Hong Kong insurer FWD plans joint venture in Shanghai as China opens financial sector
The company, part of tycoon Richard Li Tzar Ka’s Pacific Century Group, could take 51 per cent in the venture, according to reports
FWD Group, the insurance business of Hong Kong tycoon Richard Li Tzar Ka’s Pacific Century Group, has applied to set up a joint venture in Shanghai, as it looks to take advantage of Beijing’s policy of opening up its tightly regulated financial industry.
FWD and its Chinese partners applied to the China Banking and Insurance Regulatory Commission on May 4 to set up a life insurance joint venture in Shanghai, the Shanghai Financial Service Office said on its website on Monday.
The office did not give further details of the partners or disclose the shareholder structure of the planned joint venture. The Shanghai Securities News reported that FWD would take 51 per cent of the venture, the maximum China would currently allow under the new policy, and that two unnamed partners would hold the remainder.
FWD did not give details of the venture’s structure, saying only that it sees “a significant opportunity in China to meet the financial and insurance needs of mainland customers.”
China has embarked on a major opening of its financial markets, including allowing foreign investors to take a maximum 51 per cent equity stake in brokerage firms, as concerns rise over protectionism and trade frictions.