(Re)in Summary
- Manulife Asia has signed an MoU with Ant Health to explore cross-boundary healthcare support and insurance technology services.
- The partnership will initially focus on Hong Kong and mainland China, with potential expansion to other Asian markets.
- Collaboration areas include healthcare concierge services, medical networks, digital health, and cross-border claims and payment support.
- The deal follows Manulife’s recent healthcare partnerships with Guardant Health and Bupa International.
Manulife Financial Asia has partnered with Ant Health to explore cross-boundary healthcare support, digital health capabilities, and insurance technology for customers in Hong Kong and the Chinese mainland.
The two companies on Monday announced they had signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to explore ways to make healthcare simpler to find, access and pay for, the insurer said.
Under the agreement, Manulife Asia and Ant Health will explore collaboration across several areas, including health management services, case management, concierge support, medical network services and patient services.
The companies will also explore insurance technology, including health value-added services, design support, and cross-boundary claims and payment support. Other areas of collaboration include health insights, industry research and standards development.
Hong Kong and mainland China will serve as the first markets under the partnership with plans to expand the collaboration to other Asian markets over time.
The partnership is aimed at addressing the fragmented experience customers often face when seeking healthcare across borders, where customers navigate the journey on their own, make multiple enquiries, and manually coordinate different steps before, during and after treatment.
“This collaboration reflects a shared belief that access to healthcare should be simpler, more connected and centred around the needs of customers,” said Steve Finch, president & CEO of Manulife Asia. “By combining our respective strengths, we will explore how to create a more seamless healthcare journey for customers.”
“The integration of health insurance and health services has become a major trend in enhancing users’ medical service experience and improving their overall health and well-being. Through this collaboration with Manulife Asia, we look forward to exploring more convenient and compassionate cross-boundary health services for customers,” said Zhang Junjie, vice-president of Ant Group and head of the health business.
The agreement is the latest in a series of healthcare partnerships for Manulife Asia. In April 2026, the insurer entered an exclusive partnership with Guardant Health to offer the Shield multi-cancer detection blood test to customers in Hong Kong, Singapore and the Philippines. It was the first rollout of the test in Asia through an insurer.
Earlier, in December, Manulife signed a separate MoU with Bupa International to explore integrated healthcare services in Hong Kong, including broader access to healthcare providers and more coordinated care support.
The healthcare partnerships come as Manulife Asia posts strong business growth. In the second quarter of 2026, the insurer reported a 13% year-on-year increase in new business value (NBV) to US$506m, driven primarily by growth in Hong Kong, Singapore and Japan.
Manulife said growth during the quarter was supported by its agency and partnership distribution channels, as well as demand for health, wealth and longevity products across the region.
