Axa SA (AXA) Chief Executive Henri de Castries said Tuesday that the French insurer will make its decision about ongoing dividend payments in February 2010.

In slides of a presentation at a financial conference in London, de Castries said that although the company had maintained its long-term plan to distribute 40% to 50% of adjusted earnings, extreme market conditions pushed this figure down to 25% in 2008.

He said Axa has historically always been able to finance mergers and acquisitions and that its focus in this respect is currently on emerging markets. However, he said attracting clients and teams is an alternative to mergers and acquisitions.

Company Web site: www.axa.com

-By Digby Larner, Dow Jones Newswires; +33 1 4017 1748; digby.larner@dowjones.com