Bank of America Securities has issued a research report initiating coverage on FWD (01828) with a "Buy" rating and a target price of HK$43.2. FWD is a regional life insurer operating across 10 markets in the Asia-Pacific region, primarily including Hong Kong, Thailand, Japan, and ASEAN countries. The firm anticipates that FWD will achieve a new business value (VNB) growth rate of 17% to 19% over the next two to three years, surpassing the 10% to 15% growth rate of larger peers. Additionally, FWD has begun optimizing its capital and financing structure to enhance profitability. The stock is currently valued at only 0.6 times the projected 2026 price-to-embedded value (P/EV), representing a 50% discount to industry leader AIA (01299). The bank expects this valuation gap to narrow through business and profit growth.