Blue, the Hong Kong digital insurance joint venture owned by Aviva, Hillhouse and Tencent opens today.
Blue, the Hong Kong digital insurance joint venture owned by Aviva plc. (“Aviva”), Hillhouse Capital (“Hillhouse”) and Tencent Holdings Limited (“Tencent”), opens today. Blue (www.blue.com.hk) plans to shake up Hong Kong’s insurance market with zero commission, easy-to-use, digital insurance.
From today, Hong Kong customers will be able to buy term life and critical illness products directly online. This is a significant change in a market which until now has been dominated by intermediaries. As the first digital life insurance company in Hong Kong, Blue provides customers with an easy-to-use, zero commission, online insurance platform. Blue is suited for customers who want to take charge of their own insurance protection and have flexibility to adjust their insurance plans according to changing needs.
Blue combines Aviva's insurance and digital expertise with Hillhouse's investment management capabilities and Tencent's technology, distribution and customer base.
The Hong Kong insurance market is one of Asia's largest and fastest growing, with annual gross insurance premium growth of 20% in 2016. It also presents a major opportunity to grow direct and digital sales, which currently account for less than 1% of all life insurance sales in Hong Kong.*
We are redefining insurance in Hong Kong. Simple products. No paperwork. No commissions. Hongkongers are incredibly mobile and tech-savvy, yet the insurance market has been among the most traditional in Asia. Until now. Our new digital life insurance brand in Hong Kong, Blue, will offer insurance that customers can buy directly from their mobile phones, without the intermediaries – and the commissions.
Charles Hung, Chief Executive Officer of Blue, said:
"Our purpose at Blue is to make people's lives easy by providing simple, flexible insurance solutions that come with zero commission. By removing the complexity from insurance, we are able to unlock exceptional value for customers. We encourage customers to take charge of their protection as we believe that they know their needs best."
Blue offers a digital experience throughout the entire insurance journey, with hassle-free engagement for customers at every step. It cuts out complicated processes and lengthy paperwork, and charges no commission as customers interact with Blue directly. It brings customers a new way of getting protection based on three fundamental principles:
Simple products and procedures that are easy to understand and follow
Blue offers an easy to use digital process that requires no paperwork. Customers will only have to answer three simple health assessment questions online to get the cover they need.
The product offerings from Blue are simple and easy to understand, focusing on customers’ core needs and risks that they care about the most. With simple terms, customers can easily understand what will or will not be covered in each policy.
Flexibility that accommodates changes in people’s lives
Blue provides an easy to use online journey for customers to purchase insurance anytime, anywhere in Hong Kong. Given life’s unexpected twists and turns, insurance needs can shift quickly. Blue offers customers exceptional flexibility and convenience to adjust their protection plans to suit their changing needs. This includes adjusting the protection amount, protection period, and payment period – with no penalties.
Extraordinary value with zero commission to maximise the benefit to customers
Blue maximises value for customers by charging no commission. Combined with an efficient digital platform, Blue is able to offer affordable plans.
Blue is the trade name of Aviva Life Insurance Company Limited, a joint venture between Aviva, Hillhouse and Tencent. The agreement to set up a digital insurer in Hong Kong was announced in 2017 and the joint venture transaction received approval from the Insurance Authority of Hong Kong in 2018.
*According to the Hong Kong Insurance Association
Enquiries:
Media:
Andrew Reid
+44 (0)20 7662 3131
Sarah Swailes
+44 (0)20 7662 6700
Analysts:
Chris Esson
+44 (0)20 7662 8115
Diane Michelberger
+44 (0)20 7662 0911
Notes to editors:
- We are the UK's leading diversified insurer and we operate in the UK, Ireland and Canada. We also have international investments in India and China.
- We help our 19.6 million (as at 31 August 2024) customers make the most out of life, plan for the future, and have the confidence that if things go wrong we’ll be there to put it right.
- We have been taking care of people for more than 325 years, in line with our purpose of being ‘with you today, for a better tomorrow’. In 2023, we paid £25.6 billion in claims and benefits to our customers.
- In 2021, we announced our ambition to become Net Zero by 2040, the first major insurance company in the world to do so. We are aiming to have Net Zero carbon emissions from Aviva’s operations and supply chain by 2030. While we are working towards our sustainability ambitions, we recognise that while we have control over Aviva’s operations and influence on our supply chain, when it comes to decarbonising the economy in which we operate and invest, Aviva is one part of a far larger global ecosystem. There are also limits to our ability to influence other organisations and governments. Nevertheless, we remain focused on the task and are committed to playing our part in the collective effort to enable the global transition. Find out more about our climate goals at at www.aviva.com/sustainability/climate and our sustainability ambition and action at www.aviva.com/sustainability.
- Aviva is a Living Wage, Living Pension and Living Hours employer and provides market-leading benefits for our people, including flexible working, paid carers leave and equal parental leave. Find out more at https://www.aviva.com/about-us/our-people/
- As at 30 June 2024, total Group assets under management at Aviva Group were £398 billion and our estimated Solvency II shareholder capital surplus as at 30 September 2024 was £7.6 billion. Our shares are listed on the London Stock Exchange and we are a member of the FTSE 100 index.
- For more details on what we do, our business and how we help our customers, visit www.aviva.com/about-us
- The Aviva newsroom at www.aviva.com/newsroom includes links to our spokespeople images, podcasts, research reports and our news release archive. Sign up to get the latest news from Aviva by email.
- You can follow us on:
- X: www.x.com/avivaplc
- LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/aviva-plc
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/avivaplc
- For the latest corporate films from around our business, subscribe to our YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/user/aviva
Tencent
- Tencent is a leading Internet value-added services provider in China. It operates two social platforms, namely QQ and WeChat, with monthly active user bases of over 800 million and over one billion respectively. Tencent's social platforms link users to a rich digital content catalogue including games, video, music and books.
Hillhouse
- Hillhouse is a firm of investors and executives with extensive experience in building businesses that last.
