The Allianz Group is one of the world’s leading insurers and asset managers, active in almost 70 countries and serving around 97 million private and corporate customers*. Our customers benefit from a broad range of personal and corporate insurance services, ranging from property, life and health insurance to assistance services to credit insurance and global business insurance. Recognized for the seventh consecutive year as the number one global insurance brand in Interbrand’s Best Global Brands 2025 ranking, Allianz’s success is built on technology-enabled customer centricity – providing peace of mind, protection, and prevention for our customers and strengthening the resilience of individuals, communities, and societies. We are one of the world’s largest investors, managing around 764 billion euros** on behalf of our insurance customers. Furthermore, our asset managers PIMCO and Allianz Global Investors manage about 2.0 trillion euros** of third-party assets. Thanks to our systematic integration of environmental and social criteria in our business processes and investment decisions, Allianz received an MSCI ESG Rating of AAA (as of March 2026). In 2025, our 156,000 dedicated employees achieved a total business volume of 186.9 billion euros and an operating profit of 17.4 billion euros for our shareholders.
Most customers do not expect us to care so much
How intense were the fires that struck Spain, and what made you decide to reach out to clients?
Is this the first time you have undertaken such an action?
No. Three years ago, we defined the protocol for responding to extreme natural disasters, such as fires and floods, and localized emergencies, such as explosions. For weather events, we also run structured, automated processes. Based on 24–48-hour forecasts from multiple providers, our systems identify potentially affected areas and send thousands of proactive SMS and emails.
For instance, in 2024, when a year's worth of rain fell in a few hours in Valencia, triggering catastrophic flash floods, we had sent out almost 60,000 warning SMSs to customers in the area some 24 hours before. Awareness of our service has grown since regional authorities have since been accused of delayed or insufficient alerts and slow coordination.
So, did you send an SMS message about the fires?
How do you handle the call? What do you actually say?
Did you make calls personally?
How was it to make such calls? It must be emotionally draining.
Seriously!
Concretely, what help can you provide?
Did you call all customer types?
How do you coordinate with brokers, agents, and public authorities to avoid mixed messages?
What inspired the protocol in the first place? Is it a necessity, given that events like these are becoming more frequent, or does it stem from a service-oriented mindset?
Dealing with such situations can be harrowing. Do you offer counselling to your staff who have to make the calls?
“God bless you”
The phone rang again! Still shaken after a narrow escape from the August wildfires, she answered. "Good morning — am I speaking with the homeowner? I'm calling from Allianz. We insure your home, and we want to make sure you and your family are safe."
She could hardly believe it. Evacuated only hours earlier, and her insurer was already checking in.
When disasters strike, Allianz claims teams in Spain brace for every emotion at the other end of the line. Sometimes, there is surprise — like the couple from Madrid with a second home in northern Spain, who first learned of their fire damage when Allianz called. Sometimes there is anger and exhaustion from those who waited for emergency services help that never came.
And often there is gratitude: In northwestern Spain, a couple stayed to defend their house and barn. Three windows blew out when flames reached a butane cylinder, and the husband suffered burns trying to fight the fire with a hose. While he was recovering in the hospital, his wife was already discussing the claim and next steps with Allianz.
Within three weeks of the summer fires, more than half of the home insurance claims were already resolved. What remained were the complex cases: severe property losses awaiting repair estimates and burned-out businesses requiring detailed assessment.
During such emergencies, Allianz sends out early warnings where possible, provides clear guidance during the emergency, and makes personal calls afterwards to explain, listen, and help rebuild.
As She ended the call — still unsteady but reassured about her future — she left the claims handler with three quiet words: “God bless you.”
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* Customer count reflects Allianz customers in consolidated entities that are part of the customer reporting scope only.
** As of December 31, 2025.