Asia Pacific Insurance Regulation

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Colored puzzle pieces with coins arranged on a wooden table, with a hand holding one green piece.

Round table surrounded by blue and red chairs, with four stacks of globe-marked coins.

Watercolor illustration of a city skyline with India’s flag rising from a gift-wrapped box labeled “GIFT City.

Andrew Hare, Japan head, Marsh Re, and Justin Ward, Pacific head, Marsh Re, over Tokyo and Sydney.

A rocket launches from a sea platform, surrounded by towering clouds of smoke and flames.

A uniformed inspector examines a treaty notice beside a high-speed train marked AIR.

Nighttime Tokyo cityscape with illuminated Japanese signs, high-rises and curving multilane traffic.

Beijing skyline with the CCTV headquarters and dense residential buildings in the foreground.

Miniature businesspeople stand and meet among coins beneath wooden blocks spelling “AML.

IRDAI proposes new commission caps, lower expense limits as distribution costs outpace premium growth

ACCC blocks IAG's RAC Insurance acquisition for second time

India GI premium growth accelerates to 9% in FY 2025-26

Hong Kong targets captives, ILS and specialty insurance growth under first five-year plan

City skyline with skyscrapers and a bridge over a highway.

Steadfast inks A$7.7bn takeover deal with Amwins-Dragoneer-KKR consortium

MAS sign on a tan granite building with palm tree reflections and flagpoles.

Green double‑decker tram with American Express branding on a busy Chinatown street, surrounded by red storefront signs and a black car ahead.

Illustration of a mountain with a flag for 2026 and a path leading to a summit with a flag for 2028.

Retrospective solutions gain traction, but APAC adoption lags

Across APAC, legal fragmentation and lingering misconceptions continue to limit the use of retrospective solutions, SIRC panellists said.

Asia takes more of the reinsurance value chain, but capital stays global

India and China are pushing to keep more risk onshore, but London and Bermuda will remain centres for retrocession, alternative capital and nat cat.

GIFT City draws reinsurance capacity but remains a price taker

The hub has succeeded in attracting capital and reinsurers; now the challenge lies in developing the expertise needed to underwrite complex risks locally.

Marsh Re sees Japan fac growth from data centres, chips; alternative capital opportunities in ANZ

Marsh Re’s new Japan and Pacific heads, Andrew Hare and Justin Ward, say capital is reshaping the reinsurance conversation, from Japan’s solvency regime to growing interest in alternative capital in Australia...

Howden Re’s Marshall pushes APAC cedents beyond “set and forget” reinsurance buying

Karl Marshall wants clients to see the full range of outcomes behind a model result, not a single figure, and says AI should support specialists rather than replace them.

Hong Kong's ambitions in China's NewSpace market face capacity, expertise headwinds

With international markets still central to space risk placements, the city needs to bridge the gap by building specialist capabilities.

Asian corporates warm to captives, but local expertise lags

Panellists at PARIMA’s Singapore conference said captives are drawing more interest as fewer risks suit standard cover, but setting one up is hard without the actuaries, claims experts and insurers to...

Japan AIR market braces for stricter regime, not slower growth

Industry experts expect future asset-intensive reinsurance (AIR) growth to hinge on access to third-party capacity, suitable matching assets and demonstrable risk transfer.

Pacific Life Re closes second Japan structured reinsurance deal of 2026

The transaction helps an unnamed major life insurer optimise its economic capital position under Japan’s new Economic Solvency Ratio (ESR) framework.

China issues new product development rules for P&C insurers

From 1 November, the revised rules require insurers to set up product committees led by their principal executive, conduct regular product reviews and strengthen accountability for product failures.

Hong Kong brokers face growing pressure over AML due diligence

IA’s actions point to greater scrutiny when onboarding customers.

IRDAI proposes commission caps and lower expense limits, rattling insurance stocks

IRDAI found commissions paid to sampled general insurance brokers rose 173% between FY2023 and FY2025, while premiums grew 37%.

Second ACCC rejection sends IAG's RAC Insurance bid to public benefit test

Regulator found rival insurers would be unlikely to offset competition lost, but insurer says it will now seek approval on public benefit grounds.

India GI premium growth accelerates to 9% in FY2025-26

GI Council data shows premium growth accelerated from 6.2% a year earlier, though the combined ratio climbed to 117.83%.

Hong Kong targets captives, ILS and specialty insurance growth under first five-year plan

From expanding Hong Kong's influence across the global maritime value chain to developing specialty insurance products for mainland companies going global, the plan outlines an ambitious growth agenda...

China proposes direct supervision of insurers' shareholders, 1bn yuan capital floor for new entrants

First overhaul of the Insurance Law in more than a decade would also broaden insurers' permitted investments and lift fines to as much as 10 times illegal gains.

Steadfast inks A$7.7bn takeover deal with Amwins-Dragoneer-KKR consortium

The parties aim to complete the A$7.7bn transaction by December, subject to shareholder, court and regulatory approvals.

MAS eyes AIR guidance, further RBC 2 changes by year-end

RBC 2 adjustments, reinsurance guidance, and stress-testing developments form part of a broader regulatory response to evolving risks.

Hong Kong insurers look for clearer risk rules, data sharing as ride-hailing regime nears

Licences are due to be issued from November, and HKFI says access to operational data is critical for insurers to assess the new risk and develop appropriate pricing models.

Indonesian insurers on track for end-2026 capital rules, but 2028 poses bigger test

More than 80% of insurers have already met OJK's 2026 requirements, but experts say capital alone will not fix weak fundamentals as tougher 2028 rules loom.