“Our success is founded on our highly skilled team of people who have the technical know-how and strong communication skills to understand the needs of our clients across a range of sectors.”

Initially established to serve the maritime industry, Sanad Assurances has diversified its services and product offerings. Today, the company offers personal, automotive, housing and facultative (reinsurance) in addition to industrial and advanced risk services.

With his background in mechanical engineering, Laamarti is able to build close relationships with the company’s corporate clients, especially in the industrial sector.

“Many members of our upper management have backgrounds in engineering and with our close industry ties, we have taken a leading position and set ourselves apart from the competition,” said Laamarti.

“An increasing amount of foreign direct investment is reaching Morocco. Sanad Assurances is continuing to build new partnerships with multinationals while nurturing existing business relationships with companies already reaping the rewards of investing in the country.

“The automotive, energy and aeronautical sectors are flourishing in Morocco and Japanese multinationals are starting to take notice,” said Laamarti.

“Thanks to our long-term approach we have already established strong partnerships with leading Japanese companies active in Morocco, and we look forward to building more new friendships and exciting partnerships.”

www.sanad.ma

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Malayan Insurance Company, Inc. has secured its position as a leader in the nonlife insurance industry in the Philippines in terms of gross premiums written (GPW) and assets for 2018, according to unaudited industry figures recently released by the Insurance Commission (IC).

In 2018, Malayan Insurance produced GPW amounting to 10.16 billion pesos. With a significant lead over the next insurer, Malayan Insurance has been the dominant nonlife insurer for Philippine businesses and families for almost 50 years.

Malayan Insurance has likewise led the industry in terms of assets, reporting 34.28 billion pesos in total assets for year-end 2018, according to the IC. This makes Malayan Insurance the largest nonlife insurer in the Philippines.

Malayan Insurance has been introducing new products and services into the Philippine non-life insurance market, with the launch of its Travelite budget travel insurance and Motomax motorcycle insurance, an affordable total loss only cover for the growing motorcycle market.

Malayan Insurance is the only Philippine nonlife insurance company rated by AM Best, a global rating authority for the insurance industry. AM Best has affirmed the rating of Malayan Insurance with Financial Strength Rating: B++ (Good), and Insurer Credit Rating BBB+, providing the Philippine insuring public with world-class insurance protection.

Founded in 1930, Malayan Insurance is a member of the Yuchengco Group of Companies (YGC), and has been the Philippine partner of Japan’s Tokio Marine and Nichido Fire Insurance since 1964.

www.malayan.com

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Today, the Polish insurance market is customer-driven with companies providing high-value customer support, better protection and improved delivery of services.

In 2012, major European insurance company Talanx Group and Meiji Yasuda Life Co., one of Japan’s oldest and largest life insurers, became Warta’s main shareholders and in the past six years, Warta has grown substantially. The firm has achieved double-digit growth for the last three years and in 2017, its non-life business grew by 24 percent. Parkot attributes Warta’s growth to the firm’s focus on quality and innovation.

“Warta has comprehensive investment programs geared toward innovation across all business lines,” said Parkot. “We have an average of 50 projects per year and we cooperate closely with many intermediaries to bring these projects to fruition.”

Warta manages approximately 600,000 claims a year through its state-of-the-art system, which utilizes big data, cloud computing and advanced machine learning tools.

“Poland is a modern and open country with a young, skilled, engaged and hardworking workforce,” concluded Parkot. “We are constantly adapting to the modern world and the country has become an attractive investment destination. The next generation has a great deal to look forward to and our relationship with Japan will undoubtedly continue to thrive.”

www.warta.pl

As one of the largest and most diversified conglomerates in the Philippines, how has the Yuchengco Group of Companies (YGC) built on its reputation as a strong partner for foreign corporations?

What can we expect in 2018?

“With footholds in multiple sectors of the economy, the Yuchengco Group of Companies prides itself on collaborations and partnerships which create successes for all parties.

From the banking sector, to energy and education, we seek foreign partners who are in a position to drive business and improve the lives of our customers by providing top-of-the-line services that meet global standards. In this way, we are not only ensuring the growth of our businesses, but also provide our foreign partners with access to the market and ensure they are in a position to expand their respective businesses.”

Which sectors are proving to be growth drivers for the domestic economy?

“Our goal and main directive has always been to remain competitive. The diversity found across the Yuchengco Group of Companies provides us with the opportunity to grow and improve our activities in various sectors.

We are seeing growth in sectors such as education where our school, Mapua University, recently attained university status and is recognized as one of the best IT, engineering and technology universities in the country. We are proud of our achievements in terms of the school’s reputation with local and international accreditation authorities. We encourage our students to strive to be the best and work hard to develop partnerships with both corporate and educational institutions across the globe.

The energy sector is also showing promising signs of growth. Our firm Petroenergy Resources Corporation, is leading the way in terms of investing in the mass distribution of clean, renewable energy across the country.

Progress is also being made in the country’s construction and infrastructure sectors where EEI Corporation, our leading global construction service provider, continues to grasp opportunities across the country within the Philippines’ infrastructure sector.

Our banking unit, Rizal Commercial Banking Corporation (RCBC), continues to expand through various ventures. We are focused on innovating and providing better products to meet our clients’ needs as well as providing funding for key projects.”

With collaborations and alliances with several prestigious Japanese groups, how would you describe YGC’s ties to Japanese corporates in 2018?

(Cesar) “Our ongoing relationship and partnership with Japan is crucial to YGC’s own expansion and progress. In gaining the confidence of the Japanese market, our businesses are able to flourish. For example, RCBC is currently the leading financial institution for Japanese firms operating in the Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA). Our existing collaborations allow us to further promote direct investments and business relationships between Philippine and Japanese entrepreneurs and corporations.

One such example is the expansion of the partnership between the bank’s credit card-servicing entity, RCBC Bankard, and JCB International. The 20-year partnership just recently produced the bank’s newest top of the line privilege card, the RCBC Bankard JCB Platinum Card, which provides world-class privileges and state-of-the-art features to the modern traveler of today.

What message do you have for our readers regarding the future of the Philippines as a place to do business and what plans do you have to ensure YGC remains a leading player within the economy?

“As a developing country, the Philippines’ economy continues to grow and attract foreign investors. Our country is home to a hospitable environment for business expansion, a fact that appreciated by foreign corporations. Aside from this, there is the advantage of our highly accessible human resources and competitive manufacturing hubs.

YGC is leveraging our strengths in many growth areas of the economy. We will intensify the way in which we provide our services to meet the needs of our customers’ lives. In addition to the introduction of new products and innovative solutions, we will also be focusing on the environment by continually investing in clean and renewable energy sources.

Our companies will continue to play a significant role in the banking and finance, insurance, construction and real estate, education, information technology and automotive sectors as we contribute to the development of the Philippines.”

Scaffolding, composed of strong and sturdy material such as timber or steel, is only a temporary structure used as the framework and platform with which to carry on construction works. It should be stable enough to support not just construction workers but their industrial tools and other construction materials as well.

Founded in 1974, Sansin Sangyo offers a wide selection of scaffolding and state-of-the-art solar panel systems. Meanwhile, KYC Machine handles the manufacturing and selling of construction machines and plant equipment such as concrete mixers, concrete batching plants, crushing plants, belt conveyors, and other environment related products.

As one of the leading construction companies in the Philippines, EEI is involved in the installation and construction of large-scale infrastructure projects such as power generating facilities, oil refineries, chemical production plants, cement plants, food and beverage manufacturing facilities, semiconductor assembly plants, roads, bridges, rails, ports, airports and other infrastructure alongside high-rise residential and office towers, and hotels building. It also operates one of the country’s modern steel fabrication plants.

Both Malayan Insurance and Tokio Marine Insurance are committed to providing quality service to its clients. Through the years, both companies have been able to benefit and improve.

“By utilizing our global network and resources, we are able to provide our services to the Philippine public through Malayan Insurance,” Nagano explained. In turn, Tokio Marine has provided expert knowledge to Malayan Insurance in order to improve its processes and structures. This allows Malayan to enhance and upgrade its services to its clients. “This creates synergy, and synergy is important for the future growth and expansion of Malayan Insurance,” he added.

Nagano also shared that Tokio Marine has begun initiatives in order to stay ahead in the industry. Among the main initiatives are geographic and business risk diversification, tapping emerging markets such as the Philippines, and research and utilization of new technology. “Technology will change our industry in many aspects, such as products, services, distribution, and internal operations,” Nagano said, “So we must strive to keep up with these changes.”

Aside from this,Tokio Marine has begun to develop new products to cater to new needs in the market, such as insurance coverage for autonomous cars, as well as “living needs” insurance, which is a hybrid of life and non-life insurance.

With these innovations and efforts, the joint venture between the two companies only stands to strengthen and grow. “By working closely with Malayan Insurance, we can create new products and services for the Philippine insuring public,” Nagano said.

‘It is also a privilege to work with our leading bank partners in Indonesia to bridge customers’ protection and long-term saving needs. We look forward to continuing and deepening our partnerships as it will help customers to live longer, healthier and better lives.’

AIA FINANCIAL believes customer loyalty is the utmost important. To sustain our customers, the sales force needs to be professional and can provide the right advice to their protection and long-term savings needs.

‘AIA Group has achieved number one Million Dollar Round Table (MDRT) for three consecutive years. In Indonesia, we have the highest ratio of MDRT agents’, said Ng. ‘For those who are serious in building a career in insurance, they should join PT. AIA FINANCIAL, as we have a proven system that can provide a higher chance for people to succeed.’

AIA was the first to bring into Indonesia the iPos (Interactive Point of Sales) technology which enable us to complete a sales process completely paperless. Our latest iMo(Interactive Mobile Service) technology provides real time information about their customers and many functionalities that allow them to better serve their customers.

AIA Group is currently operating in 18 markets in Asia Pacific region and a market leader in most of the markets. PT. AIA FINANCIAL is able to benefit from a strong brand name and expertise across countries.

‘Singapore is an important financial hub in Asia’, said Ng. As the neighbor country, Singapore has been a popular destination for Indonesian. When our Indonesian customers travel to Singapore and see AIA brand, we are able to leverage AIA’s brand recognition, bring great product and service ideas from Singapore to grow our presence in Indonesia.’

www.aia-financial.co.id

“As a financial services hub in the region and a centre for infrastructure transactions, Singapore is a strategically important market for gathering information on insurance industry developments and recruiting new talent,” says Yamaguchi.

Last June, MIBA reached an agreement to acquire a skilled team of professionals and accounts from the Singapore subsidiary of London-based reinsurance broking and risk management company, THB Group.

“While we delivered discretionary reinsurance solutions mainly to Japanese-related businesses,the former THB team focused on international clients,”says Yamaguchi. “With its extensive network of close connections with reinsurance markets across the region, our acquisition of THB’s Singapore-based team represents our commitment to expanding our business in Southeast Asia. The strengthening of our presence in the Singaporean market will enable us to provide more refined reinsurance products and services to clients throughout Southeast Asia”.