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expatpartners ag was founded in 2008 and has been operating in a very specific market niche ever since. We support large companies and SMEs (as well as individuals) that deploy employees internationally and have corresponding insurance questions.
Expat insurance is the umbrella term that is still used today. In the meantime, however, the issues often no longer have anything to do with classic expats. And it is no longer ‘just’ about outbounds, i.e. employees who leave Switzerland. Fortunately, the demand for inbound solutions, i.e. insurance for local international employees in Switzerland or cross-border commuters, has increased.
At that time, the focus was primarily on assignments/postings, where the employee remains in the Swiss Social Security Environment. These still exist today, of course, but there are also a variety of other forms and target groups (local +, pure local, global nomads, working from anywhere, cross-border commuters, ANobAG, etc.). One thing has not changed in all this time. The greatest demand is in the area of IPMI, i.e. international (and local) medical insurance. The market for global pension solutions (IPP, IGP) has always been relatively small in Switzerland and remains so today. Nevertheless, it is essential that employers find good solutions for mobile employees in the market in order to cover the risks of death/disability globally and, if necessary, to ensure international pension provision where no suitable local options are available.
In addition to expat insurance solutions, our customers often need advice on social security law issues and complex individual cases where a holistic approach is important.
Another issue is always KVG coordination in the context of international IPMI solutions. When our company first started out, little importance was attached to the KVG. If an employee deregistered in Switzerland, it was believed that continuing KVG coverage during a posting was an option rather than an obligation. Today, no customer wants to take risks (compliance). However, there is still an inexhaustible potential for questions, exceptions and constellations and thus a need for advice – which we are happy about. In addition to consulting, IPMI and IPP solutions, there are other related insurance branches and areas: corporate travel insurance, security and medical assistance programmes, international pooling, international employee benefits coordination, worksite solutions, etc.
As a pure niche provider, we have the advantage of being able to focus wholeheartedly on the topic of ‘mobility insurance solutions’ and thus accumulate a great deal of specific know-how. Only by offering our customers genuine added value, do we have a chance of continuing to hold our own in this market. Our lean cost structure helps us to do this. Our simple corporate philosophy is therefore to find answers and solutions for our customers in a professional, well-founded and rapid manner and at moderate conditions. And hopefully we are also perceived as friendly, down-to-earth and cordial. We would like to thank all our customers and partners and look forward to our future together!
Small ist beautiful
Many smaller companies are also facing challenges due to the new geopolitical situation and need to tap into new markets globally. We have developed special, cost-effective insurance solutions for micro-portfolios (posted employees, expats, local+ etc.).
IPMI (International Medical Expenses)
Unsurprisingly, the latest Global Medical Trend Report from WTW forecasts again an increase in global costs of around 10.3% for 2026.
Source: WTW Global Medical Trend Report 2026
Obesity/overweight (and the associated medical costs) and diabetes are the most significant future global cost drivers for the IPMI market and will exceed the total costs for cancer (source: Healthcare Insights Report Bupa Global).
At the end of 2025, Allianz launched a new product line called ‘Care’ (IPMI individual insurance). This has a number of special features, such as selectable coverage zones (Europe only, Africa only, etc.) and the option of high deductibles (e.g. main tariff up to CHF 7,800). This allows the premium level to be significantly reduced – at the expense of the corresponding personal responsibility.
As communicated in a previous newsletter, Globality Health Luxembourg was taken over by the Foyer Group Luxembourg (Foyer Global Health). The integration is progressing and a new product line called ‘Journey’ has been launched in individual insurance under the Global Health brand. The options for existing individual customers to switch are not yet known in detail. There will be no changes to the cooperation with SWICA (fronting-insurer for group business and vested benefits options for returning to Switzerland).
Since mid-2025, Cigna Healthcare has been offering its corporate customers and insured employees/dependents mental health support via the Headspace platform/app. The platform is multilingual and available at no additional cost. Promoting mental health and reducing costs and follow-up costs are important issues in the field of IPMI.
Swiss Life Global Solutions and the Generali Group are establishing the world's largest provider of employee benefits solutions through a strategic partnership (news release 10 February 2026). To this end, Generali is acquiring Swiss Life Network (SLN) and integrating it into the existing Generali Employee Benefits network. The exact consequences remain to be seen, but it is to be expected that in some countries, pooled contracts with insurance partners of the Swiss Life Network will come under pressure due to overlaps between the two networks.
Please contact us if you have any questions on any of these topics.