2012 Communiqués de presse

Kuala Lumpur - Manulife Insurance Berhad is expanding its business operations in East Malaysia with the opening of a new branch office in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah. The new office, at Times Square Signature Office, is strategically located in a key business area of Kota Kinabalu. The new office joins Manulife Malaysia’s existing offices in Sibu and Kuching, Sarawak.

“Kota Kinabalu is a fast growing economic hub for the state of Sabah with a sizeable working population. Our new Kota Kinabalu office will play an integral role in helping Manulife Malaysia further penetrate the East Malaysian market. We have a suite of forward-thinking products that can ably meet the lifestyle needs of Sabahans. With an estimated population of nearly 500,000, we see Sabah becoming a huge driver of growth in the years to come,” said Mr. Michael Chan, Chief Executive Officer of Manulife Insurance Berhad

The newly established office offers customer service facilities, among them the collection of cheques and premium payments as well as customer advice and support on policy status, claim submissions and maturing policies. “We plan to provide customers with the best possible professional yet personal business experience” continued Mr Chan

As Manulife Financial Corporation celebrates its 125^th anniversary in 2012, this expansion illustrates Manulife’s commitment to East Malaysia as a strong, reliable company offering innovative insurance products and services to its customers. “The opening of our Kota Kinabalu branch office is in line with our strategic objective for 2012 of expanding our distribution channels and presence in key areas of the nation. This branch office will serve as a key center in East Malaysia due to its strategic location and business potential in the area,” said Mr. Chan.

To date, Manulife Malaysia has an extensive network of nine Regional Support Centres and more than 70 agency offices nationwide.

About Manulife Malaysia
Manulife Insurance Berhad, a wholly owned subsidiary of Manulife Holdings Berhad, is part of Canada-based Manulife Financial Corporation. Manulife Insurance Berhad currently serves the needs of more than 290,000 policyholders. Through its subsidiary companies, the Manulife Group offers an innovative range of financial protection and wealth management products and services to meet different customer needs. Manulife Holdings Berhad has been listed on the Main Board of Bursa Malaysia since 1984. As at September, 2011 its assets under management were over RM3.4 billion. Manulife Malaysia can be found on the Internet at www.manulife.com.my

About Manulife Financial
Manulife Financial is a leading Canada-based financial services group with principal operations in Asia, Canada and the United States. In 2012, we celebrate 125 years of providing clients strong, reliable, trustworthy and forward-thinking solutions for their most significant financial decisions. Our international network of employees, agents and distribution partners offers financial protection and wealth management products and services to millions of clients. We also provide asset management services to institutional customers. Funds under management by Manulife Financial and its subsidiaries were C$500 billion (US$491 billion) as at December 31, 2011. The Company operates as Manulife Financial in Canada and Asia and primarily as John Hancock in the United States. Manulife Financial Corporation trades as ‘MFC’ on the TSX, NYSE and PSE, and under ‘945’ on the SEHK. Manulife Financial can be found on the Internet at manulife.com.

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