By Jhoo Dong-chan, The Korea Times | October 22, 2018
MetLife Korea, a local unit of the largest life insurer in the U.S., is gaining attention for high return of its whole life insurance product investing in the U.S. treasury bonds or promising firms there.
Earlier this year, MetLife Korea introduced the Universal Dollar Whole Life Insurance where a policyholder pays a premium and receives the insurance product’s benefits in dollars. A policyholder can also pay the premium in Korean won.
Capitalizing on the higher U.S. Fed rate, the life insurer said it invests premiums paid by policyholders in U.S. treasury bonds or the country’s rapidly growing firms.
Operated by the life insurer’s headquarters in the U.S., the insurance product boasts its cheap premium, around as much as 15 percent lower than those offered by other similar insurance products in the market. The product’s average rate of return also boasts the highest level in the market with 3.5 percent.
“Since the premium for this product is determined by dollar value, it can vary every month depending on the won-dollar exchange rate if you pay in Korean won,” MetLife Korea said.
“Against this backdrop, MetLife Korea allows them to pay the fixed amount equal to 115 percent to 230 percent of basic premium every month in Korean won. The remaining balance can be used in the following month’s top-up premium.”
Korea’s life insurers are reinforcing their financial structures to adopt the International Financial Reporting Standard (IFRS) 17, a new set of strengthened international reporting standards that will go into effect January 2021.
According to MetLife Korea, the life insurer’s risk-base capital (RBC) ratio stands at around 240 percent as of the second quarter of the year, a robust figure reflecting the government’s minimum recommendation of 150 percent. The RBC requirement refers to a rule that establishes minimum regulatory capital for financial institutions.
The IFRS 17 will require them to measure the liabilities of their insurance contracts by market value, not book value.