Low yields force Asian insurers to reassess ALM strategies

With long-term bonds in short supply and falling interest rates putting pressure on earnings, Asian insurers are considering giving up on asset-liability matching in order to chase yield. Blake Evans-Pritchard reports

Across Asia, insurers have been complaining that there are insufficient long-dated instruments on the market for them to adequately match their liabilities. There are some signs that governments have been listening to these concerns – and there has been some fresh issuance of long-dated bonds – but supply is still outstripping demand to such an extent that some insurers are choosing to chase yield rather than do anything about their yawning asset-liability mismatches.

The extent of the problem