Questions from a US regulator have prompted Anbang Insurance to drop an application for approval of its $1.57bn buyout of Fidelity & Guaranty Life, the latest regulatory hurdle faced by the Chinese company regarding a US acquisition.

美国监管机构发出的疑问，促使安邦保险(Anbang Insurance)放弃申请批准其以15.7亿美元收购美国信保人寿(Fidelity & Guaranty Life)。这是中国企业在美国收购遭遇的最新一例监管障碍。

Anbang withdrew an application seeking approval for the deal from New York’s Department of Financial Services on May 27, FGL said in a filing to the US Securities and Exchange Commission.

信保人寿在提交给美国证交会(SEC)的文件中称，5月27日安邦从纽约州金融服务管理局(Department of Financial Services)撤回了请求批准这宗交易的申请。

The company made the decision after the Department of Financial Services sought on numerous occasions “to obtain information necessary to review and process Anbang’s application”, the department said in a separate statement.

纽约州金融服务管理局在另一份声明中表示，在安邦决定撤回申请前，该局曾多次寻求“获得审核和处理安邦申请所需的信息”。

Questions have long circulated around Anbang’s shareholding structure. During an eight-month period in 2014, the privately owned company’s registered capital expanded fivefold but the identity of the investors behind the expansion has never been revealed.

安邦的股权结构一直存在种种疑问。这家私有企业的注册资本在2014年的8个月里扩大了四倍，但这一扩资背后的投资者的身份却从未被披露。

FGL said in the regulatory filing that it “expects that Anbang and its subsidiaries will refile the NY application in the near future”.

信保人寿在上述提交给监管机构的文件中表示，它“预计安邦及其附属公司会在不远的将来重新向纽约州提交申请”。

Anbang made a global name for itself in 2014 with the $2bn purchase of the historic Waldorf Astoria in New York. It grabbed international headlines again in March this year when its $14bn bid for Starwood Hotels & Resorts came crashing down following speculation about regulatory challenges in China.

2014年，安邦因斥资20亿美元收购历史悠久的纽约华尔道夫酒店(Waldorf Astoria Hotel)而闻名全球。今年3月，安邦因其以140亿美元竞购喜达屋酒店及度假村集团(Starwood Hotels & Resorts)的交易突然告吹（之前有传闻称安邦在中国国内遭遇监管挑战）而再次占据了国际媒体的头条位置。

Given its lack of transparency, questions have been raised about Anbang’s source of funding for its global shopping spree.

鉴于其缺乏透明度，安邦在全球大肆并购所需的资金到底从何而来引发了不少疑问。

Anbang also has had issues with Chinese insurance regulators, who limit the size of bids for offshore companies as a percentage of total assets although the definition of the rule is open to question. Many Chinese entities have foreign listings to enable acquisitions without the need to seek regulatory approval at home.

安邦与中国保险业监管机构之间也存在问题，后者要求保险资金境外投资不得超过总资产的某一比例——尽管这项规定的定义值得商榷。许多中国实体在境外上市，这样它们在海外收购时就无需寻求国内监管机构批准。

The purchase would make Anbang one of the largest insurers by market share in fixed indexed annuity products in the US.

安邦若购得信保人寿，将在美国固定指数年金产品(fixed indexed annuity products)市场上占据较大份额。