Silver Point

Thomas J. Monaco

Independent Insight Provider

Silver Point is a boutique research firm that focuses on the broader financial services sector, with a particular focus on troubled institutions globally. 

Asia Ex Japan

Equity Bottom-Up

ZhongAn Online P&C Insurance C / Equity Bottom-Up

*CBIRC Now Taking On Online Insurers: The China Banking and Insurance Regulatory Commission’s (CBIRC) roll out of the internet insurance revision plan “Notice on Carrying out Special Rectification of Internet Insurance Disorders” aims to scrutinize mainland China’s insurance technology platforms, ordering firms and agencies to end improper marketing and pricing practices, and improve privacy protections; and*Very Negative Implications For Insurers And Broader Market: This move by the CBIRC would intimate the near wipeout of the current generation of online insurers. This regulatory onslaught is stifling innovation and likely push business returns to well below the cost of equity. This heavy-handed approach is causing the outflow of foreign capital from mainland China to be sustainably heavy for an extended period of time.

*CBIRC Now Taking On Online Insurers: The China Banking and Insurance Regulatory Commission’s (CBIRC) roll out of the internet insurance revision plan “Notice on Carrying out Special Rectification of Internet Insurance Disorders” aims to scrutinize mainland China’s insurance technology platforms, ordering firms and agencies to end improper marketing and pricing practices, and improve privacy protections; and*Very Negative Implications For Insurers And Broader Market: This move by the CBIRC would intimate the near wipeout of the current generation of online insurers. This regulatory onslaught is stifling innovation and likely push business returns to well below the cost of equity. This heavy-handed approach is causing the outflow of foreign capital from mainland China to be sustainably heavy for an extended period of time.

ZhongAn Online P&C Insurance – Tapped By The Ugly Stick

Fintech & EM-focused Analyst, KT Capital Group

Alec Tseung

Fintech & EM-focused Analyst

New China Life Insurance / Equity Bottom-Up

Our bearish view on <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/new-china-life-insurance-c-h" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:377:1" rel="noopener">New China Life Insurance (1336 HK)</a> is due to the following reasons:<ol>
<li>The company’s latest strategy undid many good results under the previous strategy (insurance quality and margin improvement).</li>
<li>Its new strategy focuses on wealth management and senior care (and healthcare), in which the company has no competitive advantage and faces keen competition from strong incumbents.</li>
<li>There’s no reason to invest in a mediocre life insurer with a mediocre wealth management business in China.</li>
</ol>

Our bearish view on New China Life Insurance (1336 HK) is due to the following reasons:
The company’s latest strategy undid many good results under the previous strategy (insurance quality and margin improvement).
Its new strategy focuses on wealth management and senior care (and healthcare), in which the company has no competitive advantage and faces keen competition from strong incumbents.
There’s no reason to invest in a mediocre life insurer with a mediocre wealth management business in China.


New China Life: The Company’s Latest Strategy Is Taking It Nowhere

Thematic (Sector/Industry)

*Document 15: Recently the China Bank and Insurance Regulatory Commission (CBIRC) issued guidance to both banks and insurers on implicit debt of local government financing vehicles (LGFV) via Document 15 – tightening the screws even further;  and*No Let Up In Sight: Coupled with the structural reforms of an increase in risk-based capital minimums for certain state banks, the partial bank Wealth Management Product (WMP) resolution, and the recent reserve requirement ratio (RRR) reduction, these tightening measures should act to contain some of the out of control financial risk within the mainland Chinese financial system.

*Document 15: Recently the China Bank and Insurance Regulatory Commission (CBIRC) issued guidance to both banks and insurers on implicit debt of local government financing vehicles (LGFV) via Document 15 – tightening the screws even further;  and*No Let Up In Sight: Coupled with the structural reforms of an increase in risk-based capital minimums for certain state banks, the partial bank Wealth Management Product (WMP) resolution, and the recent reserve requirement ratio (RRR) reduction, these tightening measures should act to contain some of the out of control financial risk within the mainland Chinese financial system.

*Adding More Complexity In Mainland China: AIA’s hyper-aggressive push into mainland China via acquisition as company fundamentals remain poor. This push unfortunately continues. On June 29, 2020, AIA Group (1299.HK) [AIA] announced that it has agreed to invest USD 1.86 bn (CNY 12 bn) in cash for a 24.99% stake in China Post Life (CPL), a subsidiary of China Post Group via its Hong Kong subsidiary, AIA Company Ltd; *Head Scratching Move: The CPL deal makes little sense financially, gives AIA no managerial or Board control, is limited to an equity investment without other business cooperation;  and directly competes with AIA China – despite management spin on the matter;  and *Suffocating Hong Kong Business: AIA’s core Hong Kong business has been an unmitigated disaster for during COVID-19, as it struggles with mainland Chinese visitors. Further, there is limited clarity on AIA’s legacy agents. It also has to deal with the fledgling Bank of East Asia (23.HK) business that it recently acquired.

*Adding More Complexity In Mainland China: AIA’s hyper-aggressive push into mainland China via acquisition as company fundamentals remain poor. This push unfortunately continues. On June 29, 2020, AIA Group (1299.HK) [AIA] announced that it has agreed to invest USD 1.86 bn (CNY 12 bn) in cash for a 24.99% stake in China Post Life (CPL), a subsidiary of China Post Group via its Hong Kong subsidiary, AIA Company Ltd; *Head Scratching Move: The CPL deal makes little sense financially, gives AIA no managerial or Board control, is limited to an equity investment without other business cooperation;  and directly competes with AIA China – despite management spin on the matter;  and *Suffocating Hong Kong Business: AIA’s core Hong Kong business has been an unmitigated disaster for during COVID-19, as it struggles with mainland Chinese visitors. Further, there is limited clarity on AIA’s legacy agents. It also has to deal with the fledgling Bank of East Asia (23.HK) business that it recently acquired. 

AIA – Now Competing With Itself In China

Founder of Antler Capital

Stanley Tsai, CFA

AIA <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/aia-group-ltd" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:14895:1" rel="noopener">(1299 HK)</a> 
AIA's proposed USD1.86bn minority investment in China Post Life marks a notable deviation from its long-held belief in maintaining control over its key operations. The transaction is touted as a barbell strategy that will give AIA's shareholders access to high-net worth clients on the one hand and the mass market on the other. In our view, the economics to China Post Life are clear, but the benefits to AIA may be more subtle (Exhibit 1).
The deal is fairly immaterial to AIA financially. At 1.34x historical P/B, the investment represents less than 0.6% of AIA's assets and 0.3% its IFRS capital. Valuation is in line with New China Life-A's <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/new-china-life-insurance-co-ltd" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:43:1" rel="noopener">(601336 CH)</a>, but we don't believe AIA is in it to turn a quick profit.
China Post Life stands to benefit almost immediately. The cash injection will boost the insurer's core solvency ratio from 110% to above 200%. But much more important is the promise of product ramp-ups, service upgrades, and sales training. On these fronts, China Post Life will be learning from the best.
The benefits AIA derives from the deal may be somewhat less tangible, but no less significant. The investment places the Hong Kong-based insurer front and center in the country's drive to widen the mass market's financial access. The unique position of the China Postal Group may open other doors down the road.
We are naturally skeptical of all insurance M&amp;As and joint ventures as so few of them have worked globally. That said, financial and executive risks seem to be well contained with the China Post Life transaction. While it may be an overstatement to call this transaction politically motivated, the potential regulatory and policy tailwinds it promises must be the envy of many of AIA's competitors.
<table class="table table-striped">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="width: 100%;">Exhibit 1: AIA's China Footprint</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 100%;">
<figure class="editor-figure mceNonEditable"><img src="https://static-prod.smartkarma.com/images/media/000/216/534/original/image_81757729821625228313721.png?1625228314" class="editor-image img-responsive" data-smartkarma-image-id="216534"></figure>
Source: China Banking and Insurance Regulatory Commission (CBIRC), National Bureau of Statistics, Company disclosures, Our analysis
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
Related Insight
<ul>
<li>
<a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/insights/china-financials-silver-linings-playbook" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="insights:53013" rel="noopener">China Financials: Silver Linings Playbook</a> </li>
</ul>

AIA (1299 HK) 
AIA's proposed USD1.86bn minority investment in China Post Life marks a notable deviation from its long-held belief in maintaining control over its key operations. The transaction is touted as a barbell strategy that will give AIA's shareholders access to high-net worth clients on the one hand and the mass market on the other. In our view, the economics to China Post Life are clear, but the benefits to AIA may be more subtle (Exhibit 1).
The deal is fairly immaterial to AIA financially. At 1.34x historical P/B, the investment represents less than 0.6% of AIA's assets and 0.3% its IFRS capital. Valuation is in line with New China Life-A's (601336 CH), but we don't believe AIA is in it to turn a quick profit.
China Post Life stands to benefit almost immediately. The cash injection will boost the insurer's core solvency ratio from 110% to above 200%. But much more important is the promise of product ramp-ups, service upgrades, and sales training. On these fronts, China Post Life will be learning from the best.
The benefits AIA derives from the deal may be somewhat less tangible, but no less significant. The investment places the Hong Kong-based insurer front and center in the country's drive to widen the mass market's financial access. The unique position of the China Postal Group may open other doors down the road.
We are naturally skeptical of all insurance M&amp;As and joint ventures as so few of them have worked globally. That said, financial and executive risks seem to be well contained with the China Post Life transaction. While it may be an overstatement to call this transaction politically motivated, the potential regulatory and policy tailwinds it promises must be the envy of many of AIA's competitors.



Exhibit 1: AIA's China Footprint




Source: China Banking and Insurance Regulatory Commission (CBIRC), National Bureau of Statistics, Company disclosures, Our analysis




Related Insight


China Financials: Silver Linings Playbook 


AIA / China Post Life Deal: A Worthwhile Excursion

China

New China Life Insurance Company Ltd. provides life insurance services. The Company provides life insurance, accident insurance, health insurance products, and other related insurance products. New China Life Insurance offers services in China.

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New China Life Insurance (1336 HK)

ZhongAn Online P&C Insurance – Tapped By The Ugly Stick

ZHONGAN ONLINE INSURANCE: The CBIRC has rolled out the “Notice on Carrying out Special Rectification of Internet Insurance Disorders”, ordering...

Thomas J. Monaco

New China Life: The Company’s Latest Strategy Is Taking It Nowhere

New China Life's latest strategy is turning itself into a mediocre life insurer with a potentially mediocre wealth management business in which...

Alec Tseung

China Banks – Screws Tighten On LGFVs

CHINA BANKS: Recently the CBIRC issued guidance on implicit LGFV debt via Document 15 – further tightening the screws on mainland China's financial...

Thomas J. Monaco

AIA – Now Competing With Itself In China

AIA GROUP: AIA’s aggressive push into China continues with its 25% stake in China Post Life. The deal makes little sense financially, gives AIA no...

Thomas J. Monaco

AIA / China Post Life Deal: A Worthwhile Excursion

AIA's proposed investment in China Post Life may be immaterial financially, but it may deliver intangible benefits in the way of regulatory and...

Stanley Tsai, CFA

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52-week Range

Market Cap (USDm)

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