Strengthening cyber resilience
AXA XL and Deloitte France deliver proactive cyber risk reduction across information technology (IT) and operating technology (OT) environments
The situation
The cyber insurance market is facing structural tension. Cyberattacks reached record levels in 2025 as AI-enabled adversaries operated with increasing speed and precision. Yet during the same period, insurance premiums declined by an average of 11% even as coverage expanded. This disconnect between risk and rates results from intensifying competition and ambitious growth targets among cyber insurers, which push prices down even as cyber threats continue to intensify.
When premiums fall but claims costs don’t, insurers have a growing economic interest in helping clients reduce the frequency and severity of incidents. In today’s market for cyber insurance services, prevention is both a value-added service and an element of sound portfolio management. Proactive risk reduction is also in the client’s best interests, especially as regulators broaden the scope of regulated organizations and strengthen resilience across critical sectors.
In response to this demand, AXA XL, a leading provider of property and casualty and specialty risk solutions, launched a dedicated prevention business to accelerate the development of risk consulting and advisory capabilities beyond traditional risk transfer. But translating this model into scalable, technical cybersecurity services demanded specialized expertise—particularly across OT environments.
Unlike conventional IT infrastructure, OT systems such as industrial control systems, manufacturing equipment, and critical infrastructure were largely designed before cybersecurity was a primary concern, and their long asset lifecycles make patching difficult. Now, the increasing convergence of IT and OT networks has opened new attack surfaces that traditional cyber risk prevention approaches are not designed to address. As a result, OT environments are frequently under-protected relative to the risk they represent and have become an attractive target for attackers. To serve its clients fully and manage its own exposure effectively, AXA XL needed a partner with extensive experience across both IT and OT.
Through the AXA Digital Commercial Platform, clients can access Deloitte-led cybersecurity services spanning critical asset identification, vulnerability assessments, cyber crisis simulations, and continuous threat monitoring.
The solve
AXA XL selected Deloitte as its global cybersecurity provider based on a combination of technical depth and geographic reach, plus a shared commitment to practical outcomes. Deloitte’s track record across both IT and OT environments was a decisive factor. So was its ability to deliver locally relevant services across AXA XL’s global client base through a network of skilled practitioners. The relationship is built on a joint ambition: to strengthen the broader cyber environment for businesses—not just respond to incidents after the fact.
Under the collaboration, AXA XL clients gain access to a range of Deloitte-led cybersecurity services delivered through the AXA Digital Commercial Platform. These services span the full prevention and detection lifecycle: critical asset identification, vulnerability assessments, cyber crisis simulations, and continuous threat monitoring. Deloitte’s scalable delivery capabilities and global infrastructure mean these services are available at scale, with the consistency and repeatability that a multinational insurer’s client base requires.
In this collaborative model, Deloitte’s services build on and extend AXA XL’s own cyber insurance and risk consulting offering to deliver “coverage plus capability.” Clients can access both financial protection and active risk management through a single insurance provider, helping AXA XL differentiate its cyber insurance offering in an increasingly competitive market.
The impact
AXA XL now offers clients cyber resilience capabilities that extend well beyond those provided under conventional cyber insurance services. By combining coverage with active prevention, detection, and crisis preparedness, clients are better positioned to reduce the likelihood of significant incidents—and to respond more effectively when incidents do occur.
For organizations navigating evolving regulatory requirements, the collaboration supports a more proactive and confident compliance posture. It also addresses one of the most significant gaps in enterprise cyber risk prevention: the protection of OT environments. Clients engaged in digital transformation or OT modernization can do so with a stronger security foundation in place.
For AXA XL, the relationship provides its global client base with access to Deloitte's cybersecurity services, embeds Deloitte’s capabilities directly into its value proposition, and signals a clear strategic direction: that the future of cyber insurance lies in proactive risk management—not passive coverage. Designed for scale and repeatability, the model is a practical extension of AXA XL’s prevention strategy that can grow with demand.
As the threat environment intensifies and AI-enabled attacks increase the risks enterprises face, AXA XL and Deloitte France are helping establish a new standard for what insurers can offer—and what their clients should expect.
Stronger compliance capabilities and a solid foundation for secure digital transformation.
