EANS-Adhoc: UNIQA Insurance Group AG UNIQA launches investment programme of
approximately EUR500 million and expects significantly reduced results due to
said investments and challenging conditions in 2016
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ad-hoc disclosure transmitted by euro adhoc with the aim of a Europe-wide
distribution. The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this
announcement.
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Strategic management decisions
18.01.2016
UNIQA launches investment programme of approximately EUR500 million and expects
significantly reduced results due to said investments and challenging conditions
in 2016
* UNIQA is on track to achieve its best result in the company's history in
2015; significantly better than in 2014
* 2016: launch of the largest investment and innovation programme in the
company's history amounting to around EUR500 million
* Digital transformation is driving innovation and new business models
* Significantly reduced earnings forecast for 2016 due to investments and
challenging conditions
* Intention to continue sustainably progressive dividend policy with annually
increasing dividend per share up to 2020
UNIQA Insurance Group AG (UNIQA) continues to remain on track. The details of
the preliminary annual results for 2015 will be released at the beginning of
March. Currently UNIQA has a strong equity base reporting an economic capital
ratio according to Solvency II (EIOPA standard formula) of over 180 per cent,
and high operating profitability.
Based on this solid foundation, UNIQA's management board has today decided with
its supervisory board approval to launch the extensive investment programme in
2016 in order to align processes and products with customer requirements and
expectations that are being transformed by the digital revolution. This largest
investment programme in the company's history will be spread over several years
and comprises a total volume of around EUR500 million. The investments, a
considerable portion of which are to be made in 2016, will primarily be employed
for the redesign of the business model and the modernisation of IT systems that
this requires. The innovation programme therefore lays the foundation for UNIQA
to successfully continue on its planned growth trajectory under radically
different conditions in the future.
A considerable portion of these future investments will take effect in 2016 and
therefore influence the earnings forecast for the 2016 financial year. In
combination with the persistently difficult conditions, such as the
still-moderate economic outlook, ongoing low interest rates, decreasing
investment income and political uncertainty in individual markets, UNIQA expects
- dependant on the investment programme's implementation - significantly reduced
earnings in the 2016 financial year compared to 2015's strong earnings.
UNIQA intends to continue its since 2012 consistently implemented progressive
dividend policy with annual increases of the distribution per share despite the
considerable future investments and challenging economic environment provided
that the capital ratio remains solid.
Forward-looking statements
This press release contains statements referring to the future development of
the UNIQA Group. These statements present estimates which were reached on the
basis of all of the information available to us at the present time. If the
assumptions on which they are based do not occur, the actual results may deviate
from the results currently expected. As a result, no liability is accepted for
this information.
The following UNIQA securities are admitted for trading on a regulated market:
Issue: ISIN: Trading segment:
Share AT0000821103 Vienna Stock Exchange
Official trading
UNIQA subord. bond 13-43 XS0808635436 Luxembourg Stock Exchange
Regulated Market
UNIQA subord. bond 15-46 XS1117293107 Vienna Stock Exchange
Second Regulated Market
Further inquiry note:
UNIQA Insurance Group AG
Norbert Heller
Tel.: +43 (01) 211 75-3414
mailto:norbert.heller@uniqa.at
end of announcement euro adhoc
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issuer: UNIQA Insurance Group AG
Untere Donaustraße 21
A-1029 Wien
phone: 01/211 75-0
mail: investor.relations@uniqa.at
WWW: http://www.uniqagroup.com
sector: Insurance
ISIN: AT0000821103
indexes: WBI, ATX Prime, ATX
stockmarkets: official market: Wien
language: English