Parametric insurance, using sensors and AI for rapid payouts based on pre-set triggers, is gaining traction for disaster relief. While lauded for speed, critics question its fairness and potential to profit from calamities.
Clothes seller Lata Solanki used to face a devastating choice when India’s summer heat hit dangerous levels: risk her health going door-to-door for sales, or lose her income? But now the 42-year-old is part of an insurance scheme that pays out when temperatures hit a threshold, so she can stay home without jeopardising her finances. The “parametric” model pays out automatically when specific triggers are breached, in Solanki’s case after two consecutive days at 43.72 degrees Celsius (110 degrees...
