China tries to fill multibillion-dollar insurance black hole

Fears some may not be able to pay maturing policies grow as industry sinks

20240316 China insurance for Caixin

The former headquarters of Anbang Insurance Group, in Beijing: The conglomerate collapsed after a debt-fueled acquisition spree and was seized by the government in February 2018. © Reuters

WU YUJIAN and HAN WEI, Caixin

Nearly eight years after China launched a sweeping crackdown on aggressive practices among insurers, efforts to dismantle risks in troubled institutions are far from over, leaving, by some estimates, 1 trillion yuan in troubled assets.

Targeting insurers backed by private conglomerates, which leveraged their sprawling reach in the finance sector to fuel risky expansion, the crackdown has toppled freewheeling giants like Anbang Insurance Group and Tomorrow Holding.

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