DBS Hong Kong, Manulife Hong Kong and The Hong Kong Jockey Club (HKJC) are pleased to announce a 3-year partnership for the "DBS x Manulife Million Challenge" starting from the new racing season (2019/20).  An opening ceremony will be held on Wednesday, 11 September, at Happy Valley Racecourse, during the inaugural race night of the racing series under the new sponsorship.
Mr. Ajay Mathur, Managing Director and Head of Consumer Banking Group & Wealth Management at DBS Hong Kong , said, "DBS is honoured to join hands with Manulife to be the title sponsor of the Million Challenge starting from this year. The seamless collaboration among horse owners, trainers and jockeys to strive for championship across this six-month racing series is a perfect testament to the winning partnership between DBS and Manulife!"
Mr. Lawrence Nutting, Chief Distribution Officer of Manulife (International) Limited, said: "Manulife is pleased to present this world-class race series with our key bancassurance partner DBS. We look forward to bringing this exciting and fabulous racing series to the Hong Kong public and promoting the winning spirit of Manulife and DBS through the Million Challenge."
HKJC Executive Director, Racing, Mr. Andrew Harding, said: "We are delighted to welcome DBS and Manulife as the title sponsor of the DBS x Manulife Million Challenge. Since its inception, the Million Challenge has added to the excitement of race meetings at our iconic Happy Valley racecourse, with the champion title a much sought-after glory for Owners, Trainers and Jockeys. I would like to take this opportunity to thank DBS and Manulife for their generous support. We look forward to working with them and to a brand new season of racing excitement at the Valley!"
DBS x Manulife Million Challenge is for runners of all Class 3 or above races and will commence on 11 September at Happy Valley Racecourse. The series concludes on 26 February 2020, and the Owners of the three horses with the most accumulated points will share a bonus of HK$1 million, with the overall winner receiving HK$650,000 of that total.

Attachments:
DBS x Manulife Million Challenge logo (png format)
DBS x Manulife Million Challenge key visual (jpg format)

About DBS and Manulife’s regional distribution agreement
DBS Bank and Manulife Financial Asia Limited officially launched their 15-year regional distribution agreement covering Hong Kong, Singapore, mainland China and Indonesia, on 1 January 2016. As part of the agreement, Manulife is the key provider of bancassurance solutions to DBS customers in these four markets. The partnership further strengthens DBS’s regional life insurance distribution capabilities, and significantly expands Manulife’s existing successful relationship with DBS. Prior to this, Manulife was already DBS’s main provider of insurance solutions in Hong Kong and Indonesia, and the bank’s second largest provider in Asia overall.

About DBS
DBS is a leading financial services group in Asia with a presence in 18 markets. Headquartered and listed in Singapore, DBS is in the three key Asian axes of growth: Greater China, Southeast Asia and South Asia. The bank’s "AA-" and "Aa1" credit ratings are among the highest in the world. Recognised for its global leadership, DBS has been named "World’s Best Bank" by Euromoney, "Global Bank of the Year" by The Banker and "Best Bank in the World" by Global Finance. The bank is at the forefront of leveraging digital technology to shape the future of banking, having been named "World’s Best Digital Bank" by Euromoney. In addition, DBS has been accorded the "Safest Bank in Asia" award by Global Finance for ten consecutive years from 2009 to 2018. DBS provides a full range of services in consumer, SME and corporate banking. As a bank born and bred in Asia, DBS understands the intricacies of doing business in the region’s most dynamic markets. DBS is committed to building lasting relationships with customers, and positively impacting communities through supporting social enterprises, as it banks the Asian way. It has also established a SGD 50 million foundation to strengthen its corporate social responsibility efforts in Singapore and across Asia. With its extensive network of operations in Asia and emphasis on engaging and empowering its staff, DBS presents exciting career opportunities. The bank acknowledges the passion, commitment and can-do spirit in all of our 27,000 staff, representing over 40 nationalities. For more information, please visit www.dbs.com.

About Manulife Hong Kong
Manulife Hong Kong, through Manulife International Holdings Limited, owns Manulife (International) Limited, Manulife Asset Management (Hong Kong) Limited and Manulife Provident Funds Trust Company Limited. As a member of the Manulife group of companies, Manulife Hong Kong offers a diverse range of protection and wealth products and services to individual and corporate customers in Hong Kong and Macau.
Manulife Financial Corporation is a leading international financial services group that helps people make their decisions easier and lives better. We operate primarily as John Hancock in the United States and Manulife elsewhere. We provide financial advice, insurance, as well as wealth and asset management solutions for individuals, groups and institutions. At the end of 2018, we had more than 34,000 employees, over 82,000 agents, and thousands of distribution partners, serving almost 28 million customers. As of June 30, 2019, we had over C$1.1 trillion (HK$6.8 trillion) in assets under management and administration, and in the previous 12 months we made C$29.4 billion in payments to our customers. Our principal operations in Asia, Canada and the United States are where we have served customers for more than 100 years. With our global headquarters in Toronto, Canada, we trade as ‘MFC’ on the Toronto, New York, and the Philippine stock exchanges and under ‘945’ in Hong Kong.