We continue to deliver strong, profitable growth, says Amanda Blanc of Aviva
Insurance giant Aviva said it was confident about the outlook for the remainder of 2026 as it provided an update on third quarter trading.
Amanda Blanc, group chief executive officer, said, Aviva’s performance has been excellent in the first nine months of 2026, “demonstrating once again the benefits of scale across our diversified business”.
She added: “We continue to deliver strong, profitable growth, particularly in the capital-light areas of General Insurance and Wealth. We are confident about the remainder of 2026 and expect earnings per share to grow broadly in line with our target of 11% this year. Aviva’s continued strong trading, our strengths in artificial intelligence, and our leading market position, reinforce our confidence that we will meet our three-year financial targets and grow earnings over the longer term.”
Richard Hunter, Head of Markets at interactive investor, commented: “While the quarter was unremarkable by Aviva’s recent standards, the first half performance which blew past expectations leaves the group on a roll for the year to date.
"The group as it currently stands has seen growth virtually across the board in the first nine months, with General Insurance Premiums rising by 19% to £11.8 billion (although just 1% ahead in the third quarter), underpinned by growth of 27% to £8.5 billion in the UK & Ireland, the area in which Direct Line now sits. While the costly cash requirements of the Direct Line deal have prevented any share buybacks of late – although such a return may not be far off - the current dividend yield of 5.4% is more than adequate compensation for shareholders in the interim.”
Aviva is continually looking to strengthen its suite of products while also edging towards a more capital-light framework, Mr Hunter added.