Manulife Partners with Adaptive ML to Accelerate AI Platform Optimization
- Partnership Accelerates AI Progress: Manulife has selected Adaptive ML to provide model fine-tuning technology, leveraging a reinforcement learning engine to optimize open-source small language models, thereby enhancing accuracy and efficiency in enterprise applications, which ultimately improves customer experience and business value.
- Real-Time Model Optimization: The Adaptive ML system continuously learns and adjusts AI models in real-time, ensuring that Manulife maintains a competitive edge in the rapidly evolving AI landscape, driving its transformation into an AI-powered organization.
- Diverse Application Exploration: The multi-year agreement will explore new applications such as automating underwriting quotes and executing complex processes, with initial use cases set to accelerate broader deployment of the platform, enhancing business responsiveness.
- Commitment to Sustainability: By utilizing a model fine-tuning engine alongside small language models, Manulife aims to reduce energy consumption while maintaining performance, reinforcing its commitment to responsible AI and sustainability.
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- Partnership Accelerates AI Progress: Manulife has selected Adaptive ML to provide model fine-tuning technology, leveraging a reinforcement learning engine to optimize open-source small language models, thereby enhancing accuracy and efficiency in enterprise applications, which ultimately improves customer experience and business value.
- Real-Time Model Optimization: The Adaptive ML system continuously learns and adjusts AI models in real-time, ensuring that Manulife maintains a competitive edge in the rapidly evolving AI landscape, driving its transformation into an AI-powered organization.
- Diverse Application Exploration: The multi-year agreement will explore new applications such as automating underwriting quotes and executing complex processes, with initial use cases set to accelerate broader deployment of the platform, enhancing business responsiveness.
- Commitment to Sustainability: By utilizing a model fine-tuning engine alongside small language models, Manulife aims to reduce energy consumption while maintaining performance, reinforcing its commitment to responsible AI and sustainability.
- Unsolicited Acquisition Proposal: Ocehan LLC has made an unsolicited mini-tender offer to purchase up to 50,000 shares of Manulife at $35.80 per share, representing less than 0.003% of outstanding shares, but this price is approximately 24.88% below the current market price, indicating that investors should be cautious about such low-priced offers.
- Market Price Warning: Manulife cautions shareholders that the offer price is below the closing prices on November 19 and December 19, 2025, with discounts of 28.29% and 28.16% respectively, emphasizing the need for investors to carefully review the offer documents and current market prices.
- Regulatory Concerns: The Canadian Securities Administrators and the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission have expressed serious concerns about mini-tender offers, suggesting that investors might tender shares without fully understanding the market price, which increases investment risk.
- Shareholder Service Assurance: Manulife provides shareholder services across multiple countries, ensuring that shareholders can access information regarding share account management, direct deposit of dividends, and reinvestment plans, thereby enhancing trust in corporate governance.

- Rating Affirmation: AM Best has affirmed Manulife Financial's Financial Strength Rating at A+, along with a Long-Term Issuer Credit Rating of "aa-" for its life/health insurance subsidiaries, reflecting the company's exceptional performance and stable financial foundation in the insurance sector.
- Capital Adequacy Improvement: Manulife's risk-adjusted capital position remains favorable and increasing in the latest quarter, indicating strong financial flexibility and prudent capital management strategies that bolster investor confidence.
- Stable Operating Performance: Despite market fluctuations, Manulife continues to report favorable earnings in its core business lines, demonstrating its diversified business model and strong market presence across Asia, Canada, and the U.S.
- Strategic Innovation: Manulife is implementing generative artificial intelligence and plans to enter the Indian life insurance market through a joint venture, which, while carrying execution risks, could provide new growth opportunities for the company.

- Rating Affirmation: AM Best has affirmed Manulife Financial's A+ rating, reflecting its strong operating performance and robust balance sheet in the life/health insurance sector, which enhances investor confidence.
- Capital Adequacy Improvement: Manulife's Life Insurance Capital Adequacy Test (LICAT) score continues to rise, indicating a very strong risk-adjusted capital position that helps the company maintain stability amid market fluctuations.
- Diversified Business Model: Manulife's diversified business model in insurance and wealth management, combined with its market leadership in Asia, Canada, and the U.S., ensures stable profitability in its core lines of business.
- Strategic Risk Management: By reinsuring and managing reserves conservatively, Manulife has reduced risks associated with low-return business lines, further strengthening its financial flexibility and long-term growth potential.

Current Trends in Life Insurance: The life insurance industry is adapting to low interest rates through product redesign and increased automation, which are expected to drive premium growth and efficiency. The Federal Reserve's recent interest rate cuts pose challenges for insurers as they invest premiums to meet policyholder obligations.
Market Growth Projections: The life insurance market is projected to grow significantly, with gross written premiums expected to reach $1.34 trillion in 2025. The demand for retirement benefits is increasing, particularly among baby boomers, while technology adoption is enhancing sales and operational efficiency.
Investment Strategies: Insurers are shifting their investment strategies towards alternative assets like private equity and real estate to mitigate the impact of low interest rates. The industry is also focusing on developing products that offer living benefits, catering to changing customer preferences.
Stock Recommendations: Zacks highlights several life insurance stocks to consider, including Jackson Financial and F&G Annuities & Life, both of which are expected to see significant earnings growth. The overall Zacks Life Insurance industry rank indicates strong prospects, despite recent underperformance compared to the broader market.

Public Offering Announcement: Manulife Financial Corp. has priced a public offering of U.S.$1.00 billion in 4.986% senior notes due 2035 at a public offering price of 100%.
Use of Proceeds: The net proceeds from the sale of the notes will be used for general corporate purposes, including potential refinancing needs.
Joint Book-Running Managers: The offering is being managed by BofA Securities, Citigroup Global Markets, J.P. Morgan Securities, and Morgan Stanley.
Disclaimer: The views expressed in the article do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.






