The Insurance Institute

What The Insurance Institute does

The Insurance Institute of Ireland (The Insurance Institute) is a Dublin-headquartered professional membership body founded in 1895 and structured as a company limited by guarantee. It is the only professional body in Ireland exclusively dedicated to the insurance industry, serving individual insurance professionals (brokers, underwriters, claims handlers, risk managers) and insurance employers through structured qualifications, continuing professional development (CPD), and regulatory compliance services tied to the Central Bank of Ireland's Minimum Competency Code 2017.

The Institute operates a tiered qualification ladder — Certificate in Insurance Product Advice (APA), Certificate in Insurance Practice (CIP), and Higher Diploma in Insurance Management (MDI) — accredited at NFQ Levels 7 and 8 by Atlantic Technological University Sligo. Specialty and executive programmes include the Insurance Practitioner Apprenticeship (leading to a BA Hons degree), the Certificate in Climate Risk, and the Certified Insurance Director (co-designed with Trinity Business School), plus standalone micro-credentials in Motor, Liability, and Commercial Property specialties. Technology infrastructure is built on commercial third-party platforms: Ellucian Cloud for membership and academic records, TestReach for online proctored examinations, Canvas Credentials for digital badges, Turnitin for plagiarism detection, and the proprietary Connect Portal for CPD tracking.

Revenue is generated through annual membership subscriptions, per-module programme fees (€365 per APA module, €595 per MDI module), micro-credential fees (€635 per module for non-members), CPD accreditation services, and the Corporate Approved Payment Scheme (CAPS) for employer-sponsored bulk renewals. The organisation serves over 15,000 members, enrols 2,000+ students annually with an 80% pass rate, and distributes through five Local Institutes (Cork, Dublin, Galway, Limerick, Sligo), a dedicated Corporate Account Manager, and an online self-serve application portal.

Name

The Insurance Institute

Legal name

The Insurance Institute of Ireland

Website

https://iii.ie

Company type

Private

Founded year

1895

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Insurance Institute of Ireland is a Dublin-based professional membership body founded in 1895 that delivers accredited insurance qualifications (APA, CIP, MDI), CPD, and regulatory compliance services to over 15,000 individual insurance professionals and 500+ employer organisations across Ireland.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Insurance Professional Education and Qualifications

NAICS

Other Insurance Related Activities (52429)

SIC

Insurance Agents, Brokers & Service (6411)

akta.pro primary industry

Insurance (EDABALAQ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Insurance (EDAAAPAH), Insurance Licensure & Designation Prep (Life/Health/Property & Casualty, Series insurance exams) (EDANAIAI), Financial Services & Insurance (FINRA, CFP, IAR, Insurance CE) (EDAAALAJ)

Keywords

• Insurance qualifications
• Professional membership body
• Continuing professional development
• Insurance compliance training
• Insurance apprenticeships

Headquarters

HQ city

Dublin

HQ country

Ireland

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Membership Fees: Annual membership fees from individual insurance professionals. Membership categories and fees are published on the website with different tiers available.
2. Programme and Examination Fees: Fees charged for professional qualification programmes including APA (Certificate in Insurance Product Advice), CIP (Certificate in Insurance Practice), and MDI (Higher Diploma in Insurance Management), as well as module exam fees.
3. CPD Services: Continuing Professional Development content including live webinars, eLearning courses, and CPD accreditation services for employers and external content providers.
4. Corporate Services (CAPS): Corporate Approved Payment Scheme providing streamlined membership administration for employers sponsoring staff memberships and educational programmes.
5. Micro-credential Fees: Fees for standalone micro-credential modules: €635 for non-members, with complimentary access for members pursuing related designations.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The Insurance Institute is a professional membership body that awards recognised insurance qualifications (APA, CIP, MDI, Insurance Practitioner Apprenticeship, Climate Risk, Certified Insurance Director) and provides CPD accreditation, short courses, and micro-credentials for the Irish insurance industry. It maintains the Register of Compliant Persons, supporting Central Bank of Ireland compliance, and offers a Corporate Account Payment Scheme (CAPS) that lets employers centrally fund and administer staff training.

Product overview

The Insurance Institute operates as Ireland's primary professional body for the insurance industry, offering a structured education framework spanning entry-level qualifications through executive programmes. The core professional qualification portfolio includes three progressive awards: the Certificate in Insurance Product Advice (APA) at entry level, the Certificate in Insurance Practice (CIP) at intermediate level, and the Higher Diploma in Insurance Management (MDI) at advanced level, all accredited by Atlantic Technological University Sligo. Specialty offerings include the Insurance Practitioner Apprenticeship (leading to a BA Hons degree), the Certificate in Climate Risk, and the Certified Insurance Director executive programme. The Institute also provides micro-credentials in Motor Specialist, Liability Specialist, and Commercial Property/Business Interruption Specialist areas as digital badges. Supporting services include a comprehensive CPD scheme with live webinars and eLearning, CPD accreditation for external providers, online exam delivery via TestReach, employer corporate payment schemes (CAPS), local institute networks across five Irish cities, and a Register of Compliant Persons for regulatory compliance. The Institute serves over 15,000 members with approximately 2,000 students enrolled annually across its programmes.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Certificate in Insurance Product Advice (APA)

Quantifiable outcome

• 80% pass-rate across all programmes
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Atlantic Technological University SligocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerATU Sligo is the awarding body for The Insurance Institute's professional qualifications. The Institute develops programmes while ATU Sligo confers the academic awards (Certificate and Diploma qualifications). The partnership ensures academic accreditation at NFQ Levels 7 and 8. PPS numbers are collected as required by ATU Sligo.
• Trinity Business SchoolcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTrinity Business School co-designed the Certified Insurance Director programme to ensure strong leadership and sound judgment at board level. This executive-level programme is delivered face-to-face over 9 days over 4 months.
• Chartered Insurance Institute (CII)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Insurance Institute supports members pursuing CII qualifications (ACII to FCII) through affiliate programmes. CII awards Associateship (ACII) and Fellowship (FCII) qualifications which are recognised by the Central Bank of Ireland for MCC compliance.
• TestReach LtdcoreTechnology or IntegrationTechnology partner providing online proctored examination delivery and invigilation services. All Insurance Institute examinations (unless stated otherwise) are delivered in an online proctored environment through TestReach.
• Other Professional Bodies (IOB, LIA)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEducational partnerships with other Irish financial services professional bodies for dual qualification pathways and CPD recognition.
• Government Funding Agencies (HEA, SOLAS)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with government education funding agencies for apprenticeship funding and potential skillnet support for professional development programmes.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Australian and New Zealand Institute of Insurance and Finance (ANZIIF): Australian and New Zealand professional body offering insurance and finance qualifications, CPD, and member designations. Operates a near-identical national-professional-body model and is a natural geographic peer for benchmarking programme design and member economics.
• The Institutes (formerly AICPCU): US-based provider of risk and insurance professional education awarding designations such as CPCU, ARM, and AINS. Direct functional peer — same designation-driven education model serving insurance and risk professionals, with overlapping curriculum in underwriting, claims, and risk management.
• Chartered Insurance Institute (CII): The UK's leading professional body for the insurance and financial planning industry, offering globally recognised qualifications (CertCII, ACII, FCII) and CPD. Closest international peer — operates the same model of accredited qualifications, member designations, and continuing professional development that the Insurance Institute of Ireland mirrors, and is explicitly an affiliate partner.
• Insurance Institute of South Africa (IISA): South African professional body for the short-term insurance industry offering the NQF-aligned qualifications and designations. Same national-professional-body, designation-driven model serving a comparable insurance industry — useful peer for benchmarking programme reach and regulatory dependence.
• Insurance Institute of Canada (IIC): Canada's national not-for-profit provider of professional education and designations for the property and casualty insurance industry (CIP, CRM). Same single-country professional-body model, same member-funded structure, and directly analogous qualification pathway as the Insurance Institute of Ireland.

Regional players

• Institute of Banking (IOB): Irish professional body for banking and financial services, offering accredited programmes and designations (QFA, Professional Diploma in Financial Advice). Same Irish geography, same university-partner accreditation model, and partially overlapping member base — a natural dual-qualification partner and competitive adjacent.
• Singapore College of Insurance: Singapore's professional insurance training institution offering ANZIIF-aligned and local qualifications. Operates the same designation-plus-CPD model in a single national market; comparable peer for cross-jurisdictional benchmarking of programme economics.
• Life Insurance Association (Ireland): Irish representative body for life insurers with member-facing education, training, and qualification pathways. Shares the Irish geography and insurance professional audience, and is already listed as a partner for dual-qualification pathways — closest industry-segment peer in the same market.

Broad incumbents

• RIMS (Risk & Insurance Management Society): US-headquartered global association for risk professionals, with the RIMS-CRMP credential and broad education portfolio. Broader in scope (enterprise risk, not just insurance) but competes for the same corporate risk-management training budgets and for CPD hours that the Insurance Institute of Ireland currently captures.

Others

• Chartered Accountants Ireland (CAI): Irish professional body offering accredited qualifications and CPD across accounting and finance. Not a direct competitor but the benchmark for non-profit professional-body operations in Ireland and a partner for cross-qualification pathways into insurance finance and audit roles.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/TheInsuranceInstitute
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-insurance-institute-of-ireland
• Instagraminstagram.com/insti_ie
• Xx.com/insti_ie

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about The Insurance Institute