Ge Long Hui·2025-08-21 19:59Core Viewpoint - AIA Group reported a strong performance for the first half of 2025, with notable increases in new business value (NBV) and annualized new premiums, despite a decline in net profit [1][2]. Financial Performance - NBV reached $2.84 billion, up 14% year-on-year, with Q2 showing an 18.9% increase [1] - Annualized new premiums totaled $4.94 billion, reflecting an 8% year-on-year growth [1] - After-tax operating profit was $3.6 billion, a 6% increase year-on-year, with earnings per share up 12% [1] - Net profit decreased to $2.53 billion, down 24% year-on-year [1] - Embedded value stood at $70.9 billion, unchanged from the beginning of the year, with embedded value operating profit at $5.9 billion, up 9% [1] Regional Contributions - Hong Kong remained the largest contributor to the group's NBV, accounting for 35% of the total, with a 24% increase to $1.06 billion [2] - Mainland China saw a 10% increase in NBV, with Q2 showing a 15% rise; new branches contributed to a 36% increase in NBV [2] - Thailand's NBV increased by 35% to $520 million, while Singapore's rose by 16% to $260 million; Malaysia's NBV decreased by 3% due to changes in the health insurance market [2] Product Structure and Value Margin - Overall NBV margin improved by 3.8 percentage points to 57.7% [3] - Mainland China's NBV margin increased by 2 percentage points to 58.6%, driven by policy changes and product repricing [3] - Thailand's NBV margin significantly increased to 115.7% due to one-time sales in personal medical insurance [3] Distribution Channels - Agent channel NBV grew by 17%, accounting for 73.4% of total NBV, with a margin increase of 4.4 percentage points to 72% [3] - Partner channel NBV increased by 8%, with bank assurance channel NBV up 10% [3] Investment Strategy - The company reduced fixed income allocation while maintaining stable equity asset proportions [4] - The annualized net investment return was 1.9%, down 0.1 percentage points year-on-year [4] Profit Forecast and Investment Rating - The company expects continued growth driven by new branches in Mainland China and strong performance in Hong Kong [4] - The embedded value forecast for 2025-2027 is $73 billion, $77.6 billion, and $82.8 billion, with corresponding growth rates of 5.8%, 6.3%, and 6.7% [4] - Current price-to-embedded value (PEV) ratios are 1.37x, 1.29x, and 1.21x for the respective years, maintaining a "buy" rating [4]