Quantifying the scale of pension investment in the UK, the ABI’s report ‘Powering UK Growth Through Pensions’, sets out how providers invest across Defined Contribution (DC) pensions, bulk annuities (where they insure employers’ defined benefit (DB) pensions), and individual annuities. The report also highlights how to create the conditions for UK investment to increase. Its findings demonstrate the power of both DC providers and annuity insurers as investors in the UK economy.
Much of the £178 billion from bulk and individual annuities investment is channelled into UK housing and infrastructure, including regeneration projects, renewable energy and social housing which, in turn, supports a range of sectors and creates jobs. This considerable contribution compares favourably to an estimated defined benefit (DB) pension scheme investment of 55% of total assets in the UK economy.
The bulk annuity market is set to drive even more investment into the UK as it continues to expand, with ABI data revealing that de-risking transactions with DB pension schemes totalled £47 billion in 2024, covering 341,000 people. This adds to the more than 1.7 million people whose benefits had already been secured by bulk annuity insurers before the start of 2024.
The ABI’s latest report also sets out how the scale of investment could be increased even further. The Government’s initial steps to deliver the conditions for increased UK investment have been encouraging, especially its establishment of the National Wealth Fund and creating the infrastructure strategy. The ABI argues that the government now needs to double down and make the UK an even better target for investors at home and abroad, by:
• Delivering on its industrial strategy, and executing a long-term economic plan, including proceeding with planning system reform.
• Ensuring that the UK’s policy, regulatory and tax framework are reasonably predictable, to help investors plan with confidence.
• Encouraging initiatives that ‘crowd-in’ private investment, including blended finance solutions such as risk-sharing to help mobilise private investment at greater scale.
• Driving forward pension reform which focuses on delivering value to customers, rather than a fostering a cost-focused culture.
Yvonne Braun, Director of Policy, Long-Term Savings, Health and Protection, said: “The power of the insurance and long-term savings industry as a major investor in the UK is enormous. Our new data shows a significant UK bias in annuity providers’ investments and, with 2024 another strong year for transactions in the bulk annuity market, more capital will be available for infrastructure projects across the UK. We welcome the government’s focus on ensuring this potential is maximised, and our report sets out the practical steps to help enable this.
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