With a rapidly growing membership in South-East Asia and a unique network of businesses, governments and academic institutions, we are committed to supporting our members, their employers, students and educators all across the region.
Learn more about the services we offer
Become an actuary
Whether you're thinking about becoming an Associate, Fellow or Actuarial Analyst, the profession offers an exciting career for those who are ready to take the next step and get more from their love of maths.
Every year we welcome new students from all across South-East Asia who are inspired by the idea of becoming an actuary.
To qualify as an actuary you need to apply to become a student member of the Institute and Faculty of Actuaries (IFoA). You then need to pass our exams, which typically run in April and September, and gain a satisfactory level of work-based skills.
To find out more about the IFoA and how you can achieve your career goals, download our "More than maths" brochure today.
Being an actuary: our members' experience
Our members in South-East Asia work in traditional areas such as insurance, but also in non-traditional areas such as banking, investment, InsurTech and in digital roles.
Here are some stories from our members on the wide range of opportunities being an actuary gives you:
"The most important thing for an actuary is to have the right mindset to be able to manage people, adjust and convince people that you can do anything."
Anusha Thavarajah, CEO, Malaysia (Read the case study)
"I work in a small team in a reinsurance broker and the scope of work can be very diverse. Given the backdrop of maturity in the data science field, the increasing sophistication of the insurance industry in Asia, and the shifting insurance regulatory regimes in the region, it is clearly an exciting time to be an actuary."
Chris Lim Shen, Senior Analyst, Singapore (Read the case study)
"I enjoy developing a positive working relationship with my clients. It motivates me when I am able to solve their problems, and as a result, become their "first-to-go-to" contact. This makes my work feel more meaningful. I also enjoy the opportunity to apply my technical actuarial skills to creatively deliver innovative solutions for my clients whilst ensuring robust risk management practice."
Albertus Teddy Setiadi, Director, Singapore (Read the case study)
Supporting actuarial employers in South-East Asia
We are committed to promoting quality assurance at an organisational level to ensure confidence in the work of actuaries in South-East Asia.
There are now five employers in South-East Asia that have achieved the IFoA’s Quality Assurance Scheme (QAS) accreditation. The most recent addition is AIA Malaysia and Nicholas Actuarial Solutions.
The QAS accredited organisations in South-East Asia are:
- Actuarial Partners Consulting Sdh Bhd (Group Actuarial department)
- AIA Berhad, AIA Public Takaful Bhd, AIA General Berhad
- AIA Company Limited (Thailand Actuarial department)
- Aon Singapore Centre Innovation, Strategy & Management Pte Ltd
- Nicholas Actuarial Solutions
Become an accredited university
The IFoA works with a range of accredited universities in South-East Asia to ensure the highest quality in actuarial education and training.
Top 3 reasons why universities apply for IFoA's accreditation:
- enhance their actuarial science programmes
- boost student employability
- increase their profile worldwide
There are eight universities in South-East Asia that have exemptions to at least some of the IFoA’s exams, these are:
- Asia Pacific University, Malaysia
- Heriot-Watt University, Malaysia
- Mahidol University, Thailand
- Nanyang Technological University, Singapore
- Sunway University, Malaysia
- UCSI University, Malaysia
- University of Malaya, Malaysia
- Universiti Teknologi Mara, Malaysia
View our list of accredited universities
Interested in becoming an accredited university? Contact us to find out more.
Become a volunteer
IFoA Volunteers are at the heart of everything we do. Volunteering brings a range of great benefits.
We have an active volunteer community in South-East Asia. There are over 70 volunteers in the region.
“Volunteering provides opportunities for members to interact with other actuaries, globally, and gives them a platform to exchange ideas and understand a variety of issues observed in developed and developing countries.”
Farzana Ismail (Read the case study)
"My role in the ISCF has also given me the opportunity to engage with many actuarial students in my region. By sharing their experience, thoughts and concerns with the IFoA Education team, I hope I can somewhat contribute in shaping the future of aspiring actuaries."
Ooi Choong Hern (Read the case study)
“I would encourage you to step forward and become a CPD Co-ordinator for your company!”
Pay Peng Neo (Read the case study)
Please contact us to find out more about volunteering opportunities in South-East Asia.
News
Read an article on Crop Insurance in the November 2020 edition of The Actuary magazine. This article was written by Saunak Dutta, who is a member of the IFoA's GI Asia Working Party in the November edition.
Events
IFoA University Webinar Series: Understanding Takaful for Actuaries by Ms. Farzana Ismail
Farzana Ismail is a qualified actuary based in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. She leads the life insurance and family takaful consulting practice in the Milliman Kuala Lumpur office. She has over 15 years’ experience in the life insurance and family takaful industry, and has worked on client assignments in Europe, US, Middle East and Asia Pacific. This includes Appointed Actuary roles for life insurance and family takaful companies in Malaysia and South-East Asia.
Event speakers
Looking for speakers? Our members are experienced speakers on a range of topics with recent presentations in South-East Asia on cyber risk, retirement adequacy and IFRS17.
About us
The IFoA’s Singapore office has been in operation since 2014 and we were the first, and remain the only, international body to have an office in South-East Asia. The office has been set up to cater to our 1,000+ members in Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. Please get in touch with us if you have an interest in joining the actuarial profession, or employing actuaries in South-East Asia.
| Contact details | |
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5 Shenton Way *The IFoA Singapore office is now closed and we are working remotely. Plese contact Caryn or Marie if you have any questions. |
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Caryn Chua, South-East Asia Actuary Representative Contact number: +65 8838 5848 (also contactable on Line, WhatsApp and WeChat) |
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Marie Lee, South-East Asia Regional Coordinator Contact number: +65 8778 1784 (also contactable on Line, WhatsApp and WeChat) |
We also work closely with the local societies in the region:
Filter or search events
Events calendar
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Mathematical Futures: The Actuary in a World Transformed – Sir Adrian Smith will outline how advances in data science, machine learning and artificial intelligence in the world of big data will transform the nature of many industries, including financial services. The broader environment within which mathematics is applied will change rapidly, often led by innovative yet disruptive forces outside. These changes will undoubtedly have an impact on the work of actuaries - and the profession will need to adapt quickly to thrive. -
General Insurance Spring Conference 2021 webinar series
Online conference19-25 May 2021
The General Insurance (GI) Spring Conference is a result of the General Insurance Lifelong Learning Committee (GILL) combining this year’s 'Current Issues in General Insurance' (CIGI) and 'Technical Issues in General Insurance' (TIGI) conferences into a virtual webinar series over 19 – 25 May that will be available to watch online globally. -
CILA 2021
Available to watch globally in May.19-21 May 2021
We continue to live in a world of global uncertainty. Survival depends on our ability to simultaneously navigate through the diverse root-causes, ranging from: the consequences of Climate Change; on-going financial consequences of the COVID pandemic; or self-imposed changes in regulatory requirements and accounting standards. -
This is a free webinar on the consultation on changes to the Practising Certificates (PC) Scheme.The proposals come from a recent review of the PC Scheme which was the first substantive look at the IFoA’s approach to the requirements and process for PCs since 2010. It responds directly to feedback received on how the current scheme works especially that received from members and PC Holders.
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The world is changing. The fourth industrial revolution, globalisation and the COVID-19 pandemic are up-ending traditional social and business norms around the world; changes that were once predictable and steady are now faster and more profound. -
Sessional Meeting - Long term stochastic risk models: The 6th generation of modern actuarial models?
7 June 2021
This paper explores the use of long-term stochastic modelling for risk management. Life insurance is a long-term business and carries with it long-term risks, yet a lot of current actuarial risk management is focused on short-term modelling approaches. -
Tools like python/R are being heavily used to provide end-to-end analytical solutions for risk management. They help to set up a framework/platform to collect risk data and work out stochastic analytics to provide insights into the risks faced by a firm, be it in any sector. -
Actuarial Implications of Pandemic: Modelling Unemployment and Mortality Impact of Vaccination
9 June 2021
In this webinar, two presentations present the research from the Health and Care practice area on two key issues related to the COVID-19 pandemic; Scott Reid will share the research on unemployment modelling and John Ng will discuss the mortality impact of vaccination. -
The webinar will look at several aspects of intergenerational fairness and our panel of experts will challenge you, society, taxpayers and generations X, Y and Z on key aspects of DB v DC pensions, public v private sector pensions, state benefits and key aspects of sustainability.
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Pensions Conference 2021
Online webinar series16-22 June 2021
Welcome to the programme for our 2nd Virtual Pensions Conference. This year's conference features 11 webinars offering members and non-members the opportunity to get up to date content from leading experts in the pension industry. There will also be opportunity to ask questions and contribute to the discussion. -
Annual General Meeting 2021
24 June 2021Given our commitment to the safety of our members and employees, and as the easing of restrictions in respect of COVID-19 cannot be guaranteed at this point in time, we have decided to hold our AGM virtually again this year.
The Business of the AGM
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IFoA Presidential Address 2021
25 June 2021Join newly inaugurated IFoA President Dr. Louise Pryor as she explores what we need to do to keep abreast of the changing world – and how we can seize the resulting opportunities – in her Presidential Address, ‘A Learning Society’
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This is a free webinar on the consultation on changes to the Practising Certificates (PC) Scheme.The proposals come from a recent review of the PC Scheme which was the first substantive look at the IFoA’s approach to the requirements and process for PCs since 2010. It responds directly to feedback received on how the current scheme works especially that received from members and PC Holders.
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Actuaries in all practice areas have had an “alert” to consider climate risk. A plethora of scenarios and tools are being developed both internally and as part of industry-wide initiatives but is there yet a sense of good practice?
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The paper “Asset liability modelling in the quantum era” shall be presented by its authors, Tim Berry and James Sharpe, and chaired by Andrew Smith, Assistant Professor in the School of Mathematics and Statistics at University College Dublin.
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Internal audit is often the Cinderella of the audit world. It’s a regulatory requirement for insurance companies to have an internal audit function, so why not make it as useful as possible? This session will look at how to link an internal audit plan to the risk register, and how that helps audit committees and boards to spot problems and fix them.
Mathematical Futures: The Actuary in a World Transformed – Sir Adrian Smith will outline how advances in data science, machine learning and artificial intelligence in the world of big data will transform the nature of many industries, including financial services. The broader environment within which mathematics is applied will change rapidly, often led by innovative yet disruptive forces outside. These changes will undoubtedly have an impact on the work of actuaries - and the profession will need to adapt quickly to thrive.
The General Insurance (GI) Spring Conference is a result of the General Insurance Lifelong Learning Committee (GILL) combining this year’s 'Current Issues in General Insurance' (CIGI) and 'Technical Issues in General Insurance' (TIGI) conferences into a virtual webinar series over 19 – 25 May that will be available to watch online globally.
This is a free webinar on the consultation on changes to the Practising Certificates (PC) Scheme.
The world is changing. The fourth industrial revolution, globalisation and the COVID-19 pandemic are up-ending traditional social and business norms around the world; changes that were once predictable and steady are now faster and more profound.
This paper explores the use of long-term stochastic modelling for risk management. Life insurance is a long-term business and carries with it long-term risks, yet a lot of current actuarial risk management is focused on short-term modelling approaches.
Tools like python/R are being heavily used to provide end-to-end analytical solutions for risk management. They help to set up a framework/platform to collect risk data and work out stochastic analytics to provide insights into the risks faced by a firm, be it in any sector.
In this webinar, two presentations present the research from the Health and Care practice area on two key issues related to the COVID-19 pandemic; Scott Reid will share the research on unemployment modelling and John Ng will discuss the mortality impact of vaccination.
Welcome to the programme for our 2nd Virtual Pensions Conference. This year's conference features 11 webinars offering members and non-members the opportunity to get up to date content from leading experts in the pension industry. There will also be opportunity to ask questions and contribute to the discussion.
This is a free webinar on the consultation on changes to the Practising Certificates (PC) Scheme.