Asia News

XL Group Appoints New Country Managers for Singapore and Japan

XL Group announced it has appointed Robin Johnson as country manager for Singapore with responsibility for continuing to drive the growth of the group’s insurance business in the region. Johnson, whose industry career spans senior positions in underwriting, distribution and …

ING to Sell Malaysian Insurance Unit to AIA for $1.73 Billion

Pan Asian insurer AIA Group Ltd has agreed to buy ING’s Malaysian insurance operations for $1.73 billion in cash, handing the Dutch financial services firm its first deal in a nine-month drive to sell off Asian assets. The sale of …

Aon Benfield’s Monthly Cat Recap Focuses on $7.5 Billion Asian Flood Losses

Asian flood losses during the third quarter of 2012 aggregated more than $7.5 billion in economic losses, of which China was the worst hit by two separate flood events that affected several provinces. “The most costly occurred during a six-day …

Ameriprise in Talks to Buy ING’s Asian Asset Management Arm – Report

Ameriprise Financial Inc is in advanced talks to buy most of ING Group’s asset management business in Asia, Bloomberg reported, citing two people with knowledge of the matter. The companies are still negotiating on price and an announcement may come …

Cooper Gay Swett & Crawford – Looking Forward, Not Back

Don’t tell Toby Esser, Cooper Gay Swett & Crawford’s CEO, that the global economy is in the doldrums. “We’ve had substantial organic growth over the last 12 months with property up around 20 percent, and an increased market share,” he …

Commentary by Gordon Brown:* Europe Risks Going the Way of Japan

The good news is that Europe is no longer going the way of Greece. The sad news is that it is threatening to go the way of Japan. After years of hesitation punctuated by panic, Europe has finally accepted the …

Fitch Notes Reinsurers More Risk-Focused For More Asian Catastrophes

Fitch Ratings has issued a statement which points out that the “spate of Asia-Pacific catastrophes in the past two years have prompted reinsurers to take stock of their existing portfolio and re-evaluate their underwriting approach and risk appetite.” As a …

Asia’s Iran Crude Oil Imports to Regain Levels Prior to EU Insurance Ban

Asia’s crude imports from Iran are set to recover in September to levels reached before a July 1 insurance ban by the European Union plunged trade with the Islamic Republic into uncertainty not seen in decades. Top Asian buyers — …

Best Upgrades NIPPONKOA’s Ratings to ‘A+’; Affirms Subs

A.M. Best Co. has upgraded the financial strength rating (FSR) to ‘A+’ (Superior) from ‘A’ (Excellent) and the issuer credit rating (ICR) to “aa-” from “a+” of Japan’s NIPPONKOA Insurance Company Ltd. Best also affirmed the FSR of ‘A’ (Excellent) …

ING Sees Quick Sales in Asian Insurance Break-up

Dutch banking and insurance group ING now expects a quick sale of parts of its $7 billion Asian insurance business as it seeks to repay state aid and meet European requirements for its 2008 state bail-out, its chief executive said …