AXA SA

AXA Hong Kong and Macau has signed an agreement with enterprise technology provider BytePlus to develop and deploy AI solutions across the insurance value chain. The partnership will explore insurance-specific AI models, intelligent agents, and decision support tools across areas including knowledge management, underwriting, claims, and distribution, and AXA also plans to use BytePlus's predictive analytics and consumer persona modelling capabilities to strengthen customer insights and deliver more personalised interactions. The two companies additionally intend to develop an AI-powered creativity hub using multimodal and generative AI to support content creation and marketing. The deal comes as a GlobalData poll conducted across Verdict Media sites in Q3 2026 found that 34.4% of insurance industry insiders believe underwriting and risk profiling will be the area of the insurance value chain most positively impacted by AI, followed by customer service at 20.4%, claims management at 18.3%, and product development at 16.1%.

Axa Chief Executive Officer Thomas Buberl said the insurer will prioritize efficiency and shareholder returns over acquisitions after raising its profitability and growth targets for the next three years. Speaking to Bloomberg Television, Buberl described the new plan as a continuation of the current one, under which all countries and all lines of business are now performing extremely well. He said the next phase centers on organic growth and leveraging that position to gain additional market share, while bolt-on deals will still be considered under the company's long-standing policy. Asked about risks to the outlook, including France's presidential election next year, Buberl said the insurance sector is driven by structural factors such as population growth, rising risk, longer longevity and questions around retirement and health. He added that short-term political uncertainty never does any good for business, but that nobody in France will change their medical or household insurance because of it.

AXA Hong Kong and Macau announced the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding with BytePlus Pte. Ltd., an enterprise-grade technology solutions provider, to integrate BytePlus's Artificial Intelligence and Large Language Models solutions into AXA's operations across the insurance value chain. The co-innovation framework covers three key areas: insurance innovation and future capabilities, including insurance-specific AI models, intelligent agents and decision-intelligence solutions spanning knowledge management, underwriting support, claims processing and multi-channel distribution; customer intelligence for personalised engagement, using predictive data analytics, consumer persona modelling and AI-driven decision support; and AI-powered creativity and marketing enablement, establishing a creativity hub built on multimodal and generative AI technology. David Ng, Deputy Chief Executive Officer of AXA Hong Kong & Macau, said the partnership represents a major milestone for the company's AI roadmap and that AXA aims to co-innovate specialised, insurance-specific AI models while maintaining the highest standards of Responsible AI. Elsa Wang, General Manager of BytePlus Hong Kong & Macau, said Hong Kong is a vital international gateway for enterprise technology deployment and that the partnership provides an ideal platform to co-innovate high-impact, industry-specific solutions. Management and representatives from both companies attended and witnessed the MOU signing ceremony.

AXA Hong Kong and Macau has launched GBA EverGuard Medical Insurance, a comprehensive medical protection plan designed to meet rising demand for cross-border healthcare in the Greater Bay Area. The plan offers full cover for hospitalisation, surgery, and non-surgical cancer treatments in the Chinese mainland, with no itemised sub-limits, and provides flexibility for designated illnesses or major surgeries to be treated in Hong Kong, Macau, or Taiwan, subject to a 20% coinsurance. It also includes enhanced Traditional Chinese Medicine treatments, rehabilitation support, and access to AXA Health Concierge for cashless arrangements and healthcare navigation. The launch follows an AXA-commissioned survey of 600 Hong Kong residents, which found that 68% have received medical treatment in the mainland, with 87% worried about treatment costs and 88% concerned about long waiting times in Hong Kong. The plan guarantees renewal up to age 100 and includes value-added services such as a complimentary medical check-up every three years of no-claim.

AXA Hong Kong and Macau has been selected among the first batch of participants in the GenA.I. Sandbox++, a cross-sector regulatory initiative jointly launched by the Hong Kong Monetary Authority, the Securities and Futures Commission, the Insurance Authority, and the Mandatory Provident Fund Schemes Authority, in collaboration with Hong Kong Cyberport Management Company Limited. Through the sandbox, AXA will leverage Cyberport's AI Supercomputing Centre to develop and test a dedicated use case focused on AI governance, cyber resilience, and risk mitigation. The initiative aims to foster responsible AI adoption across financial services, and AXA's participation underscores its commitment to strengthening enterprise risk mitigation and enhancing customer trust. Sally Wan, Chief Executive Officer of AXA Greater China and AXA Global Private, said the selection affirms AXA's technological leadership and dedication to responsible AI, while David Ng, Deputy Chief Executive Officer of AXA Hong Kong and Macau, highlighted the importance of governance and human oversight in shaping Hong Kong-specific AI approaches.

Sun Hung Kai Properties Limited and AXA Hong Kong and Macau have signed a major leasing agreement for the International Gateway Centre, with AXA committing approximately 97,500 square feet across two and a half floors for its new distribution office and wealth management hub. The 10-year lease, scheduled for occupancy in early 2028, underscores AXA's confidence in Hong Kong's future and its commitment to expanding distribution capabilities in the region. The new space will serve as a flagship for AXA's wealth and legacy planning offerings, leveraging IGC's location above Hong Kong's only High Speed Rail terminus for connectivity to major Chinese Mainland cities. IGC is SHKP's new flagship integrated commercial development, comprising two twin towers of four Grade-A office blocks with approximately 2.5 million square feet of premium space, plus a five-level retail podium with over 600,000 square feet of gross floor area.

AXA XL has agreed to buy the shares in S-RM that it does not already own, giving it full ownership of the UK-based corporate intelligence and cybersecurity consultancy. AXA XL currently owns around 49% of S-RM, and the transaction extends an existing partnership between the two firms. Financial terms were not disclosed, and the deal is expected to close by the end of September 2026, subject to regulatory approvals. S-RM will continue serving its global client base within AXA XL Risk Advisory, a newly created prevention-focused business unit. The announcement follows AXA Group's H1 2026 results, which showed a 5% rise in total gross written premiums and other revenues to €66.28 billion and a 9% increase in net income to €4.17 billion.

AXA reported a 6 percent rise in first-half net income to 4.171 billion euros, driven by premium growth, and now expects fiscal 2026 underlying earnings per share growth at the upper end of its 6 to 8 percent plan target range. Underlying earnings edged up 2 percent to 4.537 billion euros, while gross written premiums and other revenues increased 3 percent to 66.288 billion euros. The Property & Casualty segment generated 35.072 billion euros in gross written premiums, and the Life & Health segment reached 31.164 billion euros. The company will present its new strategic plan for 2027 to 2029 on September 15.

AXA Hong Kong and Macau has won seven accolades at the Bloomberg Businessweek Financial Institutions Awards 2026, including Insurance Company of the Year in the General Insurance Sector for the second consecutive year. The insurer also secured its sixth straight win for Savings Insurance awards and retained the Employee Benefit (Service) award for the third year in a row. Additional recognitions came in the Voluntary Health Insurance and High Net Worth Product categories, highlighting AXA's strength in health insurance and its strategic focus on the high-net-worth segment. The awards span general insurance, wealth management, health insurance, employee benefits, and ESG sustainability, reflecting the company's multi-line capabilities and customer-first approach.

AXA Hong Kong and Macau announced the successful completion of its annual global volunteering campaign, AXA Week for Good 2026, which ran from 8 to 17 June. Over 1,000 employees participated, collectively contributing more than ten thousand volunteer hours. The campaign focused on climate change and biodiversity, and social inclusion, using a hybrid online-and-offline approach. A key initiative was the Walk for Change online fundraising campaign through the Emma digital platform, where employees' cumulative steps were converted into donations to support horseshoe crab conservation and breeding programmes at Ocean Park Hong Kong. Physical activities included handcraft workshops led by local women, with artworks donated to elderly care homes and centres for children with intellectual disabilities, and inclusive arts and animal-assisted therapy sessions involving individuals with Down syndrome and hearing impairments.