Latest Asia Headlines
All the headlines from our Asia Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Brokerslink Chairman Stresses ASEAN Opportunities for Independent Brokers
Mar 13 2014 // “Independent insurance brokers, attending the Brokerslink Asia Pacific regional conference in Thailand,” have been advised to “grasp with both hands the significant opportunities generated by the...
Confusion as Search for Missing Malaysian Jetliner Spreads across SE Asia
Mar 12 2014 // The search for a missing Malaysia Airlines jetliner expanded on Wednesday to cover a swathe of Southeast Asia, from the South China Sea to India’s territorial waters, with authorities no closer to explaining what...
Rescuers Scour Sea for Malaysian Airliner Lost in ‘Unprecedented Mystery’
Mar 10 2014 // The disappearance of a Malaysian jetliner is an “unprecedented aviation mystery”, a senior official said on Monday, with a massive air and sea search now in its third day failing to find any confirmed trace of...
El Nino Could Strike as Early as Summer Says U.S. Forecaster CPC
Mar 7 2014 // The much-feared El Nino phenomenon, the warming of sea surface temperatures in the Pacific which can trigger drought in Southeast Asia and Australia and floods in South America, could strike the Northern Hemisphere as...
Willis Transport Head Sees Huge Potential in Asian Aerospace, Engineering
Mar 5 2014 // Alastair Swift, Global Head of Transportation for Willis Group Holdings, pointed out that Asia continues to benefit from a period of staggering economic growth and seismic demographic shifts. As a result the region could...
CGSC Restructures Asia Marine Team with New Hires, Latitude Brokers Launch
Mar 4 2014 // Cooper Gay Swett & Crawford (CGSC), the global wholesale and reinsurance broker, announced a repositioning and rebranding of its marine insurance business in Asia. “Effective from 3rd March 2014, Latitude Brokers...
Ratings Roundup: AIG Asia-Pacific, Fuji Fire/AIU
Feb 21 2014 // A.M. Best has affirmed the financial strength rating of ‘A’ (Excellent) and issuer credit ratings (ICR) of “a” of Singapore-based AIG Asia Pacific Insurance Pte. Ltd. (AIG APAC) and its fully-owned...
El Nino Threatens to Return; May Hit Global Food Production
Feb 21 2014 // The El Nino weather pattern, which can trigger drought in some parts of the world while causing flooding in others, is increasingly likely to return this year, hitting production of key foods such as rice, wheat and...
Liberty Mutual Enters Malaysian Market with Uni.Asia Capital Acquisition
Feb 19 2014 // Liberty Mutual Insurance Group has announced the company’s entry into Malaysia’s $4.6 billion non-life insurance market with its planned acquisition of Uni.Asia Capital Sdn Bhd’s 68.09 percent stake in...
Liberty Mutual Entering Malaysia with $113 Million Acquisition
Feb 18 2014 // Liberty Mutual Insurance Group in Boston announced the company’s entry into Malaysia’s $4.6 billion non-life insurance market with its planned acquisition of a 68.9 percent stake in Uni.Asia General Insurance...
AIG Lured to Malaysia by Growing Takaful Market: Islamic Finance
Feb 18 2014 // American International Group Inc. is plotting its entry into Malaysia’s Islamic insurance market, lured by the country’s economic expansion and an industry that has grown more than fivefold in less than a...
Global Shipping Industry Sees an End to Five-Year Downturn
Feb 10 2014 // The shipping industry is poised to emerge from its longest downturn in three decades, buoyed by an end to years of overcapacity that have depressed freight rates since the end of a shipping boom in 2008. Dry cargo ships...
SCOR’s GWP up 8% in 2013; 5% for January 1 Renewals
Feb 7 2014 // France’s SCOR Group confirmed that the reinsurer “booked 8 percent gross written premium growth (at constant exchange rates) for the full year 2013, to €4.85 billion [$6.58 billion]. SCOR Global P&C also...
Xchanging Strengthens APAC Ties with New Office in Singapore
Jan 28 2014 // Xchanging plc, the business process, procurement and technology services provider, announced an expansion of its presence in Singapore, with the opening of a second office “in the heart of the city’s thriving...
JLT Acquires Hong Kong-based Lambert Brothers Holdings
Jan 24 2014 // Jardine Lloyd Thompson Group announced that its Asia business has acquired Hong Kong-based Lambert Brothers Holdings Limited (LBH). The bulletin noted that “LBH has been an independent insurance and employee benefits...
Global Natural Disasters Cost Insurers $45B in 2013: Impact Forecasting
Jan 13 2014 // In 2013, there were 296 separate natural disaster events that produced total economic losses of $192 billion – four percent below the 10-year average of $200 billion, but above the average 259 events, according to a...
Nationale Suisse Granted Singapore Insurance License
Jan 9 2014 // Nationale Suisse announced that its new Singapore branch has received a license from the local authorities allowing it to insure risks directly and to offer facultative reinsurance in Singapore and other Asian markets. The...
Willis to Acquire Specialist Broker Charles Monat Limited
Jan 9 2014 // Willis Group Holdings announced that it has agreed to acquire Charles Monat Limited, a life insurance solutions adviser to high net worth clients. Willis said: “Charles Monat Limited has placed over US$13 billion in...
Catlin’s Insurance Co. Opens Singapore Branch
Jan 7 2014 // The Catlin Group Limited announced the formation of the Singapore Branch of Catlin Insurance Company Ltd. of Bermuda. Catlin Insurance Company Ltd. (Singapore Branch) writes specialty lines of direct insurance in Singapore...
Ratings: Hamilton Re, ACR Re, Bahamas First, China Taiping (NZ), Peak Re, Solid
Dec 24 2013 // A.M. Best Co. has removed from under review with negative implications and affirmed the financial strength rating of ‘A-‘ (Excellent) and issuer credit rating of “a-” of Bermuda-based Hamilton Re,...
