MS&AD Insurance Group Holdings, Inc.

MS&AD Insurance Group Holdings is extending gains. The Nikkei reported at 5 p.m. on the 3rd that the company is considering entering the European reinsurance brokerage business. John Fitzgerald, CEO of MS Transverse, the group's U.S. insurance subsidiary, revealed this in an interview with the Nikkei. MS Transverse's premium volume has grown sixfold in three years to about $3 billion, ranking second in the U.S. The company aims to leverage the network built in its U.S. operations to expand into Europe, including the UK.

CVC Capital Partners is co-leading a consortium of institutional investors committing capital to Standard Life's UK pension risk transfer business. CVC will commit £400 million, or $545.8 million, to the partnership, to be drawn over multiple years, as part of a consortium led by CVC and Prudential Financial, alongside Goldman Sachs and MS&AD. Together with £500 million from Standard Life, the consortium will fund up to £2 billion in total. Under the deal, CVC will provide Standard Life's PRT business with access to private market investment opportunities, including asset-backed lending, structured credit, real estate credit, infra credit, direct lending, opportunistic and liquid credit, as the firm eyes the £1.2 trillion of defined benefit pension liabilities yet to transfer to insurers. Standard Life will retain majority control of the venture, holding 51% of voting rights, with CVC and the consortium providing capital and asset origination. The partnership is expected to close in the first half of 2027, subject to regulatory approval.

Mitsui Sumitomo Insurance President Yutaka Hiroyama said the company is advancing dialogue under the keywords of understanding, acknowledging, and respecting as it prepares for the planned merger with Aioi Nissay Dowa Insurance in April 2027. Hiroyama has been informally appointed as president of the new merged entity, Mitsui Sumitomo Aioi Insurance, which aims to combine both firms' accident data and disaster prevention and mitigation expertise to create new value, such as reducing accidents and providing stable insurance premiums. With auto insurance falling into the red due to rising prices, he indicated a policy of implementing proactive and stable rate revisions, while also pushing ahead with a transformation to a business model that does not rely excessively on agents. The merged company is expected to lead the domestic market in net premium income, but Hiroyama stressed that rather than scale, he prioritizes becoming the insurance and financial group most chosen by customers, and is committed to tackling regional issues from a frontline perspective.

On July 8, multiple research firms maintained their top investment ratings on 13 stocks and raised their target prices. Morgan Stanley MUFG Securities raised its target price for Kumagai Gumi from 2,200 yen to 2,250 yen, for Penta-Ocean Construction from 2,400 yen to 2,500 yen, and for Infroneer Holdings from 2,850 yen to 3,150 yen, maintaining bullish ratings on all three. Goldman Sachs raised its target price for Sumitomo Electric Industries from 3,125 yen to 3,400 yen, for Hitachi from 6,100 yen to 6,300 yen, for Mitsubishi Electric from 7,000 yen to 7,400 yen, for Panasonic Holdings from 4,220 yen to 5,000 yen, and for Anritsu from 4,700 yen to 5,300 yen, maintaining buy ratings. Tokai Tokyo Intelligence Laboratory raised its target price for NHK Spring from 3,060 yen to 4,480 yen, and for MS&AD Insurance Group Holdings from 6,000 yen to 6,100 yen, maintaining bullish ratings. Nomura Securities raised its target price for As One from 3,400 yen to 3,500 yen, and for Pilot Corporation from 1,867 yen to 1,950 yen, maintaining buy ratings. Nikko Securities raised its target price for Chubu Electric Power from 3,000 yen to 3,500 yen, maintaining a bullish rating.