Tag : insurers

Tradeoffs must be re-assessed amid incoming regulatory changes as well as interest rate uncertainties, insurance executives from Swiss Re, Sun Life International and Manulife said.

Life insurance companies are having to adapt to new or upcoming regulatory regimes that will likely have a significant impact on investment decisions in the coming year.

An initial announcement by the life insurer to delay a foreign-currency bond redemption got called back, stoking concerns about the general economical situation in Korea, where institutions have been tested by a depreciating won.

Unfortunate circumstances have fuelled a wait-and-see investment approach by Korean asset owners for the rest of the year, AsianInvestor learned while in Seoul. Still, asset managers would be wise to visit Korea in the near future.

Stewardship and other sustainability principles have become key criteria in manager selection now, the chief investment officers at NTUC Income and Singlife said.

On top of having to deal with standard changes, insurers in the Asia Pacific have also had to manage a new paradigm shift in asset classes.

In August 2018, Ping An Insurance stated it would lower its share of stocks in its portfolio as it aimed to adhere to IFRS 9. Its interim report released August 24 shows that the insurer has delivered on that promise.

Japanese pension funds are monitoring the yen’s extreme depreciation against the US dollar while considering next moves.

Munich Re appoints Tobias Frenz as Singapore CEO; CareSuper appoints chief risk officer and chief experience officer; Sun Life names general manager for life and health in Hong Kong; Eastspring makes senior appointments; Kit Georgeos leaves AMP Capital; BNP Paribas appoints head of client development for Southeast Asia securities services; and more.

Diversification should be a key strategy for investors during the turmoil in global markets, CIOs told AsianInvestor's Insurance Investment Briefing in Hong Kong.

Asian asset owners are less concerned about geopolitical risk but are just as worried as their global counterparts about inflation and rising rates, according to a new survey by Bfinance.

Rates are headed north, but other factors - such as organisational mandates and sustainability - need to be considered, say top investment executives from HSBC Life and the Indonesian Investment Authority.