Prudential plc and Google Cloud Announce Strategic Partnership to Make Healthcare and Financial Security More Accessible Across Asia and Africa
- Written by The Bulletin
HONG KONG, LONDON, NEW YORK, SINGAPORE - Media OutReach - 11 October 2022 - Leading insurance group, Prudential plc (Prudential) and Google Cloud today announced a strategic partnership to enhance health and financial inclusion for communities across Asia and Africa.
Under this alliance, Prudential will leverage Google Cloud's data analytics capabilities, secure and sustainable infrastructure, and the broader Google ecosystem, to accelerate its digital transformation and to enhance user engagement of its health and wealth platform, Pulse. For Google Cloud, this partnership presents an opportunity to collaborate with a leading insurance provider to make protection, health and savings solutions simpler and more accessible across Asia and Africa.
Pulse is part of Prudential's multi-channel strategy to make healthcare more accessible and increase financial inclusion. The app provides users with access to services such as health risk assessment and online doctor consultation to help them better manage their health needs, as well as digital wealth tools to make financial decisions simpler1. Pulse is available in 17 markets and 11 languages.
Solmaz Altin, Managing Director, Strategic Business Group, Prudential, said: "Across our markets, people are living longer, but not necessarily healthier and better. Harnessing technology, we want to empower people to live well for longer by making it easier for them to take care of their health and plan for their financial futures.
"Through this strategic partnership, we will leverage new technology solutions to make the Pulse platform more intelligent and engaging with the aim of reaching out to more people across Asia and Africa, in particular those who cannot easily access health and financial information and services."
This announcement deepens the existing relationship between Prudential and Google that began in 2019. Prudential is using Google Maps in the Pulse application, and further projects with Google Health, Document AI and Fitbit are being explored to enhance efficiency, functionality and user engagement.
Prudential expects to benefit from Google's suite of data analytics, artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning tools such as Kubeflow, Looker, BigQuery and Vertex AI, to enhance customer interactions and to provide more personalised, accurate healthcare information and education to Pulse app users.
In the longer term, Prudential will look to adopt Google's AI across a broader digital strategy to make accessing insurance simpler, to drive greater efficiency, and to increase agent productivity. For example, through technology such as advanced analytics and AI, Prudential aims to use data to help its agents better understand the needs of their customers. It is also looking to improve customer experience, by digitising the entire claims process, making submission, assessment, and approval more seamless and efficient.
"At Google Cloud, our aim is to help our enterprise customers use technology to deliver outstanding experiences for their customers," said Thomas Kurian, CEO of Google Cloud. "Prudential is a significant partner of ours and a leading insurer that has been protecting lives for nearly 175 years globally. Our work together will make it easier for people to safeguard their health and protect their finances for the long term with digital tools that are accessible."
Prudential has more than 530,000 agents across its 23 markets in Asia and Africa and over 170 bancassurance partners with access to circa 27,600 bank branches, serving more than 19 million customers2.
Notes:
1 Pulse's health and wealth features/services vary in different markets
2 As at 30 Jun 2022
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About Prudential plc
Prudential plc provides life and health insurance and asset management in Asia and Africa. The business helps people get the most out of life, by making healthcare affordable and accessible and by promoting financial inclusion. Prudential protects people's wealth, helps them grow their assets, and empowers them to save for their goals. The business has more than 19 million life customers and has dual primary listings on the Stock Exchange of Hong Kong (2378) and the London Stock Exchange (PRU). It also has a secondary listing on the Singapore Stock Exchange (K6S) and a listing on the New York Stock Exchange (PUK) in the form of American Depositary Receipts. It is also a constituent of the Hang Seng Composite Index.
Prudential is not affiliated in any manner with Prudential Financial, Inc. a company whose principal place of business is in the United States of America, nor with The Prudential Assurance Company Limited, a subsidiary of M&G plc, a company incorporated in the United Kingdom.
https://www.prudentialplc.com/
About Google Cloud
Google Cloud accelerates every organisation's ability to digitally transform its business. We deliver enterprise-grade solutions that leverage Google's cutting-edge technology – all on the cleanest cloud in the industry. Customers in more than 200 countries and territories turn to Google Cloud as their trusted partner to enable growth and solve their most critical business problems.
Forward-looking statements
This document may contain 'forward-looking statements' with respect to certain of Prudential's (and its wholly and jointly owned businesses') plans and its goals and expectations relating to its future financial condition, performance, results, strategy and objectives. Statements that are not historical facts, including statements about Prudential's (and its wholly and jointly owned businesses') beliefs and expectations and including, without limitation, statements containing the words 'may', 'will', 'should', 'continue', 'aims', 'estimates', 'projects', 'believes', 'intends', 'expects', 'plans', 'seeks' and 'anticipates', and words of similar meaning, are forward-looking statements. These statements are based on plans, estimates and projections as at the time they are made, and therefore undue reliance should not be placed on them. By their nature, all forward-looking statements involve risk and uncertainty.
A number of important factors could cause Prudential's actual future financial condition or performance or other indicated results of the entity referred to in any forward-looking statement to differ materially from those indicated in such forward-looking statement. Such factors include, but are not limited to, current and future market conditions including fluctuations in interest rates and exchange rates, inflation (including interest rate rises as a response), sustained high or low interest rate environments, the performance of financial and credit markets generally and the impact of economic uncertainty, slowdown or contraction, (including as a result of the Russia-Ukraine conflict and related or other geopolitical tensions and conflicts) which may also impact policyholder behaviour and reduce product affordability, asset valuation impacts from the transition to a lower carbon economy, derivative instruments not effectively mitigating any exposures; global political uncertainties, including the potential for increased friction in cross-border trade and the exercise of laws, regulations and executive powers to restrict trade, financial transactions, capital movements and/or investment; the impact of Covid-19 outbreaks, including adverse financial market and liquidity impacts, responses and actions taken by governments, regulators and supervisors, the impact on sales, claims and assumptions and increased product lapses, disruption to Prudential's operations (and those of its suppliers and partners), risks associated with new sales processes and technological and information security risks; the policies and actions of regulatory authorities, including, in particular, the policies and actions of the Hong Kong Insurance Authority, as Prudential's Group-wide supervisor, as well as the degree and pace of regulatory changes and new government initiatives generally; given its designation as an Internationally Active Insurance Group, the impact on Prudential of systemic risk and other group supervision policy standards adopted by the International Association of Insurance Supervisors; the physical, social and financial impacts of climate change and global health crises on Prudential's business and operations; the impact of not adequately responding to environmental, social and governance issues (including not properly considering the interests of Prudential's stakeholders or failing to maintain high standards of corporate governance); the impact of competition and fast-paced technological change; the effect on Prudential's business and results from, in particular, mortality and morbidity trends, lapse rates and policy renewal rates; the timing, impact and other uncertainties of future acquisitions or combinations within relevant industries; the impact of internal transformation projects and other strategic actions failing to meet their objectives or adversely impacting the Group's employees; the availability and effectiveness of reinsurance for Prudential's businesses; the risk that Prudential's operational resilience (or that of its suppliers and partners) may prove to be inadequate, including in relation to operational disruption due to external events; disruption to the availability, confidentiality or integrity of Prudential's information technology, digital systems and data (or those of its suppliers and partners) including the Pulse platform; any ongoing impact on Prudential of the demerger of Jackson Financial Inc.; the increased operational and financial risks and uncertainties associated with operating joint ventures with independent partners, particularly where joint ventures are not controlled by Prudential; the impact of changes in capital, solvency standards, accounting standards or relevant regulatory frameworks, and tax and other legislation and regulations in the jurisdictions in which Prudential and its affiliates operate; and the impact of legal and regulatory actions, investigations and disputes.
These and other important factors may, for example, result in changes to assumptions used for determining results of operations or re-estimations of reserves for future policy benefits. Further discussion of these and other important factors that could cause actual future financial condition or performance to differ, possibly materially, from those anticipated in Prudential's forward-looking statements can be found under the 'Risk Factors' heading in Prudential's 2021 Annual Report, the 'Risk Factors' heading in Prudential's 2021 Annual Report on Form 20-F filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC"), the 'Risk Factors' heading in Prudential's 2022 Half Year Financial Report and the 'Risk Factors' heading in Prudential's 2022 Half Year Financial Report filed with the SEC on Form 6-K . Prudential's 2021 Annual Report, and related Form 20-F, and 2022 Half Year Financial Report, and related Form 6-K, are available on its website at www.prudentialplc.com.
These factors are not exhaustive as Prudential operates in a continually changing business environment with new risks emerging from time to time that it may be unable to predict or that it currently does not expect to have a material adverse effect on its business. Any forward-looking statements contained in this document speak only as of the date on which they are made. Prudential expressly disclaims any obligation to update any of the forward-looking statements contained in this document or any other forward-looking statements it may make, whether as a result of future events, new information or otherwise except as required pursuant to the UK Prospectus Rules, the UK Listing Rules, the UK Disclosure Guidance and Transparency Rules, the Hong Kong Listing Rules, the SGX-ST Listing Rules or other applicable laws and regulations.
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