Essential purr-chase or unaf-fur-dable luxury? Rethinking Pet Insurance in 2026

 

In a market shaped by rising costs, shifting consumer expectations, and regulatory scrutiny, pet insurance is facing a pivotal moment. What was once a niche offering is now a frontline product where affordability, transparency, and sustainability must coexist. 

 

As we enter 2026, The ABI's Pet Insurance Roundtable on 17 March 2026 offers a timely opportunity to explore how the industry can respond with clarity, purpose, and innovation. Sponsored by Procurato, this roundtable will bring together leading voices to unpack the pressures and possibilities facing pet insurers today. 

 

We’ll examine the implications of the CMA’s investigation into veterinary services, and how it intersects with broader concerns around underwriter sustainability and cost containment. With claims inflation and pricing sensitivity on the rise, the conversation will turn to practical ways to make pet insurance more accessible and acceptable to policyholders. 

 

Expect a deep dive into: 

We’ll also explore emerging proposals around directional care and treatment pathways and what they could mean for customer experience, claims outcomes, and market dynamics. 

 

Join us to shape the conversation, challenge assumptions and help define the future of pet insurance. 

 

• Discuss how the pet insurance market can evolve to meet challenges such as rising claims costs, changing customer expectations and regulatory scrutiny. 

• Explore how the industry can respond with clarity, purpose, and innovation to these challenges. 

• Explore how the CMA investigation into the veterinary services will impact the pet insurance market. 

• Discuss how pet insurance can be made more accessible to consumers. 

• Take part in in-depth conversations on claims inflation, prescription pricing, treatment cost differentials across veterinary practices and growing role of online pharmacies and how they intersect with pet insurance. 

• Opportunity to network with fellow pet insurance professionals from across the industry. 

 

By the end of this event, delegates will be able to: 

• Identify the key challenges facing the pet insurance market, including rising costs, changing customer expectations and regulator scrutiny 

• Better understand how the market is rising to meet the challenges it faces. 

• Understand the potential impact of the CMA investigation into veterinary services on the pet insurance market.