Malaysian Re
Malaysian reinsurance company and the country's largest reinsurer by accepted premium.
Last updated August 25, 2026
Overview
Malaysian Re is the operating brand of Malaysian Reinsurance Berhad, a Malaysian reinsurance company and a wholly owned subsidiary of MNRB Holdings Berhad. The company is positioned as Malaysia's largest reinsurer, with more than 60% of the country's reinsurance accepted premium according to the referenced Wikipedia account. It also operates beyond its domestic market, maintaining a significant presence across Asia and the Middle East and serving as one of the region's principal national reinsurers. The company's present corporate form resulted from a restructuring within the MNRB Group in 2005. Before that restructuring, the reinsurance licence, business and assets were associated with Malaysian National Reinsurance Berhad. The reorganisation transferred those operating assets and the licence to Malaysian Reinsurance Berhad, while Malaysian National Reinsurance Berhad became an investment holding company and adopted the name MNRB Holdings Berhad. This created the current relationship in which Malaysian Re conducts reinsurance operations and MNRB functions as the listed parent holding company. Malaysian Re operates within a broader group that also includes Takaful IKHLAS and Malaysian Re (Dubai) Ltd. The Dubai subsidiary supports the group's business in the Middle East, while Malaysian Re's wider underwriting footprint extends through Asian and ASEAN markets. The company is described as the largest national reinsurer in ASEAN by asset size, giving it a role that goes beyond its domestic market and linking Malaysian insurance capacity with regional and international risk markets. Its business is centred on reinsurance, including conventional reinsurance activities and, following regulatory approval in 2015, family and general retakaful. Retakaful enables the company to support takaful operators and Islamic insurance arrangements, complementing its conventional reinsurance franchise. The available reference material does not provide a complete product catalogue, detailed financial history, or current executive roster, so those aspects are not expanded beyond what can be reliably established. MNRB Holdings is listed on the Main Market of Bursa Malaysia Securities Berhad. The group is identified as one of the strategic companies within the portfolio of Permodalan Nasional Berhad, Malaysia's sovereign wealth fund. Malaysian Re itself is not identified as separately listed. Its financial-strength profile has also received external recognition: Fitch Ratings upgraded its Insurer Financial Strength rating from A- to A with a Stable Outlook in January 2019, while A.M. Best affirmed an A- Financial Strength Rating and an a- Issuer Credit Rating, both with Stable outlooks. These ratings indicate the agencies' assessment of the company's capacity to meet insurance-related obligations at the relevant review dates.
History
Malaysian Reinsurance Berhad, commonly known as Malaysian Re, developed into the operating reinsurance company of the MNRB Group through a major internal restructuring completed in 2005. Before the restructuring, Malaysian National Reinsurance Berhad held the reinsurance licence and conducted the associated business. The reorganisation transferred the licence, business and assets to Malaysian Reinsurance Berhad. Malaysian National Reinsurance Berhad then became an investment holding company and changed its name to MNRB Holdings Berhad. The restructuring established the corporate arrangement that remains central to the brand. Malaysian Re became the group's reinsurance operating subsidiary, while MNRB Holdings became the listed parent. MNRB is traded on the Main Market of Bursa Malaysia Securities Berhad and has other subsidiaries, including Takaful IKHLAS and Malaysian Re (Dubai) Ltd. The Dubai entity supports Malaysian Re's Middle East market, reflecting the group's effort to serve markets outside Malaysia through a regional structure. Malaysian Re's domestic position is described as particularly strong. It is identified as Malaysia's largest reinsurer, accounting for more than 60% of reinsurance accepted premium in the country. At the ASEAN level, it is described as the region's largest national reinsurer by asset size. Its business presence also extends across Asia and the Middle East, giving it a role in regional risk transfer in addition to its core Malaysian franchise. A significant product and regulatory development occurred in 2015, when Bank Negara Malaysia approved Malaysian Re to conduct family and general retakaful business. This approval allowed the company to participate directly in Islamic insurance markets and broadened its underwriting proposition beyond conventional reinsurance. The available reference does not specify the individual retakaful products, distribution arrangements or subsequent performance of those lines. The company received notable rating developments in January 2019. Fitch Ratings upgraded Malaysian Re's Insurer Financial Strength rating from A- to A, retaining a Stable Outlook. A.M. Best separately affirmed an A- Financial Strength Rating and an a- Issuer Credit Rating, also with Stable outlooks. These assessments provided external indicators of financial strength and credit quality at that point in the company's history. MNRB is identified as one of the strategic companies in the portfolio of Permodalan Nasional Berhad, Malaysia's sovereign wealth fund. Through its parent and related subsidiaries, Malaysian Re operates within a Malaysian financial-services group spanning reinsurance, retakaful and related insurance activities. The reference material does not establish a precise original founding year for the Malaysian Re brand, identify individual founders or provide a current leadership list. It also does not provide enough detail to document later product launches, acquisitions, financial results or changes in ownership beyond the group structure described above.
- 2019Fitch rating upgraded
Fitch Ratings upgraded Malaysian Re's Insurer Financial Strength rating from A- to A with a Stable Outlook.
- 2019A.M. Best ratings affirmed
A.M. Best affirmed an A- Financial Strength Rating and an a- Issuer Credit Rating, with Stable outlooks.
- 2015Retakaful approval obtained
Bank Negara Malaysia approved Malaysian Re to conduct family and general retakaful business.
- 2005Reinsurance business transferred to Malaysian Reinsurance Berhad
An MNRB Group restructuring transferred the reinsurance licence, business and assets from Malaysian National Reinsurance Berhad to Malaysian Reinsurance Berhad. The former entity became an investment holding company and was renamed MNRB Holdings Berhad.
Products and positioning
A leading Malaysian national reinsurer with a large domestic market share and regional reach across Asia, ASEAN and the Middle East. The brand combines conventional reinsurance with retakaful capabilities and operates as the principal reinsurance subsidiary of MNRB Holdings.
Conventional reinsuranceReinsurance
Malaysian Re's core business is reinsurance, providing risk-transfer capacity to insurers. Its domestic franchise makes it Malaysia's largest reinsurer by accepted premium according to the referenced material, while its market presence extends across Asia, ASEAN and the Middle East. The available sources do not provide a detailed breakdown by line of business or contract type.
Family retakafulRetakaful2015
Family retakaful supports Islamic insurance arrangements connected with personal and family protection. Malaysian Re received regulatory approval to conduct this business in 2015, allowing it to serve takaful operators alongside its conventional reinsurance activities. Detailed product names and market-level performance are not specified in the reference material.
General retakafulRetakaful2015
General retakaful extends Islamic risk-transfer capacity to non-life insurance exposures. Malaysian Re was approved by Bank Negara Malaysia to conduct general retakaful in 2015. The business complements the company's broader regional reinsurance platform, although the supplied sources do not identify specific sectors, products or distribution partners.
Flagship businesses
- Domestic and international reinsurance capacity
- Family and general retakaful solutions
Brand decisions
- 2015Enter family and general retakafulProduct launch
The company sought regulatory authority to participate in Islamic insurance markets in addition to conventional reinsurance.
What changed. Bank Negara Malaysia approved Malaysian Re to conduct family and general retakaful business.
Aftermath. The approval broadened Malaysian Re's authorised business scope to include retakaful.
- 2005Restructure the MNRB Group's reinsurance operationsStrategy
MNRB undertook a corporate restructuring to separate the operating reinsurance business from the investment-holding function.
What changed. The reinsurance licence, business and assets were transferred to Malaysian Reinsurance Berhad, while Malaysian National Reinsurance Berhad became MNRB Holdings Berhad.
Aftermath. Malaysian Re became the group's reinsurance operating subsidiary and MNRB Holdings became the listed parent company.
Recent events
- 2019Fitch upgrades Malaysian Re's insurer financial strength rating to A
Fitch Ratings upgraded Malaysian Re's Insurer Financial Strength rating from A- to A and assigned a Stable Outlook.
Other - 2019A.M. Best affirms Malaysian Re ratings with stable outlook
A.M. Best affirmed Malaysian Re's A- Financial Strength Rating and a- Issuer Credit Rating, with Stable outlooks for both ratings.
Other - 2015Malaysian Re receives approval to conduct family and general retakaful
Bank Negara Malaysia approved Malaysian Re to conduct family and general retakaful business, expanding the company's activities beyond conventional reinsurance.
RegulationProduct launch
Sources
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