CIExpert is delighted to announce the addition of Royal London to its Income Protection (IP) Insight Zone, further expanding adviser access to key product insights. The mutual is the eighth insurer to join the IP Insight Zone, which sees it extend its support beyond life and critical illness cover (CIC). All Royal London’s personal and business protection IP plans, plus its personal and business life cover and CI plans, are now available to all CIExpert subscribers at no additional cost.
CIExpert’s Life & Critical Illness Insight Zones are already fully representative of every life and critical illness insurer in the market, reinforcing the platform’s position as the industry’s most comprehensive and independent resource for product comparison. The addition of Royal London to the IP Insight Zone further expands the offering, with the mutual becoming the latest in a growing number of insurers recognising the importance of equipping advisers with easy access to in-depth product insights.
With 20% of people at risk of being off work for two months or more before the age of 65* and 148.9 million working days lost to sickness or injury in the UK in 2024**, income protection is more relevant than ever. Royal London’s plan addresses this demand by providing cover of up to 65% of the first £60,000 of income earned, and includes a range of rehabilitation support, job flexibility, back-to-work payments and fixed cost flexibility.
Other key features include a lifestyle review, enabling policyholders to adapt cover to meet their changing needs, a hospitalisation benefit, and fracture cover, which is automatically included up to £4,000. In addition, its Helping Hand Service provides access to a dedicated nurse, mental health and career advice support and legal helplines.
Key person cover is also available at up to 75% of gross profit.
CIExpert’s IP Insight Zone offers advisers a ‘birds-eye’ view of all policy options. This includes detailed information of income multiples and payment periods together with sections containing policy information, eligibility, occupation type, deferred period, claims options, cover guarantees, priority occupations and rehabilitation/return-to-work features and benefits.
Growing adviser engagement and platform integration
CIExpert has reported significant growth in its Insight Zones usage, with many large distribution firms now adopting the platform as their go-to source of information for protection advice. Recent portal integrations have enabled access to CIExpert’s Insight Zones from Iress’ Exchange, iPipeline’s SolutionBuilder and UnderwriteMe’s Protection Platform, ensuring advisers can engage with the resource seamlessly throughout their client research journey.
Paul Roberts, Proposition and Distribution Director at CIExpert, commented:
“Royal London’s decision to join our Income Protection Insight Zone is further endorsement of the value they deliver to insurers, advisers and consumers. With every Insight Zone signed-off by each insurer to confirm accuracy, the important role they play in advice, compliance and consumer duty requirements cannot be understated.
“At CIExpert, we’re deeply committed to protecting the income of individuals and their families to deliver the financial resilience that they need. With our upcoming Critical Thinking 2026 report set to include insights into the income protection market, we’re excited to welcome Royal London into our Income Protection Insight Zone as we continue our plans to enhance our income protection support for advisers and their clients.”
Fi Wynn, Head of Protection Propositions at Royal London added:
“Income protection plays a vital role in helping people stay financially resilient when they’re unable to work, so it’s essential that advisers can clearly understand how different policies work in practice. By joining CIExpert’s Income Protection Insight Zone, we’re making it easier for advisers to access clear, detailed and trusted information across our income protection proposition, supporting high‑ quality advice and good consumer outcomes.”
Advisers interested in accessing CIExpert’s Insight Zone should contact – [email protected].
