AXA S.A. is a French global insurance group headquartered in the 8th arrondissement of Paris. AXA is a conglomerate of independently run businesses, operated according to the laws and regulations of many different countries. The AXA group of companies engage in life, health and other forms of insurance, as well as investment management. The group operates primarily in Western Europe, North America, the Asia Pacific region, and the Middle East.The AXA Group encompasses five operating business segments: Life & Savings, Property & Casualty, International Insurance (including reinsurance), Asset Management and Other Financial Services. It ranks as the 9th largest company in the world (based on revenue) on the 2010 Fortune Global 500 list.The company was originally founded in 1816 as Mutuelle de L'assurance contre L'incendie (the Ancienne Mutuelle).It acquired Compagnie Parisienne de Garantie in 1978 and became Mutuelles Unies.It went on to buy the Drouot Group in 1982, becoming Mutuelles Unies/Drouot. It adopted the at AXA name in 1985.The takeover of The Equitable, a well-known American insurer, came in 1991.It bought Union des Assurances De Paris (UAP), France's largest insurer, in 1996 becoming AXA-UAP for a while before reverting to the name AXA in 1999. Then in February 1999 AXA acquired Guardian Royal Exchange.In May 2000 AXA acquired all shares it did not already own in Sun Life & Provincial Holdings.On 14 June 2006 AXA acquired the leading Swiss insurance company Winterthur Group from Credit Suisse for approximately €9 billion.Despite being written in upper case, "AXA" is not an acronym, but was chosen because its name can be pronounced easily by people who speak any language. After acquiring the Drouot Group in 1982, Chairman and CEO Claude Bébéar hired an outside consultant to conduct a computer-aided search for a new name. Bébéar wanted a short and snappy name to convey vitality and could be pronounced the same way in every language, consistent with the group's desire for an international presence. Initially, "Elan" was the top choice, but Canadian executives balked because "elan" is the French word for where a moose or elk--two of the least intelligent animals in the world--live. In 1985, Bébéar chose the name AXA. This decision fit perfectly because his first preference was for the new name to start with "A" so it would appear at the top of all directories.
Net income € 4.324 billion (2011)
Total assets € 1.103 trillion (2011)