Hong Kong based insurer sees Vietnam as huge potential market
Hong Kong based insurer FWD Group is working to quickly establish its presence in Vietnam as the country has a huge growth potential on insurance market with more than 90 million people.
CEO of Hong Kong based insurer FWD Group Huynh Thanh Phong (Source: internet)
Hanoi (VNA)
– Hong Kong based insurer FWD Group is working to quickly establish its🗹 presence in Vietnam as the country has a huge growth potential on insurance market with more than 90 million people, according to the group’s CEO H༺uynh Thanh Phong.
Southeast Asia has been the main playground of FWD Group since it was founded as an insurance arm of investment group Pacific Century Group in 2013. It has been rapidly expanding its operations in Thailand, Indonesia, the Philippines and Singapore, the CEO told the Dau Tu (Vietnam Investment Review).
The firm acquired Great Eastern Life Vietnam from Singapore’s Great Eastern Life Assurance last month in an attempt to lead a faster market penetration by taking advantage of Great Eastern Life Vietnam’s existing market share, personnel and infrastructure, Phong said.
The group also signed a 15-year agreement for a bancassurance partnership with An Binh Joint Stock Bank (ABBANK) on July 14 which will offer it the exclusive right to distribute its life insurance and saving products to the bank’s customers, he added.
Explaining why the FWD group is taking its first step in the country with the bancassurance deal, Phong said bancassurance currently accounts for only around 3 percent of sales in Vietnam compared to 50-60 percent in other Asian markets, meaning a huge opportunity for the group.
In addition to that, the country is shifting from an insurance industry that focuses on single-channel distribution to one with multi-channel distribution.
When entering Vietnam, the firm hopes to change the way people feel about insurance and make them more aware of the importance of life insurance for them and their families, he stressed.
It could be done by the company’s unique approach in providing consulting services and designing a contract, alongside its 24-hour and convenient customer care, and easy-to-understand products.
Headquartered in Hong Kong, FWD offers customers life and medical insurance, employee benefits and general insurance across Hong Kong, Macau, Thailand, Indonesia, the Philippines and Singapore.-VNA
Insurance enterprises accumulated more than 152.5 trillion VND (6.7 billion USD) to reinvest this year, up 18 percent against last year, the Insurance Association of Vietnam (IAV) said.
Insurance was one of the fastest-growing sectors of VN's economy in 2015 with premium income rising 21.4 percent to reach 68 trillion VND, while total assets grew by 21.7 percent to 201 trillion VND.
Vietnamese insurance firms have been offered great opportunities to expand their market share in the regional market thanks to the formation of the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC).
Vietnamese life insurance companies are seeing good growth in a niche market, holding a majority market share in the north central provinces of Nghe An, Ha Tinh and Quang Binh as well as in south west
A key change in the draft decree is a provision requiring bank transfers for gold transactions valued at 20 million VND (765 USD) and above, to enhance transparency and verify customer identities.
In the first four months of 2025, trade turnover between Vietnam and Cambodia surpassed 3 billion USD, marking a 7% increase compared to the same period in 2024.
On June 19 alone, a total of 2,005 trucks completed customs clearance at Lang Son’s border gates — the highest single-day figure ever recorded in the province. Of these, 634 carried exports and 1,371 imports.
The OECD Economic Surveys: Vietnam 2025 report focuses on analysing the country’s macroeconomic fundamentals, the impact of international integration on attracting foreign investment and trade, and the country’s prospects for developing a low-carbon economy.
Antoine Colin, Senior Vice President for Global Supply Chain Digital Transformation & Resilience at HP Inc., affirmed HP’s strategic commitment to building a supply chain and ecosystem in Vietnam and the region.
Deputy Director General of the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT)’s Trade Promotion Agency Bui Quang Hung emphasised that logistics has evolved from a technical function into a core capability for Vietnamese exporters to maintain their competitive advantage in the US market.
A trade official has suggested companies work closely with shipping lines, airlines, and freight forwarders to monitor routes, transit times, and potential surcharges while exploring broader cargo insurance to cover risks like war and terrorism.
In addition to institutional reform, the agency is also rolling out key solution groups to combat counterfeit goods, imitations, and intellectual property infringements in the digital environment.
The event, co-organised by the Vietnam Trade Office in the UK and TT Meridian, a local importer of Vietnamese fresh produce, aims to build a national lychee brand and encourage broader recognition of Vietnamese fruits in a competitive, high-end market.
The industry's performance has been powered by bold investments in modern production lines, enabling Vietnamese firms to produce complicated products which were exclusive to advanced economies.
Outcomes of ABAC III will shape ABAC’s final policy recommendations to be submitted to the ABAC-APEC leaders’ dialogue, scheduled to take place in the Republic of Korea this November.
This is the second year the magazine has released the ranking, which is based on total revenue and key financial indicators of enterprises from seven countries in the region: Vietnam, Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, the Philippines, and Cambodia.
At the summit, publishing, tech, and media sectors will discuss emerging trends, business models, and sustainable solutions for digital publishing development in Vietnam.
This year’s “Vietnam Goods Week” marks a significant milestone as it is being held simultaneously for the first time in four locations across Asia: Japan, Hong Kong (China), Cambodia, and Malaysia, from June 19 - 22.
According to NordCham Vietnam Chairman Thue Quist Thomasen, the Vietnamese Government’s commitment to achieving net-zero emissions by 2050 is both a challenge and an opportunity for businesses to contribute to green and sustainable growth.
The analysis from an investment perspective shows that the economy’s growth has been heavily capital‑driven, yet efficiency remains low as reflected by Vietnam’s Incremental Capital-Output Ratio (ICOR) being significantly higher than global and regional averages. This underscores the imperative to enhance capital‑use efficiency.