MGA Technology Strategy: How Size and Culture Shape MGA Success

When we talk about ‘large’ versus ‘small’ MGAs, we’re not really talking about headcount or premium volume. The real divide is cultural: product-first MGAs that prioritize speed and innovation versus process-first MGAs built for control and compliance. These approaches cut across size categories, but understanding where your organization falls can transform your technology strategy.

From my experience working across the spectrum, from a 6-person insurtech startup to enterprise-scale MGA implementations at Azur, I’ve seen firsthand how technology decisions reveal organizational DNA. And nearly every organization has fundamentally different ways of thinking about risk, innovation, and value creation.

Small MGAs: Fast, Fearless, and Product-First

Smaller MGAs often move with impressive speed. With flatter hierarchies and fewer internal layers, decisions can be made quickly, insurance products launched faster, and ideas tested without the weight of bureaucracy. This agility can translate into a strong competitive edge, particularly in specialist or emerging markets.

However, agility also comes with constraints. Smaller MGAs may not have the resources or IT capacity to implement enterprise-level software. Many fear vendor lock-in or lack the internal expertise to integrate complex systems. As a result, they tend to prioritise speed, flexibility, and affordability over deep integration or automation.

Strengths: Agility, innovation, responsiveness
Challenges: Scalability, compliance, and long-term sustainability

“They’re small but mighty — delivering strong profits with a lean setup.” This is how my colleague Noor Mahamadi describes one of the smaller MGAs they work with. They call themselves product-first and use technology to drive competitive advantage. With fewer people and no hierarchy, they’re open to partnership and collaboration. They move fast and stay responsive to market opportunities.”

This mindset — product-first, open to technology, and focused on value creation rather than process — is becoming the defining characteristic of the next generation of MGAs.

Large MGAs: Stable, Structured, but Slower to Change

By contrast, Larger MGAs tend to focus on control, stability, and compliance. Their technology strategies are built around reliability and integration, managing multiple carrier relationships, and maintaining strong regulatory confidence.

But that strength often comes with a cost. Over time, legacy systems and layered infrastructure can make even the simplest technology changes slow and expensive. For many, this results in innovation bottlenecks and complex change management processes.

As our COO Chris Thompson put it: “Large MGAs focus on risk control, while small MGAs chase opportunity.”

Strengths: Reliability, scale, compliance
Challenges: Innovation pace, flexibility, and cost of change

In many ways, you could say these larger MGAs are constrained by their own success. Their existing infrastructure, built to manage complexity and trust, can make transformation harder, even when the will to innovate is strong.

Shared Challenges Across the Spectrum

Whether large or small, MGAs share a common set of strategic technology questions:

• How do we prioritise technology investments that align with growth and compliance goals?

• How do we modernise without disrupting existing business operations?

• How do we ensure that technology supports strategy, not the other way around?

There’s no universal playbook for MGA software adoption. Each organisation’s path depends on its goals, risk appetite, and operational maturity.

Culture Over Code

The true divide between large and small MGAs can also be cultural.

Large MGAs are structured for consistency and control. Smaller MGAs are wired for speed and innovation. Neither approach is inherently better, but each comes with trade-offs.

The MGAs that thrive in the next decade will be those that blend enterprise-grade reliability with start-up-style agility.

Large or small, the ideal MGA combines stability, scalability, and compliance with a culture of experimentation and speed.

Bridging the Gap with MGA Connect

At Azur Technology, we see this dynamic every day. And it’s exactly why we’re building MGA Connect.

MGA Connect is a modern, modular platform designed to help MGAs of all sizes launch, grow, and scale faster.

Built on Salesforce’s enterprise foundation, MGA Connect offers:

• Speed and flexibility for smaller MGAs looking to get to market fast.

• Stability and integration for larger MGAs managing complex portfolios.

• Scalable architecture that grows with the business, reducing the risk of vendor lock-in and legacy technical debt.

By bridging the divide between agility and control, MGA Connect gives MGAs the best of both worlds: the innovation of a start-up with the reliability of an enterprise platform.

It’s not just about size, after all

The divide between “big” and “small” MGAs isn’t about how many people you employ or how much premium you write. It’s about how effectively you use technology to drive your business forward.

Those who can balance structure with speed, compliance with creativity, and technology with top talent will define the future of delegated authority.

Which approach defines your MGA?

Answer these questions:

When evaluating new technology, what’s your first question?  

• Product-first: “How quickly can we launch this?”

• Process-first: “How does this integrate with existing systems?”

How long does it take to approve a new insurance product?  

• Product-first: Days to weeks

• Process-first: Months to quarters, or longer

What’s your biggest technology fear?  

• Product-first: Missing market opportunities, being too slow

• Process-first: Compliance failures, system instability

Sonali Shah is a Delivery Manager at Azur Technology, leading stakeholders across MGAs of all sizes. She founded Azur’s Product Analyst forum and specialises in delivering complex insurance technology projects.