• InLife sells its 40% stake in Oona Philippines, making it Oona's fully owned subsidiary.

• Oona Philippines and InLife will still collaborate to cross-sell insurance products in the Philippines.

• Oona aims to strengthen its presence in the Philippines' non-life insurance market, backed by advanced technology and a buy-and-build strateg

  Photo by Ian Romie Ona on Unsplash

Jakarta, December 21, 2023 – Insular Life (InLife) and Oona Insurance group (Oona) recently jointly announced that they have entered into an agreement, with InLife selling

its 40% stake in their non-life insurance joint venture, Oona Insular Insurance Corporation (Oona Philippines), making it Oona’s fully owned subsidiary. Oona Philippines and InLife will continue their cooperation arrangements to cross-sell insurance products in the Philippines.

The agreement is expected to further boost Oona Philippines’ status in the general insurance industry, building upon the series of innovations and services that it has brought to the Philippine market since it set up shop in the country last year. InLife, on the other hand, will focus on its core life insurance and healthcare business to sustain the momentum it has achieved in the last couple of years. Latest data show the life insurer jumped to number five at the end of this year’s first half in terms of its New Business Annualized Premium Equivalent. InLife plans to support its scale and innovation efforts in its operations and distribution channels in its bid to move further up the rankings.

“As InLife moves forward to achieve accelerated growth and continue in its journey to provide customer service excellence through digital transformation and innovation, we will continue to support Oona’s plan to strengthen its presence in the Philippines,” said Executive Chairperson Nina D. Aguas.

“We are deeply grateful to InLife for being a remarkable partner during our lift-off stage over the past year, and we look forward to maintaining our cross-selling partnership with InLife going forward. We are very optimistic and believe this move will help us push for higher growth as we position ourselves to be a major player in the Philippines’ non-life insurance market,” said Abhishek Bhatia, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of the Oona Insurance group.

Headquartered in Singapore, Oona, is a leading digital general insurance platform and is backed by Warburg Pincus. Oona aims to become the general insurer of choice for both partners and customers through a buy-and-build strategy, leveraging the pillars of superior customer service, advanced technology, and a well-established brand across Southeast Asia. The firm currently operates in two markets in the region: Indonesia and the Philippines.

In Indonesia, Oona operates through its licensed insurance entity, PT Asuransi Bina Dana Arta, Tbk. Oona recently unveiled an innovative travel insurance product, Oona Flight Delay Insurance1, targeted at Indonesian travelers.

Oona’s flight delay insurance disrupted the Indonesian market being one of the first of its kind to be sold via WhatsApp and its chatbot, Yoona, on its website.

About Oona Insurance

Oona Insurance is focused on building the most transformative and customer-centric insurer across Southeast Asia. Set up in 2021, it has established a presence in Indonesia and the Philippines and is fully backed by a $350 million equity commitment from Warburg Pincus.

Oona, the new unified brand of these entities, offers quality products and services since early 2023, serving as a solid foundation for Oona's expansion across Southeast Asia's fast-growing insurance market.

For more information on Oona Insurance, please visit: www.oona-insurance.com

About Insular Life

Insular Life (InLife) is the first and largest Filipino life insurance company in the country with over 113 years of uninterrupted service. We apply over a hundred years of experience in financial protection, risk management, savings, and investment to help you make confident decisions for you and your loved ones.

Our policyholders can be assured of being protected by a company that has an asset base of over P147 billion and net worth of P50.2 billion. We have a nationwide presence through our 56 branches all over the country, and an expanded digital footprint to serve our customers, wherever and whenever they want. Our success is anchored on the well-being and security of our policyholders and beneficiaries, employees and financial advisors, partner companies and institutions, and host communities as we exist to offer A Lifetime for Good for everyone. For more information, please visit: www.insularlife.com.ph