AXA Group - one of the world's biggest insurers - is eyeing acquisition opportunities in the Asia-Pacific region as part of its expansion plans.
Francois de Meneval, the group's international operations chief executive, said Asian economies had recovered from the crisis and were heading back to substantial growth.
'Asia represents a region of significant future potential for life insurance business growth,' he said.
French-based AXA is the largest insurance group in the world in terms of total assets. It is also the ultimate parent of Hong Kong insurer AXA China Region.
It operates in 11 Asian countries including Hong Kong, the mainland, Singapore, Japan, Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, Philippines, India, South Korea and Vietnam. The region, excluding Japan, last year generated HK$9 billion in premium income.
This year it acquired about 96 per cent of Nippon Dantai - ranked 13th among Japan's life insurance companies.