Investment case and strategy

Today we are announcing that Aviva has delivered another excellent performance in our first half of 2026, once again extending our track record of strong, profitable growth. Operating profit is up 24%, with double-digit growth in operating earnings per share. And we are driving higher returns, with IFRS return on equity above 20%. Our interim dividend is up 7% year-on-year and we completed the latest share buyback last month.

Every business contributed to these results. For example – in General Insurance, premiums are up 29%. In Wealth, net flows are up 32%, driven by all parts of the business. And over the last 12 months, we have also grown by more than 250,000 customers.

In Retirement, both Individual Annuity and Equity Release sales were up double digits. These results are testament to everything that we have delivered over the last six years. That is why we are on such a strong trajectory. Behind every number in these results is a colleague making a difference for customers and I’d like to thank the team for their commitment, skill and hard work.

Let me focus now on where we go from here. We think about Aviva’s future across two horizons. The first is our three-year targets. We have real confidence in these as we unlock material benefits from Direct Line and drive strong organic growth across the group.

The second horizon is what comes beyond 2028. Here, we have three clear opportunities: First – our customer advantage is unique and we can serve more of our customers’ lifetime financial needs than any other insurer. We have more than 25 million customers, and nearly half of all of the new policies sold today are to existing customers. We are the number one trusted brand, with a full product suite to meet needs across a lifetime.

Second – we are transforming with AI, with a greater opportunity than most insurers. Our scale means that we can invest, innovate and redeploy across the group. We have huge volumes of proprietary data, an advantage that cannot be replicated, and one that will widen over time. And our transformation here is well underway.

We are launching an AI virtual assistant for customer support. In Protection, we have halved the time it takes to review each case in medical underwriting. In claims, we are building a voice-enabled AI claims agent. And in Wealth, we are using agentic AI to automate quality assurance.

Our third opportunity is in our attractive long-term growth platforms. Wealth remains a fast-growing market. We are also the clear market leader in UK General Insurance. In Global Corporate and Specialty, we have real headroom to grow.

And in Canada, we are one of just two players with a truly national presence, with attractive opportunities in both Personal Lines and Commercial Lines. It’s for all these reasons that we have absolute confidence in our current targets – and the full conviction in sustaining strong earnings growth beyond them.