Malayan Banking Berhad (Maybank) said it will pay EUR 1.1 billion to buy Ageas’s 30.95% stake in Maybank Ageas Holdings Berhad (MAHB), taking sole ownership of Etiqa’s takaful business. The deal values MAHB at EUR 3.5 billion, implying about 2x 2025 IFRS equity, and includes a EUR 53 million pre-completion dividend. In Malaysia, bancatakaful accounted for 52.05% of family takaful new business in 2024, up more than 3 percentage points from the prior year. The transaction strengthens Maybank’s control and potential synergies in Islamic insurance.

United Fire Group reported a 95.3% combined ratio for Q2 2026, its best second-quarter result in more than 15 years. Net written premium rose 9% year over year to $406.4 million, while net income increased 45% to $33.4 million. The insurer said its underlying loss ratio was 57.2% and it recorded zero adverse reserve development on prior-year claims. Results were supported by 2.7% catastrophe losses and a 33% increase in net investment income to $28.9 million.

Jackson Financial reported retail annuity sales of $5.9 billion in the second quarter of 2026, up 34% from a year earlier. Registered index-linked annuity (RILA) sales rose 69% year over year to a record $2.3 billion. Fixed and fixed index annuity sales climbed 73% to $812 million, while variable annuity sales increased 8% to $2.7 billion. Industry group LIMRA has projected total U.S. RILA sales will exceed $85 billion in 2026.

UnitedHealth Group ranked fourth on the 2026 Fortune Global 500 after posting $447.6 billion in fiscal 2025 revenue, but its operating earnings fell to $19 billion from $32.3 billion. The company’s adjusted medical care ratio rose to 88.9%, driven by Medicare funding reductions and elevated medical cost trends. UnitedHealth’s pharmacy benefit manager business controls more than 20% of the U.S. PBM market. U.S. lawmakers are weighing legislation that could force the company to separate key parts of its business, creating a major regulatory risk.

US claims management firm Crawford & Company reported fiscal 2026 second-quarter revenue before reimbursements of $321.4 million, little changed year on year. Net income rose 73% to $13.4 million, while operating profit increased 48.2% to $10.9 million and the operating margin improved to 7.9%. The gains were driven mainly by higher weather-related claims activity in Australia, Asia and Canada. The company also recorded a $1.3 million net loss on disposal.

Fairfax Financial Holdings Limited reported 2026 second-quarter net earnings attributable to shareholders of US$1.39 billion, slightly below a year earlier. Its property and casualty insurance and reinsurance combined ratio improved to 93.1%, even as pricing came under pressure in the UK market. Premium growth slowed across the group, with net premiums written up 2.4% to US$7.34 billion.

American Family Mutual Insurance Company said it will acquire all remaining shares of Bowhead Specialty in a $1.2 billion all-cash transaction, offering $34.00 per share. The offer represents an 11% premium to Bowhead’s closing price on July 31, 2026. American Family has been a strategic shareholder since 2020 and owned about 14.3% of Bowhead ahead of the deal.