurance pricing based on individual risk assessment |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels2 records
ARKEL product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Arkel is a UK-based Managing General Agent (MGA) underwriting agency that provides specialist and non-standard insurance products on behalf of insurance companies and Lloyd's market capacity. The company underwrites household, landlord, personal property (caravans/holiday homes), and SME contractor/tradesmen liability insurance, distributing exclusively through a select network of insurance brokers and intermediaries. Revenue is generated through premiums earned on underwritten policies and management fees from insurer partners.
Product overview
Arkel is an underwriting MGA (Managing General Agent) that provides a comprehensive suite of specialist and non-standard insurance products through a multi-line platform approach. The product portfolio is organized into four key market segments: Household Insurance (covering Non-Standard Homes, Standard Homes, UK Holiday Homes, Buildings, Contents, and Personal Belongings), Residential Let Insurance (Landlords Buildings & Contents, Loss of Rental Income, and Property Owners Liability up to £2M), Personal Property Insurance (Touring Caravans, Static Holiday Homes), and Contractor/Tradesmen Insurance (Employers Liability, Public Liability up to £5M). The company operates as an intermediary between insurers and distribution partners, providing underwriting expertise and product governance for non-standard and specialist risks that traditional insurers often decline.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Adapt Non-Standard Home Insurance Non-standard home insurance product developed by Arkel and underwritten by AmTrust, addressing widespread underinsurance in the UK residential market. Provides flexible underwriting limits of up to £1m for buildings and £100k for contents for complex risks including unusual construction types, holiday lets, and properties with adverse claims history. Designed for distribution partners seeking to address the approximately 70% of UK properties insured below their true rebuild value.
- Non-Standard Homes Insurance Insurance for homes that do not meet standard criteria due to construction issues, occupancy factors, flood-affected postcodes, buildings under renovation work, or previously underpinned properties. Targets distribution partners serving customers with complex property risk profiles in the UK residential market.
- Standard Home Insurance Standard household insurance covering Buildings, Contents, and Personal Belongings for UK homes, distributed through Arkel's network of broker and intermediary partners.
- UK Holiday Home Insurance Niche insurance product for UK holiday homes, covering properties used for vacation purposes, distributed via Arkel's broker panel.
- Residential Let Insurance Landlords insurance covering Buildings, Contents, Loss of Rental Income, Landlords Own Contents, and Property Owners Liability up to £2M for residential rental properties, distributed through Arkel's broker and intermediary network.
- Tenants or Renters Insurance Insurance covering Contents, Belongings, and Tenants Liability to landlords for residential tenants and renters.
- Touring Caravans and Trailer Tents Insurance Personal property insurance for UK residents covering touring caravans and trailer tents.
- Static Caravan and Holiday Homes Insurance Personal property insurance for static caravans and holiday homes located in the UK.
- Unoccupied Properties Insurance Niche insurance product for unoccupied residential properties, addressing specialist coverage needs for vacant homes.
- Home-Based Businesses Insurance Niche insurance product for businesses operating from residential homes.
- Contractors and Tradesmen Insurance Small contractors and tradesmen insurance covering Employers Liability, Public Liability up to £5M, Contractors Liability, and Tradesman Liability.
Quantifiable outcome
- Approximately 70% of UK properties are underinsured at below their true rebuild value, representing a significant market opportunity for Arkel's non-standard home insurance products
Companies that use ARKEL
Customer profileNamed customers1 record
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
ARKEL technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature5 records
ARKEL partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Four partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- AmTrustcoreAmTrust underwrites the Adapt non-standard home insurance product developed by Arkel. This product addresses widespread underinsurance in the UK residential market with flexible underwriting limits of up to £1m for buildings and £100k for contents for complex risks.
- Managing General Agents' Association (MGAA)coreArkel is a proud member of the Managing General Agents' Association, an industry body representing and supporting MGAs in the insurance sector.
- Chaucer Syndicates LimitedcoreChaucer Syndicates Limited handles complaints for liability policies underwritten by Arkel. Located at Plantation Place, 30 Fenchurch Street, EC3M 3AD.
- Lloyd's MarketcoreArkel has access to Lloyd's market capacity alongside insurer market capacity for underwriting specialist insurance products. Lloyd's is used as a platform for specialty insurance and reinsurance.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
ARKEL competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Pen Underwriting: UK MGA focused on specialist personal and commercial lines, with non-standard household capacity; multiple Arkel underwriters previously worked at Pen, making it a directly comparable specialist personal-lines MGA.
- Modus Underwriting: UK MGA set up by ex-Towergate household underwriters focused on delegated authority and specialist schemes; directly comparable in product focus and distribution approach to Arkel.
- Plum Underwriting: Specialist UK MGA writing non-standard household and niche personal lines schemes; named explicitly in Arkel team biographies and overlaps on products like non-standard home and let property.
- Midas Underwriting: UK MGA writing non-standard household including HNW; referenced in Arkel team bios, indicating overlap on specialty non-standard home and HNW risks.
- Prestige Underwriting: UK MGA in personal lines including non-standard household; both Arkel's Pricing Director and Group Distribution Director previously held senior roles there, making it a closely comparable specialist MGA.
- Geo Underwriting (Ardonagh Group): UK MGA writing personal lines and household including non-standard risks; Arkel management bios repeatedly reference Geo and Ardonagh, indicating it competes head-to-head for the same specialist personal lines brokers.
Broad incumbents
- CFC Underwriting: UK-based specialty MGA/insurer combining underwriting expertise with proprietary technology and data analytics to write niche risks; comparable to Arkel in leveraging tech-enabled specialist underwriting, albeit at much greater scale and across specialty lines like cyber and professional indemnity.
- Hiscox UK: UK specialty insurer operating through delegated schemes and brokers in household and SME; relevant comparable as a higher-end incumbent Arkel could either partner with as capacity, or compete with on specialist lines.
- Towergate Insurance: Large UK insurance intermediary group with delegated authority and MGA operations across personal and commercial lines; named repeatedly in Arkel team CVs, serving as both a talent feeder and a broader incumbent competitor for non-standard risks.
Others
- AmTrust International: Capacity provider underwriting Arkel's Adapt non-standard home product; relevant as a strategic partner and capacity peer against which Arkel must remain attractive to retain paper.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
ARKEL social profiles
Digital presenceARKEL compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance3 records
ARKEL financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
ARKEL leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles17 records
ARKEL funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
ARKEL M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about ARKEL
What does ARKEL do?
Arkel is a UK-based Managing General Agent (MGA) underwriting agency that provides specialist and non-standard insurance products on behalf of insurance companies and Lloyd's market capacity. The company underwrites household, landlord, personal property (caravans/holiday homes), and SME contractor/tradesmen liability insurance, distributing exclusively through a select network of insurance brokers and intermediaries. Revenue is generated through premiums earned on underwritten policies and management fees from insurer partners.
Is ARKEL a public or private company?
ARKEL is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was ARKEL founded?
ARKEL was founded in 2018. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is ARKEL based?
ARKEL is headquartered in London, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does ARKEL make money?
One revenue line is on record: insurance Underwriting MGA Services.
Who are ARKEL's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Pen Underwriting, Modus Underwriting, Plum Underwriting, Midas Underwriting, Prestige Underwriting and Geo Underwriting (Ardonagh Group). Broad incumbents are CFC Underwriting, Hiscox UK and Towergate Insurance. AmTrust International is listed as an others.
Does ARKEL have an API?
No public API is recorded for ARKEL.
What industry is ARKEL in?
ARKEL's product category is Specialty Insurance Underwriting. Its primary akta.pro industry code is FSAEADAK, Insurance Program Administration & MGA/MGU Services. Its NAICS code is 52429 and its SIC code is 6411.