METLIFE INC

We are exposed to various risks relating to our ongoing business operations, including interest rate, foreign currency exchange rate, credit and equity market. We use a variety of strategies to manage these risks, including the use of derivatives, such as market standard purchased and written credit default swap contracts. See Note 12 of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements for:

•A comprehensive description of the nature of our derivatives, including the strategies for which derivatives are used in managing various risks.

•Information about the primary underlying risk exposure, gross notional amount, and estimated fair value of our derivatives by type of hedge designation, excluding embedded derivatives held at December 31, 2023 and 2022.

•The statement of operations effects of derivatives in net investments in foreign operations, cash flow, fair value, or nonqualifying hedge relationships for the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022 and 2021.

See “— Summary of Critical Accounting Estimates — Derivatives” for further information on the estimates and assumptions that affect derivatives. See also “Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk — Management of Market Risk Exposures — Hedging Activities” for more information about our use of derivatives by major hedge program.

Net Derivative Gains (Losses)

A portion of our derivatives are designated and qualify as accounting hedges, which reduce volatility in earnings. For those derivatives not designated as accounting hedges, changes in market factors lead to the recognition of fair value changes in net derivative gains (losses) generally without an offsetting gain or loss recognized in earnings for the item being hedged, which creates volatility in earnings. We actively evaluate market risk hedging needs and strategies to ensure our free cash flow and capital objectives are met under a range of market conditions.

Certain variable annuity products with guaranteed minimum benefits are accounted for as MRBs and measured at estimated fair value. We use freestanding derivatives to hedge the market risks inherent in these variable annuity guarantees.

We continuously review and refine our hedging strategy in light of changing economic and market conditions, evolving NAIC and the NYDFS statutory requirements, and accounting rule changes. As a part of our current hedging strategy, we maintain portfolio level derivatives in our macro hedge program. These macro hedge program derivatives mitigate the potential deterioration in our capital positions from significant adverse economic conditions.

See “— Results of Operations — Consolidated Results” for an analysis of the year-over-year changes in net derivative gains (losses).