AIA has struck a distribution deal with Industrial and Commercial Bank of China, the country’s biggest lender by market value, as the Asian arm of AIG moves to consolidate its position as the leading foreign life assurer in China.

　　友邦保險(AIA)已經與中國市值最大的銀行——中國工商銀行(ICBC)達成承銷協議。這家美國國際集團(AIG)的亞洲子公司正努力鞏固其作為中國領先的外資人壽保險公司的地位。

　　The bancassurance agreement, which was signed this week and could be announced as soon as today, comes as AIA is pressing on swiftly with plans to float on the Hong Kong stock exchange by the end of November.

　　本周簽署的這項銀行保險業務(bancassurance)協議最早可能于今日宣布。此際，友邦保險正在大力推進于11月底前在香港交易所上市的計劃。

　　“This is a major agreement with one of the world’s biggest banks,” said one person familiar with the deal. “It will expand and build upon AIA’s relationship with ICBC.”

　　“這是與世界最大銀行之一達成的一項重大協議，”一名知情人士表示。“此舉將擴大并鞏固友邦保險與工商銀行的關系。”

　　ICBC International, the bank’s securities arm, is one of two Asian banks among the 11 bookrunners on the AIA initial public offering, which could raise up to $20bn in one of the world’s biggest listings of the past two years.

　　在友邦保險首次公開發行(IPO)的11家簿記行中，有兩家來自亞洲，工商銀行的證券子公司工銀國際(ICBC International)即是其中之一。此次IPO可能募集資金多達200億美元，成為過去兩年全球規模最大的IPO之一。

　　AIG, the stricken US insurer, returned to its plan to sell a majority of the stock in AIA after the $35.5bn deal to sell the company to Prudential of the UK fell through earlier this year.

　　今年早些時候，在以355億美元將友邦保險出售給英國保誠集團(Prudential)的交易告吹后，身處困境的AIG重新拾起了出售友邦保險多數股權的計劃。

　　The money raised from the sale will be used to help pay down some of the billions of dollars that AIG owes to the US taxpayer after its rescue at the height off the financial crisis in 2008.

　　出售股權所得將用于償還2008年金融危機鼎盛時期AIG從美國納稅人手中獲得的數十億美元紓困資金。

　　AIA, which is the only foreign company to own its Chinese operating license outright, already has 17 smaller bancassurance arrangements in China that give it access to more than 1,000 bank branches, according to the most recently available financial data on the company.

　　友邦保險是唯一一家直接擁有中國營業執照的外資保險公司。記者能夠獲得的友邦保險最新財務數據顯示，目前該公司已經在中國達成了17筆規模較小的銀行保險業務安排，使其得以利用1000多家銀行網點。

　　It also has more than 25,000 sales agents in the country, which have helped it to build the leading position among foreign life assurers in China with a roughly 21 per cent share of business sold by foreigners. However, this amounts to just 1 per cent of the total life assurance market in China.

　　友邦保險還在中國擁有2.5萬余名銷售人員，幫助其在駐華外資人壽保險商中確立了領先地位，在外資壽險業務中占據了大約21%的份額。不過，這只相當于中國整體壽險市場的1%。