The Asia-Pacific Financial Forum (APFF) held its first Conference on Insurance Regulations and Accounting hosted by Deloitte in collaboration with Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, AIA and Nippon Life, inviting speakers/panelists from IASB, insurance supervisory authorities, accounting firms and industry experts in the APEC region.
To better understand key issues and recent developments, the conference brought together key stakeholders in the public and private sectors to exchange viewpoints on IFRS 17 Insurance Contracts, the Insurance Capital Standard (ICS) and new solvency regimes in Asia-Pacific. Given the complexity of IFRS 17 and the wide-ranging implications for insurers with international operations, the event focused on key issues and opportunities surrounding implementation, as well as the impact the new standard may have on many of the regulatory regimes that are being revised across the region. Leading experts on these topics shared their opinions on these latest developments.
Material
Agenda of APFF Conference on Insurance Regulations and Accounting (via ABAC)
APFF Conference Speakers’ Bios
Mack welcomed the participants on behalf of APFF. The following speakers also delivered opening remarks.
- Mr. Francesco Nagari, Global IFRS Insurance Leader and Partner, Deloitte China
- Mr. John Leung Chi-yan, Chief Executive Officer, Hong Kong Insurance Authority
- Prof. Veronique J A Lafon-Vinais, Associate Professor of Business Education, Department of Finance, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology
- Makoto Okubo, Sherpa, APFF Insurance and Retirement Income Work Stream; and General Manager, Nippon Life Insurance Company
SESSION 1 APFF AND ITS WORK TO EXPAND LONG-TERM INVESTORS BASE
This session aimed to provide an overview of APFF and its activities to promote roles of insurers and pension funds to support sustainable long-term growth of the Asia Pacific, including retirement savings and lifetime income solutions, infrastructure investment, regulations and accounting.
Mack delivered an overview presentation to summarize APFF activities and high level recommendations, including regulatory and accounting issues that have been identified by the APFF.
The panel was moderated by Prof. Veronique J A Lafon-Vinais, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, and discussed why regulatory and accounting issues matter for insurers to support sustainable growth. The following panelists joined the panel:
- Dr. Brian Murray, Leader on infrastructure investment/capital market, APFF Retirement and Long-Term
Investment Working Group; Head of Economic Strategies, Investment Department, AIA Group - Makoto Okubo, Sherpa, APFF Insurance and Retirement Income Work Stream; and General Manager, Nippon Life Insurance Company
SESSION 2 IFRS17 AND KEY ISSUES IN THE ASIA-PACIFIC REGION
This session aimed to learn about IFRS17, the new international accounting standards on insurance contracts, recently published by the IASB, and discuss key issues and implications in the region.
Mr Darrel Scott, Board Member, International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) delivered a keynote speech to summarize IFRS17 and implications for insurance companies, focusing on the differences between IFRS4 and IFRS17.
Material
Keynote Speech by Mr Darrel Scott “An Overview of IFRS17”
The panel was moderated by Mr David Ogloza, Associate Director, insurance industry, Deloitte China and discussed benefits and challenges of the IFRS17 and exchanged viewpoints. The following distinguished experts in the region joined as panelists.
- Mr. Kenneth Dai, Vice President & Chief Actuary, Asia Division, Manulife Financial Asia Limited
- Mr. Douglas A. Lecocq, Regional Director, Actuarial Reporting, Prudential Corporation Asia
- Mr. Abel Lin, Executive Vice President, Cathay Life
- Mr. Francesco Nagari, Global IFRS Insurance Leader and Partner, Deloitte China
- Mr. Jeong Hyeok Park, Asia Oceania Standard Setters Group (AOSSG) Insurance Working Group Leader; General Manager, Samsung Life Insurance Company
SESSION 3 NEW SOLVENCY REGIME AND KEY ISSUES IN ASIA-PACIFIC
This session aimed to learn about solvency reforms in the region, and discuss key issues and implications in the region, which includes discussions on ICS, and indirect impact of IFRS17 in solvency regimes.
Dr Yulong Zhao, Director of the Finance and Accounting Department, China Insurance Regulatory Commission (CIRC) delivered a keynote speech to describe C-ROSS, a new solvency regime in China, with focus on implementation, Phase II and C-ROSS/IFRS Valuation.
Material
Keynote Speech by Dr Yulong Zhao “C-ROSS: Implementation and New Progress”
The panel was moderated by Makoto Okubo, Nippon Life, and discussed solvency reforms, ICS and use of IFRS17 for solvency purpose, including topics such as discount rate, necessary adjustments, tax implications, etc.
The following distinguished experts in the region joined as panelists.
- Mr. Simon Dai, Partner, Consulting, Deloitte China
- Dr. Peter Duran, Group Senior Actuary, AIA Group
- Ms. Jenny Ross, Vice President, Accounting Policy, MetLife
- Mr. Raymond Tam Wai-man, Executive Director, Policy and Development, Hong Kong Insurance Authority
Lastly, the following speakers delivered closing remarks.
- Mr. Francesco Nagari, Global IFRS Insurance Leader and Partner, Deloitte China
- Mr. John Leung Chi-yan, Chief Executive Officer, Hong Kong Insurance Authority
- Prof. Veronique J A Lafon-Vinais, Associate Professor of Business Education, Department of Finance, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology
- Makoto Okubo, Sherpa, APFF Insurance and Retirement Income Work Stream; and General Manager, Nippon Life Insurance Company