The Business Times
Genevieve Cua

Genevieve Cua

WEALTH EDITOR

Genevieve Cua is wealth editor for The Business Times. She covers wealth management, focusing on issues relating to portfolios, retirement, insurance and healthcare. She writes a fortnightly column, Mind the Gap, and hosts WealthBT podcasts.

emailgen@sph.com.sg
email@GenCuaBT
The Integrated Shield Plan market has struggled for years with rising premiums and poor profitability, as rising medical inflation and an ageing population have driven up claims.

Some IP insurers hike premiums of base plans for private hospital and A-class wards

This comes after launch of new, cheaper riders which do not cover deductibles, the latest effort to curb ‘buffet syndrome’

MAS will introduce equity counter-cyclical adjustments, designed to reduce procyclical behaviours during sharp market downswings.

Insurers’ search for yield must not compromise policyholder protection, says MAS assistant MD

They must exercise strong risk management and apply robust stress testing, adds the central bank’s assistant MD Marcus Lim

The upheaval in the private debt market due to software-as-a-service exposure is likely to create opportunities in distressed debt.

Robust growth seen for Asia-Pacific private debt

Lighthouse Canton’s Sanket Sinha expects the market to expand by 15-20% a year

Private credit funds are seeing their "first true outflow cycle", says Morningstar's Brian Moriarty. "It's up to asset managers to prove they can handle that pressure."
MIND THE GAP

Redemption gates in private credit: stress signal or protective feature?

Gating isn’t a denial of investors’ rights, but a mechanism to protect the interests of the fund and investors

Assets with a low correlation to stocks and bonds, such as gold, can help to cushion portfolios against market shocks.
WHO’S WHO IN PRIVATE BANKING

Shock-proofing your portfolio

Diversification is a must, but so are alternative assets that can buttress your portfolio, such as gold

In response to the liquidity crunch, BlackRock has allowed redemptions up to the 5% limit for the HPS Corporate Lending Fund.
THINKING ALOUD

Acid test for private credit

PRIVATE credit is at a crossroads.

Oil prices have shot up and down in the wake of the US-Israeli strikes on Iran and subsequent developments.
MIND THE GAP

How scary is geopolitical risk? Oil price is key

Developments in the Gulf conflict are testing investors’ penchant to buy the dip

Large policies like indexed universal life are a tool in legacy planning as their cash payout makes it possible to equalise the distribution of an estate to heirs, unlike real estate or a business.
MIND THE GAP

Indexed universal life plans hit the sweet spot among wealthy and mass-affluent clients

Demand for such jumbo policies is driven by rising wealth creation in Asia-Pacific

Carlton Crabbe, chief executive of Capital for Life, says most problems in indexed universal life arise not from fees, but from unrealistic expectations or clients failing to fund the policy consistently and on time.

Points to consider before you commit to an indexed universal life plan

It is important to revisit the plan periodically, and ensure that you are able to consistently fund the premiums

Benoit Meslet, CEO of Manulife Singapore, expects "double-digit growth" annually in the segment of high-net-worth insurance.

Manulife issues record US$300 million life policy for a single client

The sale reflects a nascent but growing use of insurance for legacy and succession planning among high-net-worth families

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