As a proportion of total assets under management (AUM) inflows from the UK accounted for 36% in the nine-month period, up from 33% during the same period last year.
Edinburgh-based Standard Life said it had added 190,000 new customers in the year-to-date; with 70,000 added in the UK during the third quarter alone, due to auto enrolment.
Standard Life Investments (SLI) now actively manages £250.6bn ($384.2bn, €347.7bn) of assets across the globe, an increase of 4% from a year ago.
Net inflows from Europe more than tripled to £2.7bn, up from £800m during the first nine months of 2014.
In North America, net inflows doubled over the same period to £2.4bn, from £1.2bn a year ago.
Asia lumpy
In Asia Pacific, SLI reported net inflows of £700m; a strong uptick compared with £300m during the first nine months of 2014. However, the company reported an outflow of £100m during the third quarter ending 30 September 2015.
Chief executive Keith Skeoch commented: “We had a pretty good first six months of the year. The stuff that’s coming in from [global financial institutions] tends to be quite lumpy and quasi-institutional. So actually I don’t think you should read anything into that.
“My pipeline continues to suggest we will see positive flows from the region and I think we’re actually picking up pace with some of the conversations we’re having with China. It’s in the institutional space and it will be a little bit lumpy quarter to quarter,” Skeoch added.
Joint venture IPO
Formerly the Asia and Emerging Markets segment, Asia Pacific now consists of all SLI operations in the region with the exception of India. The company’s joint venture HDFC Asset Management, in which SLI currently owns 40%, is reported by SLI to be the largest mutual fund company in India.
HDFC Life, a joint venture with parent company Standard Life, reported net inflows of £700m, up from £600m last year. In August 2015, Standard Life announced that it was seeking regulatory approval to increase its 26% stake in the company to 35% for a consideration of approximately £170m.
HDFC Life have publically announced their plans to launch an IPO.
Volatile investment markets
At group level, Skeoch said: “Standard Life has performed well against a backdrop of volatile investment markets. We have delivered consistently strong investment performance and record third party net inflows of £10bn across our institutional and wholesale channels.
“The strength of our propositions has helped our Wrap platform to achieve its highest ever quarterly net inflows and regular contributions into our workplace pensions are growing strongly. We remain well positioned with clients and customers to deliver growth as we continue to innovate and increase collaboration across our businesses,” he concluded.
