Dai-ichi Life Holdings is considering mergers and acquisitions (M&As) in Southeast Asia as part of its plan to expand overseas, eyeing a growing but increasingly crowded market.

Japan’s biggest listed life insurer is looking at the Philippines and Malaysia as emerging markets that offer business opportunities as more households ascend to middle class, said Brett Clark, senior managing executive officer in charge of the firm’s Asia-Pacific region outside of Japan.

Dai-ichi Life is also interested in expanding its customer base in Singapore, which has a lucrative market serving high net worth individuals but is also highly competitive, he said in an interview.