Helping to shape a better future

As a retirement specialist with 12 million customers1 and over £300 billion in assets under administration, we have the scale, expertise and responsibility to help shape a better future - not just participate in it.

Through our investment expertise, partnerships and long-term commitment to better retirement outcomes, we’re working to unlock pension capital in ways that can make a meaningful difference to pension savers, the wider economy and the transition to net zero. Everything we do starts with one question: will this make a meaningful difference to the lives people live in retirement?

Why unlocking investment matters for the UK

The UK has one of the largest pools of pension wealth in the world, but too much of it is still held in structures that limit its ability to support the long-term investment needed for the UK’s future. The UK needs long-term investment to fund modern infrastructure, support regional growth, accelerate clean energy and help more people achieve better outcomes in retirement.

We believe the pensions market is at a pivotal moment. By supporting investment fund consolidation, shared institutional risk, earlier investment and closer partnership between policymakers, investors and institutions, pension capital can flow into the areas where it can create lasting value.

For us, unlocking investment is not just a financial ambition. It’s about improving the journey for our customers to and through retirement, helping to build a stronger UK economy and supporting the move to a more sustainable future.

 

Our latest research on how to unlock investment for the UK

Explore our latest thinking on how long-term pension capital can be put to work for savers, society and the economy.

  • From scale to impact

    A blueprint for the future DC pensions market, exploring how consolidation and next-generation default funds could improve member outcomes and increase productive UK investment.

    Read the report

  • Regional Investment Readiness Review

    A review of how regional governments can work more effectively with institutional investors to unlock investment and deliver impact at scale.

    Read the report

  • Unlocking investment to finance the UK’s clean energy transition

    Insight on how institutional capital can help unlock the estimated £511bn needed for the UK’s clean energy transition by 2040, including practical solutions to mobilise finance at scale and pace.

    Read more

Real world impact

We’re unlocking investment to help fund the future - supporting the homes, infrastructure, regional growth and clean energy projects that can improve lives today and create value over the long term.

  • Supporting renewable infrastructure

    Investing long-term capital in essential UK energy assets

    In Norfolk, we provided £61 million of long-term financing secured against the Snetterton Renewable Energy Plant. The transaction shows how innovative investment structures can help pension and insurance capital access infrastructure assets, while supporting the long-term, predictable cashflows that can help provide secure retirement incomes for customers.

    Impact
    Long-term financing for a renewable energy facility that produces enough electricity to power more than 100,000 homes, supporting essential UK infrastructure and creating a structure that could be replicated across a wider pipeline of infrastructure assets.

    Read more

  • Backing regional growth

    Putting long-term capital behind regional priorities

    In the West Midlands, we provided a £100 million long-term loan to support the West Midlands Combined Authority’s wider regional priorities, including transport, infrastructure, housing and regeneration. It shows how our capital can support strategically important local authorities with strong credit profiles and long-term growth ambitions.

    Impact
    The structure reportedly helped the authority save around £91 million compared with taking out equivalent borrowing when the money was drawn down in August 2023.

  • Supporting digital infrastructure

    Investing in the technology that powers the modern economy

    Future Growth Capital (the independent private markets solutions business formed by Standard Life and Schroders) provided a £20 million senior loan to support the UK portfolio of nLighten. The investment helps fund critical digital infrastructure that supports connectivity, cloud adoption and growing demand for data processing, while demonstrating how long-term pension capital can be invested in essential UK assets.

    Impact
    Funding to support the continued expansion of nLighten's UK edge data centre platform, helping increase regional digital infrastructure capacity and supporting the technologies that underpin cloud services, AI adoption and connectivity across the UK.

    Read more

1 Figure correct as of 31 December 2025