Willis, a WTW-owned global risk advisory, insurance brokerage and advisory firm, has announced the expansion of its CyMax Facility, its primary and excess cyber insurance solution for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and mid-market enterprises in Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA).
The updated facility was developed by insurance partners AXA XL, Beazley, HDI Global and Markel to provide eligible organizations with broader cyber insurance coverage, increased policy limits and a more efficient placement process.
Willis said the enhanced CyMax Facility builds on the company’s earlier continental European offering, increasing available capacity and simplifying access to cyber insurance.
The company said the facility is designed to make the onboarding process easier for brokers and clients, while helping businesses respond to a growing number of cyber threats, including ransomware attacks, data breaches and supply chain disruptions.
Willis said the facility combines financial protection with professional support services. In the event of a cyber incident, customers have access to crisis management and incident response experts, while the policy also covers business interruption and supply chain losses.
The company added that protection extends to evolving cyber risks, including social engineering fraud, phone eavesdropping and invoice manipulation, helping businesses reduce the financial and operational impact of cyberattacks.
As part of the expansion, Willis replaced its previous single insurance company structure with a panel-based facility. The company said this approach allows multiple insurance companies to participate, providing customers with greater flexibility and broader coverage capabilities.
Willis also launched a streamlined application process, including a one-page web application form supplemented by a short eligibility questionnaire with six to eight coverage questions. According to the company, the streamlined process is designed to reduce administration and speed up insurance coverage for brokers and clients.
Eligibility has also been extended to businesses with an annual turnover of up to €500 million/CHF, the company said. While organizations with established cybersecurity controls remain the primary focus, Willis noted that some businesses that implement security measures may also qualify for coverage.
In addition, Willis said the facility incorporates a pre-agreed pricing grid, reducing the need for lengthy negotiations between brokers and insurers and enabling policy terms to be agreed more quickly.
The expanded facility also provides customers with access to Willis’ proprietary EMEA CyCore primary and excess policy wording. According to the company, these policy forms comply with the GDPR, NIS2 and DORA regulatory frameworks and include cyber incident response, notification costs for affected individuals and regulators, emergency costs, business interruption, contingent business interruption, regulatory investigations, social engineering, cyber theft, invoice manipulation and reputational damage.
Willis added that clients can also benefit from specialist cyber expertise across EMEA and insurer-led services before and after a cyber incident. These services include ransomware alerts, cyber threat intelligence reporting, onboarding support and crisis simulation exercises designed to enhance cyber preparedness.
Brian Vosloh, head of EMEA at Willis Networks, commented: “As the complexity of cyber risks continues to increase, SMBs and mid-market companies need cyber insurance solutions that are easier to access, faster to place and better adapted to their evolving risks.”
He further added: “By updating and expanding Willis’ CyMax facility, we are providing clients with broader capacity, higher limits, innovative proprietary coverage and a faster, simpler path to cyber insurance. The use of pre-agreed pricing grids, streamlined application processes and single vulnerability scanning subjectivity helps reduce friction for brokers and clients, while access to pre-breach and post-breach services from insurance companies supports greater cyber resiliency.”
