What is the new name of AXA Insurance?

Editorial team Published on

AXA Insurance (specifically AXA Gulf) was renamed to Gulf Insurance Group - GIG (or GIG Gulf) in certain regions like the Middle East, while the parent AXA Group continues to operate globally under the AXA name.

📌 Regional Name Changes

  • Middle East / Gulf Region: AXA Gulf officially rebranded to GIG Gulf (Gulf Insurance Group) following an acquisition.
  • United States (Life Business): Formerly AXA Equitable, now known as Equitable Holdings (or Equitable).
  • Global Operations: The main corporate entity remains AXA, though specific regional branches or subsidiaries undergo localized rebranding.

What is AXA now called?

In the United States, AXA Equitable Life Insurance Company and AXA Advisors are now called Equitable and Equitable Advisors.

Name Changes and Rebranding

  • AXA Equitable Life changed its operating name to Equitable in January 2020.
  • AXA Advisors changed its name to Equitable Advisors in June 2020.
  • AXA Equitable Holdings became Equitable Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: EQH) after completing its corporate spin-off from the French parent company, AXA S.A.

Global Operations

  • Globally, the French insurance giant AXA S.A. still operates under the name AXA in Europe, Asia, and other international markets.
  • The name change only applies to the former U.S. subsidiary and its operations after becoming fully independent.

Who bought out AXA?

BNP Paribas bought out AXA's investment management division, AXA Investment Managers, for €5.1 billion.

Deal Details

  • Buyer: BNP Paribas through its insurance business, BNP Paribas Cardif.
  • Completion Date: July 1, 2025.
  • Total Value: €5.4 billion (including select related operations).
  • Impact: The deal created a major European asset manager with over €1.5 trillion in assets under management.

Important Distinction

  • The entire AXA Group was not bought out.
  • AXA remains an independent global insurance company and formed a long-term partnership with BNP Paribas to manage its assets.

Is Allianz the same as AXA?

No, Allianz and AXA are not the same company; they are two separate, competing global insurance and financial services corporations.

Key Differences

  • Headquarters: Allianz SE is based in Munich, Germany, while AXA SA is based in Paris, France.
  • Company Size: Allianz is generally larger by market capitalization and revenue, ranking as one of the largest financial institutions in the world.
  • Market Presence: Both operate internationally—offering auto, home, life, and health insurance, as well as asset management—but they function under completely independent management, ownership, and branding.

Is AXA insurance still in business?

Yes, AXA is still very much in business.

Current Operations

  • Global Reach: AXA operates in 52 countries, serves over 92 million customers, and employs roughly 156,000 people worldwide.
  • Financial Standing: The French multinational financial services and insurance giant remains a major market leader, reporting billions in annual revenue and strong performance across property, casualty, health, and life insurance lines.
  • Recent Restructuring: Regional branches continue to evolve; for instance, AXA UK & Ireland consolidated its commercial and retail divisions into a unified entity named AXA Insurance UK. You can view official corporate updates and product offerings directly on the AXA Corporate Website.

What’s our purpose? 📌 | AXA

9 related questions found

Who is the parent company of AXA?

AXA Insurance is not owned by a single individual or parent company; it is a publicly traded multinational corporation listed on Euronext Paris.

Ownership Structure

  • Public Shareholders: The vast majority of AXA S.A. is owned by institutional and individual investors worldwide who buy and sell its shares on the stock market.
  • Employee Shareholders: A small portion of shares is held directly by company employees through employee share-offering plans.
  • Leadership: The company is managed by an executive team led by CEO Thomas Buberl and overseen by a Board of Directors chaired by Antoine Gosset-Grainville.

Why did AXA change to Equitable?

AXA Equitable changed its name back to Equitable because the French parent company AXA S.A. completely spun off and sold its remaining stake in the U.S. business to make it an independent company.

📊 Why the Separation Happened

  • European Regulations: AXA faced stricter European solvency and accounting laws.
  • Strategic Shift: AXA wanted to shift focus from U.S. life insurance and annuities toward property and casualty insurance.
  • Capital Raising: AXA needed to raise capital after major acquisitions, leading to a 2018 IPO and subsequent share sales.

💡 Why the Name "Equitable"

  • Original Roots: The firm reverted to its historical founding name from 1859 (The Equitable Life Assurance Society of the United States).
  • Independence: Dropping "AXA" signaled to customers and markets that it operates as a standalone U.S. financial services company.

What happened with AXA?

The French multi-national insurer AXA has recently made major headlines due to its exit from a high-profile international contract, alongside fresh strategic overhauls and restructuring.

The primary updates concerning AXA include:

⚖️ International Criminal Court (ICC) Exit

On October 1, 2026, the International Criminal Court (ICC) and AXA mutually agreed to terminate their health insurance contract.

  • The Reason: AXA cited major compliance and legal "risks arising from the extraterritorial application of US sanctions". The decision follows escalating pressure and threats of broad institutional sanctions from the U.S. government against the Hague-based court.
  • The Fallout: Both parties feared upcoming U.S. sanctions could entirely freeze AXA's ability to transact or punish the insurer for doing business with the court. The ICC has immediately transitioned its personnel to a new, undisclosed health insurance provider.

🏢 Launch of AXA XL E&S

AXA's property, casualty, and specialty risk division, AXA XL, announced the launch of a new dedicated legal entity called AXA XL Excess & Surplus Lines Insurance Company (AXA XL E&S).

  • This wholesale-only carrier is designed to streamline operations and expand underwriting capabilities in the U.S. excess and surplus lines market. It will officially begin underwriting new casualty business in early 2027.

📈 "Growing Forward" 2027–2029 Strategy & Share Repurchase

In mid-September 2026, AXA unveiled its "Growing Forward" strategic plan, raising its performance and profitability targets for 2027 through 2029. The plan focuses heavily on customer-driven organic growth, market share gains, and large-scale AI deployment across its underwriting and operations.

  • Concurrently, to eliminate any dilutive effects from its "Shareplan 2026" employee stock offering, AXA executed a €470.8 million share buyback program that will run through October 2026.

Despite these positive financial targets, the combination of the sudden ICC contract dissolution and an unrelated courtroom setback in London regarding a PPI payout reversal caused AXA's stock price to experience a temporary 5.5% drop over the last week. However, major financial institutions maintain an "Outperform" or "Buy" rating on the stock in anticipation of their next indicators report.

What is the full name of Axa Insurance?

The global parent company's full name is Axa S.A. (Société Anonyme), and its local entity in the Philippines is officially named AXA Philippines Life and General Insurance Corporation.

Global and Local Details

  • Global Parent Company: AXA S.A. is a French multinational insurance firm based in Paris.
  • Philippine Entity: AXA Philippines operates as a joint venture involving the AXA Group, GT Capital Holdings, and Metrobank.
  • Name Update: The local branch updated its corporate title to AXA Philippines Life and General Insurance Corporation to combine its life and non-life operations under an Insurance Commission directive.

Who is AXA insurance underwritten by?

AXA insurance policies in the UK are primarily underwritten by AXA Insurance UK plc.

Depending on the specific type of policy or region, different entities within the group handle the underwriting:

  • Car, Home, Landlord, Business, and Van Insurance: Underwritten by AXA Insurance UK Plc.
  • Swiftcover: Underwritten by AXA Insurance UK plc.
  • International Health and Global Healthcare: Underwritten by a global panel including AXA PPP healthcare Limited, AXA Insurance dac, and AXA XL Insurance Company UK Limited.