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Most important successes In 2018, elipsLife focused on preparations for its entry into the US group insurance market. The first step was to acquire Mapfre Life Insurance Company, an insurance company with excellent ratings (A/a+) from A.M. Best that is licensed to operate in 49 states as well as the District of Columbia. This acquisition allows elipsLife to underwrite group insurance business throughout the US. The name of Mapfre Life Insurance Company was changed to Elips Life Insurance Company. The company will operate under the elipsLife brand name. The next step was to develop a line of group insurance products for the US market, including life and accidental death and dismemberment insurance solutions and short- and long-term occupational incapacity and disability insurance solutions. All of these products were approved by the Interstate Insurance Product Regulation Commission. In addition to these traditional insurance products, elipsLife also offers its US customers absence management solutions and services relating to selfinsured disability and work accommodation. elipsLife Insurance Company set up its US administrative headquarters in Schaumburg, a suburb of Chicago in Illinois. A team of some 20 experts boasting more than 20 years’ experience in the insurance industry on average currently not only handles all core functions such as sales, underwriting, customer service and claims processing, but also central corporate functions such as accounting, HR and IT. The final step was to adjust the processes and our IT platform to ensure that elipsLife’s global operating model can cope with the characteristic features of the US market – including the management of absences in accordance with the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) and the deduction and reporting of withholding tax due on compensation payments in accordance with the legal provisions of the US and the individual US states. Outlook elipsLife is particularly proud of the fact that it managed to successfully recruit highly qualified sales and underwriting specialists in the US. They will initially focus on developing the markets in the Midwest and in New England. The reason for focusing on these market regions lies in the business opportunities on offer as well as the possibility of recruiting qualified talent in this region who have proven expertise in group insurance and enjoy a good reputation among the brokers in their region. elipsLife has been offering competitive group insurance solutions for medium-sized enterprises and other interested parties from 2019. The intention is to use the experience and feedback gained from insurance brokers and customers in the Midwest and New England to invest further in expanding our regional presence as well as our range of products and services.