In Depth: Insurance Group Bets Big on Banking and Real Estate – and Pushing Regulatory Limits

(Beijing) – In the capital's central business district south of the iconic CCTV building are two parcels of land busy with construction workers toiling on what is expected to be one of the city's most expensive commercial and residential complexes.

The owner of the land, Anbang Insurance Group (AIG), is a Shenzhen-headquartered private investment conglomerate that few people knew about three years ago. The company's remarkable rise in such a short period of time is largely credited to the chairman Wu Xiaohui's charisma and business acumen – and his apparent success at pushing regulatory limits.