MetLife Hong Kong Surges Ahead With Strong First-Half Performance

HONG KONG, CHINA--(Marketwired - Jul 8, 2016) - MetLife Hong Kong^{^}, a wholly-owned subsidiary of MetLife, Inc. (NYSE: MET), the #1 U.S. life insurer*, recorded rapid growth and broad strength in its business results. The first half of the year witnessed many milestones for MetLife Hong Kong. Notable achievements include 116% year-over-year business growth in the first quarter^# -- marking MetLife Hong Kong as one of the fastest growing life insurers in the market^#, 150% year-over-year agency force growth**, brokerage business growth of over 48 times year-on-year^#, and an expanding telemarketing network with a new long-term partnership.

Underpinning MetLife Hong Kong's success is a business strategy focused on product innovation, customer service excellence, and the expansion of its brokerage and agency businesses. Dr Nirmala Menon, Executive Vice President & Head of Designated Markets and Health at MetLife Asia Limited, remarked, "Hong Kong is a very important market to MetLife in Asia, and we see tremendous opportunity for further expansion thanks to our successful business strategy. Our agency force and brokerage business are cornerstones for our growth here, and we will continue our commitment to focus on delivering innovative, customer-centric products and services in Hong Kong. I look forward to MetLife Hong Kong's continued success in the market."

In addition to its business growth, MetLife Hong Kong's agency force continues to expand amid an ambitious recruitment strategy; with over 700 agents, it remains on course to exceed its 2016 recruitment target of 1,000 agents. MetLife Hong Kong is one of the fastest growing agencies in the industry with 150% year-over-year manpower growth**. This achievement underscores the success of its recruitment strategy.

Ms. Eva Wong, Chief Agency Officer of MetLife Hong Kong, said, "We are steadily progressing to achieve our 2016 agency recruitment target, and have already set aggressive plans to double the growth of our agency force to 2,000 in the near future. The remarkable growth of our agency force is a testament to our talent acquisition and agency career development strategy. Newly launched digital platforms such as WeTag and PopCoin provide communication, sales, and recruitment tools which truly engage our agents. We will continue to attract top talent and inspire a new generation of agents who thrive in our supportive and entrepreneurial culture."