Ping An Insurance (Group) Co. Ltd., listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, has recently announced that its board of directors has approved the plan to merge Ping An Bank Co. with the Shenzhen Development Bank Co.

China's insurance regulator, the China Insurance Regulatory Commission (CIRC), has laid out new rules allowing Chinese insurance companies to diversify their investment channels to include Private Equity and Real Estate. The new rules afford Chinese insurers the chance to invest up to 10 percent of assets in real estate, as well as investing a further 5 percent of assets into private equity investments…

Chinese Insurer, Taiping Life Insurance Co., has been given approval by the China Insurance Regulatory Commission (CIRC) to set up its newest provincial branch in Hainan Province. With approval from the CIRC to open the new branch office, Taiping Life Insurance will now have 35 provincial branches throughout China. Hainan Province's insurance market brought in RMB 2.94 billion (USD 433 million) in…

China Life Insurance Company Limited (China Life), the largest life insurance company in China by premium, has started to shift its sales strategy towards the bancassurance distribution channels. As a first for the company, the bancassurance channel has contributed more than 70% of the company's insurance premiums for the first half of 2010, becoming a vital premium generator for the company.

Aiming to further expand their business operations in Guandong province, Manulife-Sinochem has recently announced the opening of a sub-branch in Shantou. Manulife-Sinochem is a life insurance joint venture between the Canadian life insurer Manulife and the China Foreign Economy and Trade Trust Company, a member of the Sinochem group.

Ping An Health Insurance Company of China, a wholly owned subsidiary of Ping An Insurance (Group) Company of China, has received approval from the China Insurance Regulatory Commission (CIRC) to set up a new branch in Zhejiang province. Earlier this year, Ping An Health Insurance was also given approval by the central Chinese insurance regulator to open a branch in Jiangsu province. With the…

Generali China Life Insurance Co. Ltd. is leading the pack of foreign-funded life insurance companies in China, after ranking no.1 for five consecutive months from the end of 2009 to April 2010. Generali China Life Insurance Co. Ltd. is a joint-venture company; 50 percent owned by Assicurazioni Generali S.p.A. (Generali) and the other 50 percent owned by China National Petroleum Corporation…

Three of China's largest insurance companies continue their strong growth in the first five months of 2010. China Life Insurance (CLI), Ping An Insurance Group of China (PAIGC), and China Pacific Insurance Corporation (CPIC) maintain…

The China Insurance Regulatory Commission (CIRC) appears to be on the latest stages of discussions to ease the restrictions on some types of investments made by insurance companies in China. The proportion of the capital from insurance companies invested in the stock market will be increased to a 25 percent from the current 20 percent limit.

Analysts predict that the top 3 Insurance giants in China, China Life Insurance (CLI), Ping An Insurance Group of China (PAIGC), and China Pacific Insurance Corporation (CPIC), will continue the growth momentum in Q1 of this year. The financial results will be released on the 30th of April.