Standard Life plc

The current group took shape after the acquisition of the Pearl businesses in 2009 and adopted the Phoenix Group Holdings name in 2010. Phoenix Group changed its name to Standard Life plc on 24 February 2026, bringing the group’s corporate identity into line with its best-known customer brand and its long-term savings strategy.

Standard Life focuses on retirement savings and income across workplace pensions, retail pensions and investments, annuities, and pension risk transfer. Its brands include Standard Life and ReAssure, while its legacy operations retain and administer older life and pension policies.

Its strongest positions are in workplace pensions and retirement income. In 2025, the group had 3 million workplace customers, wrote £1.2 billion of individual annuity premiums, and reported a 15% share of the individual annuity market. For an intern, this means exposure to a large regulated financial-services business spanning insurance, pensions, investments, technology, operations and corporate functions.