Bridging Legacy Systems with Digital Solutions: The Sapiens Approach

The insurance industry is built on data, but managing and modernising decades-old policy records is one of the sector’s most pressing challenges. In this engaging podcast discussion, with Kali Bagary, VP of Business Development for Africa at Sapiens, explores how AI is transforming the way insurers handle data migration and digital transformation.

Kali begins by outlining why legacy data migrations are so difficult: policies can span 20 or 30 years, systems have structural differences, and data is often outdated or incomplete. Traditionally, this has made migrations risky, costly, and time-consuming, often sitting on the critical path of transformation projects. But AI is changing the equation. By automating mapping, cleansing, and transformation rules, artificial intelligence can now handle up to 80% of the heavy lifting, dramatically reducing costs, timelines, and risk.

The discussion goes beyond migration, uncovering the strategic opportunities unlocked by cleaner data. From eliminating legacy technical debt and saving on duplicate systems to enabling accurate cross-selling, churn detection, and personalised product offerings, data becomes a true growth driver. Kali also highlights how APIs and ecosystem partnerships with companies like Swiss Re are enhancing underwriting and fraud detection with real-time external data sources.

Listeners will also gain insights into the operational impact: seamless client portals that unify short-term, long-term, and even mortgage products; automation in claims handling that improves customer satisfaction and loyalty; and real-time integrations that power faster decisions and better outcomes.

Finally, Kali addresses the evolving skills insurers must cultivate, data science, actuarial analytics, and UX/UI design, skills critical to creating intuitive digital journeys and extracting value from data-driven strategies.

Packed with practical insights and forward-looking perspectives, this episode is essential listening for anyone interested in the future of insurance innovation, AI, and digital transformation.

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