By Rebecca Delaney
July 2 - (The Insurer) - Howden has bolstered its footprint in Japan with the acquisition of a majority stake in Kyoto-headquartered retail insurance broker Holos Holdings Co Ltd.
Holos is a privately-owned retail insurance broker employing over 400 people across 20 locations in Japan. It was founded in 2001 by Kei Horii, who previously worked at Sony Life Insurance.
Howden said the acquisition of a 68.3% stake marked a "major milestone" in its strategy to build a scale business in Japan across both life and non-life insurance segments.
Howden entered the Japanese retail insurance broking market in September 2024 through the acquisition of Foresight Holdings.
Two months prior Howden Re Japan was launched, led by Kentaro Tada as CEO, alongside a partnership with Keystone ILS Capital to address the country’s disaster protection gap.
"Holos has incredible know-how and like us they have a rich history in the market. And joining forces now gives us strength in depth across Japan, enabling us to provide individuals, SMEs, corporates, and insurers with a full suite of services from reinsurance to retail," said Howden Group CEO David Howden.
"This is a transformational move for us, and it shows that our commitment to this dynamic market is truly for the long-term."
Disclaimer: Investing carries risk. This is not financial advice. The above content should not be regarded as an offer, recommendation, or solicitation on acquiring or disposing of any financial products, any associated discussions, comments, or posts by author or other users should not be considered as such either. It is solely for general information purpose only, which does not consider your own investment objectives, financial situations or needs. TTM assumes no responsibility or warranty for the accuracy and completeness of the information, investors should do their own research and may seek professional advice before investing.