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International News

Citigroup’s retreat highlights global banks’ struggle in China, India

“The ability to scale rapidly is a very important factor, and that’s one of the reasons why local banks move so fast, and are in a better competitive position in retail and consumer banking,” said Joydeep Sengupta, senior partner at McKinsey in Singapore. “For foreign banks, it’s likely to get harder to scale profitability.”

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COVID-19 predominantly transmitted through air: Lancet study cites ‘strong evidence’

“The evidence supporting airborne transmission is overwhelming, and evidence supporting large droplet transmission is almost non-existent,” Jose-Luis Jimenez, a chemist at the Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences (CIRES) and the University of Colorado Boulder said.
“It is urgent that the World Health Organization and other public health agencies adapt their description of transmission to the scientific evidence so that the focus of mitigation is put on reducing airborne transmission.”

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U.S. P/C insurers perform well in 2020 despite Pandemic, higher Cat losses:AM Best

According to the report, P/C industry revenue declined slightly to $560.7 billion, driven by a significant drop of 18.8% in net investment income. Expenses grew by 4.1% in 2020, far exceeding a modest increase in premium revenue; the catastrophe losses and a sizable increase in policyholder dividends also more than countered the increase in premium revenue.

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EU regulators set July 27 deadline for deadline on Aon, Willis deal

Aon, which announced the deal a year ago to create the world’s largest insurance broker ahead of world No. 1 Marsh & McLennan Companies Inc, offered last Friday to sell assets in five European nations to resolve EU competition concerns.

The EU antitrust watchdog is now seeking feedback from rivals and customers before deciding whether to demand more concessions, clear or block the deal.

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Covid 19 Pandemic: 9 in 10 Singaporeans still struggling with their mental health, men and younger adults most worried

Wong Sze Keed, chief executive officer of AIA Singapore, says, “While our nation is heading for a post-pandemic recovery, mentally, we are still trying to navigate our way out of COVID-19 uncertainities. It is not enough to only take care of our physical health. This conviction drives our holistic approach to protect the many aspects of our customers’ wellbeing – such as financial, physical, and mental health – to enable everyone to truly lead healthier, longer, better lives.”

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3.1 million external attacks on Cloud user accounts in Q4 2020: McAfee report

“Ransomware and malware targeting vulnerabilities in work-related apps and processes were active and remain dangerous threats capable of taking over networks and data, while costing millions in assets and recovery costs,” Samani added.

Malware was the most reported cause of security incidents in Q4, followed by account hijackings, targeted attacks and vulnerabilities.

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Insurance startup Clearcover raises $200 million from Eldridge, others at $1 billion valuation

The COVID-19 pandemic has reduced the importance of physical networks of agents in insurance and helped “insurtech” providers like Clearcover, which uses artificial intelligence and big data to reduce costs and better target customers.

Global investment in the sector jumped 12% to $7.1 billion for 2020, a record high, according to Willis Towers Watson.

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