Specialist ratings agency AKG has reaffirmed its ratings of International Financial Group Limited (IFGL), confirming B+ (very strong) on the strength rating, and five stars for service.

The financial strength rating applies to IFGL's RL360, RL360° Services and Friends Provident International Limited brands. No other international life company has a higher rating, the company notes.

Each brand also received five out of five stars for service.

The ratings come following IFGL's recent success at the Global Financial Services Awards, where it won International Life Group of the Year (non-UK) for the second year in a row.

IFGL marketing director Simon Barwell (pictured) said: "It is great to see that AKG has renewed its view that IFGL and its brands are such a strong presence in the market place."

"It comes after AKG awarded our wealth platform Ardan International a B rating (strong) for financial strength and four stars for service."

"We now turn to our exciting plans for what is no doubt going to be a busy 2023 and beyond for IFGL."

AKG said it considered IFGL to be "a financially strong standalone operation with very strong operational characteristics and strategy, delivered by a consistent management team which provides a strong basis for further development".

It added that IFGL had "grown to become one of the leading players in the offshore market". Referring to the "transformational" acquisition of FPI, AKG said this had "provided an opportunity to leverage synergies and develop the infrastructure to support a significant shift in scale, whilst positioning the group in a favourable place for any future acquisitions and integrations".

AKG Financial Analytics Ltd specialise in the provision of ratings, information and market assistance to the financial services industry. The company's reports are designed to provide advisers the information they need to assess the relative strengths of offshore long- term insurers.