Winterthur Life Indonesia signs MOU with Bank BNI

The Winterthur insurance group was founded 125 years ago and is now the largest insurance company in Switzerland and among the top five in Europe. With its AA Standard and Poors rating, Winterthur has achieved a reputation for financial soundness and reliability combined with the very latest advances in technology and product innovations.

In Indonesia, Winterthur signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) in 1990, marking the commencement of a Joint-Venture partnership with Asuransi Wahana Tata, which is part of the Gemala group of companies. The shareholders of the new company were: Winterthur Switzerland, 60 percent, Asuransi Wahana Tata, 25 percent, and Ekamulia Catrapratama, 15 percent. Pt Asuransi Winterthur Life Indonesia (WLI) commenced operations in 1992.

Among WLI's corporate clients are large multinational conglomerates with operations in Indonesia and many large and small local enterprises. Such corporate clients seek insurance coverage for employee benefits, such as Life Assurance, Personal Accident, Pensions and Group Health Insurance.

Recently, Winterthur was honoured to be selected by the recently privatized Bank Negara Indonesia (BNI) as insurer for the Group Health employee benefits of its workforce and their dependents. BNI's insurance program commenced in March 1997, and over 40,000 people are covered under the plan with Winterthur.

Every BNI employee receives a membership card for the health scheme and, with it, access to a 24-hour free telephone medical assistance service. The range of medical benefits covered under the scheme includes hospitalization, surgical, maternity and glasses.

Winterthur, with several qualified doctors in its claims- handling team and a new tailor-made state-of-the-art computer system, is well placed to deal sympathetically and efficiently with the health queries of the staff and their dependents covered under BNI's scheme and to settle claims quickly.

The signing of the agreement between BNI and WLI marked the culmination of over two years of negotiations, development and preparation. The hard work put into the project by both sides bodes well for the relationship's future success.