Royal London has become the latest insurer to join CIExpert’s Income Protection Insight Zone, widening adviser access to detailed product information across the protection market.

The mutual is the eighth provider to be included in the zone, extending CIExpert’s coverage beyond life and critical illness into income protection.

All of Royal London’s personal and business protection income protection plans are now available to CIExpert subscribers, alongside its personal and business life cover and critical illness plans, at no additional cost.

CIExpert’s Life and Critical Illness Insight Zones already cover every insurer active in those markets. The addition of Royal London to the Income Protection Insight Zone further broadens the platform’s scope, as more insurers seek to support advisers with access to detailed, verified product insights.

Income protection is becoming increasingly relevant, with 20% of people at risk of being off work for two months or more before the age of 65, while 148.9 million working days were lost to sickness or injury in the UK during 2024.

Royal London’s income protection plan offers cover of up to 65% of the first £60,000 of income and includes rehabilitation support, job flexibility, back-to-work payments and fixed cost flexibility.

Additional features include a lifestyle review allowing policyholders to adapt cover as circumstances change, a hospitalisation benefit and automatic fracture cover of up to £4,000.

The insurer’s Helping Hand Service provides access to a dedicated nurse, mental health and career advice, and legal helplines. Key person cover is also available at up to 75% of gross profit.

The Income Protection Insight Zone is designed to give advisers a comprehensive overview of policy options, including income multiples, payment periods and detailed information covering eligibility, occupation type, deferred periods, claims options, cover guarantees, priority occupations and rehabilitation and return-to-work features.

GROWING ADVISER ENGAGEMENT AND PLATFORM INTEGRATION

CIExpert reports growing usage of its Insight Zones, with a number of large distribution firms adopting the platform as a core resource for protection advice.

Recent integrations now allow advisers to access the Insight Zones directly through Iress’ Exchange, iPipeline’s SolutionBuilder and UnderwriteMe’s Protection Platform.

Paul Roberts, proposition and distribution director at CIExpert, said: “Royal London’s decision to join our Income Protection Insight Zone is further endorsement of the value they deliver to insurers, advisers and consumers.

“With every Insight Zone signed-off by each insurer to confirm accuracy, the important role they play in advice, compliance and consumer duty requirements cannot be understated.

“At CIExpert, we’re deeply committed to protecting the income of individuals and their families to deliver the financial resilience that they need.

“With our upcoming Critical Thinking 2026 report set to include insights into the income protection market, we’re excited to welcome Royal London into our Income Protection Insight Zone as we continue our plans to enhance our income protection support for advisers and their clients.”

Fi Wynn (pictured), head of protection propositions at Royal London, added: “Income protection plays a vital role in helping people stay financially resilient when they’re unable to work, so it’s essential advisers can clearly understand how different policies work in practice.

“By joining CIExpert’s Income Protection Insight Zone, we’re making it easier for advisers to access clear, detailed and trusted information across our income protection proposition, supporting high-quality advice and good consumer outcomes.”