We are presenting the 10 stories from our daily newsletter that attracted the most attention with asset owner readers throughout 2018, with number one having received the most hits. We do not include in the list people news or the roundups of people news we publish every week.
1. AIG overhauling asset allocation framework (By Joe Marsh, April 23)
The insurer's chief investment officer for international markets said real interest rates in developed countries could stay negative for 20 years, so investors should plan accordingly.
2. How Fosun picks managers for its insurance portfolios (By Jolie Ho, August 29, 2018)
The chairwoman of the insurance business outlined the kinds of mandates the group could consider handing to external managers on the sidelines of a media briefing in Hong Kong.
3. Axa IM closes HK multi-asset team in structural shift (By Richard Newell, February 28)
The French insurer's CEO said its asset management business is not up for sale, but it aimed to consolidate certain business lines as part of a strategic shrink of its operations.
4. Counting the cost of a Prudential Asia sale (By Joe Marsh and Richard Morrow, August 12)
Speculation was rife that Chinese insurer Ping An was eyeing the Asian division of British peer Prudential, but other outcomes were also being mooted. We asked what such a merger would mean for each firm.
5. Insurers face internal comms challenge to improve ALM (By Jolie Ho, March 6)
Insurance executives say they need to raise communications between product and investment divisions and need deeper bond markets to manage their financial risks.
6. Asset Management Awards 2018: the final winners (By The Editors, June 1)
AsianInvestor revealed the final award winners at our annual Awards Dinner on May 31. They include Best Asian Asset Manager and Fund House of the Year.
7. Insurance CIO role changing with new regs (By Ernest Chan, March 1)
Market experts shared their views on the impact of solvency regulations and growing interest in alternatives, though not necessarily infrastructure, at AI’s Insurance Investment Forum.
8. HSBC Insurance eyeing alt debt, infra investments (By Indira Vergis, April 9)
Given the very long-term nature of their liabilities, insurers are ideally placed to take advantage of the illiquidity premium in alt assets, the group's Hong Kong CIO told AsianInvestor.
9. AIA eyes move into infra road, Belt & Road assets (By Joe Marsh, August 23)
The Hong Kong-based insurer, with $171 billion under management, said it was speaking to third-party firms to build its knowledge, with a view to making direct investments into infrastructure debt.
10. How HKMA will manage Hong Kong's new annuity investments (By Jolie Ho, July 19)
The central bank opened its HK$10 billion life annuity scheme for registration on July 19. It planned to use several of its divisions to invest the premiums and manage the risks they incur.
