Axa facts for kids
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Headquarters at Hôtel de La Vaupalière, Paris
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| Public (Société Anonyme) | |
| Traded as | Euronext Paris: CS CAC 40 Component |
| Industry | Financial services |
| Founded | 1921 |
| Headquarters | Hôtel de La Vaupalière, 25 Avenue Matignon,
France
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Area served
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Worldwide |
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Key people
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Thomas Buberl (CEO) Denis Duverne (Chairman of the Board) |
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| Revenue |  €83.627 billion (2023) |
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Operating income
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€6.34 billion (2023) |
| €7.37 billion (2023) |
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| AUM | €945.50 billion (2023) |
| Total assets | €644.44 billion (2023) |
| Total equity | €52.39 billion (2023) |
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Number of employees
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113,696 (2023) |
| Subsidiaries | Axa Bank Belgium Axa Investment Managers Axa XL |
Axa S.A. is a big French company that offers insurance and other money-related services. It is based in Paris, the capital city of France. As of 2023, Axa is the largest financial services company in France. It is also one of the biggest French companies overall.
The Axa Group works in many parts of the world. These include Europe, North America, the Indian Pacific region, and the Middle East. They also have a presence in Africa. Axa is like a group of many different businesses. Each one runs on its own, following the rules of the country it is in. It is a major company listed on the stock market.
Contents
What's in a Name?
The name "AXA" is always written in capital letters by the company. But it's not an acronym, which means it doesn't stand for anything. The name was chosen because it's easy for people to say in any language.
In 1982, the company's leader, Claude Bébéar, wanted a new name. He hired someone to search for a name that was short and lively. It also needed to sound the same in every language. This was important because the company wanted to be known all over the world. They first thought of "Elan," but that word means "moose" in French. So, in 1985, Bébéar picked the name Axa.
Axa's Story
The company started a very long time ago, in 1816. Back then, it was called Mutuelle de L'assurance contre L'incendie. This means "Mutual Fire Insurance." Over the years, it grew by joining with other companies. In 1978, it became Mutuelles Unies.
In 1982, it merged with the Drouot Group. This made it Mutuelles Unies/Drouot. The company officially became Axa in 1985. Axa continued to grow by buying other large insurance companies. For example, it took over The Equitable in 1991. In 1996, it bought Union des Assurances De Paris (UAP), which was France's biggest insurer. For a short time, it was called Axa-UAP. But in 1999, it went back to just Axa.
Axa kept expanding in the early 2000s. It bought Guardian Royal Exchange in 1999. In 2000, it bought all remaining shares of Sun Life & Provincial Holdings. In 2006, Axa bought the Winterthur Group from Credit Suisse for about €9 billion.
In 2016, Axa announced it would stop investing in tobacco companies. This means they would no longer buy shares or bonds from companies that make tobacco products. In 2018, Axa bought XL Group Ltd for $15.3 billion. This company specializes in insurance for businesses. In 2019, Axa sold its Axa Bank Belgium to Crelan.
In 2023, Axa Investment Managers bought a film studio in France. This studio, located in Bry-sur-Marne, and its land cost €150 million.
Where Axa Works
Axa has offices and serves customers all over the world. Its main office is in Paris, France. The headquarters building is a mix of old and new. Axa bought an 18th-century building called Hotel de La Vaupalière. An architect named Ricardo Bofill combined its old facade with a modern glass building. This complex is now Axa's main office.
Axa in the United Kingdom
In the United Kingdom, Axa is known as Axa UK. It has different parts like Axa Insurance, Axa Wealth, and Axa Health. Axa also bought an online insurance company called Swiftcover.
Axa became a partner of the Premier League football team Liverpool F.C. in 2018. They became the team's "Official Global Insurance" partner. In 2019, they started sponsoring the team's training kits. In 2020, Axa bought the naming rights for the club's new training center. It is now called 'The AXA Training Centre.'
Axa Health
AXA Health sells private medical insurance in the UK. It used to be called AXA PPP Healthcare. It started in 1938 to help middle-income people in London get private healthcare.
Axa Global Healthcare
Axa - Global Healthcare helps people who need health insurance when they are living or traveling around the world. In 2018, they started offering a "Virtual Doctor" service. This service lets customers get medical advice by phone or video. Doctors from around the world can speak more than 15 languages. This is very helpful for people living in other countries.
Axa in Ireland
Axa started working in Ireland in 1999. It bought a company called Guardian Royal Exchange, which had already bought PMPA. PMPA was one of Ireland's biggest insurance companies at the time. Axa is now the third-largest general insurer in the Republic of Ireland. In 2023, Axa bought the health insurance company Laya Healthcare for €650 million.
Axa in Canada
Axa Canada used to sell insurance in many parts of Canada. Its main office was in Montreal. In 2011, Axa Canada was sold to Intact Financial Corp. for C$2.6 billion.
Axa in the United States
Axa's business in the United States is called Axa Financial, Inc.. It is known through its different companies like Axa Advisors and AllianceBernstein. Axa bought The Equitable in 1991 and the Mutual Life Insurance Company of New York (MONY) in 2004.
Axa in Mexico
In 2008, Axa bought ING Insurance Mexico. This allowed Axa to offer similar services in Mexico.
Axa in Australia
In 1995, the Axa Group bought a large part of an Australian insurance company. This company was called National Mutual Life Association of Australia. In 2011, Axa Asia Pacific joined with AMP Limited.
Axa in Africa
Axa is growing its business in Africa. In 2016, Axa partnered with Chaucer Holdings to offer special types of insurance in Africa. This helps businesses in Africa manage risks. Axa already works in countries like Cameroon, Egypt, and Nigeria.
Kamet Ventures
In 2016, Axa created Kamet Ventures. This is a special company that helps start new businesses in insurance, healthcare, and assistance. It helps new companies grow with initial funding of €100 million.
Axa Investment Managers
Axa Investment Managers (Axa IM) is a company that manages money for others. It has offices in over 22 places around the world. As of 2020, it manages over €858 billion in assets. It is the part of Axa that handles investments.
Axa in Hong Kong & Macau
AXA Asia Pacific Holdings Limited bought MLC (Hong Kong) Limited in 2006. They then renamed it AXA (Hong Kong) Life Insurance Company Limited.
Helping Others
Axa does more than just business. It also helps communities through its "Axa Hearts in Action" program. In 2008, Axa started the Axa Research Fund. This fund has €100 million to support research. This research focuses on understanding and preventing risks to the environment, human life, and society.
The Fund has also given money to top research places around the world. These include universities and research centers. Their goal is to attract the best scientists. For example, they support the Axa Polytechnique Chair in Cellular Cardiovascular Engineering. Axa also helps the Access to Medicine Foundation. It gives money to help prevent infectious diseases and respond to health crises like COVID-19.
See also
In Spanish: AXA para niños
- Axa Investment Managers
- Ardian (formerly Axa Private Equity)
