#1 in Cambodia by customer base omni-channel partner distribution and protection-first innovation Qorus-NTT DATA Innovation in Insurance Awards 2026

Concept and objectives:

Since life insurance began in Cambodia in 2012, the market has been dominated by agency (and later referral bancassurance) and endowment/savings products—models that have struggled to reach mass customers sustainably. The real issue isn’t awareness; it’s access, trust and economics. People want affordable protection through channels they already trust—MFIs, employers, and bank branches—with a smooth journey, simple enrolment, and dependable renewals.

From January 2024, six months after I became CEO, Forte Life set out to change the rules. We built an omni-channel, partner-led model across MFI, bancassurance, brokerage, direct, and group to scale simple, protection-first life insurance nationwide.

Why now: Cambodia faces low insurance literacy (below 1% of the GDP), trust and affordability barriers, and rising banking stress (higher NPLs). At the same time, savings-led products see higher early lapse—so protection-first is the more sustainable, trust-building path.

State of Competition and Sources of Inspiration:

What differentiates us: While many insurers operate channels in silos (either agency and/or banca-led model) and chase premium, we optimize for lives covered, integrate partners into one repeatable operating model, and embed a persistency system (simple touchpoints, governance cadence, partner routines) to improve durability. We've embarked on a bold, and different journey which will ultimately clear the life insurance path for simple and affordable onboarding and higher penetration.

Regional emerging-market successes in institutional distribution and embedded protection—plus Forte Group’s long protection heritage and Forte General Insurance’s leadership in protecting national projects and embedded insurance (PA and travel).

Teams involved: Distribution, Product, Operations/Customer Service, Claims, Actuarial/Risk/Compliance, Finance, IT/Data, Marketing/Communications—supported by Forte Group synergies.

Results (2024–2025):

- 800,000 in-force lives covered (~8% of Cambodia’s 18–60 population); ~1.5m lives covered aggregated across 2024–2025 - 13,000 families supported with ~US$4m in claims payouts - Total sum assured equivalent to ~4–5% of Cambodia’s annual GDP - Distribution leadership: 7 bancassurance partners (largest), +5 additional B2B models; market-leading group benefits and broadest brokerage partnerships - Profitability momentum: ranked #3 in profitability in 2025, up from #5 in 2024