OREANDA-NEWS. The Dai-ichi Life Insurance Company, Limited (the “Company”: President Koichiro Watanabe) is pleased to announce that it has completed its purchase of DBS Group Holdings Ltd’s (“DBSH”) inaugural Japanese yen-denominated Basel III -compliant bond, the first-of-its-kind in Asia, excluding Japan. DBSH is the holding company of DBS Bank, Southeast Asia’s largest bank by assets.

Under Basel III rules, leading financial groups are incentivized to raise regulatory capital including subordinated bonds. In March, DBSH launched its Japanese yen-denominated Basel III -compliant Bond, and the full amount was placed to the Company on a sole basis.

In response to the low interest rate environment in Japan, the Company has increased its investment in infrastructure and emerging market equities. From a risk management point of view, we have also broadened our target countries and currencies. As part of this, the Company is proactively reviewing the various Basel III capital requirements across different regions.

We believe that collaboration with leading financial services companies, such as DBS Bank, will provide investment opportunities with relatively high yields. In addition to having direct dialogues with European and American financial institutions, we are also engaging with important financial institutions in Asia where the market is growing. This will give us future investment opportunities in Japanese yen-denominated bonds in Asia.

The Company endeavors to become more sophisticated and to diversify its investment approach going forward. As an institutional investor, we will proactively pursue investment yield that enhances our corporate value.