The 2025 Altus Consulting Market Pulse Survey reveals a life, pensions & investment landscape that is actively positioning itself for future growth. Across the sector firms entered 2025 with clear intent: to accelerate transformation, capitalise on broadly favourable conditions, and ultimately deliver greater value to customers and shareholders. Whilst the current global political and economic uncertainties are a cause for concern, the overriding sentiment is one of cautious optimism.
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Market Pulse 2025: growth with intent
After a period of sustained regulatory change and cost control, firms’ growth ambitions are re-emerging. Strategic investment is accelerating across customer experience, data, technology, and distribution, reflecting a sector-wide shift from adaptation to expansion. Growth strategies are being shaped by both external pressures, including regulation and shifting customer expectations, and internal transformation, as firms gear up for long-term success.
The ‘Big 5’ 2025 priority focus areas
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- Customer Experience – Personalisation and service differentiation are now key battlegrounds.
- Data, Analytics, Machine Learning & AI – Balancing foundational data work with early AI adoption.
- Technology / Platform & Ecosystem Development – Focused on integration, scalability, and efficiency
- Product & Market Evolution – Shaped by regulation, decumulation, and shifting consumer needs.
- Distribution Evolution – Digital, hybrid, and workplace-led models are all expanding.
Customer experience powered by data
Across all firm types, Customer Experience emerged as the top strategic focus, underpinning efforts to enhance trust, engagement, and delivery. Data, Analytics, Machine Learning & AI followed closely behind, ranking second for nearly every group. Together, these priorities signal a shift toward smarter, more personalised, and outcomes-driven service models—anchored in deeper insight and operational clarity.
While firms share these priorities, they are taking distinct routes to achieving them. Some are modernising infrastructure to ensure platforms, data, and systems can support scale. Others are expanding into new business models or adapting to private equity influence—balancing short-term performance with long-term strategic aims.
For many, regulatory change remains a powerful force for transformation, especially in Life Companies, Trusts & Mutuals, Platforms and Wealth & Advice Firms. But firms are also reacting to competitive pressure, driving bolder decisions—particularly in digital innovation, automation, and AI. The future will be defined not just by who invests in change—but by who delivers it, converting opportunity into sustainable growth.
Voices from across the market
To understand how firms are responding to a changing market at the end of 2024, we spoke to senior leaders at 51 firms across the UK life, pensions & investment landscape. Each completed a short survey and an in-depth interview exploring their strategic focus and internal challenges.
While each brought a unique lens, common themes emerged —from growth and consolidation to digitalisation and delivery. Every quote in this report is drawn from those conversations, capturing what strategy looks like on the ground in 2025.
These firms are shaping where the market moves next. The Altus Consulting Market Pulse Survey shows where that momentum is building—and what’s driving it forward.
