Budget Direct Crowned Inaugural Australian 'Insurer of the Year', Leading All Providers With Five Major Wins in the 2026 Finder Awards

BRISBANE, Australia, Jan. 12, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Budget Direct has been awarded the prestigious and inaugural title of 'Insurer of the Year' in the 2026 Finder Provider of the Year Awards, firmly cementing its position as a leading insurance choice for Australians seeking exceptional value and reliable coverage.

 

This landmark achievement is complemented by a sweep of category awards with a total of five wins for Budget Direct, the most awards for any provider. These include the overall 'Insurer of the Year' title, Pet Insurance – Insurer of the Year, and Car Insurance – Insurer of the Year across New South Wales, South Australia and Western Australia.

The Finder Provider of the Year Awards showcase the providers and brands who offer top-rated products and have the most satisfied customers. Budget Direct's wins solidify its reputation as a standout insurance industry performer and Australia's most award-winning insurer.

These latest accolades join a formidable collection of 95 Finder Awards won since 2017, including 20 Car Insurance wins, and 49 Customer Satisfaction Awards since 2022, underscoring Budget Direct's enduring commitment to both product quality and exceptional customer experience

Awards	Finder Provider of the Year Awards 2026
Category	Insurer of the Year 2026 (Overall)
Winner	Budget Direct
Provider of the Year Wins	Most Provider of the Year Awards of any brand with 5 wins Car Insurance NSW - Insurer of the Year Car Insurance SA - Insurer of the Year Car Insurance WA - Insurer of the Year Pet Insurance - Insurer of the Year
Product Wins	Won 3 product awards Best Value Car Insurance Best Value Pet Insurance Best Low Cost Car Insurance
Historical Track Record	95 Finder Awards since 2017 20 Car Insurance Wins since 2017 49 Customer Satisfaction Awards since 2022 (including 14 wins)

Awards

Finder Provider of the Year Awards 2026

Category

Insurer of the Year 2026 (Overall)

Winner

Budget Direct

Provider of the Year Wins

Most Provider of the Year Awards of any brand with 5 wins

Car Insurance NSW - Insurer of the Year

Car Insurance SA - Insurer of the Year

Car Insurance WA - Insurer of the Year

Pet Insurance - Insurer of the Year

Product Wins

Won 3 product awards

Best Value Car Insurance

Best Value Pet Insurance

Best Low Cost Car Insurance

Historical Track Record

95 Finder Awards since 2017

20 Car Insurance Wins since 2017

49 Customer Satisfaction Awards since 2022 (including 14 wins)

Jonathan Kerr, Chief Growth Officer at Budget Direct said the awards were even more proof that Budget Direct is upholding its promise to customers to provide exceptional cover at a competitive price, having paid out more than $1.5 billion on claims in the past twelve months.

"Winning the inaugural 'Insurer of the Year' is a powerful testament to our unwavering commitment to providing Australians with exceptional value without compromising on quality," said Kerr.

"In a landscape where household budgets are under increasing pressure, consumers are actively seeking the best value for their essential services. This award from Finder, a trusted voice in consumer comparison, validates our core mission: to deliver consistently low premiums backed by robust coverage and reliable service," added Kerr.

Graham Cooke, head of consumer research at Finder, said Budget Direct is a standout performer in Finder's Provider of the Year Awards 2026.

"Taking home five wins – the most of any brand this year – proves Budget Direct is a powerhouse in the Australian market.

"We are particularly thrilled to crown them our inaugural 'Insurer of the Year' award. This new flagship award is designed to identify the best of the best by combining our extensive set of product data with our customer satisfaction survey of 60,000 Aussies.

"With insurance prices increasing in most categories, Australians should look for the best deal for them. Budget Direct's 2026 sweep makes them a great brand to consider," Cooke said.

Winning the overall 'Insurer of the Year' award signifies a new level of industry recognition for Budget Direct and is the result of ongoing innovation in policy design, operational efficiencies and a relentless focus on customer satisfaction.

Budget Direct will continue to meet increasing consumer demands for great insurance products at a competitive price with an unwavering commitment to Insurance Solved® for Australians.

Read more about the 2026 Finder Awards.

Get a quote for one of Budget Direct's award-winning insurance policies.

DISCLAIMER

Insurance (excluding Pet, Life & Travel Insurance) is issued by Auto & General Insurance Company Limited (ABN 42 111 586 353, AFSL 285571) (AGIC) and arranged by Auto & General Services Pty Ltd (ABN 61 003 617 909, AFSL 241411) (AGS) PO Box 342, Toowong QLD 4066.

Budget Direct Pet Insurance is issued by AGIC, administered by Pet Health Insurance Services Pty Ltd (ABN 59 638 910 675) as Authorised Representative (AR no. 1282153) of AGIC and promoted by AGS.

** The press release content is from PR Newswire. Bastille Post is not involved in its creation. **

Budget Direct Crowned Inaugural Australian 'Insurer of the Year', Leading All Providers With Five Major Wins in the 2026 Finder Awards

Budget Direct Crowned Inaugural Australian 'Insurer of the Year', Leading All Providers With Five Major Wins in the 2026 Finder Awards

SINGAPORE, May 20, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- WisPaper, an AI-powered academic research platform, today highlighted how AI systems are beginning to influence the earliest stages of scientific exploration. As research fields become increasingly interdisciplinary and publication volumes continue to expand, researchers are placing greater emphasis on tools that can help them navigate unfamiliar domains and identify relevant directions more efficiently.

The Growing Complexity of Research Discovery

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Traditional academic search systems are effective at retrieving documents, but researchers frequently face challenges when trying to explore conceptual relationships, evolving terminology, or loosely connected areas of study.

As scientific knowledge grows more fragmented and specialized, the operational cost of exploration is also increasing.

AI-Assisted Topic Exploration

WisPaper is designed to support literature analysis and research discovery through AI-assisted retrieval and semantic understanding workflows. Its Scholar Agent allows users to search using natural-language research questions and supports filtering based on research intent rather than keyword matching alone.

The platform also includes tools for paper organization, citation management, annotations, and AI-powered feeds that track developments related to selected research interests.

By combining retrieval, filtering, and ongoing literature monitoring within a unified workflow, the system is intended to help researchers move more efficiently through the exploratory phase of research.

Supporting Faster Knowledge Navigation

As AI research systems continue to evolve, many platforms are focusing less on simple document access and more on helping researchers interpret and organize information at scale.

WisPaper reflects this broader transition by emphasizing semantic discovery and workflow continuity during early-stage scientific investigation.

In increasingly complex research environments, reducing the friction involved in finding and evaluating relevant knowledge may play an important role in how researchers generate new questions and explore emerging areas of inquiry.

About WisPaper
WisPaper is an AI-powered academic research agent designed as a full-stack research accelerator. It supports literature retrieval, analysis, experiment design, execution, and paper writing within a unified workflow, helping researchers manage complex scientific tasks more efficiently across disciplines. For more information, visit https://wispaper.ai/?utm_source=news.

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WisPaper Examines How AI Is Changing Early-Stage Scientific Exploration