Insights from COLI Directors & Finseca 2025: Andesa’s Spring Conference Recap

At Andesa, our commitment to the life insurance and annuities industry goes beyond providing innovative policy lifecycle and NQ benefit plan recordkeeping solutions. We also stay actively engaged in the conversations that shape its future.

This spring, our team participated in two major industry events: the COLI Directors Meeting and the Finseca Advanced Markets Conference. These gatherings offered invaluable opportunities to connect with peers, gain insight into emerging market trends, and reaffirm our role as a trusted partner for carriers, brokers, and financial professionals.

COLI Directors Meeting: A Trusted Forum for COLI Leadership

The COLI Directors Meeting convenes top leaders driving transformation in Corporate-Owned Life Insurance. With a focus on governance, product strategy, compliance, and administration, this event fosters critical conversations among carriers, legal experts, and financial professionals navigating the complex COLI, ICOLI, and BOLI landscape.

As a pioneer in COLI administration, Andesa brings deep market expertise and a commitment to innovation. Our presence at the meeting ensures we remain in lockstep with the evolving needs of our partners—carriers, sponsors, and advisors—who rely on our cloud-based systems for scalable policy administration and NQ recordkeeping. We see this gathering as the perfect platform to strengthen relationships and reinforce our role as a trusted solutions provider with 40+ years of experience.

What We Heard: Key Takeaways from CDM 2025

At this year’s COLI Directors Meeting, several important themes and priorities emerged that impact the direction of COLI programs nationwide. Let’s take a look at the most valuable insights shared during the event:

• Tax Reform Under the New Administration

With a shifting political landscape in Washington, the potential impact of broad tax reform is top of mind. Discussions focused on proposed changes to corporate tax rates, interest rate impacts, and fiscal policy responses to the national debt, each of which may directly influence the structure and value proposition of COLI, BOLI, and ICOLI programs.

• Basel III and the BOLI Market

Proposed updates to Basel III regulations drew significant attention, particularly concerns over an unintended bias that could disadvantage BOLI issued by mutual insurers. If enacted without adjustment, these rules may create a ripple effect across the broader BOLI marketplace and demand proactive responses from carriers and advisors.

• 1035 Exchanges on Inactive Lives

While 1035 exchanges offer tax advantages, applying them to inactive employees introduces heightened risk. Presenters cautioned against the reputational, legal, and tax implications of these transactions, especially in light of evolving state regulations and scrutiny from regulators.

Additionally, this year’s meeting marked a leadership transition within the organization. We’re proud to share that Andesa’s own Jerry Pennella was named the new Chairperson of the COLI Directors, succeeding Raza Zaidi of Lincoln Financial, who served in the role over the past two years. Jerry’s nomination is a testament to his deep expertise and long-standing commitment to advancing best practices in COLI administration. We’re honored to see Andesa represented in such an influential capacity as the industry continues to evolve.

As the COLI Directors Meeting concluded, our team carried these valuable insights into the broader world of financial security when we joined hundreds of advisors and industry leaders in Washington, D.C., for another cornerstone event: Finseca Advanced Markets 2025.

Finseca Advanced Markets: Where Strategy Meets Innovation

Finseca Advanced Markets is the premier national event for top financial advisors, carriers, and industry leaders focused on advanced planning, legacy strategies, and client-driven financial solutions. Held June 17 to June 20, 2025, at the Marriott Marquis in Washington, D.C., this year’s conference brought together over 800 attendees, 150+ Capitol Hill meetings, and more than fifty expert speakers. It’s where cutting-edge ideas meet practical solutions to shape the future of financial protection.

For Andesa, Finseca is a strategic opportunity to engage directly with the advisors and carriers we support daily. Our role in the Advanced Markets ecosystem is simplifying the complex, enhancing administrative efficiency, and equipping our partners with technology specifically designed to support this industry (ICOLI, COLI, BOLI, and Private Placement). By participating, we gain valuable perspective on what today’s professionals need to succeed and how our solutions can help them get there.

What We Learned: Key Themes from Finseca 2025

Finseca Advanced Markets 2025 offered a powerful reminder of the organization’s growing influence and its critical role in shaping the future of the financial security profession. This year’s conference spotlighted key developments:

• A Growing Professional Community
  Finseca’s reach continues to expand, now representing over 11,500 members across the industry. This growth reflects increasing engagement among professionals committed to advancing best practices in life insurance, annuities, and wealth planning.
• Effective Advocacy Through Hill Day
  Policy advocacy remained a focal point, with more than 220 Finseca members participating in Hill Day to meet with lawmakers on Capitol Hill. Conversations centered on the recent tax reform legislation passed by the House and now pending Senate review, highlighting Finseca’s efforts to ensure that the industry’s voice is heard during critical legislative moments.
• High Engagement in PPLI and PPVA
  Breakout and main-stage sessions on Private Placement Life Insurance (PPLI) and Private Placement Variable Annuities (PPVA) drew significant attendance. Interest in these solutions continues to grow among carriers, brokers, and asset managers, indicating their increasing relevance in sophisticated planning strategies.

The insights gathered at Finseca and the COLI Directors Meeting highlight a common theme: the need for forward-thinking solutions and strategic partnerships to meet the demands of a rapidly evolving industry. In response to this need, Andesa’s flexible administrative solutions seamlessly adapt to new regulations and compliance changes, providing our clients with a meaningful competitive advantage.

Strengthening Connections Across the Industry

The COLI Directors Meeting and the Finseca Advanced Markets Conference were powerful reminders of the importance of industry collaboration. These events remind us that the future of financial protection depends on the relationships, technologies, and values that support innovative products as much as the products themselves.

From one-on-one chats to panel discussions and informal networking, the connections we built and strengthened this spring reaffirm our belief that shared insights and trusted partnerships are essential to driving progress. We’re grateful for the opportunity to participate and look forward to continuing the conversations we began at these events.

Powered by Partnership, Guided by Expertise

At Andesa, we believe in the power of connection between people, processes, and purpose. So, our role in these industry events goes beyond attendance; it’s about listening, learning, and leading with solutions that truly support the evolving needs of our partners.

With over four decades of experience, a commitment to data security, and a 100% employee-owned culture, Andesa continues to deliver modern, cloud-based systems that simplify policy and plan administration across the life insurance and annuities landscape.

We’re proud to support carriers, brokers, and financial professionals as they navigate change, pursue new opportunities, and deliver lasting value to their clients. We look forward to building on this momentum together.

Let’s Talk

To learn more about how Andesa’s policy administration and NQ recordkeeping solutions can support your business, contact our team today or call (610) 821-8980.