Asia
Ex-AIA insurance agent pleads guilty to fraud in Singapore
A former agent of pan-Asian life insurance company AIA pleaded guilty for the second time on Thursday to defrauding an elderly couple of more than $5m (£3.4m, €4.4m) after withdrawing her earlier plea.
Funds in Asia see huge Q1 outflows
Around $39bn fled funds in Asia during the first quarter of this year, and one asset class took an enormous hit, according to data from Strategic Insight.
Zurich signs $135m deal to buy Malaysian Islamic insurer MAA
Zurich Insurance has signed a deal to buy Malaysia’s MAA Takaful for $134.6m (£92.7m, €117m), giving Europe’s fifth biggest insurer a foothold in the world’s second largest Islamic insurance market.
HSBC Private Bank appeals record Hong Kong fine
In a misconduct case more than a decade old, HSBC Private Bank is appealing against a record HK$605m regulatory fine (£53.7m, $77.9m, €67.8m) and the possible revocation of its license to advise on securities.
Montpelier shuts KL office, transfers clients to 360
Malaysian-based financial advisory firm Montpelier has closed its troubled Kuala Lumpur office, transferred all client business to Labuan-regulated Three Sixty Financial (360) and parted ways with two former directors, Stuart Williamson and Diane Docherty.