2005 News Releases

Only life-insurance company honoured for its ease of accessibility to the needy

Hong Kong— Manulife (International) Limited has been presented with the Gold Prize at the Web Care Awards 2005 by The Internet Professional Association (iProA) in recognition of its distinguished achievement and continuous efforts in providing barrier-free Internet service to the needy of the community — people with disabilities, senior citizens and new immigrants. This is the third time in a row that Manulife’s Hong Kong Web site, www.manulife.com.hk, has been given this accolade.

Manulife Hong Kong’s Web site is also the only life-insurance-company Web site in Hong Kong to have been awarded this enviable prize, which is further classified into two levels in terms of the degree of Web accessibility and user-friendliness. This year, more than 200 Web sites from more than 120 organisations earned awards — out of which close to 150 Web sites representing some 60 organisations reached the Silver Prize requirements, while only some 50 Web sites representing 50 organisations attained the Golden Prize level — Manulife being proud to be one of them.

Organisations awarded the Golden Prize had to pass stringent examination processes that were administered by a judging panel comprising eight representatives from government and charitable organisations. The honour signifies Manulife’s outstanding performance in the following areas:

1. Sharp colour contrast in Web pages is adopted to ensure that the visually impaired are able to distinguish characters from background colours.
2. Video clips with downloadable written material are in place to enable the hearing disabled and senior citizens to read the content delivered.
3. Default font size of characters is set on percentage to allow the elderly and the visually impaired to use the screen magnifier to re-size the characters.
4. No information in Flash-only format, auto-refresh features or pop-up windows is displayed to ensure that visually disabled people enjoy a smooth viewing experience.

“Rendering a barrier-free Web site to our customers and the community is part of our ongoing efforts to contribute to a more caring society,” said Helena Lee, Manulife’s Assistant Vice President, Corporate Communications. “We are really pleased to see these efforts being recognised once again. We will continue to strive to sustain this high standard of accessibility and usability.”

This is the fifth accolade Manulife has won since the beginning of the year. In June, Manulife was a winner in the Next Magazine “Top Service Awards 2005” in recognition of its commitment to providing superior value and excellent service for its customers.

In April, Manulife received two accolades — the Reader’s Digest “Gold SuperBrand 2005 Award” and “The Yahoo! Emotive Brand Award 2004-2005” (Insurance Category), reaffirming its position as a top-of-the-mind brand in Hong Kong as well as underpinning its success in registering a meaningful relationship with the local public.

In February, Manulife was presented with the Hong Kong Council of Social Service’s “Caring Company” title and logo in recognition of its devotion to social and community commitments.

About the Internet Professional Association
iProA was set up in 1999. It is a non-profit professional organisation committed to advance the art and science of Internet technology and its applications in Hong Kong. iProA launched the Web Care Campaign in 2001 with the aim of bridging the digital divide.

About Manulife (International) Limited
Manulife (International) Limited is a member of the Manulife Financial group of companies. Manulife Financial is a leading Canadian-based financial-services group serving millions of customers in 19 countries and territories worldwide. Operating as Manulife Financial in Canada and Asia, and primarily through John Hancock in the United States, the Company offers clients a diverse range of financial-protection products and wealth-management services through its extensive network of employees, agents and distribution partners. Funds under management by Manulife Financial and its subsidiaries were Cdn$364 billion (approximately HK$2,308.3 billion) as at June 30, 2005.

Manulife Financial Corporation trades as 'MFC' on the TSX, NYSE and PSE, and under '0945' on the SEHK. Manulife Financial can be found on the Internet at www.manulife.com.

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For press inquiries, please contact:
In Hong Kong
Helena Lee / Jeanie Ho
Manulife (International) Limited
Tel: 2202 1050 / 2510 3191
Fax: 2234 6875
Email: helena_lee@manulife.com
jeanie_ho@manulife.com