Description: This article was commissioned by the Society of Actuaries Pension Section Research Team to provide practitioners and researchers with a listing of Web sites containing information about defined benefit plans outside the United States. It also lists some non-Internet information sources. The research team’s primary motivation for the article was its belief that readily available comparative information on the pension environment in other countries, including current design and funding issues, would benefit practitioners and researchers dealing with similar issues.

Description: The current life insurance development with a focus on the latest regulation change from actuarial perspective and its possible impact to the Vietnam industry.

Description: Feature article discussing the impact of the crisis that started in 2008 on pension plans and pension policies in a variety of countries.

Description: This article contains material excerpted from a speech given on June 17, 1997 by Tom Kelly, Senior Vice President and Managing Director of LIMRA International, at a LOMA/LIMRA Strategic Issues Conference in Singapore. The article includes demographic and economic data for various countries to illustrate the potential for growth in various Asian markets.

Description: The International Section Council is pleased to announce the winners of the Country Feature Award held for the Ambassadors by the section. First place went to the Ambassador in Vietnam.

Description: Deferred bonus policyholder dividend reserves arise because “the policyholders’ share of net income … that cannot be distributed to stockholders shall be excluded from stockholders’ equity” by establishing a reserve. This article provides background on local minimum policyholder participation practices in the US and Europe, presents relevant accounting issues and discuss the two different accounting interpretations and make a recommendation as to which the authors feel is most appropriate at this point in time.

Description: This newsletter contains several articles: The Institute of Actuaries of Japan thanks the SOA Malaysia updates on RBC An update on the SOA international experience survey regulations changing in Bermuda, and An update from the Swedish Actuarial Society Aktuarieforeningen.

Description: This is an article discussing the update on the SOA international experience study which has expanded the topics being studied from individual life insurance mortality and persistency experience to also include agent retention and productivity.

Description: This article is about the actuarial profession and the life insurance industry in Haiti.

Description: Jill Hoffman’s report on 2010 actuarial activities in Singapore and Cathy Lyn’s report on the 2009 activities in the Jamaica .