The UK-based insurance and investment group said offshore bond assets under administration (AUA) on the platform rose to £2.1bn ($3bn, €2.7bn) by the end of 2015, compared with £1.7bn for 2014.
Total AUA for international bondswas £4.8bn, up from £4.2bn in 2014.
The growth formed part of a 5% rise in fee-based products within the Europe division, which the company said was “driven by continued momentum in both our Ireland domestic and international bond businesses as well as growing demand for unit-linked products in Germany”.
The Europe division’s operating profit though fell to £23m last year from £40m in 2014 due to the impact of support provided to the German with profits business, which was closed to new business during the year.
Operating profit in Europe was also hit by a weaker performance by the company in asset liability management.
Solid performance
Globally Standard Life said AUA had risen by 4% to £307bn in 2015, while pre-tax profits were up 9% at £665m.
In the UK operating profit before tax was £334m, down from £350m for the previous year, largely reflecting the impact of lower annuity sales.
Standard Life said UK fee revenues had increased to £631m, up from £619m in 2014, thanks to higher workplace and retail assets under administration.
Although average UK fee revenue yield of 59 basis points was down from 62 basis points in 2014. This reflected changes in the company’s business mix including a growing proportion of newer style propositions and lower revenue from cash balances.
The company said it had added over 250,000 new customers during the year, driven by the UK’s new auto enrolment scheme and the success of its “Good to Go” proposition for small and medium sized enterprises
Platform record
Standard’s Life’s Wrap platform remains a bright spot for the firm, posting record net inflow growth of £4.4bn to £25.5bn, a rise of 22% over the year, while the number of adviser firms using the platform has increased by 123 to 1,463.
Internationally, Standard Life has reported continued progress in Indian and Chinese associated and joint venture life businesses, although these gains were partly offset by lower profits from its Hong Kong business which is continuing to adapt to regulatory changes.
Standard Life’s chief executive Keith Skeoch said: “While the difficult conditions in global financial markets may persist for some time, Standard Life remains well positioned to meet the needs of clients and customers around the world.
“The breadth of our investment propositions, underpinned by strong investment performance and innovation, combined with our strength in pensions and savings, the power of a trusted brand and a strong balance sheet, means that we have a well-diversified and resilient business that continues to deliver for customers and clients as well as shareholders.”
