Discover Our History

Our Story Our story began in 1921 in Shanghai, China. The company grew steadily in the early decades, moving its headquarters to Wilmington, Delaware in the late 1960s. In 1972 Alico became the first foreign life insurance company licensed to sell in Japan, the first step towards becoming a household name. We were well-placed to establish new operations in Central and Eastern Europe in the late 1980s when the political and economic environment in the region changed dramatically. Expansion in Latin America, the Middle East and a liberalized European Union followed, and that growth story continues today.  

In March 2010 the latest chapter in our history unfolded when it was announced that our company would merge with MetLife. That merger completed November 2010 creating one global company, meeting the needs of some 90 million customers in over 60 countries.