Insurers’ premium income growth slows

Premium income growth at China’s insurers slowed in the first half of the year to 23 per cent from 37 per cent a year ago, said the country’s insurance regulator, as a crackdown on leverage in the financial sector began to bite. China’s big insurers have attracted regulatory attention for acquisitions of overseas assets while using client money from high-yield investment products sold to consumers, leading to calls for self-discipline and a wider sweep of the financial system to reduce risk and deviance.