messages-of-our-leaders – Asean Insurance Council

Budi Herawan

AIC Chairman · AAUI Indonesia

On behalf of the ASEAN Insurance Council (AIC), it is my distinct honour to welcome you all to the 2025 AIC Meeting in Cambodia. We extend our sincere appreciation to all participants for dedicating your time and expertise to this annual gathering.

We are privileged to convene with esteemed leaders, experts, and colleagues from across the insurance sector and the wider region to reflect on this year's developments and to consider the critical issues that will shape our industry in the year ahead.

The AIC Meeting provides us with an invaluable opportunity to reflect on our achievements, discuss urgent challenges, and set a forward-looking agenda for 2026 and beyond. As we move ahead, let us remain united in our mission: to safeguard people and businesses, support economic growth, and build a more resilient and inclusive future. I am confident that, through cooperation, innovation, and strong governance, we will rise to the challenges of 2025 and seize the opportunities that lie ahead.

I wish all participants a productive, engaging, and inspiring event. May our time together foster meaningful dialogue and forge valuable connections. Thank you very much.

Christian W. Wanandi

AIC Secretary-General

Dear Council Members,

As we step into a new year, I want to extend my warmest wishes to each of you and express my profound gratitude for your unwavering commitment and collaboration. The strength of the ASEAN Insurance Council (AIC) lies in the collective dedication of our 15-member associations and 3 affiliate members. Together, we are proactively addressing the critical challenges of digitalization, inclusivity, sustainability, and climate change, aligning our industry's efforts with the forward-looking ASEAN Community Vision 2045.

We have much to be proud of from the past year.

Our Shared Accomplishments and Gratitude

Advancing Inclusivity: With the assistance of IFC, we successfully completed a pivotal study on women's representation in the ASEAN insurance industry. The resulting insights highlight actionable steps for insurers to enhance women participation in the workforce, which, in turn, will vastly improve how we serve our women customers.
Strengthening Regional Dialogue: Our productive meeting in Siem Reap, Cambodia, provided a vital platform to tackle key industry issues head-on—ranging from medical inflation to fraud, digitalization challenges, and climate-related disasters.
Driving Sustainable Solutions: Arising from these discussions was the ASEAN Reinsurance Working Committee's (ARWC) proposal to strengthen regional reinsurance collaboration. Their focus is firmly on expanding the ASEAN Renewable Energy Pool (AREP), a crucial initiative designed to accelerate the adoption of renewable energy across the region and support our collective zero-emission goals.
Fostering Knowledge Sharing: We continued to share best practices in vital areas, including Takaful and Retakaful, health and medical insurance, the digitalization of the Blue Card (ACMI), and natural catastrophe modeling.
Elevating Professional Standards: The ASEAN Insurance Education Committee (AIEC) remains steadfast in improving the ASEAN Professional Insurance Diploma (APID), incorporating essential ASEAN perspectives on Underwriting and Claims, alongside the increasingly urgent need for Climate Risk Management and Environmental Risk Management training.

We look back with gratitude on significant progress made possible by the hard work of all our working committees: AIEC, ARWC, AHMIC, COB, ANDREWS, and ATRWC.

Navigating Our Shared Challenges

While we celebrate our successes, we must remain clear-eyed about the significant challenges that lie ahead:

The persistent protection gap, particularly among marginalized communities.
The escalating risks associated with climate change and man-made induced disasters.
Geopolitical instability and border conflicts that impede regional trade and the free movement of goods and vehicles within ASEAN borders.

Our Path Forward: Solutions and Collaboration

These challenges demand innovative and collaborative solutions. The AIC is uniquely positioned to drive change:

Industry Stakeholders Collaboration: Coordinate industry stakeholders to foster a gender-responsive business environment to increase women's leadership participation in the industry, thereby increasing market penetration among women consumers.
Public-Private Partnerships: Champion industry-wide collaboration among stakeholders to foster the inclusion of marginalized communities. Broadening access to agricultural insurance is a critical step toward ensuring food security for the region. Public-private partnerships are essential to providing robust protection to vulnerable communities.
Innovative Financing: Leverage new models of blended finance, such as an energy pool that will insure renewable energy projects essential to accelerate our transition to a cleaner, more sustainable energy future.

Looking Ahead to 2026

Our work in 2026 will be guided by these priorities, ensuring the ASEAN insurance industry remains resilient, innovative, dynamic, and people-centered.