Prudential’s Asian expansion strategy paid off
for it in 2011 by transforming what would have been a dismal set of
results into reasonably positive set.
The UK insurer’s Asia operations roared ahead
in 2011, lifting their combined operating
profit by £181m (30%) compared with 2010 to
£789m ($1.25bn).
This increase more than offset its US
operation’s £115m (18%) fall in operating profit and bolstered
a modest £77m (8%) rise in operating profit of
its UK operations to £1.08bn.
After other income and nonoperational costs
totalling a negative net £517m, group operating
profit rose by £129m (7%) to £2.07bn.
Last year also marked the first year in which
Prudential’s Asian operations became its largest source of
operating profit.