The Insurance Council of Australia (ICA), has announced a new collaboration to build a national data analytics fraud detection and investigations platform for the Australian insurance industry.
The ICA will partner with Shift Technology, and EXL to build this platform and this is expected to begin in early 2026. It will incorporate advanced data analytics capabilities to alert fraud investigators to suspicious activity in real time. Insurers will use the platform to develop collaborative investigations to uncover and take action against persistent fraudsters.
Developed with the ICA's counter fraud and scams division, the Insurance Crime Intelligence Network of Australia (ICINA), this new platform will enable insurers to securely share fraud patterns, coordinate investigations and identify emerging threats. Motor insurance claims will be the first area of focus.
The initiative reflects a growing global trend of association-led counter-fraud initiatives, with comparable programs using Shift solutions with insurer associations in the UK, France, Canada, Hong Kong and Singapore.
Privacy, governance and security are central to the programme. Participating insurers will share data using privacy-preserving techniques, strict role-based access controls, and end-to-end encryption. The platform will operate under a robust industry governance framework including legal oversight, and technical controls will align with Australian regulatory expectations and relevant certifications.
ICINA CEO Andrew Gill said that the insurance industry has fought fraud for decades, but fraudsters have adapted to its digital transformation, and today's organized networks exploit online services with increasing sophistication, driving up costs for honest customers. ‘Today's announcement is the industry's most comprehensive response to fraud. By connecting insurers through secure, real-time intelligence sharing, we're creating an early warning system that identifies fraudulent patterns across the entire market, stopping criminals before claims are paid. This privacy-protected, technology-driven collaboration will deliver tangible results, faster detection, prevent fraud, and downward pressure on costs," he said.