NTUC Income Makes First Foray Overseas, Offers Insurance-as-a-Service in Southeast Asia
Promises strategic local insurance partners new insurance business models and speed-to-market to capture digital-first consumers for growth
SINGAPORE - Media OutReach - 28 October
2021 -NTUC Income (Income), a leading composite insurer in
Singapore, today made its first overseas foray into three Southeast Asian
markets through strategic partnerships with PT Central Asia Financial (JAGADIRI)
in Indonesia, Post and Telecommunication Joint Stock Insurance Corporation
(PTI) in Vietnam and VSure Tech Sdn. Bhd (VSure) in Malaysia.
Income's CEO Andrew Yeo and
CDO Peter Tay at a Virtual Strategic Partnership Agreement Signing Ceremony
with partner representatives – Reginald Hamdani, CEO, JAGADIRI; Bùi Xuân Thu,
CEO, PTI and Eddy Wong, CEO and Co-founder, VSure
These strategic
alliances are built on Income's Insurance-as-a-Service (IaaS) model that enables
the company to bring digital-first insurance business models to partners overseas,
enhance their speed-to-market, and equip them with the right capabilities and
tools to capture new customer segments and revenue streams.
Partners will also be able to leverage Income's strong
brand reputation and track record in digital product innovation to support market
roll-out, as well as its technology know-how and connectivity with digital
ecosystems for greater agility to innovate at scale to meet consumers' changing
needs.
Since the start
of the COVID-19 pandemic[1], 70
million people in Southeast Asia (SEA) have become digital consumers and are making
online purchases more than before. Almost 80% of the population in SEA is
projected to become digital consumers by end 2021, signalling strong demand for
digital consumption in the region.
The market size
for digital insurance is also projected to reach US$7.6 billion by 2025[2], with digital financial
services taking off in SEA in a way that is exciting for both consumers and
businesses. More significantly, the acceleration of digital consumption is showing
no signs of abating, with nine in 10 new digital consumers intending to continue
using digital services in the future[3].
Andrew Yeo, Chief Executive
Officer, Income
said, "Our foray overseas opens a new chapter of growth for Income and is a
natural next step in our strategic growth plan. The market potential of
countries like Indonesia, Malaysia and Vietnam is huge given their relatively
young populations and high mobile penetration rates. Considering their large
geographical distribution areas, I believe that these markets are especially primed
for new digital insurance propositions that are enabled by technology. The
diversity of our regional partners is a testament to the value of our IaaS
model and more significantly, signals that Income is well placed to work with
any partner in Asia."
Yeo added, "As a born and bred insurer in Singapore, we
understand that homegrown businesses know their local consumers best, hence the
partnerships are a win-win for us. By forming strategic alliances with
like-minded local partners, it allows us to understand the demands of Asia's
digital-first population first-hand, scale our offerings quicker through our
partner ecosystems, and most importantly, better relate insurance to customers and
make insurance accessible to more. Income's purpose is to empower better
financial well-being for all, and to offer insurance access even to the
underserved among us. We aim to stay committed to our cause even as we plant
our flag abroad."
Bringing innovative new insurance business models
to overseas markets
Since the inception of
the Digital Transformation Office (DTO) more than four years ago, Income has
been innovating and rolling out new insurance business models such as
micro-insurance (SNACK), subscription insurance (TRIBE) and
usage-based insurance (Milesurance, Gigsurance and Freightsurance).
These propositions bring
to market a new way of engaging with, and consuming insurance that is embedded
in customers' lifestyles. This calls for a shift in conventional insurance mindset
and appetite for unprecedented risks, alongside a new appreciation for data,
insurtech and an iterative approach to product design and roll-out.
Peter
Tay, Chief Digital Officer, Income said, "As we bring new insurance innovations to the market,
we are able to fold our experience and learn from reimagining insurance across
the value chain into an Insurance-as-a-Service model. Our regional partners recognise
the immense competitive advantage that comes with the model as Income grows our
digital ecosystem and continues to evolve our way of working with ecosystem
partners, be it in Singapore or regionally. The IaaS model, thus, plays to our strength as a digital
insurer, connecting partners with the right capabilities, technology know-how
and innovative insurance models to transform and scale their business models
efficiently."
Tay
added, "JAGADIRI, PTI and VSure are well-respected
brand names in their respective markets. We are honoured to have them onboard
our IaaS model and look forward to bringing more ground-breaking insurance
propositions to delight customers and plug the protection gaps in these
markets. Whether it is through our borderless and modular plug-and-play application
program interface (API) microservices, product innovations, seamless customer
journey design or dynamic pricing capabilities, we are confident that the IaaS
model will not just complement, but value add to partners' existing solutions and
strengthen their value propositions in the insurance, broker or insurtech
arenas."
Partnering homegrown businesses to cater to the needs
of the local market
As part of Income's
strategic partnerships with JAGADIRI, PTI and VSure, these companies will be
the first in Indonesia, Vietnam and Malaysia to launch Dropletrespectively
across four cities including Greater Jakarta, Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh
City, as well as Kuala Lumpur.
Droplet is a first-of-its-kind micro-insurance
product that is designed to address a major pain point of consumers in
Southeast Asia – price surges on ride-hailing platforms during rainy days.
In 2020, the total market value of ride hailing in SEA was estimated to
be at US$11billion[4], with Indonesia leading (US$5 billion) the pack, followed by Singapore
(US$2 billion), Vietnam (US$1.6 billion) and Malaysia (US$1.1 billion). With the total value of
the ride hailing market in SEA projected to increase by almost four times to
US$42 billion by 2025, this tremendous demand for ride-hailing services among
Southeast Asians has given rise to the need for "rainsurance" like Droplet to protect consumers
financially against price surges on these platforms, particularly during the
monsoon season.
"Technology-enabled lifestyle has opened up real
opportunities for insurance solutions. The ride-hailing phenomenon and the
launch of Droplet are cases in point. We are bullish about lifestyle-embedded
insurance propositions such as Droplet and will continue to take inspirations
from lifestyle pain points of consumers in Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia,
Vietnam, and beyond to drive innovation, co-create digital-first insurance
products and customer journeys for more people regionally," enthused Peter
Tay.
"JAGADIRI
is one of the pioneers of e-commerce insurance in Indonesia and we are very
proud to collaborate with NTUC Income from Singapore. We believe that this
very strategic partnership can provide innovative technology-based insurance
solutions for the people of Indonesia.
For the
first time in Indonesia, we are introducing such a novel proposition,
Droplet, also known as JAGA HUJAN, as part of our "lifestyle-based insurance"
which is designed to provide protection against price hikes when consumers
use ride-hailing during rainy days. This partnership allows for flexibility
to adapt Droplet for local consumption such that consumers in Indonesia can
also get insurance protection, so they feel safe when on the road. We hope
this collaboration will be the beginning of more technology-based innovative
insurance products to come."
"We see great synergy in what
Income's Digital Transformation team (DTO) is doing when it comes to
innovation in insurance, which is similar to PTI Digital's approach on
Digital and Micro insurance. We are excited to bring Droplet's unique
proposition, which has been successfully implemented in Singapore, to
Vietnam. The end-to-end product and technology offering, from price risk
calculation to purchase flow and claims processes, fits perfectly with the
vision of PTI in developing innovation in micro-insurance that fits the
lifestyle of our customers."
"We are delighted to be able
to partner with NTUC Income to bring a new type of digital insurance offering
to mass Malaysians through Droplet. This solution and its potential impact
strongly resonates with VSure's identity as an On-Demand Lifestyle Digital
Insurer and is synonymous to our vision to continuously bring innovative and
affordable protection coverage to the masses.
Malaysians are no strangers
to rain, and we believe protection against ride hailing pricing surge during
rainy days is a great example of insurance reimagined to be palatable for the
consumers and their modern lifestyles of today. We are thrilled to be able to
be the partner that brings Droplet into Malaysia, which serves as another way
to educate the underserved Malaysian communities about the vitality of
staying protected, through bite-sized protection plans that suits the needs
of their active and diverse lifestyles.
This partnership means a
great deal to VSure, as it marks the beginning of two companies with similar
goals working together to make insurance even more accessible and relevant to
the Southeast Asia markets.
Our collaborative partnership
with Income will not stop here, and we will eventually flourish into many
other joint innovative and novelty protection propositions into the Malaysia
market. We firmly believe in this cross regional collaborative model will
move forward and evolve our future of protections to the masses, which create
a whole new suite of protections for modern lifestyles."
NTUC
Income Insurance Co-operative Ltd (Income) is a leading
composite insurer in Singapore, serving more than two million
policyholders. Our ambition is to protect every life and every home by making
insurance simple, accessible and personal for individuals from all walks of
life.
Income's
innovative, data-driven and omni-channel approach puts us at the forefront of
customer-centric solutions to meet rapidly evolving needs and help empower
better financial well-being.
Income was established in 1970 and remains the only
insurance co-operative in Singapore. Our financial strength and diversified
investment portfolio is reflected by our strong credit rating which underpins
the delivery of our commitment to customers.
PT Central Asia Financial
(CAF), which is part of the Salim Group, received a license to operate from the
Financial Services Authority (OJK) on March 13, 2013. In running its business,
CAF is committed to the principle of direct selling, which focuses on digital
marketing, telemarketing and community marketing. On January 27, 2015, CAF
launched the JAGADIRI brand as one of the pioneers of e-commerce insurance in
Indonesia that provides Instant Protection (instant and immediate protection),
Claim Certainty Process (guarantee of claim acceptance) and Best Transparent
Price (affordable and transparent costs). JAGADIRI innovates by providing
insurance products through the mobile friendly website www.jagadiri.co.id.
Supporting the trend of
financial digitization, JAGADIRI wants to answer customers' needs by providing
innovative and relevant insurance solutions by reaching them closer, faster and
easier. JAGADIRI's hassle-free insurance prioritizes customers' convenience and
protection needs, supported by digital technology. Customers can
buy insurance products at affordable prices starting from Rp5,000.00 without
having to meet an agent. The process only takes less than 5 minutes, and
payments can be made directly online. Insurance claims can also be made easily
online through JAGADIRI's self-serve website, where payment status and
customer claims can be viewed in real time.
Post and Telecommunication Joint Stock Insurance Corporation (PTI)
PTI is one of the three largest
non-life insurance companies in Vietnam. PTI is an enterprise that always
maintains consistently high growth, affirming its place as the No.1 leading
company in the market for motor vehicle insurance, and No. 2 for health,
critical illness and personal accident insurance.
PTI has constantly been adopting
technology to develop products and services that offer customers the best
experience. PTI has received the Certificate of B ++ financial capacity
rating from the world's largest financial credit rating
agency A.M.Best and is also an enterprise that Vietnam Report
cooperates with other Professor Harvard University - US ranked as TOP 500
Vietnam's largest enterprises (VNR500)
VSure Tech Sdn. Bhd (VSure.life)
VSure is Malaysia's first
on-demand lifestyle digital insurer approved by the Central Bank of Malaysia
under the Fintech Regulatory Sandbox Framework.
VSure is a full stack digital
insurer with full suite of capabilities ranging from regulatory and licensing
agility, product innovation, design and underwriting, go-to-market and
end-to-end customer experience management.
VSure reimagines and transforms
how insurance protection is done. Our mission is to provide everyone with
access to affordable and transparent products, on-demand protection for modern
lifestyles in a simple & innovative way and sharing our expertise with
governments and regulators to drive socio economic empowerment, adequate
protection, and better financial resilience for the masses.
VSure aims to be the leading
digital insurer in Southeast Asia focusing on usage-based protection wrapped
around modern lifestyles. VSure also provides value-add proposition for
businesses via curation of bespoke products and services.
Founded in 2018, VSure takes
pride in celebrating the evolving modern digital lifestyles of customers by
continuously reimagining protection to be more accessible, envisioning a future
where protection is inclusive and becomes second nature for everyone.
VSure is continuously pushing the
needle to drive positive applications of its product and services, expanding
the boundaries of tech for good through VSure's own charity virtual event
series in which proceeds goes to impactful social welfare organisations.