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BIG NEWS: A Unified Digital First Experience
The Insured Retirement Institute (IRI) unveiled a cohesive view of the Digital First for Annuities initiative, bringing together all the tools and resources that help modernize the annuity experience:
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Library of Standards: a catalog of all standards, showing what they are and why they matter (APIs, best practices, data models).
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Tech Library (Github): Technical details for implementation: API specs, data models, and data dictionaries.
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Digital First Dashboard: a look into measures of success, as well as firm’s priorities, adoption plans and implementations.
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This integrated view provides clarity on how standards, tools, and resources work together to ensure clarity, transparency, collaboration, and consistency across the industry.
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Introducing DFA1:
IRI’s New Digital First for Annuities Video Series
IRI launched DFA1, a new short-form video series to highlight the progress, insights, and real-world success stories emerging from IRI’s Digital First for Annuities initiative.
In the first episode, Katherine Dease, Chief Technology and Innovation Officer, IRI, provides a high-level overview of Digital First and the momentum building across the industry. Following her message, Arron Price, COO, Financial Independence Group, delivers a call to action on why broad industry participation is essential to accelerating digital transformation.
Watch the first episode, share it with your teams, and join us in growing the movement.
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Spotlight: Library of Standards
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Firms across the annuity ecosystem now have a centralized way to access every active Digital First for Annuities initiative. The Library of Standards brings together the full catalog of APIs, best practices, data models, and resources that are modernizing the annuity experience. This consolidated view helps carriers, distributors, solution providers, and producers easily identify which standards to implement next and how those initiatives match their operational priorities.
The library includes foundational and transformative standards—such as Paperless Replacements and Digital Submission Only—as well as collaborative, member-developed solutions. Each entry features a short description, business value, documentation links, and technical resources to support streamlined adoption.
Looking ahead, two new standards are nearing final review: Training Updates for financial professionals and a new capability to display Activated Annuity Income.
Benefits:
• A single source of information for all Digital First initiatives
• Faster access to best practices, technical assets, and implementation resources
• Clear visibility into where each standard fits within the annuity journey
• Better alignment across carriers, distributors, and platforms
• Greater consistency, transparency, and modernization across the industry
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Planning is well underway for the Digital First for Annuities Hackathon in February. This year’s event will explore a wide range of high-impact problem areas, from financial professional movement and management to inforce transactions, to reimagining the annuity application experience.
Teams will be judged across several dimensions, including technical innovation, use of AI, impact on financial professionals, and alignment with the Digital First for Annuities initiative. Teams are being finalized and we anticipate more creative solutions to propel our industry forward. Stay tuned for more updates.
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Welcome Matt Hendrickson
Please join us in welcoming Matt Hendrickson as the Business Analyst of Operations and Technology, IRI. Matt brings more than 16 years of financial services experience, with a background that spans relationship management, sales, operations, and customer service.
He’s based in Minneapolis, where he lives with his wife, son, and daughter. Please join us in giving him a warm welcome!
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Operations & Technology Important Dates
Digital First Steering Committee
November & December meetings cancelled due to holidays
Operations & Technology Committee
December 10 | 4 p.m. ET
Strategy Implementation Committee
December 12 | 10 a.m. ET
Governance Subcommittee
Mondays | 11:30 a.m. ET
Ceding Carrier Data Working Group
Tuesdays | 10 a.m. ET
Digital Submission Only Working Group
Tuesdays | 11 a.m. ET
Process & Regulation Subcommittee
As needed
Holistic Financial Planning with Annuities Subcommittee
On hold
Inforce Transactions Working Group
On hold
Visualizing Annuities Working Group
On hold
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