Walter de Oude was born in South Africa and had lived in Singapore for more than 15 years by 2020. Before Singlife he headed HSBC's insurance business in Singapore.
In 2017 he set up Singapore Life, the first local insurer licensed by the Monetary Authority of Singapore since 1970. In 2018 it bought the Zurich Life Singapore portfolio.
In 2020 Singlife agreed to merge with Aviva Singapore in a deal valued at about S$3.2 billion. Singlife held about S$800 million in assets and Aviva's business about S$11.8 billion. It was the largest insurance deal in Singapore.
De Oude became Founder Director on 1 January 2022. In 2023 Aviva sold its 25.9% stake and debt instruments to Sumitomo Life. In February 2026 Singlife launched gold-backed investment-linked policies.