Tower Limited/Announcement
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Tower to sell Solomon Islands Business

M&A2 July 2023TWRFinancials

Classification: Highly Sensitive
Level 5, 136 Fanshawe Street

Auckland 1142, New Zealand

ARBN 645 941 028

Incorporated in New Zealand



3 July, 2023

Tower to sell Solomon Islands business


Tower announces the conditional sale of its Solomon Islands business to Trans Pacific Assurance Limited.

The sale price is around SBD $17m, subject to adjustments for changes to gross written premiums

(GWP), exchange rates and capital requirements, between now and the completion date. The sale is

expected to complete in 2023.


Tower’s Solomon Islands business is its smallest Pacific operation. In the financial year to 30 September

2022, Tower’s Solomon Islands business generated GWP of NZD $2.9m and net profit after tax of NZD

$0.1m. As at 30 September 2022, it had net assets of NZD $2.6m.


Tower Chief Executive Blair Turnbull says Tower remains focused on delivering its personal lines and

SME customer experience in the Pacific, enabled through Tower’s leading digital and data offering, while

tightening its risk appetite.


“In delivering our strategy, we concluded that this sale to Trans Pacific would enable us to better

streamline our operations and complete our Pacific digital transformation. The sale provides good value

for Solomon Islands staff, customers, and Tower shareholders,” he says.


Tower is continuing to invest in its Pacific business with the roll out of its My Tower online sales and

service platform and the rebrand of its Tonga, American Samoa and Samoa businesses to Tower

following its acquisition of minority interests in National Pacific Insurance in 2021. Tower’s Suva

operations hub now has 200 staff serving both Pacific and New Zealand customers.


Trans Pacific is a privately owned general insurer operating in Papua New Guinea. Trans Pacific sees the

acquisition of Tower’s Solomon Islands’ business as being a good fit with its existing operations, due to

the geographical proximity between Papua New Guinea and Solomon Islands, and the similar risk

profiles.


Trans Pacific will be offering roles to Tower's four Solomon Islands staff members.


The transaction is subject to conditions, including approval by authorities in New Zealand, Solomon

Islands and Papua New Guinea and confirmation of coverage from Trans Pacific’s reinsurers.


ENDS


This announcement has been authorised by Tower Chief Executive, Blair Turnbull.


For media enquiries, please contact in the first instance:

Emily Davies

Head of Corporate Affairs and Sustainability

Tower Limited

Mobile: +64 021 815 149

Email: emily.davies@tower.co.nz

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