From Editor-in-chief

M&A in Asia - Are you keeping up?!?

China Re: The era of global competition

It is a global marketplace. As foreign insurers look to enhance their presence in China, China Re is also stepping up its foray overseas. In this exclusive interview, Mr Li Peiyu, Chairman of China Reinsurance (Group), speaks with Asia Insurance...

QFCA: Rise of the regional RIs

Regional reinsurers are starting to make their marks on the global stage. Mr Akshay Randeva, Director, Strategic Development, Qatar Financial Centre Authority, says that it is a natural progression and shares the role the Qatar Financial Centre can...

GIA of Singapore goes beyond business as usual

The General Insurance Association of Singapore (GIA) is taking on new challenges to become more vibrant and to bring greater value to its members. Its new Executive Director, Mr Derek Teo, is getting his team ready for more encompassing work ahead...

M&A in Asia: Detecting the deals - Prized targets become rare amid M&A frenzy

M&A activities in Asia's insurance industry have been hectic and are pushing prices up to the point where insurers are now more cautious in their forays for deals. Prized targets seem to be the distribution deals but these are becoming increasingly...

M&A in Asia: Hot distribution deals spark M&A rush

Behind the million-dollar, and at times billion-dollar, deals initiated by insurers, the rush is to secure precious distribution deals with partners that are becoming increasingly rare, said panellists at the 7th Asian Insurance CFO Summit held...

The Dragon breathes steadily still

China's economy may have slowed down but the insurance industry is still on an expansion mode. In this profile on China, we look at the attractions of the market, how insurers are managing their risks, including in motor and engineering, and the...

China's motor insurance is at a turning point

There are many dynamics at play in the Chinese motor insurance market today for foreign insurers. Mr Tony Compton of KPMG Mainland China says a smart and agile insurer which understands and leverages on these dynamics will find that it pays off,...

Focus beyond market share

Having acquired ING's 50% stake in its life joint venture with Bank of Beijing (BOB), Mr Xavier Guilmineau, CEO Asia, BNP Paribas Cardif, says market share in China is not the primary objective. Instead his vision for the business is focussed on...

Asia's unique retirement challenge

Mr Yves Guérard, a co-author of a pension Working Paper, says Asian countries need to embark on systematic pension reforms now.

Hong Kong Mandatory Provident Fund - Challenges & Solutions

Mr Arthur Bacci of Principal International examines a recent study made on the costs of the MPF scheme in Hong Kong.

Life focus: Par Policy: Alive and well, but room for strengthened governance

Mr Richard Holloway and Mr Nigel Knowles from Milliman discuss the renaissance in par business.

ICDC Special: Curtain-raiser: AIRDC bets big on ICDC in Colombo

Ms Evangeline Crisostomo-Escobillo of AIRDC speaks on the importance of the Insurance Conference for Developing Countries (ICDC) event and the way forward for the AIRDC.

ICDC Special: Sri Lanka to spearhead ICDC's revival

Dr Jagath Alwis, Chairman of the organising committee of the 17th ICDC, writes on the relevance of the event for the Sri Lankan market and what delegates can expect from the event.

The resolve to get things right

Where have the lessons of the 2011 cataclysm gone? Out the window? Not so, say major reinsurers in the region. The industry's determination to get things right remains burning bright and discipline among players stays strong despite a surge of...

A mid-year market roundup

Mr Malcolm Steingold of Aon Benfield Asia Pacific says while fresh capital may be flowing into the collateralised reinsurance market, the impact is less direct in Asia than in US.

Class actions dynamics in consumer policyholder protection

In this extract taken from The Geneva Association's newsletter, Mr Richard H Murray, Head of its Liability Regimes Project, explores the concept of class actions.

Time for a sea change: Recent developments in Australian maritime legislation

Mr Simon Black and Mr Luke Duggan from Clyde & Co Australia give a review of the Navigation Act 2012 (Cth) which is updated so as to renew and grow the Australian shipping industry.

Could an investment in risk management increase sales?

Mr Glen Drinnan from FM Global explores whether you can create a competitive advantage by building resilient facilities.

RBC is the way forward for Sri Lanka

The first-ever RBC Seminar in Asia held in Colombo saw the might and right of RBC including the challenges it poses as Sri Lanka targets to become RBC-compliant by 2016.

Marine risk management: 70% of all transport losses are avoidable

Mr Christian Diedrich of ERGO Versicherungsgruppe AG looks at risk management measures adopted to avoid losses during transit and storage.

Piracy: An ever-increasing risk for the industry

Increasing frequency of piracy in parts of Southeast Asia is worrying, say Mr Julian Franzman of JLT Re Asia and Ms Emma Murphy of JLT Re Australia/New Zealand.

Insurance risk and finance research centre: Time diversification and effective risk management

Insurers need to diversify their risks not only in terms of place and type but also time, says Mr Michel Dacorogna of SCOR SE.

BRCA1/2: Punished for changing the future

Mr G S Jackson of CSC says despite the great benefit of the BRCA1/2 test, insurers are not supporting it yet. He urges them to change this mindset.

Asia: Huge growth potential for reinsurance in the region - Fitch

The robust development of insurance in Asia, coupled with the region's low contribution to global reinsurance premiums written and strong economic growth, underlines huge growth potential for reinsurance, said Fitch Ratings.

Australia: Winners of 2013 Australian Insurance Industry Awards unveiled

The Australian Insurance Industry Awards recognised and honoured the industry's best companies and individuals for the past year in front of more than 750 insurance industry leaders at the Sydney Convention and Exhibition Centre last month.

China: Insured losses from Typhoon Utor likely to be below US$200 mln

The insured losses from Typhoon Utor which hit southern China last month is expected to be below US$200 million, said EQECAT.

Insured losses from Nat CATs fall 20% to US$20 bln in 1H

Global insured losses from Nat CATs totalled US$20 billion for the six-month period ending 30 June, approximately 20% below the 10-year average and 2012 figure of $25 billion, said Impact Forecasting, Aon Benfield's CAT model development centre, in...

Payouts for Costa Concordia mishap could exceed US$1.1 bln - Munich Re

Claim payouts from last year's Costa Concordia disaster have been on the rise, and they are likely to exceed US$1.1 billion, according to Munich Re, as salvaging of the wreck continues.

Diary of events

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