TPG to weigh sale of stake in S$4 billion insurer Singlife
By Manuel Baigorri and Elffie Chew
(Bloomberg) — US private equity giant TPG Inc. is exploring a sale of its stake in Singapore Life Holdings Pte in a deal that could value the insurer known as Singlife at about S$4 billion (US$3 billion), according to people with knowledge of the matter.
TPG, which owns a 35% stake in closely held Singlife, is working with a financial adviser on the potential divestment, the people said, asking not to be identified because the matter is private.
Deliberations are at a preliminary stage, and there’s no certainty they will result in a deal. A spokesperson for Singlife said it can’t comment on its shareholders’ intentions and declined to comment further. A representative for TPG also declined to comment.
Japanese insurer Sumitomo Life Insurance Co. this month increased its stake in Singlife to 27% from 23.2% by buying S$180 million of new shares. Sumitomo in September also agreed to buy the 25.9% stake in Singlife held by UK-based Aviva Plc for S$900 million. That deal is pending regulatory approval.
Singlife was founded in 2020 after Aviva sold a majority stake in its Singaporean business to a group of buyers including TPG and Sumitomo for about S$2.7 billion at the time.
Singlife is the exclusive insurance provider for the city-state’s Ministry of Defence, Ministry of Home Affairs, and Public Officers Group Insurance Scheme. It had total assets of S$14.4 billion and gross premiums of S$3.5 billion at the end of 2022, according to a September press release.
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