| 2.11 | Insurance contracts and investment contracts |
| 2.11.1 | Classification |
The Group issues contracts that transfer insurance risk or financial risk or both. The contracts issued by the Group are classified as insurance contracts and investment contracts. Insurance contracts are those contracts that transfer significant insurance risk. They may also transfer financial risk. Investment contracts are those contracts that transfer financial risk without significant insurance risk. A number of insurance and investment contracts contain a discretionary participating feature (“DPF”). This feature entitles the policyholders to receive additional benefits or bonuses that are, at least in part, at the discretion of the Group.
| 2.11.2 | Insurance contracts |
| 2.11.2.a | Recognition and measurement |
| (i) | Short-term insurance contracts |
Premiums from the sale of short duration accident and health insurance products are recorded when written and are accreted to earnings on a pro-rata basis over the term of the related policy coverage. Reserves for short duration insurance products consist of unearned premium reserve and expected claims and claim adjustment expenses reserve. Actual claims and claim adjustment expenses are charged to net profit as incurred.
The unearned premium reserve represents the portion of the premiums written net of certain acquisition costs relating to the unexpired terms of coverage.
Reserves for claims and claim adjustment expenses consist of the reserves for reported and unreported claims and reserves for claims expenses with respect to insured events. In developing these reserves, the Group considers the nature and distribution of the risks, claims cost development, and experiences in deriving the reasonable estimated amount and the applicable margins. The methods used for reported and unreported claims include the case-by-case estimation method, average cost per claim method, chain ladder method, etc. The Group calculates the reserves for claims expenses based on the reasonable estimates of the future payments for claims expenses.
| (ii) | Long-term insurance contracts |
Long-term insurance contracts include whole life insurance, term life insurance, endowment insurance and annuity policies with significant life contingency risk. Premiums are recognised as revenue when due from policyholders.
The Group uses the discounted cash flow method to estimate the reserve of long-term insurance contracts. The reserve of long-term insurance contracts consists of a reasonable estimate of liability, a risk margin and a residual margin. The long-term insurance contract liabilities are calculated using various assumptions, including assumptions on mortality rates, morbidity rates, lapse rates, discount rates, and expense assumptions, and based on the following principles:
| (a) | The reasonable estimate of liability for long-term insurance contracts is the present value of reasonable estimates of future cash outflows less future cash inflows. The expected future cash inflows include cash inflows of future premiums arising from the undertaking of insurance obligations, with consideration of decrement mostly from death and surrenders. The expected future cash outflows are cash outflows incurred to fulfil contractual obligations, consisting of the following: |
| • | guaranteed benefits based on contractual terms, including payments for deaths, disabilities, diseases, survivals, maturities and surrenders; |
| • | additional non-guaranteed benefits, such as policyholder dividends; and |
| • | reasonable expenses incurred to manage insurance contracts or to process claims, including maintenance expenses and claim settlement expenses. Future administration expenses are included in the maintenance expenses. Expenses are determined based on expense analysis with consideration of future inflation and the Group’s expense management control. |
On each reporting date, the Group reviews the assumptions for reasonable estimates of liability and risk margins, with consideration of all available information, taking into account the Group’s historical experience and expectation of future events. Changes in assumptions are recognised in net profit. Assumptions for the amortisation of residual margin are locked in at policy issuance and are not adjusted at each reporting date.
| (b) | Margin has been taken into consideration while computing the reserve of insurance contracts, measured separately and recognised in net profit in each period over the life of the contracts. At the inception of the contracts, the Group does not recognise Day 1 gain, whereas on the other hand, Day 1 loss is recognised in net profit immediately. |
Margin comprises risk margin and residual margin. Risk margin is the reserve accrued to compensate for the uncertain amount and timing of future cash flows. At the inception of the contract, the residual margin is calculated net of certain acquisition costs, mainly consist of underwriting and policy acquisition costs, by the Group representing Day 1 gain and will be amortised over the life of the contracts. For insurance contracts of which future returns are affected by investment yields of corresponding investment portfolios, their related residual margins are amortised based on estimated future participating dividends payable to policyholders. For insurance contracts of which future returns are not affected by investment yields of corresponding investment portfolios, their related residual margins are amortised based on sum assured of outstanding policies. The subsequent measurement of the residual margin is independent from the reasonable estimate of future discounted cash flows and risk margin. The assumption changes have no effect on the subsequent measurement of the residual margin.
| (c) | The Group has considered the impact of time value on the reserve calculation for insurance contracts. |
| (iii) | Universal life contracts and unit-linked contracts |
Universal life contracts and unit-linked contracts are unbundled into the following components:
| • | insurance components |
| • | non-insurance components |
The insurance components are accounted for as insurance contracts; and the non-insurance components are accounted for as investment contracts (Note 2.11.3), which are stated in the investment contract liabilities.
| 2.11.2.b | Liability adequacy test |
The Group assesses the adequacy of insurance contract reserves using the current estimate of future cash flows with available information at the end of each reporting period. If that assessment shows that the carrying amount of its insurance liabilities (less related intangible assets, if applicable) is inadequate in light of the estimated future cash flows, the insurance contract reserves will be adjusted accordingly, and any changes of the insurance contract liabilities will be recognised in net profit.
| 2.11.2.c | Reinsurance contracts held |
Contracts with reinsurers under which the Group is compensated for losses on one or more contracts issued by the Group and that meet the classification requirements for insurance contracts are classified as reinsurance contracts held. Contracts with reinsurers that do not meet these classification requirements are classified as financial assets. Insurance contracts entered into by the Group under which the contract holder is another insurer (inwards reinsurance) are included with insurance contracts.
The benefits to which the Group is entitled under its reinsurance contracts held are recognised as reinsurance assets. Amounts recoverable from or due to reinsurers are measured consistently with the amounts associated with the reinsured insurance contracts and in accordance with the terms of each reinsurance contract. Reinsurance liabilities are primarily premiums payable for reinsurance contracts and are recognised as expenses when due.
The Group assesses its reinsurance assets for impairment as at the end of reporting period. If there is objective evidence that the reinsurance asset is impaired, the Group reduces the carrying amount of the reinsurance asset to its recoverable amount and recognises that impairment loss in net profit.
| 2.11.3 | Investment contracts |
Revenue from investment contracts with or without DPF is recognised as policy fee income, which consists of various fee incomes (policy fees, handling fees and management fees, etc.) during the period. Policy fee income net of acquisition cost is deferred as unearned revenue and amortised over the expected life of the contracts.
Except for unit-linked contracts, of which the liabilities are carried at fair value, the liabilities of investment contracts are carried at amortised cost.
| 2.11.4 | DPF in long-term insurance contracts and investment contracts |
DPF is contained in certain long-term insurance contracts and investment contracts. These contracts are collectively called participating contracts. The Group is obligated to pay to the policyholders of participating contracts as a group at the higher of 70% of accumulated surplus available and the rate specified in the contracts. The accumulated surplus available mainly arises from net investment income and gains and losses arising from the assets supporting these contracts. To the extent unrealised gains or losses from available-for-sale securities are attributable to policyholders, shadow adjustments are recognised in OCI. The surplus owed to policyholders is recognised as policyholder dividend payable whether it is declared or not. The amount and timing of distribution to individual policyholders of participating contracts are subject to future declarations by the Group.