Press Releases July 29, 2026 06:45 AM

Verisk Acquires McKenzie Intelligence Services to Enhance Catastrophic Event Preparation and Response

Verisk Analytics enhances catastrophe event preparedness with acquisition of McKenzie Intelligence Services

By Leila Farooq
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Verisk Analytics, a leading data analytics company serving the insurance industry, has acquired McKenzie Intelligence Services to strengthen its real-time catastrophe and conflict event analysis capabilities. The acquisition integrates MIS's geospatial intelligence with Verisk's catastrophe models and analytics to improve insurers' response and decision-making during catastrophic events.

Verisk Acquires McKenzie Intelligence Services to Enhance Catastrophic Event Preparation and Response
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Key Points

  • MIS provides rapid post-event damage assessment and military-grade intelligence for real-time decision making.
  • The acquisition enhances Verisk's offerings in Strikes, Riots and Civil Commotion (SRCC) and political violence risk insights with real-time data.
  • Integration with Verisk's existing catastrophe modeling platforms aims to deliver a unified view of emerging risks, improving insurers' preparedness and claims handling.

LONDON, July 29, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Verisk (Nasdaq: VRSK), a leading strategic data analytics and technology partner to the global insurance industry, today announced that it has acquired McKenzie Intelligence Services (MIS), a geospatial intelligence and event response company specializing in global real-time catastrophe and conflict event analysis.  

MIS provides rapid post event damage assessment, military grade intelligence and actionable insights that empower real time decision making in the aftermath of a major loss event.

  • Faster, high resolution catastrophe event response: From pre-event alerting to post-event exposure damage and quantification, MIS gives insurers, reinsurers, brokers and loss adjusters the intelligence to respond quickly.
  • Deepened SRCC and political violence risk insights: This acquisition extends Verisk’s leadership in Strikes, Riots and Civil Commotion (SRCC) and political violence risk analytics, bringing real-time, incident-level intelligence that activates when an event is unfolding.

“Verisk and MIS share a commitment to helping clients make faster, more confident decisions before, during, and after catastrophic events,” said Rob Newbold, president of Verisk Catastrophe and Risk Solutions. “By bringing MIS’s real-time geospatial intelligence together with Verisk’s catastrophe models, risk analytics, and claims solutions, we can give clients a more complete view of unfolding events so they can assess impacts, prioritize response and support policyholders more effectively.”

MIS aggregates and analyses multi-source geospatial data to provide (re)insurers with rapid and precise insights to support:

  • Financial and operational decisions
  • Property-level damage assessments
  • Confident claims resolutions
  • Portfolio exposure estimates
  • Claims triage
  • Litigation support

Forbes McKenzie, founder of MIS, said, “We’ve worked with Verisk to integrate real-time event data for rapid accumulation analysis, so it felt like a natural fit to join the team, especially as catastrophes grow increasingly disruptive around the world. Together with Verisk’s risk modelling and claims solutions, we can help insurers better serve policyholders during their most challenging moments.”

Building a more connected view of catastrophe and global risk
MIS will become part of Verisk’s Catastrophe and Risk Solutions, bringing its real-time geospatial intelligence into a broader portfolio of catastrophe risk modelling, global loss indexes, advanced analytics and risk data. Along with Verisk Maplecroft’s expertise in monitoring external risks across operations, supply chains and investments, these capabilities will give clients a more connected view of emerging and unfolding risks — helping them prepare earlier, respond faster and make more confident decisions when events occur.

Verisk’s Catastrophe and Risk Solutions recently introduced Verisk Synergy Studio, a cloud‑native platform designed to unify catastrophe modelling, exposure management and risk analytics in a single environment. By pairing advanced science with a modern platform, Verisk Synergy Studio enables more frequent model updates and improved integration with enterprise risk workflows. 

In 2025, Verisk acquired Verisk Model Exchange, a catastrophe modelling platform that enables the evaluation of multiple independent views of catastrophe risk within a single governed, vendor-neutral platform where open standards, including an open and non-proprietary exposure data framework, ensure every model runs on a consistent financial engine. Verisk Catastrophe and Risk Solutions is part of AIR Worldwide Corporation, a wholly owned subsidiary of Verisk Analytics, Inc.

This transaction is not expected to have a material impact on financial results.

About Verisk
Verisk (Nasdaq: VRSK) is a leading strategic data analytics and technology partner to the global insurance industry. It empowers clients to strengthen operating efficiency, improve underwriting and claims outcomes, combat fraud and make informed decisions about global risks, including climate change, catastrophic events, sustainability and political issues. Through advanced data analytics, software, scientific research and deep industry knowledge, Verisk helps build global resilience for individuals, communities and businesses. With teams across more than 20 countries, Verisk consistently earns certification by Great Place to Work. For more, visit Verisk.com and the Verisk Newsroom. 


Risks

  • The transaction is unlikely to materially impact Verisk's financial results, potentially limiting immediate shareholder returns.
  • The integration of MIS's technology and data into Verisk's platforms could face operational challenges or delays.
  • Increasingly disruptive catastrophes underscore ongoing volatility and unpredictability in risk modeling and insurance sectors.

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