Life insurance

Allianz SE will take a 3.7 billion-euro ($4.2 billion) charge tied to the implosion of some of its U.S. hedge funds, bringing some clarity to months of uncertainty on the legal bill for the matter.

The demand for no-medical exam life insurance has grown in the last year, likely related to the COVID-19 pandemic. From October to December 2021, about 56% of applications submitted through Policygenius were for no-medical exam policies compared to January to March 2021, which was only 26%.

Allstate and John Hancock recently announced a partnership to reward John Hancock Vitality members with points if the policyholder is also a safe driver with the Allstate Drivewise program. The alliance is the first of its kind and could be an indicator of where the insurance industry may be going.

The unique partnership comes amid an increase in vehicle crash-related deaths and a desire to help customers understand how their choices could potentially support their overall health.

Amplify, a digital life insurance platform, is focused on helping customers build wealth through permanent life insurance.

In other news: Overhaul and Movingdots collaborate; Zurich Resilience Solutions adds DEI service; Vertafore names chief technology officer.

Asian insurance giant AIA Group Ltd. is considering selling some life insurance legacy assets in Australia as part of its strategy to streamline its portfolio, according to people familiar with the matter.

Zurich Insurance Group agreed to sell its Italian life and pensions back book to Portuguese insurer GamaLife, the first step in a plan by the Swiss company to improve capital allocations.

Wyshbox is the marketing name for Wysh Life and Health Insurance, which provides term life insurance for consumers with digital customized plans.

Chubb Ltd. is joining with insurance-tech startup Betterfly for offerings in Mexico, Colombia, Ecuador, Chile and Argentina as the companies seek to tap into under-served Latin American markets.

A list with the names of about 100 global investors has been shared with the 10 banks working on the deal and the institutions will approach different sets of investors, according to people with knowledge of the matter who asked not to be named as discussions are private.

The funding round was led by AIA Insurance Inc. as Tiki looks to expand into life insurance and plans a U.S. initial public offering.

In other news: AgentSync acquires Finvera; Cart.com teams up with Extend; SkyWatch launches usage-based insurance with Global Aerospace.

China Life Insurance Co. posted a drop in third-quarter profit as a slowing economy weighed on the nation’s largest life insurer.

In other news: Zurich releases cyber risk survey results; Hertz and Uber to add 50,000 Teslas to network; Amica selects Shift Technology.

About four in 10 executives cited technology as their company’s greatest challenge, twice as many as in 2019, according to a new survey from LIMRA and Boston Consulting Group.

The change is effective Jan. 1, when Lyons will move to the newly created role of executive vice president, global chief actuary and head of portfolio management, the New York-based insurer said in a statement Monday.

Life insurers are warning Chile that they may have their day in court if a bill that allows people to demand early annuity payments is passed into law.

Digital Insurance spoke with Maroun Mourad, president of global underwriting and leader of the life unit at Verisk about life insurance technology and what’s ahead for the industry.

This year’s 40% stock dive has cut its price-to-earnings ratio to just above 6, slightly more than the Shanghai Stock Exchange Property Index’s multiple of 5.7 and a far cry from the 20-plus commanded by insurance peers Berkshire Hathaway Inc. and AIA Group Ltd.