Jaimy expands internationally

Jaimy , a digital platform launched by Belfius Insurance in early 2018 to provide an online marketplace for users to find local service providers such as contractors, plumbers, and electricians, has grown in recent years in Belgium and is now expanding internationally through the formation of a new joint venture.

Belfius Insurance (Jaimy’s parent company) and a.s.r., one of the largest Dutch insurance companies, are launching Fixxer , a home repair network through which a.s.r. will use Jaimy’s tech platform to boost its business in the Netherlands.

Jaimy was originally created to connect people with home professionals such as plumbers, painters, electricians, and so on. Belfius Insurance set out to deliver double added value through Jaimy by assisting homeowners in finding quality professionals to carry out their projects while also supporting the local economy by providing motivated contractors with easy and secure access to hundreds of potential jobs for which they could submit a price quote directly.

In addition to the marketplace aspect of the business, Jaimy expanded to include what it calls ‘repair in kind’ that allows Belfius to handle claims more quickly as customers no longer have to go looking for tradesmen themselves to get estimates for their repairs – and nor do that have to pay a deductible. This is much appreciated by policyholders, according to Els Blaton, member of the Belfius Insurance Management Board and Chairman of Jaimy’s Board of Directors. This is also the side of the business that is of interest to a.s.r.

Bottom Line: Insurance is a risk-taking business, yet ironically, too many insurers are at risk for not risking going beyond their core product – insurance.