Manulife posts higher profit, strikes $3.2-billion reinsurance deal with Munich Re

Manulife Financial MFC-T reported higher second-quarter profit on Wednesday, driven by strong performance in its Asia and U.S. segments.

The insurer reported core earnings of $1.92-billion or $1.09 per share in the three months ended June 30, compared with $1.73-billion, or 95 cents per share, in the year earlier.

Analysts were expecting core earnings of $1.08 per share, according to LSEG data.

Manulife has spent the past decade shifting its growth focus toward Asia, betting on rising wealth, aging populations and growing demand for insurance and retirement products. Asian markets have become important contributors to earnings, with Manulife targeting half of its core earnings from the region by 2027.

Manulife, Sun Life CEOs see opportunities in China ahead of meeting with vice-premier

Core earnings from Manulife’s Asia business climbed 21 per cent to US$616-million in the quarter compared with the year-ago period. In the U.S., core earnings rose 55 per cent, helped by fewer claims in both life and long-term care policies.

The company’s wealth and asset management business also contributed, as core earnings jumped 9 per cent boosted by higher fee income. In Canada, however, core earnings fell by 10 per cent, hurt by higher expenses in group insurance.

Separately, Manulife announced a $3.2-billion reinsurance deal with Munich Re that will allow the insurer to transfer risk associated with a block of long-term care (LTC) policies.

CEO Phil Witherington noted that this was the third long-term care reinsurance transaction in less than three years and the first involving a standalone long-term care portfolio. The deal reflects the insurer’s ability to reduce its risk profile, he said.

“With this deal, we will reinsure 80 per cent of the biometric risk on a standalone LTC block, with no asset transfer, retaining a future earnings stream that will generate capital as the portfolio matures,” he said.