MANILA, Philippines - Manulife Financial in Asia set a regional record insurance sales growth of 26 percent, on the back of a 16-percent growth in contracted agents, 31 percent in Hong Kong, and 26 percent in the Asean region. Net income thus grew to $1.1 billion up 22.4 percent from the comparable period, and that does not include the equity markets and interest rates. It likewise hit record levels of $512 billion in funds under management. In Asia, wealth sales were up seven percent “driven by strong fixed annuity sales in Japan, and solid sales in the Asean region.”