How is Guidewire Facilitating Easier Claims in Belgium?

Ethias, Belgium’s third largest life and non-life insurer, has successfully migrated its core operations to the Guidewire Cloud Platform.

The transition marks a significant shift in the insurer’s digital strategy, moving away from legacy infrastructure towards a scalable, secure and continuously updated cloud operating model.

By adopting this platform, Ethias aims to increase its business agility and support ongoing innovation.

The move is designed to provide a more robust foundation for the insurer to adoptAI capabilities at scale, ensuring the business remains competitive in an increasingly digital European market.

Enhancing the claims experience

The primary focus of this modernisation is the transformation of the claims department.

By using Guidewire’s core systems in the cloud, Ethias is positioned to process files with greater speed and consistency.

This shift is intended to reduce administrative friction for both employees and policyholders.

Luc Kranzen, Chief Claims & Delight Officer at Ethias, says: “This is a major step in how we handle claims at Ethias.

"Behind the technology, the objective is simple: to process files faster, more smoothly and with greater consistency for our customers. 

“This new platform gives our teams the tools to work more efficiently and to focus on what really matters: supporting people when they need us most.

"I would like to thank all our teams and partners who made this transformation possible. 

“It opens the door to further innovation, including the progressive integration of AI to enhance both efficiency and service quality.”

A collaborative delivery model

The implementation was a multi-party effort involving Guidewire Professional Services and several key partners.

Deloitte, a Guidewire PartnerConnect Consulting Global Premier Partner, worked alongside NRB – Ethias’ IT subsidiary – to deliver the programme.

Olivier Lallemand, Chief Business Officer, NRB, says: “We are proud to have supported Ethias in the successful transition to Guidewire Cloud. 

“This achievement reflects strong collaboration between Ethias, Guidewire, Deloitte and NRB and highlights the collective ability of all partners to deliver end-to-end modernisation while embracing modern cloud standards.”

The project was completed within the projected timeframe and budget, a notable achievement for a core system transformation of this scale. 

Sabri Mzah, Operations, Industry & Domain Solutions Leader at Deloitte Belgium, says: “This go-live shows what’s possible when a client, a solution provider and an integrator operate as one team.

“Together with Ethias, NRB and Guidewire, we delivered the programme on time, on scope and within budget, without compromising quality.

"The solution is already delivering measurable improvements in performance, automation and business capabilities and it provides a strong foundation for what we can achieve next. 

“It also reinforces a proven approach for accelerating similar P&C core transformations.”

Future-proofing Belgian insurance

For Guidewire, the go-live represents a successful expansion of its cloud footprint within the Benelux region.

The platform provides Ethias with the durability of its traditional core systems while removing the burden of manual updates.

David Phull, Group Vice President of Sales at Guidewire, explains: “Innovation is central to Ethias’ strategy and I’m proud Guidewire is helping Ethias modernise claims and elevate the claims experience for clients across Belgium. 

“With Guidewire Cloud Platform, Ethias can accelerate claims processing, while building on its strong foundations to further enhance consistency and deliver high-quality outcomes for its customers.”

As Ethias serves more than 1.3 million individual clients and more than 45,000 public bodies and companies, the stability of this new cloud foundation is vital for its "phygital" strategy – blending physical presence with digital accessibility.