Can the solo broker still survive in 2026?
Consolidation, compliance, digitalisation: the environment is getting tougher. But the solo broker has an edge that groups lack. Provided they equip themselves.
Albert Verlinden, president of BZB-Fedafin, said it at the 2025 Congress: "It is becoming increasingly difficult to survive as a sole proprietorship in this insurance environment." A sentence that resonates with many brokers who practise alone or with one or two staff.
Consolidation is accelerating. 30 acquisitions in one year in Belgium. Compliance obligations keep stacking: 15 hours of IDD training, DORA, SFDR, AML, GDPR. Insurers are tightening agent account conditions and volume requirements.
The question is legitimate: does the solo broker still have a future?
What groups cannot reproduce
The answer is yes. But it is not unconditional.
The independent broker has a structural advantage that the consolidator can never reproduce with the same authenticity: the direct, personal, lasting relationship with the client.
The 4th CBC Observatory 2025 confirms this: 52% of Belgians still take out insurance through a broker. 73% of businesses entrust their premiums to brokers. Direct channels are declining. Human proximity remains a decisive factor.
But that proximity, if it stays invisible, is not enough.
The three pressures weighing down
Compliance eats time. Training, AML documentation, FSMA file updates, reporting. That time is not billable.
Technology requires investment. CRM, e-signature, comparator, website, emailing, Peppol. Each tool has a cost, a learning curve, and a provider to manage.
Visibility no longer comes naturally. The prospect goes through Google, compares reviews, visits sites. A broker invisible online is a broker ageing with their existing base.
The solo broker equation in 2026
To remain viable as a solo, you need to solve a simple equation: maintain relationship quality (your strength) while reducing time lost on compliance and technology (your weakness).
Reduce the number of providers. An integrated ecosystem covering website, email marketing and satisfaction measurement in a single platform reduces this complexity. One contact, one invoice, one line in the DORA register.
Automate what can be automated. A website working for you 24/7. A newsletter going out automatically each quarter. A satisfaction measure soliciting reviews after each significant interaction.
Make visible what sets you apart. A site in your name with your specialisations. Google reviews proving your service quality. An identifiable local presence.
The augmented solo
The theme of the Feprabel 2026 Congress was "The augmented human link". The idea is precisely this: the broker is not replaced by technology, they are strengthened by it.
The question is not whether the solo broker can survive. It is whether they are equipped for it.
With the right tools, the model holds. And it holds even better than the group model, because trust does not consolidate.
