AIA has opened its largest agency service centre in Malaysia’s northern region at Straits Quay, Penang.

The centre, known as Wisma AIA Penang, occupies 74,000 square feet of office space and can accommodate over 1,100 agents, the Star reported. It has state-of-the-art facilities such as training rooms, collaborative spaces, as well as a lounge for high-achieving agents.

According to AIA Malaysia chief executive officer Anusha Thavarajah, establishing the centre is part of its transformation journey to become a leading agency force in the market. She added that AIA currently serves over 172,000 Penang customers, and that the company is investing substantially in its agency force to improve customers’ experiences.

“We see a higher cost of living, and people want to be covered in the event of something unfortunate in order to have continuity in income and access to the right medical care,” Thavarajah said at the centre’s launch.

“In Malaysia, the penetration rate of insurance is around 52% compared to the desired rate of 75%, which is a vision to be achieved by 2020. We want to ensure that we are able to be the best in protecting more Malaysians.”

AIA has been present in Malaysia for 70 years and has over 14,000 agents in the market.