INTRODUCTION
Merger and acquisition are undertaken on the assumption that the combined will have greater value than the two companies alone (Mirvis & Marks 1992).
Increasing margin pressures are likely to provide the strongest impetus for further mergers and acquisition, especially deals with strong synergy potential. Margins have been declining for some time and acquiring competitors would enable companies to improve scale, build volume and exploit opportunities for cost saving rationalism (PriceWaterHouse Cooper, 2008).
However, despite optimistic and expectations, corporate mergers and acquisition frequently fail: at best, only half of all mergers and acquisitions meet initial financial expectations (Cartwright & Cooper 1993).
The insurance industry also do not spare from involves in the mergers and acquisition process due to market factors as well as business strategy. The insurance sector has been an important source of support to the economic development of Malaysia (Shazali & Alias, 2000). The importance of insurance stems from its ability in offering financial security for the insured, covering the whole spectrum of life and businesses. Being part of the financial system, the ability of the insurance sector to compete in the era of globalization is vital.
INDUSTRY BACKGROUND
The insurance industry in Malaysia further expanded in tandem with the favorable economic performance. The industry has been seeing a number of mergers and acquisitions. In 1990, there were 57 direct insurers, but the number has since dropped to 43 in 2007, while for takaful there are 9 operators in 2007. The insurance market structure is shown in the chart 1. With the several mergers in the industry, insurers are now in a better position to face up to foreign competition compared to few years before.
The consolidation, as seen recent years, has enabled Malaysia insurance companies to have a stronger financial and larger customer base and that means the ability to compete more effectively and successfully against the global players (Joanna 2003). For example, MCIS’s merger with Zurich Insurance in July 2002, has resulted in a bigger entity with capital base exceeding RM100 million, shareholders’ fund exceeding RM200 million and total assets exceeding RM2 billion. A similar move also taken by South East Asia Insurance, a subsidiary of DRB-Hicom Bhd, which acquiring Overseas Union Insurance Malaysia, a company under United Overseas Banking Group. This partnership has in turn led to the formation of Uni.Asia General Insurance.
The combined premium income for the insurance industry increased by 9.8 % to RM13 billion in the first half of 2007 as compared to 2.4 % or RM11.8 billion in the same period of 2006 (Bank Negara, 2007). In the third quarter report for 2007, Bharat Book Bureua has categorizing Malaysia as a medium-sized national market for non-life insurance and one where premiums are growing quickly. However, it appears that much of the growth is being accounted for by a booming economy: non-life penetration is emphatically not changing quickly.
Malaysia is in the second quartile in terms of absolute life premiums in 2006, and in the first quartile in terms of absolute growth of life premiums last year. It also categorise Malaysia as a medium-to-large-sized national market for life insurance and one where premiums are growing quickly. Despite the slow growth of population in Malaysia, much of the growth is being driven by an increase in life density.
Further deregulation of Malaysia's insurance sector is good news for buyers of non-life and life insurance. Whether it will accelerate the growth of an industry that is expanding rapidly is less certain.
Most of the major banking groups in Malaysia have a non-life and/or a life insurance affiliate. The existence of these affiliates has not automatically led to a boom in bancassurance.
In the non-life segment, it is expected that rationalisation will occur and that this will be led by the local firms that are bank-related. The publicly stated objective of Kurnia - presently the largest non-life firm, but one whose position is probably not unassailable - of lifting its share of the market to 30%, can only be accomplished at the expense of other insurers.
In the life segment, the positions of Great Eastern, AIG and Prudential plc (UK) look unassailable. ING, too, is strongly placed in Malaysia's life market.
Life Insurance
The life insurance is a type of insurance that pays a benefit upon the death of an insured person. In addition, life insurance can be used as a means of investment or saving. For the life insurance sector recorded strong growth, with the turnaround of new business premiums at 6.1 % to RM7.6 billion from RM7.2 billion in 2006. The increment was attributed by the increase in sales of investment and savings plans.
Market penetration of life insurance, as measured in terms of the total number of policies in force, grew to 3.6 %. This suggested the huge potential to increase of Malaysian life insurance market penetration to the level of developed countries, which exceeds 80.0 %.
Table 1: Life Insurance Business
New Business 2006 (RM million) 2007 (RM million)
Number of policies (‘000 units) 1,303.7 1,337.3
Sums insured 186,919.9 186,327.2
Total premiums 7,161.7 7,599.1
Business in force
Number of policies (‘000 unit) 10,534.5 10,909.2
Sums insured 672,901.7 723,000.7
Annual premiums 13,325.8 14,530.2
Premium income 17,120.2 18,898.9
Benefit payments 7,311.1 9,653.9
Source: Ministry of Finance
Table 2: LEADING LIFE INSURANCE COMPANY, 2004
Rank Company Gross Written Premium (RM million)
1. Kurnia Insurance 1,186.10
2. Allianze General Insurance 450.1
3. Malaysia National Insurance 413.7
4. Commerce Insurance 398.7
5. American Home 396.7
6. AmAssurance 389.2
7. Malaysia Assurance Alliance 357.8
8. Hong Leong Insurance 329.8
9. Uni.Asia General 312.4
10. AVIVA 290.8
Source: International Insurance Face Book 2008-09
General Insurance
As of April 2008, there were 39 member companies of General Insurance Association of Malaysia (PIAM) comprising licensed general insurance companies operating in Malaysia made up of 23 general insurers, 10 composite insurers and 6 general reinsurers (PIAM Annual Report, 2007).
Ministry of Finance reported that the general insurance industry recorded gross written premium growth of 3.91 % in 2007 to reach RM11.49 billion, while net premiums grew at a rate of 5.26 % to RM8.2 billion. Gross direct premiums increased by 4.23 % to RM10.04 billion as compared to RM9.64 billion a year before. See Table 3.
However, the general insurance sector, continued moderation in the sales of motor vehicles dampened growth in motor premium income.
Table 3: General Insurance Business
End-2006 End-2007
(RM million) (RM million)
Premium income:
Gross direct premiums 9,639.3 10,040.0
Net premiums 7,765.7 8,197.1
Earned Premiums 7,754.1 7,972.3
Reinsurence placed 954.1 879.9
outside Malaysia
Source: Ministry of Finance
Gross motor premiums increased slightly by 2.2 % to RM4.4 billion in 2007 as compared to RM4.3 billion in 2006. However, robust growth in the offshore oil-related sector boosted the expansion in marine, aviation and transit insurance premiums, enabling the industry to cushion the lower increment in motor vehicle.
Table 4: LEADING GENERAL INSURANCE COMPANY, 2005
No. Company Gross Written premiums
(RM million)
1. Great Eastern 3,813.9
2. Prudential 2,064.8
3. AIA 1,817.0
4. ING 1,284.1
5. MAA 653.6
6. Hong Leong 561.1
7. MCIS Zurich 366.6
8. Asia Life 372.0
9. Manulife 317.5
10. Allianz Life 330.0
Takaful Industry
From only one company in 1985, Bank Negara Malaysia has reported there are nine registered companies operating takaful in Malaysia in 2007. Takaful industry grew strongly, with combined takaful contribution income increasing by 36.2 % to RM1.2 billion, accounting for 8.1 % of the total premiums of the insurance industry as at end-June 2007. In the takaful sector, new business contributions expanded by 198.8 % to RM1,069.6 million (first quarter of 2006; -8.6 % or RM358 million). The growth was mainly attributed to mortgage takaful products in tandem with the expansion in bank lending to the mortgage sector. Market penetration, measured in terms of family takaful certificates in force to the total population, increased to 6.8 % as end-June 2007 (6.6 %; end-June 2006).
Table 4: Family and General Takaful Business
New Business End-2006 Jan-June 2007
(RM million) (RM million)
Family Takaful business
New business
Total contributions
(RM million) 1,266.6 1,069.6
Sums participated
(RM million) 33,627.3 24,031.1
Number of certificates 372,066 215,860
Business in force
Total contributions
(RM million) 734.2 818.8
Sums participated
(RM million) 118,053.5 126,896.5
Number of certificates 1,756,304 1,860,990
General takaful Business
Gross contributions
(RM million) 713.7 455.3
Net claims paid
(RM million) 158.1 100.9
Source: Ministry of Finance
In the general takaful sector, motor business remained dominant, with a growth of 44.2 % to RM191. 8 million ( end-June 2006; 44.2 %; RM133 million). Takaful assets increased and accounted for 6.2 % of the total assets of the insurance industry.
Malaysian Takaful Association (MTA) projected the premium of takaful would continue to grow by as much as RM600 million to RM3 billion in 2008 as compared with RM2.4 billion a year before (Bernama, 2008).
In 2006, takaful industry has providing 2,967 direct employments opportunities and 15,194 agents. However, there is a reduction in number of direct employees to 2,846, but for the agents, there are large number of increment to 43,843 in 2007.
No comments:
Post a Comment