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Insurance

Insurance
Stories about the insurance industry, including life, general, property and casualty insurance
Chinese banks are increasingly using satellites to evaluate their clients’ terrestrial assets. Photo: Shutterstock
Banking & finance

Default in our stars: China banks use satellites to track assets, cut loan risks

Analysts say orbital monitoring of sites, property and other assets provides vital data on borrowers.

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Banking & finance

Life insurance sales in Hong Kong hit record amid ‘rise of millionaires’

Hong Kong economy

Hong Kong insurance complaints body records 857 cases last year, up 33% from 2024

China shipbuilding

Iran war exposes a weakness in China’s vast shipping sector: a lack of insurers

China’s maritime sector still relies on overseas legal and financial service providers, a potential strategic vulnerability in a turbulent world.

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A cargo ship loads and unloads containers at a port in eastern China’s Jiangsu province. China has a vast shipping sector, but still lacks a robust maritime insurance industry. Photo: Getty Images
Hong Kong economy

Letters | Hong Kong has a chance to lead the world in marine underwriting

Readers discuss developments in shipping, and the implications for Taiwan of US actions in the Iran war.

Ageing society

Editorial | Medical insurance review a timely move for a sector under pressure

Hopefully, the review will open doors to a transparent, digitally accessible and internationally focused insurance market.

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Hong Kong economy

Opinion | Iran war shows urgency of Hong Kong’s green shipping transition

As an international maritime hub, the city must speed up green fuel bunkering and strengthen its marine war-risk insurance business.

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Oil storage tanks and oil tankers unloading at Tsing Yi depot, Hong Kong, on March 10. Photo: Sam Tsang
Greater Bay Area

Hong Kong regulator sets ‘comprehensive’ review of medical insurance costs

Analysis aims to increase transparency at a time when some insurance prices are rising faster than medical costs, Insurance Authority CEO says.

Banking & finance

Hong Kong export credit insurer keeps premiums low despite Middle East tensions

Agency says limited exposure to the Middle East has kept trade risks contained for most Hong Kong exporters.

Middle East

Hong Kong marine insurers gain edge over London with cheaper war-risk cover

Hong Kong’s special pool offers cheaper war cover for 10 Chinese ships in the Gulf, bolstering the city’s role as a marine insurance hub.

A special pool, backed by five Hong Kong insurers, offers 10 mainland China ships up to US$130 million in compensation against war and emergency risks. Photo: Elson Li
Two Sessions 2026

China to pursue commercial health insurance to ease strain, support innovation

Commercial health insurance enters China’s policy agenda as an ageing population and costs strain basic coverage.

The move signals efforts to strengthen the country’s social safety net and support the growth of innovative drugs and medical devices. Photo: Getty Images
Electric & new energy vehicles

China’s EV insurers move towards profitability on higher premiums, AI adoption

Chinese insurers are turning to AI as the technology cuts labour costs and enhances pricing accuracy.

Artificial intelligence

Colour matters: how AI is changing car premiums and services in China

Car colour, driving habits and location influence insurance premiums, according to a digital solutions provider using ByteDance’s AI model.

Singapore

Singapore wage growth outpaced inflation for most in 2025, PM says

Singapore’s definition of household income now includes income from non-work sources, including rental and investment income.

Office workers walk through the financial district of Singapore, in February 2021. Photo: EPA-EFE
Hong Kong stock market

Hong Kong urged to widen Stock Connect and woo global firms to boost listings

City should pitch Southeast Asia, Middle East to draw global listings and issue long-term bonds to attract patient capital, think tank says.

FSDC executive director Rocky Tung says while Hong Kong has been a major listing venue for mainland firms, international companies remain a minority on the local bourse. Photo: Enoch Yiu
Crime in Hong Kong

Editorial | Swift action on traffic accident scams in Hong Kong to be commended

Fraudulent claims over minor or non-existent traffic collisions should prompt drivers to remain alert on and off the road.

Crime in Hong Kong

Police arrest 4 in Hong Kong over ‘crash-for-cash’ scams

Married couple and two doctors detained on suspicion of conspiracy to defraud.

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Gun violence in the US

Luigi Mangione won’t face death penalty after US judge dismisses murder charge

He could still be put behind bars for life if convicted of other charges in the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.

Luigi Mangione, suspected of killing UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, is escorted by police at Manhattan Supreme Court in September 2025. Photo: Reuters
Manulife

AXA becomes second insurer to redomicile from Bermuda to Hong Kong

At least three other local insurers, including local unit of Canada’s insurer Sun Life, are planning the same move, industry players say.

Manulife

Wealthy investors propel Hong Kong life insurance sales to another peak

The industry wrote US$34 billion worth of life policies in the first nine months of last year.

IA

China Taiping expects higher profit but Tai Po fire could weigh in 2026

State-owned insurer expects 215 to 225 per cent jump in 2025 net profit due to a gain in investment income, one-off tax impact.

China Taiping Insurance has the largest exposure among its peers to the Wang Fuk Court fire at over HK$2 billion. Photo: Shutterstock
Banking & finance

HSBC reviews Singapore insurance unit amid high Hong Kong, mainland China growth

It ‘makes sense’ for HSBC to focus on ‘core high-growth markets’ that have ‘underpenetrated’ insurance needs, analyst says.

People take photos of the Merlion statue in the Marina Bay area in Singapore on June 30, 2020. Photo: AP Photo
Hong Kong economy

Hong Kong employee insurance costs to jump 15% amid surge in day procedures: study

Firms warned of rising costs as increasing number of minor day-surgery claims under inpatient plans drive up group insurance premiums.

Trending in China

China woman buys US$28 ‘love insurance’, claims US$1,400 after marriage a decade later

Husband says he thought his wife had been scammed when told about policy; couple opt for cash payout over 10,000 roses.

Banking & finance

China’s wealthy swap real estate for insurance, gold as retirement looms

Declining returns on property are prompting China’s affluent to diversify their investments, including high-value insurance policies and gold.

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According to the National Bureau of Statistics, China’s new home prices in 70 cities fell by 2.2 percent year-on-year in September 2025, easing from a 2.5 percent decline in the previous month. Photo: EPA
The Philippines

‘Medical pork’ row exposes political grip over Philippine health assistance

Doctors and health groups say the system allows politicians to influence who receives state medical aid, undermining universal care.

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Doctors and health groups in the Philippines said the “medical pork” system allows politicians to influence who receives state medical aid. Photo: Shutterstock
Hong Kong

Market volatility, family feuds fuel Hong Kong’s wealth transfer anxiety

In Hong Kong, there were 198 ongoing lawsuits over deceased estates as of the end of September, the second largest category among cases.

Banking & finance

Macroscope | As global spending needs grow and debt rises, business as usual won’t suffice

The increase in government debt means that nations must look elsewhere for funds required to meet socioeconomic needs.

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