AIA Announces Transformational Deal in Australia and New Zealand

Acquires CommInsure and Sovereign, enters long-term distribution partnership with CBA and ASB

AIA announced today that it has reached an agreement to acquire CommInsure in Australia and Sovereign in New Zealand. It will also enter into 20-year strategic bancassurance arrangements with Commonwealth Bank of Australia (CBA) in Australia and ASB Bank (ASB) in New Zealand. Subject to regulatory approvals, the acquisition is expected to be completed in 2018.

The acquisition and partnership agreement will deliver a range of important benefits to AIA and our stakeholders, including:

• It will make AIA the leading life insurer in both Australia and New Zealand’s profitable individual life protection segment
• It will be immediately accretive to AIA’s earnings
• It will add to AIA’s strength in retail and group insurance by materially expanding and strengthening AIA’s distribution capabilities and customer reach to CBA and ASB’s combined base of 13 million customers

AIA Australia and New Zealand CEO, Damien Mu said: “The scale and nature of the agreements with CBA and ASB represent an enormous step forward for AIA in the pursuit of our purpose to make a difference in people’s lives, and will significantly transform and expand our market leading presence in Australia and New Zealand.”

“By partnering with CBA and ASB, we can bring together the expertise of each organisation to further improve our offering to help champion Australia and New Zealand to be the healthiest and most protected nations in the world. This is an excellent outcome for all customers that we help not only through financial protection, but also by improving their health and wellbeing.”

Mr Mu said, “We have a strong history of building trusted, engaging and enduring partnerships with leading financial institutions in Australia, New Zealand and across the region. We look forward to welcoming our new team members from CommInsure and Sovereign in due course, and to building a successful partnership with CBA and ASB. We remain absolutely committed to our existing partners, and will be focused on ensuring that we continue to deliver the best possible outcomes for them and their customers.” 

AIA Regional Chief Executive, Bill Lisle, said: “AIA Group is deeply committed to Australia and New Zealand and we are excited about our future in both markets, particularly in light of the highly attractive agreement we have announced today. We have a high performing and very experienced team in Australia and New Zealand, which is part of AIA Group, one of the largest and strongest life insurance companies in the world. We look forward to ensuring that the acquisition and bancassurance partnerships we have agreed to with CBA and ASB generate very positive and enduring benefits for our customers in both markets and indeed all of our stakeholders.”

Theresa Gattung, Chair of AIA Australia, said: "This is an exciting opportunity for AIA Australia to further strengthen our leading positions in both markets and to serve our customers. We have a great team, and we look forward to expanding on this with the Sovereign and CommInsure teams in due course, and building our partnership with CBA and ASB. I would also like to thank my fellow Board Members Peter Yates, Elizabeth Flynn and Paul Costello for their contribution and support during this time." 

Contact:

Ben Wilson
GRA Cosway
M : +61 2 8353 0414
E : bwilson@gracosway.com.au

ABOUT AIA AUSTRALIA

AIA Australia Limited is an independent life insurance specialist with over 40 years of experience building real and sustainable partnerships. The company employs over 900 people. AIA Australia offers a range of products that protect and enhance the lives of more than 3.3 million Australians and is widely recognised as a market leader in product innovation and development. In 2016, AIA Australia paid over 16,000 claims totalling over AUD$1.1 billion.

AIA Australia is the country’s second largest life insurer with a market share of 14.6% and total inforce premium of over AUD$2.3 billion. The company works closely with major financial institutions and corporate partners to provide life insurance solutions for their customers. AIA Australia is the number one group insurer by inforce premium. In addition, AIA Australia is the fastest growing provider of retail life insurance products sold through financial advisers, ranked number one for new business on a rolling 12 month basis, with a market share of 16.8%.  AIA Australia also works with a network of affinity partners that distribute life insurance products. By having a partnership philosophy at the core of its business, AIA Australia is focused on building genuine relationships and delivering real value to its business partners.

In March 2014, AIA Australia introduced ‘Vitality’ – the world’s leading scientifically-backed health and wellness programme, to the Australian market. AIA Vitality aims to be the catalyst for real change to the positive health outcomes of Australians.

ABOUT AIA NEW ZEALAND

AIA New Zealand is a member of the AIA Group and employs over 140 people. Since the company arrived in New Zealand in 1981, AIA New Zealand has consistently provided the market with innovative personal and business insurance products that suit the Kiwi way of life. Over the last quarter, AIA New Zealand led the market for new business sales in corporate solutions.

Today AIA offers a complete range of risk management products that focus on the needs of customers. AIA New Zealand is based in Auckland with regional offices in Wellington and Christchurch. However, through a network of financial advisers, AIA reaches every corner of the country.

AIA New Zealand is a member of the Insurance and Savings Ombudsman Scheme (ISO) and the Health Funds Association of New Zealand (HFANZ). Standard and Poor’s reaffirmed AIA New Zealand’s insurer financial strength rating at AA- in June 2016.

ABOUT AIA

AIA Group Limited and its subsidiaries (collectively “AIA” or the “Group”) comprise the largest independent publicly listed pan-Asian life insurance group. It has a presence in 18 markets in Asia-Pacific – wholly-owned branches and subsidiaries in Hong Kong, Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, China, Korea, the Philippines, Australia, Indonesia, Taiwan, Vietnam, New Zealand, Macau, Brunei, Cambodia, a 97 per cent subsidiary in Sri Lanka, a 49 per cent joint venture in India and a representative office in Myanmar.

The business that is now AIA was first established in Shanghai almost a century ago. It is a market leader in the Asia-Pacific region (ex-Japan) based on life insurance premiums and holds leading positions across the majority of its markets. It had total assets of US$200 billion as of 31 May 2017.

AIA meets the long-term savings and protection needs of individuals by offering a range of products and services including life insurance, accident and health insurance and savings plans. The Group also provides employee benefits, credit life and pension services to corporate clients. Through an extensive network of agents, partners and employees across Asia-Pacific, AIA serves the holders of more than 30 million individual policies and over 16 million participating members of group insurance schemes.

AIA Group Limited is listed on the Main Board of The Stock Exchange of Hong Kong Limited under the stock code “1299” with American Depositary Receipts (Level 1) traded on the over-the-counter market (ticker symbol: “AAGIY”).