Taiwan foreign-currency policy premiums hit NT$370.15bn in 8 months; FSC urges tighter agent management

NT$370.151 billion: that is the new-business premium Taiwan's life insurers collected on foreign-currency policies in the first eight months of 2026.

The Insurance Bureau of the Financial Supervisory Commission (FSC) issued a press release on 27 October 2026 on life insurers' foreign-currency product sales up to the end of August of ROC year 115 (2026). Beyond the figures, the release called on insurers to assess customers' tolerance of risk, to enforce management of sales agents and clear disclosure of product information, and to enforce product suitability policies.

Investment-type NT$72.8 billion, traditional NT$297.3 billion

Of the NT$370.151 billion in new-business premiums, traditional products accounted for NT$297.337 billion, about 80%, and investment-type products for NT$72.814 billion, about 20%.

By currency, new-business premiums on foreign-currency policies were as follows:

• US dollar: US$11.485 billion in total, of which traditional products were US$9.263 billion (about 81%) and investment-type products US$2.222 billion (about 19%).
• Australian dollar: A$109 million in total, of which investment-type products were A$69 million (about 63%) and traditional products A$40 million (about 37%).
• Renminbi: RMB94 million in total, of which investment-type products were RMB77 million (about 82%) and traditional products RMB17 million (about 18%).

US dollar policies were mostly traditional, while Australian dollar and renminbi policies were mostly investment-type, so the mix differs.

Exchange-rate and political-economic risk: know how much risk the customer can bear

The release noted that foreign-currency policies pay out in foreign currency, so if that currency weakens, customers may suffer a loss when converting the money back into New Taiwan dollars. The FSC therefore urged insurers to help consumers assess this risk.

Exchange rates are only one layer. The release also called on insurers to understand and assess consumers' tolerance of exchange-rate risk and political and economic risk.

Agent management and suitability: sell products to the right people

The release called on insurers to enforce management of sales agents, provide clear disclosure of product information and enforce product suitability policies.

Consumers have homework too. The FSC urged them to assess their own risk tolerance, think carefully about whether they really need foreign currency, and understand the political and economic situation of the issuing country of the currency before buying.

The release lists the Bureau's Life Insurance Supervision Division as the contact, on (02) 8968-0194.

Analysis: what it means for recruiting teams

The following is editorial analysis, not content from the FSC release. As the FSC's call specifically names management of sales agents, team leaders and those in charge of recruitment and training can check the following against the release:

• Training new recruits: do they explain clearly what foreign-currency payment means, and that converting back into New Taiwan dollars after the currency weakens may cause a loss?
• Sales process: is there a fixed step for finding out the customer's tolerance of exchange-rate and political-economic risk, and for asking whether the customer genuinely needs foreign currency?
• Product explanation: do the materials given to customers disclose product information clearly, rather than only the benefits?
• Suitability: does the team follow the company's product suitability policy, and do leaders follow up on what agents actually do?

Selling a lot of foreign-currency policies does not mean selling them rightly. In recruiting, rather than stressing how easily a product sells, first make sure new recruits can judge which customers should not buy it.

Compiled by the F50 Editorial Team from public sources, for general reference only and not professional advice. Details are correct as of the publication date and may change.