The fourth annual conference of the Global Insurance Symposium, to be held in Des Moines, Iowa, from April 25-27, will focus on innovative technologies including blockchain, artificial intelligence, autonomous vehicles, and more.

The conference will bring together insurance and technology leaders from around the world to address important issues impacting the marketplace with a primary focus on technology, policy, and innovation. Speakers include state insurance commissioners, industry leaders, entrepreneurs, and regulatory representatives from various states, national offices, and international organizations. Attendees will also experience innovative demonstrations from the six startups participating in the Des Moines-based Global Insurance Accelerator.

Featured speakers and sessions include Bill Hartnett, president at Hartnett Advisors; Robert Kerzner, CEO and president of LIMRA, LOMA, LL Global Inc.; Matteo Carbone, founder and director of Connected Insurance Observatory; Alessa Quane, EVP and chief risk officer at AIG; Driverless Car Outlook and Live Demonstration: two autonomous vehicles on-site; Artificial Intelligence in the Workforce: featuring Evangelos Simoudis, author of Big Data Opportunity in our Driverless Future; #Insurtech and the Global Insurance Accelerator; Commissioners' Roundtable; Startup Stories: TED Talks; Blockchain: Beyond BitCoin.

"The caliber of speakers and attendees at the Global Insurance Symposium really makes this an event that those in both the insurance and insurtech industries won't want to miss," said Iowa Insurance Commissioner Doug Ommen. "The innovative nature of this event really brings together the world-class experts and leaders from industry, insurtech innovators, and federal and state regulators to discuss a wide-range of important issues affecting the insurance industry."  

Expert panelists including Caitlin Long and Mark S. Smith from Symbiont; Angus Champion de Crespigny, EY; Magda Ramada Sarasola, Willis Towers Watson, will discuss the importance of blockchain technology and what's made it one of the insurance industry's emerging trends for 2017. The panel will be moderated by Nick Gerhart, FBL Financial.