For a long time, Moldova’s insurance market was seen as slow-moving, complex, and weighed down by paperwork. While most industries were embracing digital tools, insurance looked stuck in the past. That perception changed with iAsig – the first start-up in Moldova to take the entire process of buying an insurance policy online.

Today, iAsig is a genuine one-stop shop for insurance, allowing people to get a policy in just a few minutes. The platform has already attracted more than 25,000 customers, a clear sign that consumers want solutions that are quick, transparent and easy to understand.

The driving force behind the project is Alexandru Asimionese, an entrepreneur with roots in e-commerce and IT outsourcing, who spotted an opportunity to bring technology into a sector many assumed was resistant to change.

How did you go from e-commerce and outsourcing to building an insurance start-up?

I first worked in a company developing e-commerce start-ups, but those projects never really took off. Later, with a few colleagues, I launched an IT outsourcing firm that ran until the pandemic. During that time, we also worked on insurance-related projects and saw a clear gap: the market wasn’t digital. That’s how iAsig was born – a self-service product designed to give customers independence and clarity.

Would you describe iAsig as the first company in Moldova to digitise insurance purchases?

Yes. Some brokers had experimented with partial digital solutions, but not across the full segment and not with the most popular products. We focused on policies that represent around 70% of the market and digitised them end-to-end. We were the first to make getting a policy both fast and fully automated.

Insurance is often seen as complicated. How did you manage to simplify it?

The first step was letting customers do everything themselves, online. The second was making the terms understandable. Most people don’t read the fine print, and that creates problems. We provide clear summaries in plain language so clients know exactly what they’re buying, what’s covered and what isn’t. That way, they can make confident, informed choices.

What key problem did you solve for the market?

We took away the complexity and replaced it with transparency. Now people actually understand their options and can pick the policy that fits their real needs.

What were the biggest regulatory hurdles you faced?

Technology was moving faster than the law. At first, signing insurance contracts digitally was a grey area – there simply wasn’t a legal framework. We spent a year and a half building the platform while waiting for the rules to catch up. By the time the changes came, we were ready to launch.

Do you also provide B2B services?

Yes. We built a digital dashboard for companies, where managers can see which employees are insured and what assets or vehicles are covered. It’s a very practical tool for managing fleets and corporate policies.

How has the traditional market responded to a fully digital model?The

resistance comes mainly from agents and brokers who prefer the old ways, but customers adapted quickly and embraced the convenience.

What makes iAsig different from a classic insurance broker?

We use AI agents, AI customer support and a fully digital process. Traditional brokers still handle everything manually – from quotes to contracts. We replaced that with an automated system that makes the whole experience faster, simpler and more efficient.

Where do you see iAsig in the next 3–5 years?

In the near term, we want to test and launch innovative products that don’t exist yet in Moldova. After that, depending on how the market develops, we’ll look at expansion into other European countries – and potentially beyond.

If you had one piece of advice for entrepreneurs in Moldova, what would it be?

A principle I believe in: it’s not enough to innovate the product, you have to innovate the way it’s delivered. Sometimes, distribution needs to be just as innovative as the product itself. In a start-up, nothing happens until you make it happen.