Latest Asia Headlines

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

Global Economic Outlook Dims as U.S. Recovery Continues: ICC-Ifo Survey

Aug 15 2013 // According to a World Economic Survey (WES) carried out by the Paris-based International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) and the Munich-based economic research institute Ifo, “the world economy has weakened slightly this...

Aon Benfield’s July Cat Report Confirms Canada’s 2nd Billion Dollar Loss

Aug 8 2013 // According to the latest Global Catastrophe Recap report from Impact Forecasting, the catastrophe model development center of excellence at Aon Benfield, the “strong thunderstorms” that “brought record...

Tokio Marine Targets Asean for Expansion Abroad: Southeast Asia

Jul 29 2013 // Tokio Marine Holdings Inc., Japan’s second-largest non-life insurer, is seeking to expand in Southeast Asia as Japan’s shrinking population erodes its domestic market.The insurer plans to expand in life...

U.S.-Led Trade Talks Gain Heft, Complexity, as Japan Joins

Jul 24 2013 // Japan joined U.S.-led trade talks on Tuesday, adding its weight to a pact that covers two-fifths of the world economy but raising further doubt over whether negotiators can prise open sensitive sectors such as farm goods...

Hill to Lead ACE Group’s International Property Business

Jul 19 2013 // The ACE Group has appointed Jarrod Hill to Executive VP and Head of International Property for ACE’s Overseas General business, effective September 1, 2013. He will have responsibility for all of ACE’s retail...

ACE Names Sullivan Chairman-Asia Pacific; Ortega, McNamee in New Posts

Jul 19 2013 // The ACE Group has named Damien Sullivan as chairman of the company’s Asia Pacific region. He is currently the region’s president. As chairman he will focus on governance, strategic planning and senior customer...

Guy Carpenter Facilitates Launch of Multi-Peril Crop Insurance in Australia

Jul 10 2013 // Guy Carpenter & Co., LLC, a global risk and reinsurance specialist and member of Marsh & McLennan Cos. has facilitated the launch of a Multi-Peril Crop Insurance (MPCI) product for Australian grain growers for the...

Swiss Re sigma Study Finds Global Insurance Premium Growth at 2.4%

Jun 26 2013 // Swiss Re’s latest sigma study reveals that “total global premiums written increased by 2.4 percent in real terms in 2012 to $4.613 trillion. Life premiums expanded by 2.3 percent unwinding some of the...

UK’s Miller Appoints Weaver as Head of Asia

Jun 24 2013 // Miller Insurance Services LLP, the UK-based specialist insurance and reinsurance broker, has appointed Simon Weaver as Head of Asia as of September 1, 2013He joins Miller from JLT Asia where he was CEO of JLT Specialty...

Ratings: Heddington, Bosna Re, Arden Re, Syndicate 609, Asia Capital Re (notes)

Jun 13 2013 // A.M. Best Co. has affirmed the financial strength rating of ‘A’ (Excellent) and issuer credit rating of “a+” of Bermuda-based Heddington Insurance Limited, both with stable outlooks. The ratings...

La Nina More Likely Than El Nino in Northern Summer: Forecaster

Jun 6 2013 // The U.S. government weather forecaster on Thursday predicted that extreme conditions are unlikely through the Northern Hemisphere summer, with the La Nina pattern more likely to develop than its more infamous counterpart,...

Xchanging Expands in SE Asia with New Office in Malaysia

May 31 2013 // Xchanging, the UK-based technology services provider, announced the expansion of its presence in Southeast Asia, with a “significant growth in headcount” and a new regional hub office in Kuala...

Lower Ice Levels, Rule Changes to Boost Arctic Northern Sea Route

May 30 2013 // Shipping along the Arctic northern sea route is set to grow more than 30-fold over the next eight years and could account for a quarter of the cargo traffic between Europe and Asia by 2030, experts said on Wednesday.With...

Insurers, Banks Leveraging Trade Talks to Change Dodd-Frank

May 23 2013 // U.S. bankers and insurers are trying to use trade deals, which can trump existing legislation, to weaken parts of the Dodd-Frank Act designed to prevent a repeat of the 2008 financial crisis.While the companies say they...

Prudential Committed to UK As Asia Units Rise

May 8 2013 // Insurer Prudential has reaffirmed a commitment to its British home market as a source of financial strength and profit even as Asian units romped ahead as the main driver of sales.Speaking on Tuesday after posting 8...

Resort Airports in Stormy Southeast Asia Leave Safety to Chance

May 3 2013 // It’s the invisible enemy: something all pilots dread as they land at Asia’s tropical island resorts.Wind shear – or the sudden change in wind speed and direction – is particularly hazardous at...

World’s Hot Spots for Cargo Theft

Apr 30 2013 // Cargo theft rates in Europe increased 24 percent on average last year from 2011, and were on the rise in Asia as well, while rates in North, Central and South Americas remained consistent with prior years.The greatest risk...

O’Neil Joins Miller Insurance for Facultative Growth in Asia

Apr 12 2013 // Specialist insurance and reinsurance broker Miller Insurance Services LLP announced that facultative reinsurance specialist Nick O’Neil has joined its team in Singapore in a new business development and client...

U.S. Aims to Reshape World Trade Rules with Regional Pacts Says VP Biden

Apr 10 2013 // The United States hopes to use a proposed regional free trade agreement in the Asia-Pacific and another with the European Union to reshape global rules for trade, Vice President Joe Biden said on Friday.“Our goal is...

Sources Say UBS Was Mystery Lender for Thai Group’s Ping An Deal

Apr 5 2013 // The mystery lender behind a Thai billionaire’s $9.4 billion purchase of a stake in China’s No.2 insurer was UBS, which offered the region’s fourth largest bridge loan ever and a complex financing package...