Global insurance corporation MetLife, through its MetLife Global Holding Company structure, has decided to sell its Ukrainian company, MetLife Ukraine, to Polish insurance group PZU. PZU officially announced the transaction on May 4, saying the acquisition forms part of the group’s long-term strategy to strengthen its position and build a strong international insurance and financial platform in Central and Eastern Europe.
PZU CEO Bogdan Benczek said the company is effectively acquiring the leader of Ukraine’s life insurance market, with an experienced team and a resilient business model. According to him, the transaction will allow PZU to significantly expand the scale of its operations specifically in the life insurance segment and strengthen its presence in Ukraine. He also stressed that the decision combines the company’s strategic ambitions with sound economic rationale.
The financial terms of the transaction have not been officially disclosed. At the same time, according to estimates cited by Forbes Ukraine in April, the value of MetLife Ukraine could be around $100 million. Other market players had also shown interest in the company, including Austria’s Uniqa, TAS Life, linked to Serhiy Tihipko, and PZU itself.
In Ukraine, MetLife holds a dominant position in the life insurance segment: according to National Bank of Ukraine data cited by Forbes Ukraine as of the beginning of 2026, the company accounts for 49.2% of premiums in this segment. By comparison, PZU Ukraine’s share stands at just 6.8%. Before the deal, virtually 100% of MetLife Ukraine’s shares were owned by MetLife Global Holding Company, part of MetLife Inc.
MetLife has been operating in Ukraine since 2002 and is the largest player by assets, with total assets of UAH 12.4 billion, the highest level in the market. Its core business is life insurance, where it also leads by premium volume at around UAH 3 billion. The company’s customer base exceeds 920,000 people.
For its part, PZU Ukraine has been operating in the Ukrainian market for more than 30 years and is part of Poland’s PZU Group. Last year, the company posted net profit of UAH 326.8 million, ranking eighth among insurers. Its assets amount to UAH 4.1 billion.
Until now, PZU has not made life insurance its main focus. In 2025, total premiums in this segment at PZU Ukraine amounted to UAH 3.4 billion, of which the larger share — UAH 2.9 billion — came from individuals, while UAH 790 million came from corporate clients. The acquisition of MetLife effectively allows PZU to sharply strengthen its position in this key segment of Ukraine’s insurance market.
