Latest Asia Headlines
All the headlines from our Asia Topic Page, ordered by recency.
After 4 Air Crashes, 2014 Is One of Worst Years for Asian Aviation Industry
Dec 29 2014 // Four airline incidents in which more than 600 people died made 2014 one of the worst years for Asian aviation even before the disappearance of AirAsia Bhd. QZ8501. The unresolved disappearance of Malaysian Airline System...
Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance Enters Singapore, Names Key Leaders
Dec 8 2014 // Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance (BHSI) announced that it has received its non-life insurance license in Singapore, and named Marc Breuil as regional president, Marcus Portbury as head of third party lines, and Peter...
Maritime Security Guards Adapt to Decline in Somali Pirate Attacks
Dec 4 2014 // Cash-strapped maritime security firms are being forced to use fewer costly elite guards and to diversify into other businesses such as cyber security, as a steep decline in Somali pirate attacks and hotter competition...
A.M. Best: Asia-Pacific M&As Driven by Top-Line Growth Prospects
Dec 3 2014 // The Asia-Pacific region has been a popular destination for mergers and acquisitions, driven by top-line growth prospects for many still-developing markets with low insurance penetration, according to a Best’s Special...
ACE Names Waterford as Deputy Head of Accident & Health in Asia Pacific
Nov 25 2014 // ACE Group announced the appointment of Blain Waterford to the newly created role of vice president & deputy head of its accident & health business in Asia Pacific. In his new capacity, Waterford will head direct...
Utah Woman Wears Colander For Driver’s License Photo
Nov 19 2014 // A Utah woman says she encountered only brief resistance when she recently had her driver’s license photo taken while wearing a colander on her head as a religious statement. Asia Lemmon, whose legal name appears on...
Taiwan’s Cathay Life Acquires Asset Manager, Research Firm Conning
Nov 12 2014 // Cathay Life Insurance Co. of Taiwan has acquired insurance industry investment and asset manager and research firm Conning Holdings Corp. of Hartford, Conn. and all of its subsidiaries. Under the terms of the agreement,...
‘Darkhotel’ Malware Targets Guests at High-End Hotels in Asia, Report Says
Nov 11 2014 // Business executives traveling in Asia and elsewhere have become victims of malware called Darkhotel, a bug that targets guests of high-end hotels through their networks, a computer-security firm said. The bug invades...
Aviva New Business Growth Driven by Europe and Asia Operations
Oct 30 2014 // Aviva plc, the U.K.’s second-biggest insurer by market value, reported a 15 percent rise in new business in the first nine months of the year, driven by its European and Asian operations. The value of new business, a...
Pirate Attacks on Small Oil Tankers Rising in Southeast Asia Waters
Oct 29 2014 // Hijackings of small oil tankers by armed gangs are increasing in Southeast Asia, home to the shortest sea-trade route between the Middle East and China, even as pirate attacks globally fell for a third year. Five of the...
Ler Appointed President Director for ACE in Indonesia
Oct 27 2014 // ACE Group has appointed Edward Ler as the new president director for Indonesia’s general insurance business. He will report to Juan Luis Ortega, regional president for ACE in Asia Pacific. Ler is currently the...
Hardy Promotes Wright in Asia; Hires Bond and Osorio in London
Oct 21 2014 // Hardy Underwriting Asia Pte Ltd (Hardy Asia), a subsidiary of CNA Financial Corporation, has promoted Chris Wright as director and principal officer for Hardy Asia. (Hardy is a specialist underwriting business operating...
AIA Group’s New Business Growth Up 23%
Oct 17 2014 // AIA Group Ltd., the second-largest insurer by market value based in Asia, posted a higher-than- expected value of new business growth of 23 percent in the third quarter, aided by expansion in its largest markets. The...
Best Upgrades Ratings of Taiping Reinsurance
Oct 9 2014 // A.M. Best has upgraded the financial strength rating to A (Excellent) from A- (Excellent) and the issuer credit rating to “a” from “a-” of Taiping Reinsurance Company Limited (TPRe) (Hong Kong). The...
Hong Kong Protests Prompt Financial Firms to Relocate Staff
Oct 1 2014 // Some banks and other financial firms have begun moving staff to back-up premises on the outskirts of Hong Kong to prevent growing unrest in the financial hub from disrupting trading and other critical functions, two...
Swiss Re’s Chief Economist Analyzes a Difficult Reinsurance Market
Sep 22 2014 // Over the past 13 years Swiss Re’s Chief Economist, Kurt Karl has been through a succession of reinsurance market ups and downs, but the current situation is somewhat new, and, as he told the IJ at the Reinsurance...
Ko Appointed Chairman of Willis Asia
Sep 8 2014 // Willis Group Holdings plc has appointed Huichih Ko as Chairman of Willis Asia, effective September 9. He will be initially based in the Singapore HQ of Willis Asia, which employs around 890 associates in 36 offices. The...
Argo Group Hires Ribeiro as Head of International Businesses
Sep 2 2014 // The Bermuda-based Argo Group International Holdings announced that Jose Ribeiro has been hired to the newly created position of head of international, effective immediately. He will be based in the company’s London...
CGSC Launches Marine Specialists Latitude in Hong Kong
Sep 2 2014 // Latitude Brokers Ltd., previously the Marine Division of Cooper Gay Asia, has been launched as a separate entity. The change follows the receipt of regulatory approval in July 2014 by the Hong Kong Confederation of...
Beattie to Head Miller’s Expanded Asia Construction Offering
Aug 29 2014 // UK-based broker Miller Insurance Services LLP announced that it has “implemented plans to grow its Asia construction book with the appointment of producer Paul Beattie as Head of Construction, Asia.” Beattie...
