Press releases and statements

Career breaks push one in three women into pension poverty

Susan Hope, Scottish Widows Retirement Expert

More than a third (36%) of women face poverty in retirement, according to Scottish Widows’ latest Women and Retirement Report. 

18 November 2025

Paraplanners harness AI to counter rising regulation pressures

Jenny Davidson, Intermediary Wealth Director, Scottish Widows

As regulatory pressures mount and workloads rise, paraplanners are meeting the challenge head-on by harnessing AI and digital tools to boost efficiency, according to new research from Scottish Widows. 

13 November 2025

11.6 million workers face retirement poverty

Graeme Bold, Managing Director, Workplace and Intermediary Wealth, Scottish Widows

Over a third (34%) of UK workers are at risk of not being able to cover their basic needs in retirement, according to fresh research from Scottish Widows.

4 November 2025

Pension engagement and profitability go hand-in hand, say UK firms

Graeme Bold, Managing Director, Workplace and Intermediary Wealth, Scottish Widows

UK businesses that actively engage employees in their pensions are also seeing stronger financial performance - highlighting a powerful alignment between workforce wellbeing and commercial success, according to a new report from Scottish Widows.

13 October 2025

Scottish Widows Platform builds momentum with roll-out of updates

Graeme Bold, Managing Director, Workplace and Intermediary Wealth, Scottish Widows

Scottish Widows has released a range of platform updates in the first half of 2025 as part of its £180m three-year investment in enhanced functionality and service – to help deliver better outcomes for advisers and their clients.

29 August 2025

Workers in Northern Ireland and North East most at risk of retirement poverty

Susan Hope, Scottish Widows Retirement Expert

As many as two in five (39%) people in the UK could struggle to cover their basic needs when they reach retirement, however, this is not equal across all parts of the UK.

20 August 2025

Scottish Widows appoints Jenny Davidson as Intermediary Wealth Director

Graeme Bold, Scottish Widows

Scottish Widows has today announced the appointment of Jenny Davidson as Intermediary Wealth Director from October.

12 August 2025

Financial independence out of reach for 6 million in the UK

Pete Glancy, Head of Pensions Policy at Scottish Widows

A quarter (5.7 million) of the UK working age population don’t think they’ll ever be financially independent, according to Scottish Widows' latest Retirement Report.

7 August 2025

Mike Birch appointed to Scottish Widows

Jerry Butcher, Workplace and Accumulation Director at Scottish Widows

Scottish Widows has announced that Mike Birch has joined its Master Trust as a trustee.

6 August 2025

Scottish Widows launches new range of Managed Growth Funds

Kevin Doran, Chief Investment Officer at Scottish Widows

Scottish Widows has unveiled a new range of multi-asset funds – Managed Growth Funds (MGFs) – to help customers support their long-term investment goals.

21 July 2025

Scottish Widows appoints Mary Trussell as non-executive director

Scott Wheway, Chair of the Scottish Widows Group Board

Mary Trussell will join Scottish Widows’ Board as a non-executive director from July 2025.

7 July 2025

Salary exchange delivers ‘win-win’ to workers

Susan Hope, Scottish Widows Retirement Expert

Workers could boost their pension pots by £41,200, more than a year’s average salary, by opting into their employers' salary exchange scheme, according to figures from Scottish Widows.

11 June 2025

Scottish Widows turns to AI to speed up protection insurance claims and underwriting with Sprout.ai

David Russell, Senior Manager, Claims and Underwriting Strategy, Scottish Widows

Scottish Widows, part of Lloyds Banking Group, has partnered with insurance automation firm Sprout.ai to trial the use of artificial intelligence (AI) designed to speed up life and critical illness insurance claims and underwriting.

21 May 2025

New website launches to boost female representation in finance

Jill Henderson, Pensions Expert at Scottish Widows

Scottish Widows has partnered with professional networking group Her Wealth Network to launch a new website, in a bid to address gender equality in financial services.

20 May 2025

Oke Eleazu and Maria Herrero-Bullich join Scottish Widows’ Independent Governance Committee

Anna Bradley, Independent Chair of the Scottish Widows IGC

Scottish Widows has announced today that Oke Eleazu and Maria Herrero-Bullich have been appointed to its Independent Governance Committee (IGC).

19 May 2025

Scottish Widows pays out 98% of protection claims in 2024

Scott Cadger, Head of Claims and Underwriting Strategy at Scottish Widows

Scottish Widows paid out 98% of protection claims for the sixth consecutive year, including 99.1% of life insurance and 91.8% of critical illness claims, according to data published today.

14 May 2025

15.3 million people today are at risk of retirement poverty – Retirement Report

Pete Glancy, Head of Pensions Policy, Scottish Widows

Rising living costs have worsened the nation's retirement outlook since 2023. Two fifths (39%) of people in the UK aren’t on track for a minimum lifestyle in retirement, worsening from 35% in 2023.

7 May 2025

Scottish Widows Platform integrates Oxford Risk Investor Compass

Ross Easton, Scottish Widows Platform, Head of Platform Proposition

Scottish Widows Platform has integrated with Oxford Risk Investor Compass, an end-to-end investment suitability software tool, to help advisers match their clients to tailored investments options.

6 May 2025

Scottish Widows to Launch Long Term Asset Fund

Chira Barua, Chief Executive of Scottish Widows and Lloyds’ Insurance, Pensions and Investment business

Scottish Widows is set to launch an open-architecture Long Term Asset Fund (LTAF) later this year, pending regulatory approval. This initiative is part of its ongoing commitment to providing innovative investment solutions for its customers.

29th April 2025

Scottish Widows evolves workplace default

Graeme Bold, Managing Director, Workplace and Intermediary Wealth, Scottish Widows

Scottish Widows has today released details of how the largest, longest running default in the market, known as Pension Investment Approaches (PIA), is evolving for the future - with the launch of Scottish Widows Lifetime Investment.

27th March 2025

Two-thirds of employers embrace responsible pensions - but less than half have as their default

Eva Cairns, Head of Responsible Investment, Scottish Widows

Scottish Widows has revealed that more than two-thirds (69%) of employers in the UK now offer a responsibly invested company pension* - but less than half have it as their default option (44%), which puts the onus on employees to take action if they want to switch.

24th March 2025

Lacking confidence sees young women hold back from investing

Jackie Leiper, Managing Director, Scottish Widows

Only a third (34%) of young women (aged 18-24) are investing their money outside of pensions, compared to almost double the number of young men (64%), according to Scottish Widows’ recent Women and Retirement Report.

6th March 2025

Scottish Widows workplace pensions growth boosted by digital engagement

Chira Barua, Chief Executive of Scottish Widows and Lloyds’ Insurance, Pensions and Investment business

Scottish Widows grew its workplace pensions assets under administration by 17% to £108 billion in 2024.

20th February 2025

Three-quarters of UK workers expect responsible pensions from their employer

Eva Cairns, Head of Responsible Investment, Scottish Widows

Nearly three-quarters (72%) of UK employees say it is important that their employer offers a responsibly invested pension*, new research from Scottish Widows has revealed.

13th February 2025

Scottish Widows appoints new Protection Head of Intermediary Distribution

Catherine Trimble, Head of Intermediary Distribution

Scottish Widows has appointed Catherine Trimble as the new Head of Intermediary Distribution in its protection business from January 2025.

22nd January 2025

Scottish Widows joins forces with sustainable investing leader Robeco

Eva Cairns, Scottish Widows, Head of Responsible Investment

Scottish Widows has announced a new strategic partnership with leading asset manager Robeco to take its responsible investment approach to the next level.

20th January 2025

Scottish Widows Platform maintains highest AKG financial strength ranking

Ross Easton, Scottish Widows Platform, Head of Platform Proposition

Scottish Widows Platform has maintained its ‘A’ rating, the highest awarded for financial strength, from financial analytics firm AKG. Scottish Widows has also maintained its AKG ‘A’ rating at an overall provider level.

16th January 2025

Value of advice on the rise post-Consumer Duty

Ross Easton, Scottish Widows Platform, Head of Platform Proposition

More than four in five (82%*) people who have a financial adviser believe it represents ‘value for money’ - an increase of 10% from 2023 **, according to the latest Scottish Widows Investor Confidence Barometer.

8th January 2025

• New regulations forcing advisers to move upmarket (19th December) (PDF, 117KB)
• Black women lead the charge with a renewed focus on investing (13th December) (PDF, 200KB)
• Advisers and clients seek reassurance about financial strength of the platform market (10th December) (PDF, 121KB)
• Scottish Widows Platform integrates ATEB Suitability to simplify adviser reporting (27th November) (PDF, 109KB)
• More than 5.5m private renters could only afford 10 weeks off work (19th November) (PDF, 187KB)
• The UK is still at least 20 years away from closing the gender pension gap - Scottish Widows Report (13th November) (PDF, 271KB)
• Dundee Tech School opens doors to class of 2024 (4th November) (PDF, 250KB)
• 42% of UK adults worry that their household wouldn’t cope if they weren’t able to work (8th October) (PDF, 292KB)
• Scottish Widows boosts investment drive with new appointments (26th September) (PDF, 188KB)
• Paraplanners positive on potential of AI (10th September) (PDF, 217KB)
• Scottish Widows appoints Paul McNamara as non-executive director (3rd September) (PDF, 161KB)
• Auto-enrolment reform could boost 18-year-olds’ pension pots by £46k (22nd August) (PDF, 191KB)
• Over half of private renters in the UK don’t have any financial protection (19th August) (PDF, 219KB)
• Delayed retirement now likely for millions as UK pension savings gap widens – Retirement Report (23rd July) (PDF, 174KB)
• Scottish Widows launches new ‘Retirement Matrix’ to address the decumulation dilemma (24th June) (PDF, 274KB)
• More than 98% of protection claims paid out by Scottish Widows in 2023 (30th May) (PDF, 160KB)
• Leaving your pension invested until you’re 65 could boost it by more than half (15th May) (PDF, 226KB)
• Overworked and underprepared: Black women don't ever expect to retire (14th March) (PDF, 239KB)
• Rothesay acquires £6 billion Scottish Widows bulk annuity portfolio from Lloyds Banking Group (13th March) (PDF, 101KB)
• A quarter of women would be frustrated if they couldn’t retire by 60 (11th March) (PDF, 260KB)
• Scottish Widows announces new Master Trust Strategist Committee appointments (14th February) (PDF, 208KB)
• Cavendish Online partners with Aveni for AI analytics and automation technology (31st January) (PDF, 125KB)

• Greening pensions reduces carbon footprint more than stopping flying (11 December) (PDF, 260KB)
  
• Lloyds Banking Group appoints Kevin Doran as Chief Investment Officer (30 November) (PDF, 212KB)
  
• Scottish Widows partners with Moneyhub to help customers see all their finances in one place (30 November) (PDF, 212KB)
  
• Scottish Widows Platform adds Origo Unipass Identity to simplify adviser sign-on (29 November) (PDF, 178KB)
• Investors still cautious on stock markets as advisers stay bullish (23 November) (PDF, 284KB)
• Nearly a third of disabled people say their condition has an impact on financial planning (28 November) (PDF, 246KB)
• Advisers believe the advice gap is their problem (15 November) (PDF, 264KB)
• Almost 2 million single mothers face ‘motherhood penalty’ in retirement (15 November) (PDF, 251KB)
• Scottish Widows appoints Matt Cuhls as non-executive director (9 November) (PDF, 200KB)
• WiAS launches Luxembourg Chapter, rounding off year of strong growth (9 November) (PDF, 139KB)
• 91% of advisers surveyed concerned about losing assets in the Great Wealth Transfer (7 November) (PDF, 282KB)
• Embark Launches New Fintech Skills School in Dundee (2 November) (PDF, 165KB)
• Scottish Widows strengthens Independent Governance Committee with new appointment (1 November) (PDF, 180KB)
• Pension generation gap revealed as ‘late start’ savers lag behind (11 December) (PDF, 430KB)
  
• Four in 10 Londoners likely to face poverty in retirement (11 October) (PDF, 327KB)
• Scottish Widows extends partnership with Macmillan Cancer Support (4 October) (PDF, 222KB)
• Auto-enrolment reforms could boost young low earners’ pension pots by 150% (14 September) (PDF, 160KB)
  
• Paraplanners call for better tech to help deliver value for clients (6 September) (PDF, 192KB)
• Almost half of LGBTQIA+ people will struggle to afford the basics in retirement (22 August) (PDF, 272KB)
  
• Over a third of South Asian communities in the UK are on track for a comfortable retirement (14 August) (PDF, 213KB)
• Embark Group launches Scottish Widows Platform (31 July) (PDF, 168KB)
  
• Scottish Widows warns of tougher action on lagging asset managers as it issues its latest Stewardship Report (11 July) (PDF, 252KB)
• Scottish Widows 2023 Retirement Report: One in three Brits facing hardship in retirement (28 June) (PDF, 316KB)
  
• Harrods Group Pension Plan completes £400m buy-in with Scottish Widows (12 June) (PDF, 184KB)
• Scottish Widows completes £160million bulk annuity transaction (5 June) (PDF, 181KB)
• Mark Thompson joins Scottish Widows’ Independent Governance Committee (1 June) (PDF, 247KB)
• Scottish Widows pays out 98% of protection claims in 2022 (31 May) (PDF, 186KB)
  
• Scottish Widows unveils £1.4bn worth of new environmental and climate-aware investment funds (28 March) (PDF, 223KB)
  
• Pension funds hold the key to unlocking the potential of nature and wildlife (14 March) (PDF, 256KB)
• Millions risk being locked out of their spouse’s finances without power of attorney (13 March) (PDF, 201KB)
• Minority women more likely to face pension poverty in UK, with black women worst impacted (7 March) (PDF, 244KB)
• Majority of households willing to support rise in auto-enrolment (18 January) (PDF, 160KB)
  
• Carolyn Jones to join Scottish Widows as Retirement Director (17 January) (PDF, 118 KB)
• Heart-broken: Almost half (43%) of unmarried couples won’t get a life insurance pay-out if their partner dies (6 January) (PDF, 215KB)

• Heart-broken: Almost half (43%) of unmarried couples won't get a life insurance pay-out if their partner dies (30 December) (PDF, 215KB)
• Investing in the UK’s green ambitions: Scottish Widows supports reforming Solvency II (7 December) (PDF, 609KB)
• Single mothers face quarter of a million pound shortfall in pension wealth (16 November) (PDF, 218KB)
• Chirantan Barua to join Lloyds Banking Group as CEO of Scottish Widows (15 November) (PDF, 115KB)
• Time to talk – one in two parents haven’t spoken to their children about a will (9 November) (PDF, 200KB)
• Over a quarter of Brits are worried about becoming victim to a pension scam (7 November) (PDF, 137KB)
• Half of workplace pension holders don’t know how many pots they possess (28 October) (PDF, 88KB)
• UK families committed to helping other generations despite weak household sentiment (26 October) (PDF, 166KB)
• Scottish Widows invests £500 million in new BlackRock Global Corporate ESG Insights Bond Fund (11 October) (PDF, 226KB)
• Over half of UK Black community fear running out of money in retirement (5 October) (PDF, 239KB)
• Four in five looking to change jobs demand green pensions (3 October) (PDF, 212KB)
• Carbon footprint of FTSE100 pensions 7x higher than their company emissions (29 September) (PDF, 243KB)
• Almost half of all households have never accessed financial advice, according to Scottish Widows Future Finances Index (13 July) (PDF, 185KB)
• Scottish Widows calls for asset managers to sign up to UK Stewardship Code by 2024 (4 July) (PDF, 235KB)
• Pension savers risk retiring with £15,000 less, as economic storm brews (29 June) (PDF, 131KB)
• Pension stewardship agenda at crucial tipping point says report (23 June) (PDF, 167KB)
  
• Scottish Widows pays out 98% of protection claims for the third year (16 May) (PDF, 134KB)
• Self-employed people risk financial hardship, as over half rely on personal savings when out of the office (19 April) (PDF, 95KB)
• Sharpest fall in financial wellbeing in 2 years threatens long term savings plans of millions (6 April) (PDF, 180KB)
• Scottish Widows doubles divestment from firms posing ESG risk to £3bn (28 March) (PDF, 193KB)
• Salary Exchange schemes could save employers £20,000 a year and boost workers pension pots by £42,000 (22 March) (PDF, 276KB)
• ‘Baby Boomer’ generation of women retiring with half the pension of a man (4 March) (PDF, 147KB)
• Scottish Widows announces new Intermediary Distribution Director (1 March) (PDF, 145KB)
• Scottish Widows becomes first UK insurer to publish its roadmap to net zero (3 February) (PDF, 188KB)
• Rising living costs erode household finances at fastest pace since the start of the pandemic (12 January) (PDF, 180KB)

• Annuities made accessible: Scottish Widows launches the 'Annuity Bureau' (14 December) (PDF, 205KB)
• Half of UK adults report pandemic mental health impacts with many hiding this from their insurer (1 December) (PDF, 134KB)
• Scottish Widows provides support to bereaved children (22 November) (PDF, 180KB)
• Scottish Widows to invest up to £25bn in companies powering the low carbon transition (17 November) (PDF, 131KB)
• Young women need to save an extra £185k to reach the same retirement income as men (16 November) (PDF, 165KB)
• Find Your Impact: Scottish Widows ESG tool lets you see how sustainable your pension is (9 November) (PDF, 140KB)
• Great minds don’t think alike – why companies need to understand cognitive diversity (9 November) (PDF, 170KB)
• Post-lockdown boost to financial wellbeing fades (29 Sept) (PDF, 182KB)
• Protection is still the elephant in the room despite covid-19 (24 Sept) (PDF, 159KB)
• Employers stress the ticking time bomb of financial wellbeing (24 Sept) (PDF, 146KB)
• Pension Awareness Day - An insider's guide to boosting your pension pot (15 Sept) (PDF, 142KB)
• Pandemic sparks surge in over 50s seeking advice (9 Sept) (PDF, 142KB)
• System overhaul needed as 3.6 million Brits lose track of their pension savings (30 July) (PDF, 140KB)
• Scottish Widows to benefit from acquisition of Embark Group (29 July) (PDF, 125KB)
• Scottish Widows invests in green UK businesses with its rebooted Environmental Fund (27 July) (PDF, 670KB)
• Covid threatens pushing over 50s into pension poverty (22 July) (PDF, 162KB)
• Low earners lose out on £122m in employer pension contributions as COVID puts a squeeze on finances (5 July) (PDF, 151KB)
• Easing of lockdown lifts pressure on UK household finances (21 June) (PDF, 216KB)
• Scottish Widows pays out 98% of protection claims (14 May) (PDF, 114KB)
• Multi-jobbers shortchanged £76 million a year in employer pension contributions (5 May) (PDF, 231KB)
• UK Households Pay Down Debt Through Winter Lockdown (29 March) (PDF, 182KB)
• Scottish Widows adds new virtual GP service to protection offering (22 March) (PDF, 109KB)
• Mind the Gap: Young women face almost 40 years longer at work to reach pensions equality (8 March) (PDF, 222KB)
• Scottish Widows Generates £96 Million Loan Boost For Constantine Wind Energy (15 February) (PDF, 58KB)
• Scottish Widows’ Master Trust unveils new fund range with spotlight on responsible investment (15 February) (PDF, 78KB)
• Lloyds Banking Group appoints new protection director (9 February) (PDF, 149KB)
• Closing the ‘green pensions gap’: Scottish Widows targets net zero across £170bn fund range by 2050 (8 February) (PDF, 146KB)
• UK household finances remain under strain at the end of 2020 (20 January) (PDF, 56KB)

• Women need to work beyond 100 to match men's pension pot (11 November) (PDF, 145KB)
• Scottish Widows to divest £440m from companies that pose significant ESG risk (9 November) (PDF, 317KB)
• The small nudges that could make young people £142,000 better off in retirement (23 September) (PDF, 180KB)
• UK savers want greener pensions – but don’t know where to start (1 September) (PDF, 141KB)
• Scottish Widows invests £2 billion in BlackRock’s new fund designed for the transition to a low carbon economy (5 August) (PDF, 150KB)
• Covid-19 threatens retirement plans as auto enrolment reforms run out of steam (29 June) (PDF, 149KB)
• Covid-19 puts retirement plans of 3.1 million in doubt (1 June) (PDF, 286KB)
• Scottish Widows pays out 98.2% of protection claims (4 May) (PDF, 207KB)
• Scottish Widows hires workplace pensions expert to lead ambitious growth plans (29 April) (PDF, 185KB)
• Scottish Widows changes annuities process to support advisers (21 April) (PDF, 258KB)
• Andrew Warwick-Thompson appointed Chair of The Scottish Widows Master Trust (9 April) (PDF, 204KB)
• Scottish Widows unveils responsible investment and stewardship framework (9 March) (PDF, 184KB)
• Scottish Widows announces changes to Independent Governance Committee (25 February) (PDF, 53KB)
• Scottish Widows gives green light to new responsible investment team (17 February) (PDF, 282KB)
• Scottish Widows facilitates £10bn Lloyds Banking Group Pensions Trustees Limited longevity swap (29 January) (PDF, 309KB)