From chaos to compliance: the smart tech unifying African insurance giants

From chaos to compliance: the smart tech unifying African insurance giants

When an international insurer needed to unify five countries’ reporting under IFRS 17, they turned to DSF’s Bootsure. The result? A flexible, future-proof solution that transformed complexity into clarity – customised for local needs, but standardised for powerful group reporting.

For many insurance businesses, the arrival of IFRS 17 has been nothing short of a reckoning – one that demands more from systems, finance teams and executive leadership than any previous accounting shift. But for one international insurer operating across Lesotho, Zambia, Mozambique, Ghana and Botswana, the road to compliance became a story of innovation, adaptability and deep collaboration, powered by Bootsure, the IFRS 17 solution developed by Digital Solutions Foundry (DSF).

“It wasn’t just about ticking a regulatory box,” explains Lanie Bannister, Implementation Project Manager at DSF. “This was about unifying five distinct business environments – each with its own legislation, its own systems and its own way of working – all under one coherent, intelligent financial reporting umbrella.”

One group, five countries, infinite variables

The insurance group in question operates across multiple jurisdictions, each with unique reporting rules and operational nuances. What made the implementation remarkable was how Bootsure seamlessly accommodated the complexity of this project through custom configuration and flexibility.

“Each country had specific legal and financial requirements, and the line of business systems across licenses were wildly different,” says Bannister. “But the group still needed consolidated reporting at a head-office level – so it was critical we deliver data that could be reliably compared across the board.”

Bootsure’s strength lies in its customisable, modular design. Unlike off-the-shelf finance tools that demand a company conform to the system, Bootsure conforms to the company. DSF built customised data mapping rules for each country, allowing the local teams to maintain autonomy while still producing standardised outputs for group reporting.

“This is where Bootsure really shines,” Bannister adds. “It allows for as much – or as little – automation and integration as you want. You can make it incredibly sophisticated or keep it straightforward. The system adapts to your needs, not the other way around.”

Tailored for complexity, designed for clarity

At its core, Bootsure automates and simplifies the end-to-end process, from ingesting raw data to producing audit-ready reports. But what makes it unique is its scalability and flexibility – it’s as suitable for a start-up insurer as it is for a multinational operation.

The implementation process began with workshops in each country to understand the local requirements and system architecture. DSF then configured Bootsure to accommodate each country’s insurance product structures, regulatory frameworks and actuarial methodologies. Once the rules and mappings were in place, the platform began doing what it was built for – turning complexity into consistency.

“Bootsure gave the group a single source of truth, even though the data was coming from different line of business systems,” says Bannister. “Suddenly, the group could do real comparative analysis across countries – comparing apples with apples. That’s a massive strategic advantage.”

Built for now, ready for tomorrow

Another key factor in the project’s success is Bootsure’s cloud-based architecture. With data hosted securely and centrally, each territory could access the system as needed, while head office retained oversight and control. The cloud infrastructure also ensured high availability, effortless scalability and built-in resilience, making it ideal for companies operating across multiple borders.

DSF believes in continued collaboration and partnership for success: “We continue to work closely with each of the territories to refine processes, roll out additional features and evolve the system as regulations and business needs change,” Bannister explains. “It’s never static – it’s a living, responsive solution.”

A smarter way to compliance

For this insurer, Bootsure didn’t just make IFRS 17 compliance possible – it made it strategically valuable. With automated journal entries, integrated actuarial modelling and multi-language support (Python, C# and others), the platform doesn’t just tick boxes. It creates space for strategic insight and operational growth.

“There are plenty of compliance tools out there,” says Bannister. “But none as flexible or business-ready as Bootsure. It doesn’t force you to compromise on your systems or your processes. Instead, it meets you where you are – and takes you where you need to go.”