Surety Outlook 2025: Tech & Ops Benchmarks Report

Tinubu is pleased to share the findings of a new benchmarking report by Everest Group, offering an in-depth look at the operational and technology landscape of the surety industry. Based on a survey of 40 organizations across North America, this study reveals where surety carriers and brokers stand today and what it will take to lead tomorrow.

A $20 Billion Market at a Turning Point

The global surety market is estimated at $20 to $21 billion in 2024 and projected to reach $29 to $32 billion by 2030. Yet behind this growth lies a significant operational and technology gap that threatens to hold the industry back.

Productivity: A Wide Performance Gap

The report uncovers striking differences in operational efficiency across surety carriers and brokers:

• Top performing organizations achieve 2 to 3x the productivity of their peers, operating at just 3 FTEs per $10 million in GWP
• Less than 40% of carriers offer same day issuance for repeat business
• Only 12% achieve same day turnaround for small commercial bonds
• Manual processes and disconnected systems continue to slow underwriting, issuance, and renewals

Technology Investment Lags Behind

Despite the market's growth trajectory, technology spending remains remarkably low:

• 67% of brokers and 85% of carriers allocate less than 10% of GWP to technology
• 25% of respondents cite legacy integration as the single biggest barrier to modernization
• AI adoption is still nascent with no survey respondents reporting scaled AI deployment
• Many organizations remain stuck in a "maintenance trap," spending most of their IT budget on keeping legacy systems running

Three Dynamics Shaping the Future

The report identifies three critical dynamics that will define the next phase of surety market evolution:

• Broker carrier alignment divergence: Brokers and carriers have different priorities and timelines for digital transformation, creating friction in the value chain
• The maintenance trap: Organizations that fail to shift investment from legacy upkeep to innovation risk falling further behind
• The modernization gap: The distance between leading and lagging organizations continues to widen, with real business consequences

Where Growth Is Heading

Emerging segments are creating new opportunities for forward looking surety players:

• Renewable energy infrastructure and sustainability linked bonds
• Public private partnerships (PPPs)
• Mid market contractor programs
• International expansion into underpenetrated markets

Download the Full Report

Get the complete Everest Group benchmarking study with detailed findings, peer comparisons, and actionable recommendations for surety carriers and brokers.

👉 Download the report