Step Up to the Plate: Moving DFA Priorities from Planning to Production
As the baseball season has just passed its midsummer spotlight, firms are also in a key stretch of 2027 planning. Now is the time to decide which Digital First for Annuities (DFA) capabilities should make the lineup for next year’s roadmap.
The Insured Retirement Institute (IRI) encourages members to use this planning window to move DFA initiatives from the on-deck circle into the 2027 game plan.
The industry has already made meaningful progress. Some firms have built standards and capabilities that are production ready, meaning their side of the work is complete and ready to send or use standardized data. But like baseball, this only works when someone is ready to catch. If one firm is ready to pitch the data and the receiving firm, platform, or solution provider is not ready to catch it, the value is limited.
That is why broader DFA adoption matters. Distributors have been clear about what they are advocating for, and those signals can help firms prioritize, sequence, and fund the work before 2027 budgets are finalized.
Visit the Library of Standards to view the complete catalog of standards and best practices.
The Auto Rebalance Arrangements standard is now being formed, bringing a modern, standardized approach to establishing and managing auto rebalance instructions for annuity contracts. The standard supports creating, updating, and canceling auto rebalance arrangements, helping firms replace legacy, manual processes with streamlined, real-time interactions.
By standardizing how these transactions are exchanged, the industry can improve interoperability, reduce implementation effort, and provide a more consistent experience across carriers, distributors, and technology providers.
Call to Action
Interested in helping shape this standard? To be part of the conversation please reach out to hpikus@irionline.org.
DFA1: Rate API Efficiency, Real-Time Transactions & the Activated Income API
In the July edition of DFA1, Katherine Dease, Chief Technology and Innovation Officer, IRI, touts several recent DFA standards that will deliver more efficiency, scalability, cost reductions, financial professional satisfaction, and access. She also cites recent IRI research that aligns some financial professional concerns with DFA’s work.
