Zheng Quan Shi Bao·2025-04-20 18:28Core Insights - The growth in premium income does not necessarily lead to an increase in insurance service income, as revealed in the 2024 annual reports of listed insurance companies [1][4]. Group 1: Insurance Service Income Trends - In 2024, the insurance service income showed divergence among listed insurance companies, with property insurance companies experiencing growth while life insurance companies saw declines [2][4]. - Among the three major property insurance companies, all reported increases in insurance service income: China Pacific Insurance at 191.4 billion yuan (up 8.1%), Ping An Property at 328.1 billion yuan (up 4.7%), and China Re at 485.2 billion yuan (up 6.1%) [2]. - Conversely, four out of five listed life insurance companies reported declines in insurance service income, with China Life down 2%, Ping An Life down 0.1%, China Taiping down 2.3%, and Xinhua Insurance down 0.5%. However, China Re Life reported a significant increase of 23% [2][3]. Group 2: Impact of New Accounting Standards - The implementation of the new insurance contract standards has changed how insurance income is reported, shifting from premium income to insurance service income, which is recognized based on the progress of service delivery rather than upon receipt of premiums [4][5]. - The difference in accounting treatment means that while premium income can be recognized immediately, insurance service income is recognized over the service period, leading to potential discrepancies between the two metrics [4][5]. - The insurance industry is still transitioning to the new standards, and there is a lack of understanding and focus on the insurance service income metric among industry participants [5][6]. Group 3: Future Outlook - As the industry adapts to the new standards, the importance of insurance service income is expected to increase, particularly for life insurance companies that are moving towards high-quality development and should focus on value premiums rather than just scale [6][7]. - The complexity of the insurance service income metric, which involves various assumptions and calculations, has contributed to its lower visibility compared to traditional premium income [5][6].