XLB ASSURANCES

What XLB ASSURANCES does

XLB Assurances is a French insurance brokerage (société de courtage en assurance) specialized in forest, pond, and field property coverage. Founded in 1999 by Xavier de La Bretesche in the wake of the devastating storms of that year, the firm is headquartered at 155 Rue de Bretagne, Laval, with a supplementary Paris presence at Tour Montparnasse. It is registered with ORIAS (N° 07002797) and supervised by the ACPR, and operates as a subsidiary of Groupe Finaxy, which provides digital and technology services through Finaxy Digital Technologie. The company's product suite is built around a modular forest-insurance family — Contrafeu (fire), Contraforêt (comprehensive fire, storm, hail, frost, snow, natural disasters), Contravent (storm-focused), and Contrabois (civil liability) — each with parametric-style triggers such as a 20%/30% species-specific destruction threshold over a 0.33-hectare minimum zone and a €305 flat deductible. The portfolio has been extended into adjacent rural-property lines: Assurance Etang (ponds, water retention, rivers under 10 meters width) and Assurance Champs (agricultural fields and crops), plus Protection Juridique Forestière delivered in partnership with CFDP. Underwriting is carried via PACIFICA as the named insurance partner. Commercially, XLB Assurances runs a sales-led, direct-distribution model: personalized property assessments feed into bespoke quotes, supported by a website (assuranceforet.com), organic social presence on Facebook and LinkedIn, and in-person consultations in Laval and Paris. Revenue is generated through insurance brokerage commissions — primarily from PACIFICA — and ancillary fees for advisory services, with annual billing cadence on all policies. The firm operates with a 6-person team (founder, deputy director, client manager, back-office manager, insurance manager) and serves a diversified French client base spanning private owners, forestry groups, rural land groups, and communal/institutional forests.

Name

XLB ASSURANCES

Legal name

XLB Assurances

Website

https://assuranceforet.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1999

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

XLB Assurances is a French insurance brokerage specializing in forest, pond, and field property coverage, serving private owners, forestry groups, and communal/institutional forests in France via Contrafeu, Contraforêt, Contravent, Contrabois, Assurance Etang, and Assurance Champs products distributed through PACIFICA.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Forestry Insurance Brokerage

NAICS

Insurance Agencies and Brokerages (524210), Agencies, Brokerages, and Other Insurance Related Activities (5242), Insurance Agencies and Brokerages (52421)

SIC

Insurance Agents, Brokers & Service (6411), Fire, Marine & Casualty Insurance (6331)

akta.pro primary industry

Commercial General Liability (CGL) (FSAJADAA)

Keywords

• Forest insurance brokerage
• Forestry risk coverage
• Rural property liability insurance
• Storm and fire damage insurance
• Agricultural property insurance

Headquarters

HQ city

Laval

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Insurance brokerage commissions: XLB Assurances operates as an insurance brokerage and receives commissions from insurance companies (notably PACIFICA) in the context of their insurance activity and advice. They may also receive fees and expenses from clients for additional services.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

XLB Assurances is a French insurance brokerage that distributes modular insurance contracts covering forest, pond, and field properties against risks such as fire, storm, hail, frost, snow, natural disasters, and civil liability. Its product portfolio includes Contraforêt (comprehensive), Contrafeu (fire), Contravent (storm), Contrabois (liability), Assurance Etang (ponds), Assurance Champs (fields), and Protection Juridique Forestière (legal protection) delivered in partnership with CFDP. Coverage is delivered via carrier partners such as PACIFICA, with pricing determined by individualized forest property assessments.

Product overview

XLB Assurances is a specialized insurance brokerage offering a portfolio of modular insurance products for forestry, agricultural, and aquatic properties in France. The core product suite includes Contraforêt (comprehensive fire/storm/natural disaster coverage), Contrafeu (fire-focused insurance), Contravent (storm-focused coverage), Contrabois (forest civil liability), and Protection Juridique Forestière (legal protection add-on). These are complemented by Assurance Etang (pond/water body insurance) and Assurance Champs (field/crop insurance). The products operate as distinct insurance contracts with modulable guarantees, primarily targeting forest owners, forest groups, communal forests, and agricultural property owners, with coverage triggered by specific damage thresholds and deductibles.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Contrabois: Forestry liability insurance covering third-party claims, annex buildings, and water features.
• Contrafeu
• Contraforêt
• Contravent
• Protection Juridique Forestière

Products and services

• Contraforêt (Comprehensive Forest Insurance) Comprehensive forest insurance product covering fire, storm, hail, frost, ice, snow, and natural disasters for forest owners and forestry groups. Features modulable guarantees with a majoration system on storm coverage.
• Contrafeu (Fire Insurance) Forest fire and natural catastrophe insurance with two optional guarantees: reforestation costs (€500 to €5,000 per hectare) and financial loss coverage (€1,500 to €7,000 per hectare), with no intervention threshold required.
• Contravent (Storm Insurance) Storm, hail, frost, ice, snow and natural disaster insurance for forests with a majoration system that scales storm compensation beyond base percentages.
• Contrabois (Forest Civil Liability Insurance) Forest civil liability insurance covering third-party damages (e.g., fallen trees on vehicles) and annex properties such as hunting pavilions, disused industrial buildings, quarries, ponds, and marshes.
• Protection Juridique Forestière (Forest Legal Protection) Legal protection service for forest owners delivered in partnership with CFDP (Compagnie Française de Défense et Protection), covering penal, social, labor, property, commercial, administrative, and tax legal matters.
• Assurance Etang (Pond and Water Body Insurance) Insurance for ponds, water retention areas, inactive gravel pits, and rivers under 10 meters width, covering third-party liability for water-related damages including flooding from dam rupture and drowning incidents.
• Assurance Champs (Field and Crop Insurance) Insurance for fields and crops covering civil liability and risk description for agricultural land in France.

Named customers5 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• PACIFICAcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorInsurance company partner listed as one of XLB Assurances' insurance partners. PACIFICA provides the underlying insurance products that XLB Assurances distributes as a broker.
• Groupe FinaxycoreOthersParent company of XLB Assurances. Finaxy Group provides technology and digital services for the company, including website development. Finaxy Digital Technologie is mentioned as the registered office entity.
• CFDP (Compagnie Française de Défense et Protection)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFrench legal defense and protection company providing specialized legal protection services for forest owners. CFDP jurists accompany forest owners on legal issues, inform them of their rights and obligations, and provide judicial accompaniment. Legal defense costs are covered by CFDP with free choice of lawyer.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Verspieren: French independent insurance broker active in specialty, agricultural, and rural risks. Comparable as an independent French broker with niche specialty expertise analogous to XLB's specialist forestry positioning.
• Diot-Siaci: Large French insurance brokerage with specialty lines including agricultural and rural risks. Comparable as a French specialist broker, but operating at much larger scale and broader scope than XLB.
• Filhet-Allard & Cie: Independent French insurance brokerage serving corporate and specialty clients, including complex rural and specialty property risks. Comparable as a French independent brokerage with specialty expertise, though broader in scope than XLB's pure forestry focus.
• Crédit Agricole Assurances (PACIFICA): PACIFICA is XLB's underlying insurance carrier and a major French P&C insurer via the Crédit Agricole banking network. It is directly comparable as the capacity provider for XLB's forestry products and could in principle bypass the broker to underwrite forest owners directly.

Broad incumbents

• SMACL Assurances: Mutual insurer focused on local authorities and public entities, including coverage of communal and departmental assets such as public forests. Directly comparable for XLB's institutional/communal forest segment, though from a broader public-sector angle.
• Allianz France: Large multi-line insurer with agricultural and property products in France. Overlaps with XLB on forest-owner property and liability risks, but operates through broad distribution rather than forestry-specialist brokerage.
• AXA France: One of France's largest P&C insurers with broad rural and agricultural offerings. Comparable as a generalist competitor in forest/property cover, but lacks XLB's specialist forestry underwriting focus and modular guarantee design.
• Groupama: Major French mutual insurer with a deep agricultural and rural property book, including forestry cover for farmers and rural landowners. Comparable because it overlaps XLB's forest/rural customer base, but competes as a broad multi-line carrier rather than a forestry specialist.

Regional players

• Fransylva: French private forest owners' federation that connects owners with insurance solutions and negotiates group schemes. Comparable because it channels forest-owner demand toward insurance products, partially overlapping with XLB's private-owner customer segment.

Others

• La France Mutualiste: French mutual offering savings, retirement, and protection products including some rural/forest-owner cover. Comparable as a France-only mutualist risk-pool operating in adjacent rural personal lines, though not a direct forestry specialist.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/XLB-Assurances-for%C3%AAts-628479467315719
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/xlb-assurances

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 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 XLB ASSURANCES