Oona Insurance bets on platforms to widen access

The firm is tapping digital partners to reach Southeast Asia’s mass market.

Oona Insurance is intensifying its push into Southeast Asia’s growing digital insurance market by building simpler products, expanding distribution through major tech platforms, and targeting underserved middle- and lower-income consumers often excluded from traditional coverage.

Abhishek Bhatia, Group CEO and Director of Oona Insurance, said the combination of rising smartphone penetration, faster broadband, and digital payment platforms has made digital insurance accessible at scale across the region.

“Smartphone penetration in large parts of Asia is north of 80% now, and this is the only computer people have. So with this, mobile commerce… becomes possible,” Bhatia said. “Digital wallets like GCash or Palawan Pay… have replaced the need to have a bank account or a credit card.”

Beyond infrastructure, Bhatia pointed to behavioral shifts accelerated by COVID-19. “Filipinos are possibly the most avid consumers of YouTube and everything else on social media… once you're comfortable with consuming content on a device, you get into the habit of transacting online.”

In the Philippines, Oona is partnering directly with platforms like Globe, GCash, and Palawan to embed insurance products into everyday digital activity. “We've invented simple, easy to understand, easy to appreciate insurance products that the daily Filipinos can use,” said Nicasio “Ninoy” Rollan III, President and CEO of Oona Insurance Philippines.

The firm is also digitising claims and agent sales operations. “They can file your claim online,” Rollan said, noting that suppliers now provide video updates on repair work so customers no longer need to call for status updates.

On the distribution side, Oona’s Kahoona mobile app allows agents to sell, issue, and renew policies remotely while using social media to engage clients. “They can sell even without being physically present in front of their clients,” Rollan said.

Bhatia believes the combination of product simplicity, affordable pricing, and embedded distribution can help close the region’s significant insurance protection gap. “If we can solve all of these problems, I think we can be a positive force in the market to drive insurance penetration for the industry higher.”