Utmost saw European inflows double year on year in the first half of 2026, rising to just shy of £3bn.
The global insurance and wealth management firm attributed this to increased client engagement on the back of the evolving political landscape and capital reallocation aimed at long-term wealth preservation.
Overall inflows hit £4.4bn. The HY 2026 trading update highlighted that demand in the UK remained strong, driven by the impact of regulatory and tax changes, but sales were below the levels seen in HY 25, when UK tax changes drove approximately £1.5bn of one-off flows into the UK products. Adjusted for the £1.5bn of one-off inflows into the UK in H1 last year, Utmost inflows increased 16% on HY 25.
Net flows registered £1.1bn during the period, which, together with positive market movements, increased AUA by 6% to £123.4bn from £116.3bn at the end of 2025.
The group’s annualised outflow rate improved to 5.6% of AUA at the end of June, down from 6.4% in HY 25 having normalised after the period of elevated surrender activity in recent years caused by heightened macro-economic uncertainty. Annualised client retention also improved to 94.4% compared with 93.1% the previous year.
Paul Thompson, Utmost Group CEO, said: “Our first-half results demonstrate consistent execution against our strategy and the strength and resilience of Utmost’s insurance-based wealth solutions. We have delivered geographically diversified inflows with a standout performance across our European markets and improved client retention leading to a reduced rate of outflows, all of which has supported further growth in our assets under administration.
“Looking ahead, we are seeing growing adoption of our proposition driven by increasing client demand for trusted, long-term wealth solutions. This momentum is already translating into increased sales across our key markets, which demonstrates the relevance of our offering and the strength of the relationships we have built with clients and advisers.”
Utmost Group will announce its half year 2026 results on 10 September 2026.
