All articles tagged with #allianz
Allianz Life's US operations were targeted in a cyber attack where hackers accessed personal data of 1.4 million customers through a third-party CRM system, using social engineering techniques. The company responded quickly, notified authorities, and is offering identity theft protection, with ongoing investigations to determine the full extent of the breach.
European markets fell on Tuesday as investors awaited the U.S. inflation report, with the Stoxx 600 down 0.3% and basic resources stocks leading losses. Stellantis announced a joint venture with CATL to build a battery factory in Spain, while TeamViewer shares dropped after announcing its acquisition of 1E. Allianz raised its financial targets, aiming for higher earnings per share and return on equity. Germany confirmed a 2.4% inflation rate for November, and China's import data showed a slowdown.
Allianz has paused discussions with Amundi and its majority shareholder Crédit Agricole about merging its €560bn investment management arm with Amundi, which would create a €2.8tn asset management giant. The talks, ongoing for over a year, have stalled due to disagreements over the control structure of the merged entity. Allianz seeks a co-leadership role, while Amundi views the deal as an acquisition. The pause highlights the challenges of large-scale mergers in the asset management sector amid industry consolidation.
Allianz CEO Oliver Bäte warns that the growing detachment between political elites and the working class poses a major risk in a year filled with geopolitical tensions and major elections. The Allianz Risk Barometer highlights political risk at a five-year high, with civil unrest expected to deepen in 2024, particularly in debt-crisis countries. Bäte emphasizes the need for leaders to address the needs of the people to prevent further polarization and societal risks, as seen in recent elections and protests across various countries.
The Forbes Global 2000 list of the world's largest public companies includes 100 insurance companies, with UnitedHealth Group taking the top spot and Ping An Insurance of China coming in second. Insurance giants from the US, China, Germany, France, and Switzerland make up five of the top 100 on the list. Rising interest rates have bolstered income for insurers, but the S&P Insurance Select Industry Index has lost nearly 1% in the past year, outpaced by a roughly 3% gain for the benchmark S&P 500 index.
Allianz chief economist Ludovic Subran has warned investors to prepare for months of market readjustments, as the threat of a new "financial accident" looms. He referred to economist Hyman Minsky's description of a precipitous drop in asset prices after a build-up of debt, stating that "we have all the ingredients of a so-called Minsky moment." Subran noted that liquidity pools or liquidity crunches are starting to be visible everywhere.