Latest Asia Headlines

All the headlines from our Asia Topic Page, ordered by recency.

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 are...

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,...

TPP Trade Pact Misses Deadline as More Talks Planned for January

Dec 10 2013 // Ministers negotiating the 12-nation Trans-Pacific Partnership trade pact said today they would miss a year-end deadline to complete the deal.“We identified potential landing zones for the majority of key outstanding...

Miller Appoints Angelini-Hurll for Non-Marine Treaty Reinsurance

Dec 10 2013 // UK specialist and Lloyd’s broker Miller Insurance Services LLP announced the appointment of Kieran Angelini-Hurll to “help drive the expansion of its non-marine treaty reinsurance offering and international...

Amid Asset Sale Talk, RSA CEO Sees Emerging Market Potential

Nov 21 2013 // RSA Insurance Group Plc Chief Executive Officer Simon Lee said the insurer has further growth potential in emerging markets and maintains a “robust” capital position, amid speculation it may sell assets.Lee,...

Allianz Expects Boost from Cyber Insurance Sales; East Europe, Asia, Brazil Markets

Nov 20 2013 // Allianz SE, Europe’s biggest insurer, said markets such as Asia, Brazil and eastern Europe as well as products that protect against cyber risks will increase revenue at its industrial insurance unit.“New...

Bangladesh Garment Workers Protest After Two Deaths

Nov 19 2013 // Bangladesh garment workers took to the streets today in the Ashulia industrial zone outside of the capital Dhaka, protesting the second-lowest wages in Asia, after another demonstration yesterday left at least two...

Much of Eastern Asia Underinsured for Weather As Risk, Values Rising

Nov 13 2013 // Insured losses from weather-related events in Eastern Asia amount to only about 10 percent of the $700 billion in total losses accumulated over the last three decades, according to an analysis by Munich Re.According to the...

Record Typhoon Again Shows Philippines Most at Risk for Natural Hazards

Nov 10 2013 // Destruction from Super Typhoon Haiyan, the most powerful storm on record to strike the Philippines, shows the task facing President Benigno Aquino to curb the death toll in a country prone to natural disasters.The...