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Aviva plc

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FY2019 Annual Report · Aviva plc
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Aviva plc

 Annual report  
 and accounts 
 2019

 
 
 
 
 
 
Foreword 
The  Strategic  report  on  pages  1  to  53  contains  information  about 
Aviva, how we create value and how we run our business. It includes 
our strategy, business model, market outlook and key performance 
indicators, as well as our approach to sustainability and risk. 

The Strategic report is only part of the Annual report and accounts 
2019.  The  Strategic  report  was approved  by  the  Board  on 4 March 
2020  and  signed  on  its  behalf  by  Maurice  Tulloch,  Chief  Executive 
Officer. 

More information about Aviva can be found at www.aviva.com 

in 

include, 

Non-Financial Information Statement 
Under sections 414CA and 414CB of the Companies Act 2006, Aviva is 
its  Strategic  Report,  a  non-financial 
required  to 
information  statement.  The 
these 
regulations is included in Key performance indicators from page 7, 
Business  model  from  page  9,  Our  people  from  page  17, Corporate 
responsibility  from  page  20  and  Risk  and  risk  management  from 
page 44. 

required  by 

information 

Contents 

Strategic Report 
01  At a glance 
02  Chairman’s statement 
04  Chief Executive Officer’s review 
07  Key performance indicators 
09  Business model 
10  The external environment 
11  Our strategy 
14  Section 172 (1) statement and our stakeholders 
17  Our people 
20  Corporate responsibility 
24  Chief Financial Officer’s review 
27  Market review 
44  Risk and risk management 
49  Capital management 
51  Our climate-related financial disclosure 

Governance 
55  Chairman’s Governance Letter 
57  Our Board of Directors 
59  Directors’ and Corporate Governance report 
83  Directors’ remuneration report 

IFRS financial statements 
109  Independent auditors’ report 
117  Accounting policies 
132  Consolidated financial statements 
139   Notes to the consolidated financial statements 
264  Financial statements of the Company 

Other information 
275  Alternative Performance Measures 
284  Shareholder services 

As a reminder 

Reporting currency: 
We use £ sterling. 

Unless otherwise stated, all figures referenced in this report relate to Group. 

A glossary explaining key terms used in this report is available on www.aviva.com/glossary. 

The Company’s registered office is St Helen’s, 1 Undershaft, London, EC3P 3DQ 
The Company’s telephone number is +44 (0)20 7283 2000 

Strategic report 

Governance 

IFRS financial statements 

Other information 

At a glance 

At a glance 

We are a leading international Savings, Retirement and Insurance business serving 33 million customers. Our c.30,000 employees aim to 
earn customers’ trust as the best place to save for the future, navigate retirement and insure what matters most to them. 

Our purpose 
‘With you today, for a better tomorrow’ 
Aviva has been looking after customers for more than 300 years. We are deeply invested in our people, our communities and the planet. 
We’re here to be with people today as well as working for a better tomorrow. 
Our business  
We offer a wide range of products and solutions to help our customers and partners with their Savings, Retirement and Insurance needs. 
From 2020, we have reorganised our business into five divisions: 
UK Life 
Investments, Savings & 
Retirement 
Annuities & Equity 
Aviva Investors and UK 
Release, Protection & 
Savings & Retirement1 
Health, Heritage 

Asia Life 
Singapore, China, India, 
Indonesia, Vietnam 

General Insurance 
UK, Canada,  Europe, 
Singapore 

Europe Life 
France, Italy, Poland, 
Ireland, Turkey 

Read more in the ‘Business model’ and ‘Our strategy’ sections.  

In the 2019 Strategic Report and 2019 Annual Report and Accounts, we continue to report the results of our businesses by market2 on the 
basis they were managed in 2019. Read more in the ‘Market review’ section. 
Our strategy 
Our strategy is to simplify Aviva into a leading international Savings, Retirement and Insurance business delivering for our  customers, 
shareholders, communities and other stakeholders. We have three strategic priorities: 
Deliver great customer outcomes: 
Our focus is on being the best place to meet 
our customers savings, retirement and 
insurance needs 

Invest in sustainable growth: 
Our focus is on generating economic 
returns and long-term value for our 
shareholders 

Excel at the fundamentals: 
Our focus is on the core activities of  
our business: underwriting, claims 
management, investment performance and 
cost efficiency 

Read more about our strategy in the ‘Our strategy’ section. 
Our Performance 
Adjusted operating profit3  
£3,184 million 
2018 restated4: £3,004 million 

IFRS profit before tax5 
£3,374 million 
2018: £2,129 million 

Total dividend 
30.9 pence 
2018: 30.0 pence 

Operating earnings per share6,7 
60.5 pence 
2018 restated4: 56.2 pence 

Solvency II return on equity6 
14.3% 
2018: 12.5% 

Solvency II cover ratio6,8 
206% 
2018: 204% 

Cash remittances6 
£2,597 million 
2018: £3,137 million 

Carbon emissions  
reduction since 2010 
66% 
2018: 60% 

Read more about our performance and financial targets in the ‘Key performance indicators’ and ‘Chief Financial Officer’s review’ sections. 

1  UK Savings & Retirement is reported within UK Life in 2019. 
2 
3  Group adjusted operating profit is an Alternative Performance Measure (APM) which is used by the Group to supplement the required disclosures under IFRS. Please refer to note B in the ‘Accounting Policies’ section and 

In 2019 our markets are: UK Life, Aviva Investors, UK General Insurance, Canada, Europe and Asia. 

to the ‘Other Information’ section within the Annual report and accounts for further information. 

4  During 2019 the Group adjusted operating profit APM has been revised and now includes the amortisation and impairment of internally generated intangible assets to better reflect the operational nature of these assets 
(see note 1(b) of the Annual report and accounts). Group adjusted operating profit continues to exclude amortisation and impairment of intangible assets acquired in business combinations. Comparative amounts have 
been restated resulting in a reduction in the prior period Group adjusted operating profit of £112 million. There is no impact on profit before tax attributable to shareholders’ profit. 

5  Profit before tax attributable to shareholders’ profit. 
6  This is an Alternative Performance Measure (APM) which provides useful information to enhance the understanding of financial  performance. Further information on APM’s, including a reconciliation to the financial 

statements (where possible), can be found in the ‘Other Information’ section of the Annual report and accounts. 

7  This measure is derived from the Group adjusted operating profit APM. Further details of this measure are included in the ‘Other Information’ section of the Annual report and accounts. 
8  The estimated Solvency II position represents the shareholder view. Please refer to note 58 and the ‘Other Information’ section of the Annual report and accounts for more information. 

Aviva plc Annual report and accounts 2019 
01 

Strategic report 

Governance 

IFRS financial statements 

Other information 

Chairman’s statement 

Chairman’s 
statement 

2019 was a year of change for Aviva. We reshaped our strategy and 
senior leadership team, while also facing a period of uncertainty in 
the external business environment, driven by lower interest rates and 
the UK decision to exit from the European Union.  

On  4  March  2019,  after  a  competitive  process  that  included  highly 
respected  and  experienced  internal  and  external  candidates,  the 
Board  was  delighted  to  appoint  Maurice  Tulloch  as  Group  Chief 
Executive  Officer  (CEO).  During  the  year,  with  the  support  of  the 
Board, Maurice initiated a review of our strategy in order to simplify 
Aviva into a leading international savings, retirement and insurance 
business delivering sustainable growth for shareholders and support 
for our communities. This strategy will allow us to fulfil our vision to 
earn  our  customers’  trust  as  the  best  place  to  save  for  the  future, 
navigate retirement and insure what matters most to them. 

Our purpose 
Throughout all of this change, it has been and continues to be our 
core purpose which illuminates our path forward. We are proud to 
say not only to our customers but to our people, our partners and our 
communities, that we will be with you today, for a better tomorrow. 
This means our customers can count on us to be there for them if 
things go wrong and to put it right, and to help them plan for their 
future. While the exact words used to express our purpose may have 
evolved,  this  continues  to  be  the  underlying  promise  that  we 
navigate our company by, just as it has been over the last 323 years 
of our corporate history. 

Our customers 
The absolute commitment our people show to our customers every 
day  also  remains  unchanged.  I  have  always  believed  that  their 
determination  to  live  up  to  our  value  of  ‘Care  More’  is  one  of  our 
greatest assets. This is one of the reasons why it was so important to 
incorporate our people’s perspective as we set about creating a new 
articulation of our shared purpose. 

The human connections that our people forge with our customers 
really are special. We are there to support them through some of the 
most  important  decisions  or  emotional  moments  in  their  lives.  By 
drawing on our expertise and empathy to give them the best possible 
outcome, we can make a real difference to people when it matters 
most. And in doing so, we will ensure our financial strength and long-
term future. 

Our stakeholders 
In the Strategic report we describe how the Board takes into account 
the interests of all our stakeholders. As an insurance company, we 
also understand better than most the imperative to act with urgency 
and  conviction  to  help  combat  climate  change.  Although  our 
environmental credentials are well-established, we are committed to 
doing more, both on our own account and in alliance with others. We 
have invested £6 billion in green assets since 2015 alone, including 
£3.8 billion  in  low  carbon  infrastructure  (predominantly  solar  and 
wind  power)  and  £2.2 billion  in  green  and  sustainable  bonds.  We 
expect this to increase significantly in the future. 

In November 2019, Aviva signed up to the United Nations-convened 
Net Zero Asset Owners Alliance which brings together some of the 
world’s  biggest  pension  funds  and  insurers  to  commit  to  net  zero 
greenhouse gas emissions in their investment portfolios by 2050. We 
are also committed to aligning our business to the target set out in 
the  Paris  Climate  Agreement  of  limiting  global  warming  to  1.5oC 
above pre-industrial levels. 

Our communities 
As  a  company,  we  have  always  understood  that  our  duty  of  care 
reaches far beyond our customers to encompass all those who may 
be  touched  by  our  actions.  Whether  it  is  through  the  use  of  the 
volunteering  leave  granted  to  every  UK  employee  each  year,  or 
through  our  strategic  partnership  with  the  British  Red  Cross,  our 
people combine forces to build a future we all want to live in. This 
year also saw the further development of the Aviva Foundation which 
was created to use unclaimed shareholder assets to support good 
causes. The Foundation has so far committed £3.7 million in funding 
to  projects  that  will  support  our  communities  and  vulnerable 
customers when they need it most. This has included donations to a 
pilot project to provide a counselling package to vulnerable home 
insurance customers experiencing trauma following a serious event 
such as flooding; and funding a national programme to help people 
over the age of 50 increase their employability skills and to promote, 
among businesses, the benefits of being an age-friendly employer. 

Changes to the Board 
We  have  made  a  number  of  changes  to  our  Board  composition 
during  2019  in  addition  to  the  appointment  of  Maurice  Tulloch  as 
Group CEO. Andy Briggs and Tom Stoddard stepped down from the 
Board and looked to pursue other opportunities; we wish them both 
every future success. After a period as interim Group Chief Financial 
Officer  (CFO),  Jason  Windsor,  formerly  CFO  of  Aviva  UK  Insurance, 
was appointed permanently to the role and also joined the Board of 
Directors on 26 September 2019. 

After nine years of distinguished service, including as Chair of the Risk 
Committee, Mike Hawker retired from the Board on 31 March 2019. 
Following  his  appointment  as  Chairman  of  the  Royal  Mail,  Keith 
Williams  stepped  down  from  the  Board  on  23 May  2019.  On 
31 December 2019, Glyn Barker and Claudia Arney both retired from 
the  Board;  Glyn  after  eight  years  including  a  period  as  Senior 
Independent  Director  and  Claudia  to  focus  on  her  expanded  non-
executive roles elsewhere. I am extremely grateful to them all for the 
valuable  contributions  they  have  made  to  the  Board  and 
Committees of Aviva plc.  

We were delighted to welcome three new Non-Executive Directors to 
our Board this year, all with deep knowledge and experience of the 
financial services industry. Patrick Flynn, previously Chief Financial 
Officer of both ING and HSBC Insurance joined our Board on 16 July 
2019. Patrick became Audit Committee Chair on 4 November 2019. 
George  Culmer  was  appointed  as  a  Non-Executive  Director  of  the 
Company  on  25  September  2019,  having  previously  been  Chief 
Financial Officer of Lloyds Banking Group and RSA Insurance Group 
plc.  George  assumed  the  role  of  Senior  Independent  Director 
following  the  departure  of  Glyn  Barker.  We  also  announced  the 
appointment  of  Amanda  Blanc  with  effect  from  2 January 2020. 
Amanda was previously CEO at AXA UK & Ireland, and CEO, EMEA & 
Global Banking Partnerships at Zurich Insurance Group.  

Aviva plc Annual report and accounts 2019 
02 

Strategic report 
Strategic report 
Strategic report 

Governance 
Governance 
Governance 

IFRS financial statements 
IFRS financial statements 
IFRS financial statements 

Other information 
Other information 
Other information 

Chairman’s statement 

  Continued 

Finally,  on  21  January  2020,  I  announced  my  intention  to  retire  as 
Chairman during 2020. When I became Chairman in 2015, the Board 
asked  me  to  commit  to  serving  for  at  least  five  years.  Now  that 
Maurice  has  launched  Aviva’s  strategy,  a  new  senior  management 
team is in place and the Board has been refreshed, it is also time for 
a new Chairman. In the meantime, I remain committed to this great 
organisation which I am confident will deliver for all its stakeholders. 
It  has  been  my  privilege  to  serve  as  Chairman,  and  I  would  like  to 
thank  the  Board  and  indeed  all  my  colleagues  at  Aviva  for  their 
support during the last five years. 

Our performance 
In 2019, we further strengthened our Solvency II capital position1 and 
grew  Group  adjusted  operating  profit2  by  6%  to  £3,184 million 
(2018 restated3: £3,004 million).  Group  adjusted  operating  profit2 
benefited  from 
in  Canada  and  lower 
expenses  and  debt  costs.  IFRS  profit  before  tax4  increased  to 
£3,374 million (2018: £2,129 million), including higher Group adjusted 
operating profit2 and positive investment variances driven by lower 
interest rates and equity market gains. 

improved  performance 

Dividend 
At the full year 2018 results, we announced our move to a progressive 
dividend policy. In line with this policy, the Board proposes a final 
dividend  for  2019  of  21.40  pence  per  share  (2018: 20.75 pence  per 
share). 

Looking ahead 
Aviva faces the future with great optimism – accepting that it will hold 
challenges, and confident that our strategy and resources mean that 
we are well positioned to meet them and to prosper. This has been a 
year of evolution for us. With our new leadership now in place, we are 
aligned  behind  our  strategy  to  create  great  outcomes  for  our 
customers and other stakeholders, and to deliver sustainable growth 
for our shareholders.  

Sir Adrian Montague CBE 
Chairman 
4 March 2020 

1  This is an Alternative Performance Measure (APM) which provides useful information to enhance the understanding of financial performance. Further information on APM’s, including a reconciliation to the financial statements 

(where possible), can be found in the ‘Other Information’ section of the Annual report and accounts. 

2  Group adjusted operating profit is an Alternative Performance Measure (APM) which is used by the Group to supplement the required disclosures under IFRS. Please refer to note B in the ‘Accounting Policies’ section and to the 

‘Other Information’ section within the Annual report and accounts for further information. 

3  During 2019 the Group adjusted operating profit APM has been revised and now includes the amortisation and impairment of internally generated intangible assets to better reflect the operational nature of these assets (see 
note 1(b) of the Annual report and accounts). Group adjusted operating profit continues to exclude amortisation and impairment of intangible assets acquired in business combinations. Comparative amounts have been 
restated resulting in a reduction in the prior period Group adjusted operating profit of £112 million. There is no impact on profit before tax attributable to shareholders’ profit. 

4  Profit before tax attributable to shareholders’ profit. 

Aviva plc Annual report and accounts 2019 
03 

 
 
 
 
 
Strategic report 
Strategic report 
Strategic report 

Governance 
Governance 
Governance 

IFRS financial statements 
IFRS financial statements 
IFRS financial statements 

Other information 
Other information 
Other information 

Chief Executive Officer’s review 

Chief Executive 
Officer’s review 

Overview 
Aviva made important changes to its business and leadership in 2019 
and  began  to  build  operating  momentum.  This  is  reflected  in  our 
improved results, which included: 

•  Solvency II return on equity1,2,3 of 14.3% (2018: 12.5%);  
•  Growth in Solvency II net asset value per share, up 31 pence to 423 

pence (2018: 392 pence); 

•  Increased Solvency II capital surplus2 and Solvency II shareholder 
respectively 

ratio2,3  at  £12.6  billion  and  206% 

cover 
(2018: £12.0 billion and 204% respectively); 

•  Group  adjusted  operating  profit4  up  6%  to  £3,184  million 

(2018 restated5: £3,004 million); and 

•  Strong  growth  in  operating  earnings  per  share3,6,  up  8%  to  60.5 

pence (2018 restated5: 56.2 pence). 

The Board of Directors has declared a final dividend of 21.40 pence 
per share (2018: 20.75 pence). This results in a full year dividend for 
2019 of 30.9 pence per share (2018: 30.0 pence), an increase of 3%. 

Aviva  has  many  positive  attributes:  high  quality  businesses,  skilled 
and dedicated staff, a leading focus on sustainability and ESG and a 
large, loyal base of customers and intermediary partners. Our brand 
resonates with our customers and partners due to our track record 
of  helping  people  to  manage  life’s  uncertainties  by  saving  for  the 
future,  drawing  a  secure  income  in  retirement  and  insuring  what 
matters most to them. 

My goal is for Aviva’s portfolio of businesses to be best in class. We 
will  achieve  this  through  a  relentless  focus  on  the  customer  and 
commercial  rigour  as  we  execute  our  business  plans  and  we  will 
reallocate  capital  to  maximise  performance.  In  short,  we  will  run 
Aviva better. 

In 2019, our customer numbers were up 2% to 33.4 million and we 
improved growth in premiums and managed assets. There is much 
more to do, simplifying our business, reducing costs and navigating 
competitive  markets  to  make  Aviva  a  stronger,  simpler  and  better 
company. 

COVID-19 presents a new uncertainty in 2020. Our primary focus is 
the  operational  readiness  and  safety  for  our  customers  and  staff, 
such that we continue to deliver on our promises. Our scale, diversity 
and  the  strength  of  our  balance  sheet  allows  us  to  meet  any 
short-term challenges. 

Structure, leadership and culture 
In  2019,  we  made  a  number  of  changes  to  optimise  our 
organisational  structure  and 
leadership.  These  changes  were 
necessary  to  simplify  our  ways  of  working,  improve  operational 
efficiency  and  resilience.  We  now  have  greater  focus,  commercial 
rigour and accountability throughout the organisation. 

In  the  UK,  we  separated  management  of  our  life  and  general 
insurance  businesses,  and  our  digital  operations  have  been 
integrated  back  into  the  businesses  to  improve  efficiency  and 
customer  delivery.  Globally,  we  have  reorganised  our  portfolio  of 
major markets and strategic investments into five divisions with clear 
alignment of business model. Our objective is to compete and win in 
our markets by providing great customer outcomes and excelling at 
the fundamentals. 

Aviva’s  leadership  team  has  been  strengthened  and  we  have 
assembled  a  diverse  and  talented  leadership  group  with  proven 
success  within  their  respective  fields.  With  a  mixture  of  internal 
promotions  and  external  hires,  my  new  team  brings  the  expertise, 
ambition  and  focus  required  to  grow  our  business  profitably.  The 
new  team  will  help  shape  our  culture,  which  remains  focused  on 
providing the highest standard of service and value for customers, 
maintaining leadership on environmental and social issues, while at 
the  same  time  fostering  greater  commerciality,  efficiency  and 
accountability. 

Progress against financial targets 
At  our  capital  markets  day  in  November  2019,  I  outlined  five  key 
financial objectives that Aviva is targeting for 2022. Delivering these 
targets  will  provide  a  material  enhancement 
in  business 
performance  and  reinforce  the  sustainability  of  our  progressive 
dividend  policy  and  medium-term  growth  ambitions.  In  2019,  we 
made a strong start in pursuit of these objectives and we are on track 
to achieve our targets: 

Solvency II Return on equity1,2,3 (RoE) – 2022 target of 12%:  
Aviva’s  RoE1,2,3  was  14.3%  in  2019,  benefiting  from  favourable 
assumption  changes.  Meeting  our  2022  ambition  of  a  sustainable 
12%  RoE1,2,3  will  require  improved  underlying  returns  that  will  be 
achieved  through  cost  reductions,  organic  business  growth  and 
active capital allocation to higher returning segments.  

Operating capital generation3 (OCG) – targeting £7.5 billion in 2019-
22 inclusive:  
In 2019, Group OCG3 totalled £2.3 billion, representing approximately 
30% of our four-year target.  

Cash inflows3 to centre – targeting £8.5 billion to £9.0 billion in 
2019-22 inclusive:  
Cash remittances3  were  £2.6 billion 
approximately 30% of our four-year target. 

in  2019, 

representing 

Debt reduction – targeting £1.5 billion reduction in debt by 2022: 
In 2019, we repaid £0.2 billion of subordinated debt, which was the 
total  amount  maturing  during  the  year.  With  debt  maturities  of 
£2.7 billion in the next three years and continued strength in centre 
liquidity levels and cash generation, we expect to achieve our target, 
resulting in lower debt leverage3 and declining interest expense. 

Operating expenses3 – targeting £300 million reduction in 
controllable costs3 by 2022: 
Controllable costs3 were £3,939 million in 2019 (2018: £3,968 million). 
Within  this,  we  achieved  net  savings  of  £72  million7  and  incurred 
implementation costs of £59 million. We anticipate £150 million of 
savings  (pre  implementation  costs)  in  our  2020  results,  compared 
with our 2018 baseline.

Includes Group centre, debt costs and other items not allocated to the markets. 

1 
2  The estimated Solvency II position represents the shareholder view. Please refer to note 58 and the ‘Other Information’ section of the Annual report and accounts for more information. 
3  This is an Alternative Performance Measure (APM) which provides useful information to enhance the understanding of financial performance. Further information on APM’s, including a reconciliation to the financial statements 

(where possible), can be found in the ‘Other Information’ section of the Annual report and accounts. 

4  Group adjusted operating profit is an Alternative Performance Measure (APM) which is used by the Group to supplement the required disclosures under IFRS. Please refer to note B in the ‘Accounting Policies’ section and to the 

‘Other Information’ section within the Annual report and accounts for further information. 

5  During 2019 the Group adjusted operating profit APM has been revised and now includes the amortisation and impairment of internally generated intangible assets to better reflect the operational nature of these assets (see 
note 2(b)). Group adjusted operating profit continues to exclude amortisation and impairment of intangible assets acquired in business combinations. Comparative amounts have been restated resulting in a reduction in the 
prior period Group adjusted operating profit of £112 million and a reduction in operating earnings per share of 2.2 pence. There is no impact on profit before tax attributable to shareholders’ profit. 

6  This measure is derived from the Group adjusted operating profit APM. Further details of this measure are included in the ‘Other Information’ section of the Annual report and accounts. 
7  Constant currency. 

Aviva plc Annual report and accounts 2019 
04 

 
 
Strategic report 
Strategic report 
Strategic report 

Governance 
Governance 
Governance 

IFRS financial statements 
IFRS financial statements 
IFRS financial statements 

Other information 
Other information 
Other information 

Chief Executive Officer’s review 

  Continued 

Deliver great customer outcomes 
At Aviva, delivering great customer outcomes is one of our strategic 
priorities.  In  2019,  our  performance  demonstrates  that  customers 
continue  to  choose  Aviva  to  meet  their  savings,  retirement  and 
insurance  needs.  Across  the  Group,  we  have  increased  premium 
volumes and customer fund inflows. We have made further progress 
in  service  quality,  with  positive  trends  in  net  promoter  scores, 
customer retention and resolving customer complaints. 

Our response to natural catastrophes such as the recent storms in 
the  UK  showed  Aviva  at  its  best.  We  provided  support  to  several 
thousand  customers,  responding  quickly  by  helping  fix  damaged 
properties and using the latest technology to settle claims. We also 
identified  vulnerable  customers  and  worked  with  our  network  of 
suppliers to ensure these claims were given priority. 

Natural  catastrophes  are  happening  with  increased  frequency 
around  the  world  and  sustainability  is  now  a  key  focus  for 
governments, corporates and the wider community. For many years, 
Aviva has been at the forefront of efforts to combat climate change. 
The  products  and  services  we  provide  are  crucial  in  helping 
customers  to  prepare  for,  and  respond  to  the  challenges  that  a 
changing  climate  brings.  We  are  also  a  leader  in  ESG,  whether 
actively 
investing  our  customers’  savings,  or  managing  their 
retirement  income.  Aviva  has  been  carbon  neutral  since  2006,  is  a 
signatory  to  the  UN  sustainable  development  goals  and 
is 
committed to being a net zero asset owner by 2050. ESG matters to 
our customers, and it matters to Aviva. 

Excel at the fundamentals 
We aim to excel at the fundamentals and our 2019 results show the 
progress we have made in running Aviva better. 

In  UK  Life,  we  increased  sales  across  our  product  suite.  In 
annuities & equity release, our capability in longevity data analytics, 
asset origination and transaction structuring enabled us to grow new 
business  volumes  by  29%  to  £6.2  billion  (2018: £4.8 billion).  We 
delivered strong growth in bulk annuity sales, which included the first 
tranche  (£1.7 billion)  from  Aviva’s  own  staff  pension  scheme.  In 
protection, 2019 was more challenging. Whilst new business volumes 
increased 4% to £1.9 billion (2018: £1.8 billion), adverse experience, 
and  higher  reinsurance  costs  contributed  to  a  reduction 
in 
profitability.  We  responded  to  these  challenges  by  increasing 
sophistication  of  our  pricing,  underwriting  and  customer 
segmentation models. 

In Investments, Savings & Retirement (IS&R), we improved customer 
net  inflows  despite  the  uncertain  backdrop  weighing  on  investor 
sentiment. UK Savings and Retirement net inflows1 were £7.5 billion 
(2018: 6.8 billion) as we maintained our leading position in workplace 
pensions,  winning  significant  new  mandates  and  delivering  strong 
client retention. We also continued to build momentum and increase 
share  in  the  platform  market.  In  asset  management,  investment 
performance  has  strengthened,  with  84%  of  Aviva  Investors’ funds 
beating benchmark over a twelve month time horizon, while third-
£2.3 billion 
party 
(2018: negative £0.1 billion). Although 2019 was a challenging year for 
profitability at Aviva Investors, with a lower opening asset position 
and  reduced  asset  origination  weighing  on  results,  the  significant 
improvement in investment performance and flows are a step in the 
right direction. 

inflows1 

positive 

rose 

net 

to 

SME and mid-market has supported growth in new client acquisition 
and attractive retention. Our general insurance combined operating 
ratio  (COR)1  increased  to  97.5%  (2018  restated2: 97.2%)  though  this 
included an additional £113 million of costs allocated to the general 
insurance  business  as  a  result  of  the  realignment  of  our  digital 
operations.  Excluding  the  1.2 percentage  point  impact  from  these 
costs,  our  COR  would  have  been  96.3%.  The  key  driver  of 
improvement  was  Canada,  where  we  successfully  responded  to 
in  a 
the  auto 
challenges 
in 
97.8% 
point 
5.3 percentage 
(2018 restated2: 103.1%). 

insurance  market, 

improvement 

in  COR 

resulting 

to 

Our life businesses in Europe and Asia also expanded their customer 
franchises  in  2019,  with  new  business  volumes  up  9%  and  15% 
respectively  and  European  net  fund  inflows1  remaining  robust  at 
£4.5 billion  (2018: £4.2 billion).  In  France,  in  the  face  of  significantly 
lower interest rates, we increased unit linked new business volumes 
46% through targeted campaigns and active engagement with our 
distribution  partners.  In  Poland,  we  successfully  launched  a  new 
protection product in the direct market and made a strong start in 
auto-enrolment, winning nearly 400 new corporate pension schemes 
covering more than 70,000 employees. In Singapore, we continued 
to  invest  in  our  leading  financial  advisor  network,  which  provides 
customers  with  high  levels  of  service  and  a  wider  array  of  product 
and provider choice compared with the traditional agency model. 

requires  gross 

An  important  element  of  our  programme  to  run  Aviva  better  is 
improving our efficiency. In June, we announced plans to reduce our 
controllable cost1 base by £300 million per annum, net of inflation. 
(pre-inflation)  savings  of  approximately 
This 
£500 million relative to our 2018 expense baseline of £4 billion. We 
have made good progress so far, achieving savings of £72 million3 in 
2019  and  laying  the  groundwork  necessary  to  increase  savings  to 
approximately £150 million in 2020. 

Invest in sustainable growth 
There is no shortage of ambition at Aviva and we have continued to 
invest in sustainable growth. This investment has been both direct, 
through  deploying  capital  to  write  new  business,  and  indirect,  to 
improve  the  quality  and  cost  effectiveness  of  our  customer 
propositions  and  further  enhance  our  data  and  risk  management 
capability. 

In  November,  we  announced  plans  for  Aviva  Investors  and  our  UK 
savings  businesses  to  form  a  combined  business  segment  called 
Investments,  Savings  &  Retirement  (IS&R).  Under  the  leadership  of 
Euan  Munro, 
IS&R  will  bring  together  Aviva’s  global  asset 
management capabilities with Aviva’s leading UK workplace pension 
and platform operations. In addition to the growth potential of each 
business,  their  alignment  enables  Aviva  to  provide  customers  with 
unique,  comprehensive  solutions  from  accumulation  of  pension 
wealth  through  to  drawing  a  secure  income  in  retirement.  The 
combination of an ageing society and increased private provision for 
retirement  make  this  an  attractive  long-term  growth  opportunity. 
The  £7.5 billion  of  net  in-flows1  in  savings  and  retirement  and 
£2.3 billion of third party net inflows1 in Aviva Investors demonstrates 
that Aviva has the capability and the customer franchise to capture 
this growth opportunity

In general insurance, net written premiums (NWP) increased 2% to 
£9.3  billion  (2018: £9.1 billion).  We  have  continued  to  gradually  and 
deliberately  shift  our  business  mix,  with  NWP  from  commercial 
customers  rising  7%  in  the  UK  and  17%  in  Canada.  Our  focus  on 
providing  superior  service  to  customers  and  intermediaries  in  the 

1  This is an Alternative Performance Measure (APM) which provides useful information to enhance the understanding of financial performance. Further information on APM’s, including a reconciliation to the financial statements 

(where possible), can be found in the ‘Other Information’ section of the Annual report and accounts. 

2  Following the change in the definition of Group adjusted operating profit (see note 2(b)), COR now includes the amortisation and impairment of internally generated intangible assets to better reflect the operational nature of 

these assets. Comparative amounts have been restated resulting in an increase in the prior period underwriting costs of £53 million and an increase in Group COR of 0.6%. 

3  Constant currency. 

Aviva plc Annual report and accounts 2019 
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IFRS financial statements 

Other information 
Other information 
Other information 

Chief Executive Officer’s review 

  Continued 

We continue to invest in digital and technology. The integration of 
our  digital  activities  into  our  business  units  will  facilitate  expense 
savings  as  we  scale  back  or  stop  some  activities  which  are  either 
duplicated or judged not to offer future economic returns. However, 
we are also aiming to improve the connectivity and co-ordination of 
digital with our core customer facing businesses. As a result, we are 
continuing to invest across the group in initiatives that reduce run 
costs, enhance IT resilience and ensure that our businesses are able 
to offer service to our customers and distribution partners that is fast, 
fair and efficient. 

Looking ahead 
Aviva  has  made  important  structural  changes  and  achieved  good 
progress in pursuing our first goal of operational improvement. Our 
2019  results  showed  evidence  of  our  potential,  with  improved 
momentum  on  customer  flows,  assets  and  premiums,  and  a  good 
start on delivering our financial targets. 

My objective remains to run Aviva better. We will improve business 
performance  enhancing  returns  through  disciplined  execution  on 
expenses  and  underwriting.  We  will  focus  capital  and  resources 
where we can achieve competitive advantage and strong returns. We 
will take robust action across the portfolio where our performance 
falls short or where we can see a better way of delivering value to our 
shareholders. 

Our foundations are strong and we have the necessary ingredients to 
succeed.  Our  franchises  are  well  regarded  by  customers  and 
partners,  our  capital  position  and  risk  management  capabilities 
provide  a  secure  footing.  We  have  a  team  of  talented  colleagues 
across  the  group  who  are  passionate  about  building  a  better 
tomorrow for our customers and providing attractive returns for our 
shareholders. 

Maurice Tulloch 
Group Chief Executive Officer 
4 March 2020 

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Other information 

Key performance indicators 

Key performance  
indicators 

We  use  a  number  of  financial  and  non-financial  metrics  to  help  the  Board  and  senior  management  assess  performance  against  three 
dimensions: our strategic priorities (excel at the fundamentals, deliver great customer outcomes, invest in sustainable growth); our vision to 
earn our customers’ trust as the best place to meet their savings, retirement and insurance needs; and our purpose: to be with you today, for 
a better tomorrow. These metrics are reviewed regularly to ensure that they remain appropriate. 

These metrics include Alternative Performance Measures (APMs) which are non-GAAP measures that are not bound by the requirements of 
IFRS. Further guidance in respect of the APMs used by the Group to measure our performance and financial strength is included within the 
“Other Information” section of the Annual Report and Accounts. This guidance includes definitions and, where possible, reconciliations to 
relevant line items or sub-totals in the financial statements. The financial commentary included in this Strategic report should be read in 
conjunction with this guidance. 

Changes to KPIs 
In November 2019 we announced our new strategy, which is set out in more detail in the ‘Our strategy’ section. We also announced five 
financial targets focussed on economic value: 
•  Solvency II return on equity1 – 2022 target of 12% 
•  Operating Capital Generation1 – targeting £7.5 billion in 2019-22 inclusive 
•  Cash inflows to Group1 – targeting £8.5 billion– £9.0 billion in 2019-22 inclusive 
•  Cost reduction – targeting £300 million reduction in controllable costs1 by 2022 
•  Debt leverage1 – targeting £1.5 billion reduction in debt by 2022 

The KPIs to assess performance against these new targets have been included in the analysis below and in the Chief Financial Officer’s review. 
New KPIs are identified by the symbol      .  

N 

Non-financial KPIs 
Customer Net Promoter Score® (NPS®) 
NPS® is our measure of customer advocacy and we use it in nine of our markets to measure the likelihood 
of a customer recommending Aviva relative to our competitors. Our relationship NPS® survey shows four 
years of sustained high levels of customer advocacy in a challenging marketplace. We are working hard to 
earn customers trust by making things simple for customers thereby improving customer outcomes. 

R 

Number of markets in 2019: 
at or above market average: 7 
2018: 8        2017: 7 
below market average: 2 
2018: 1        2017: 2 

Employee engagement  
We give our people the freedom to act in line with our values to create an environment in which they can 
thrive through collaboration and recognition. We measure this through our annual global ‘Voice of Aviva’ 
survey. Engagement is down three percentage points to 73%, due to a period of uncertainty and change, 
however, the proportion of employees recommending Aviva as a great place to work is at an all-time high. 
Carbon emissions reduction  
Since 2010 we have reduced carbon emissions (CO2e)2 from our day-to-day operations by 66% beating our 
2020 target of a 50% reduction and making strong progress to our 70% reduction by 2030 target. We are a 
carbon-neutral company, offsetting the remaining emissions through projects that have benefited the lives of 
over one million people since 2012. In 2019 we have continued to reduce our operational carbon emissions 
through energy efficient technology, buildings and development of onsite renewable electricity generation. 
We have also added £717 million in low carbon infrastructure investments over the year. 

2019: 
73% 
2018: 76% 
2017: 75% 

2019: 
66% 
Reduction since 2010 
2018: 60% 
2017: 53% 

Financial KPIs 

Group adjusted operating profit3 
Group  adjusted  operating  profit3  increased  by  6%  to  £3,184 million,  which  included  significantly 
improved performance in Canada and lower expenses and debt costs. See the ‘Market review’ section for 
further details of the performance of our markets in the year.  

R 

2019: 
£3,184 million 
2018: £3,004 million4 
2017: £2,975 million4 

. 

Symbol denotes key performance indicators used as a base to determine or modify remuneration. 

R 
1  This is an Alternative Performance Measure (APM) which provides useful information to enhance the understanding of financial performance. Further information on APM’s, including a reconciliation to the financial statements 

(where possible), can be found in the ‘Other Information’ section of the Annual report and accounts. 

2  CO2e data includes emissions from our buildings, business travel, water and waste to landfill. 
3  Group adjusted operating profit is an Alternative Performance Measure (APM) which is used by the Group to supplement the required disclosures under IFRS. Please refer to note B in the ‘Accounting Policies’ section and to the 

‘Other Information’ section within the Annual report and accounts for further information. 

4  During 2019 the Group adjusted operating profit APM has been revised and now includes the amortisation and impairment of internally generated intangible assets to better reflect the operational nature of these assets (see 
note 1(b) of the Annual report and accounts). Group adjusted operating profit continues to exclude amortisation and impairment of intangible assets acquired in business combinations. Comparative amounts have been 
restated resulting in a reduction in the prior period Group adjusted operating profit of £112 million (2017: £93 million). There is no impact on profit before tax attributable to shareholders’ profit 

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IFRS financial statements 

Other information 
Other information 

Key performance indicators 

  Continued 

Financial KPIs continued 

Profit before tax attributable to shareholders’ profit (PBT) 
Profit before tax attributable to shareholders’ profit increased to £3,374 million mainly due to growth in 
adjusted operating profit1, and positive investment variances driven by lower interest rates, narrowing 
credit spreads and equity market gains. 

Operating earnings per share1,2  
Operating  earnings  per  share1,2  increased  by  8%  to  60.5p,  mainly  reflecting  the  growth  in  adjusted 
operating profit3. 

R 

Solvency II Return on equity1 
Group Solvency II return on equity1 has increased by 1.8pp over the year primarily as a result of significant 
favourable assumption and modelling changes. See the ‘Market review’ section for further details of the 
performance of our markets in the year. 

N 

Solvency II Operating Capital Generation1 
Group  Operating  Capital  Generation1  is  £0.9 billion  lower  due  to  management  actions  impacting  the 
Solvency Capital Requirement. See the ‘Market review’ section for further details of the performance of 
our markets in the year. 

R N 

R 

Cash remittances1 
In 2019 cash remittances1 from our markets decreased to £2,597 million (2018: £3,137 million, including 
£1.25 billion  special  remittances  from  UK  Life).  Within  this,  UK  Life  delivered  £1,387 million  (including 
£500 million  of  special  remittances),  and  higher  remittances  were  received  from  Canada,  Europe  and 
Asia. 

Controllable costs1 
Controllable costs1 decreased by 1% to £3,939 million. The decrease in controllable costs1 mainly reflects 
our focus on efficiency, partially offset by targeted spend on growth initiatives and IT simplification.  

N 

Solvency II debt leverage1 
Solvency II debt leverage1 has reduced by 2pp to 31%. This was due to a reduction in debt and an increase 
in Solvency II total regulatory own funds over 2019. 

N 

Estimated Solvency II shareholder cover ratio1,5 
We  continue  to  maintain  our  strong  financial  position.  During  the  year,  the  estimated  Solvency  II 
shareholder  cover  ratio1,4 has strengthened by 2pp to 206%  (2018: 204%) primarily as a result of total 
capital generation, partly offset by the payment of the Aviva plc dividend and repayment of hybrid debt. 

R 

Value of new business on an adjusted Solvency II basis1 
Value of new business on an adjusted Solvency II basis (VNB)1 measures growth and is the source of future 
cash flows in our life businesses. VNB1 increased by 2% to £1,224 million, mainly driven by growth in Bulk 
Purchase Annuity VNB1 in the UK. 

Combined operating ratio1 
The combined operating ratio (COR)1 is a measure of general insurance profitability. The lower the COR1 
is below 100%, the more profitable we are. Reported COR1 is broadly in line with 2018, with a better COR1 
in  Canada  offset  by  adverse  movements  in  our  other  businesses.  See  the  ‘Market  review’  section  for 
further details of the performance of our markets in the year. 

2019: 
£3,374 million 
2018: £2,129 million 
2017: £2,003 million 

2019: 
60.5p 
2018: 56.2p4 
2017: 53.0p4 

2019: 
14.3% 
2018: 12.5% 

2019: 
£2,259 million 
2018: £3,198 million 

2019: 
£2,597 million 
2018: £3,137 million 
2017: £2,398 million 

2019: 
£3,939 million 
2018: £3,968 million 
2017: £3,840 million 

2019: 
31% 
2018: 33% 

2019: 
206% 
2018: 204% 
2017: 198% 

2019: 
£1,224 million 
2018: £1,202 million 
2017: £1,243 million 

2019: 
97.5% 
2018: 97.2%4 
2017: 97.2%4 

Symbol denotes key performance indicators used as a base to determine or modify remuneration.  

R 
1  This is an Alternative Performance Measure (APM) which provides useful information to supplement an understanding of our financial performance. Further information on APMs, including a reconciliation to the financial 

statements (where possible), can be found in the ‘Other Information’ section of the Annual report and accounts. 

2  This measure is derived from the Group adjusted operating profit APM. Further details of this measure are included in the ‘Other Information’ section of the Annual report and accounts. 
3  Group adjusted operating profit is an Alternative Performance Measure (APM) which is used by the Group to supplement the required disclosures under IFRS. Please refer to note B in the ‘Accounting Policies’ section and to the 

‘Other Information’ section within the Annual report and accounts for further information. 

4  During 2019 the Group adjusted operating profit APM has been revised and now includes the amortisation and impairment of internally generated intangible assets to better reflect the operational nature of these assets (see 
note 1(b) of the Annual report and accounts). Group adjusted operating profit continues to exclude amortisation and impairment of intangible assets acquired in business combinations. Comparative amounts have been restated 
resulting in a reduction in the prior period Group adjusted operating profit of £112 million (2017: £93 million). There is no impact on profit before tax attributable to shareholders’ profit. Following the change in the definition of 
Group adjusted operating profit, COR and operating earnings per share have also been restated to include the amortisation and impairment of internally generated intangible assets. Comparative amounts have been restated 
resulting in an increase in prior period COR of 0.6% (2017: 0.6%) and a reduction in the prior period operating earnings per share of 2.2 pence (2017: 1.8 pence). 

5  The estimated Solvency II position represents the shareholder view. Please refer to note 58 and the ‘Other Information’ section of the Annual report and accounts for more information. 

Read about our performance at www.aviva.com/about-us 

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Governance 

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Other information 

Business model 

Business model 

Aviva exists to help our 33 million customers make the most out of life, to plan for the future, and to know that if things go wrong we will be 
with them to put it right. Aviva is a leading international Savings, Retirement and Insurance business and the largest multi-line insurer in the 
UK, our home market. We also operate in Europe, Canada and Asia. 

Our business model defines us, differentiates us and helps us meet our customer’s needs… 
Our businesses 
We have simplified our business 
into five new business divisions1:  
•  Investments, Savings & 

Our channels  
Our customers can engage with 
us through multiple distribution 
and service channels: 
•  Digital applications 
•  Direct to customer 
•  Intermediaries, including tied 

Our strengths  
We have unique strengths as a 
business that gives us a 
significant competitive 
advantage: 
•  Strong technical skills 
•  Innovative analytical 

Retirement 

•  UK Life 
•  General Insurance 
•  Europe Life 
•  Asia Life 

agents and brokers 

capabilities  

•  Strategic partnerships and 

bancassurance arrangements 

•  Diversified distribution 
•  Robust capital position 
•  Leading customer franchise  
•  Well recognised brand 

Our skills 
We have a wide range and blend 
of skills:  
•  Customer service 
•  Underwriting 
•  Risk management 
•  Claims management 
•  Digital innovation 
•  Data Science 
•  Asset and liability management 

…through our products and solutions… 
Investments and Savings  
•  Individual savings 
•  Workplace savings  
•  Advice and guidance 
•  Investments and asset management 

Retirement 
•  Annuities  
•  Equity release mortgages  
•  Drawdown 
•  Pensions 

…from which cash and premiums are received… 
Customers invest their savings with us. For a 
their 
fee,  we  manage  and  administer 
investments so they can grow their savings or 
secure an income in the future 

Customers  pay  us  premiums  which  we 
reinvest to provide them with income in their 
retirement,  via  a 
regular 
payments or by releasing the money tied up 
in their property 

lump  sum, 

Insurance 
•  Personal lines e.g. motor, home  
•  Commercial lines  
•  Protection 
•  Health  

Customers  pay  insurance  premiums  which 
we  use  to  pay  claims,  protecting  what 
matters  to  them.  Our  scale  enables  us  to 
pool the risks and maintain capital strength, 
so we are there for our customers when they 
need us 

…and sustainable value is created for… 

Shareholders 
We  invest  carefully  so  we  can 
sustainable,  growing 
deliver 
for  our  shareholders. 
returns 

Customers 
Our  customers  benefit  from  a 
range  of  solutions  to  meet  their 
needs,  with  easy  access  when 
and how they want it. 

Communities  
We play a significant role in our 
communities, 
including  as  a 
major employer and a long-term 
responsible investor. 

People 
Our  aim  is  for  our  people  to 
achieve  their  potential  within 
collaborative and 
a diverse, 
customer-focused organisation.  

30.9 pence 
Total 2019 dividend up 3% 

£33.2 billion 
Paid out in benefits and claims to 
our customers in 2019 

Over 2,000  
Community  projects  supported 
in 2019, helping over 1.2 million 
people 

73% 
Our 
score in 2019 

employee 

engagement 

Read more about our business at www.aviva.com/about-us/who-we-are-and-what-we-do 

1  From 2020. 

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The external environment 

The external environment 

Our strategy has been developed to respond to and anticipate the following opportunities and challenges posed by the external environment 
and long-term trends impacting our industry. We acknowledge the risks these trends present and aim to turn these into opportunities for 
growth and delivery of our strategy.  

impact 

Political and macroeconomic impact 
Political  and  macroeconomic 
the  operating 
factors  can 
environment  of  our  businesses  in  the  UK  and  abroad.  These  include  the 
continuation  of  modest  economic  growth,  falling  interest  rates,  political 
tensions  in  the  UK  and  Europe  around  the  finalisation  of  Brexit,  trade 
pressure  between  the  US  and  China,  and  potential  volatility  around  the 
upcoming US elections. 
Active governments and regulators 
Increasingly, governments are promoting private provision and reforms of 
services  once  funded  by  the  State  (e.g.  pensions,  healthcare)  while 
regulators remain focused on customer outcomes, enforcing conduct and 
prudential supervision (e.g. Solvency II) as well as standardising insurance 
accounting (e.g. IFRS 17).  
Continuous advancement in technologies 
‘Big data’ and advances in Artificial Intelligence are leading to new levels of 
simplicity,  convenience  and  speed.  These  new  technologies  are  offering 
advancements to traditional healthcare, allowing people to live longer, and 
access  to  new  mobility  options,  in  some  cases  moving  from  private 
ownership towards more efficient and cleaner modes of transport, while at 
the same time also increasing the challenges around the ethical use of data.  
Climate change and sustainability 
Climate  change  has  increased  the  frequency  of  extreme  weather  events. 
These  extreme  weather  events  have  resulted  in  an  increase  in  political 
focus, regulation and focus on the economic and social impact of climate 
change. At the same time, customers have become more attentive to the 
environmental,  social  and  governance  (ESG)  aspects  of  their  saving  and 
investment decisions. 
New risks emerging in a connected world  
New risks are emerging as a result of technological advancements in the 
provision  and  use  of  personal  data,  uninterrupted  access  to  services, 
sharing of information, demise of traditional jobs, as well as development 
of new skills and capabilities – these changes can create demand for new 
saving, retirement and insurance products and solutions. 

In  2019,  global  GDP  growth  fell  to  its  lowest  rate  since  the 
financial crisis in 2008  
2.8% 

Source: IMF World Economic Outlook, October 2019 

Increase in proportion of UK employees automatically enrolled 
in a workplace pension scheme between 2012 and 2019  
32% 

Source: Automatic enrolment, The Pensions Regulator, October 2019 

Expected increase in productivity caused by impact of Artificial 
Intelligence technologies by 2035. 
40% 

 Source: Accenture, 2019 

Increase in annual inflows to ESG funds between 2018 and 2019  
53%  

Source: Morningstar, October 2019  

Estimated economic damage from cyber-attacks in 2018  
$600 billion  

Source: Munich Re, 2020  

Read more about our risk management in the ‘Risk and risk management’ section of this Strategic report.

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Our strategy 

Our strategy 

On 4 March 2019, Aviva announced Maurice Tulloch’s appointment 
as  Chief  Executive  Officer.  Following  his  appointment,  Maurice 
outlined his plans for a thorough review of the Group and business 
division strategies.  

On 20 November 2019, we presented our refreshed strategy, purpose 
and vision, which are set out below.  

‘I am committed to running Aviva better. We will excel at the basics, 
giving  customers  a  simpler,  faster  and  more  convenient  service. 
Getting  these  fundamentals  right  will  result  in  a  simpler,  stronger, 
better Aviva, while also improving returns for shareholders.’  
– Maurice Tulloch, CEO 

Our purpose 
With you today, for a better tomorrow 
Our purpose is the reason Aviva exists. Our roots reach back to 1696 
and  since  those  early  days,  we  have  been  there  for  our  customers 
when it really matters. We are here to help them make the most of 
life and know that if things go wrong, we will be with them to put it 
right. Our purpose inspires us to do the right thing. It reflects that we 
are deeply invested in our customers, our communities, our people 
and  our  planet.  By  caring  more  today  we  will  leave  a  legacy  to  be 
proud of.  

Our vision 
To earn customers’ trust as the best place to save for the future, 
navigate retirement and insure what matters most to them.  
Our vision is ambitious but grounded. It is about being brilliant in our 
core  areas  of  expertise  and  focusing  where  we  have  the  strongest 
opportunities to make a meaningful difference.  

Our strategy  
Our strategy is to simplify Aviva into a leading international 
savings, retirement and insurance business delivering for our 
customers, shareholders, and communities. 
We  understand  the  fast-changing  world  around  us  and  the 
implications these changes have on the needs of our customers. Our 
strategy  aims  to  provide  our  customers  with  simplicity,  speed  and 
convenience,  ensuring  reliable  service,  good  value  products  and 
transparent communication.  

Under our new strategy we have set out three strategic priorities:  
•  Deliver great customer outcomes;  
•  Excel at the fundamentals;  
•  Invest in sustainable growth;  

and we have simplified our operating model into five new business 
divisions.  

We will deliver great customer outcomes  
What this means 
Our focus will be on meeting our customers’ savings, retirement and 
insurance needs. We will simplify the way in which we interact with 
and serve our customers, promote resolution as early as possible and 
enhance our digital platforms. Through our well-known brand, it is 
our vision that customers will recognise Aviva as the best place to 
meet their savings, retirement and insurance needs.  

We  believe  that  this  will  lead  to  growth  in  new  customers  and 
improved  retention  of  existing  customers.  We  will  monitor  our 

progress  through  metrics  including  our  trust  and  net  promotor 
scores.  

We will excel at the fundamentals  
What this means 
Our focus will be on the core activities of our business: underwriting, 
claims  management,  investment  performance  and  cost  efficiency. 
We  will  maximise  our  use  of  data  and  analytics  and  continue  to 
digitise our business.  

By  pursuing  strong  performance  across  the  fundamentals,  we  will 
embed a performance culture across our business.  

We  plan  to  achieve  our  cost  saving  target  of  £300 million  over  the 
next three years. We have achieved a £72 million saving in 2019 and 
initiatives  are  in  place  to  deliver  £150 million  in  our  2020  results, 
compared with our 2018 baseline.  

We will invest in sustainable growth  
What this means  
Our focus will be investing with a clear commercial benefit. We will be 
selective  with  the  opportunities  we  pursue  and  invest  where  we  can 
generate economic returns and long-term value for our shareholders.  

By adopting a rigorous investment framework, focused on value and 
capital return, we expect to generate increasing revenues, fund flows, 
capital, cash and profit.  

We plan to invest £1.3 billion over the next three years in areas such 
as IT simplification, transformation of UK customer experience and 
mandated regulatory change. 

When we get these priorities right, we succeed  
Our three strategic priorities focus our actions to deliver our strategic 
and financial objectives. Evidence has shown that when we focus on 
these priorities, we deliver value for our customers, shareholders and 
communities, for example:  
•  By delivering great outcomes to our customers and their advisors 
we increased fund flows in our UK Advisor and Workplace Savings 
business, where assets under administration1 grew by 73% (FY15 – 
2019)  

•  By  excelling  at  the  fundamentals  of  underwriting  in  our  General 
Insurance business, our UK digital aggregator QuoteMeHappy has 
grown by c.1.4 million customers since inception, while remaining 
efficient at a low expense ratio  

•  By  being  excellent  at  investment  performance  and  technical 
expertise in our UK Life business, we have invested sustainably in 
the  bulk  purchase  annuities  market,  growing  new  business  from 
£2.6 billion  in  2018  to  £4.0 billion  in  2019  as  measured  by  the 
present value of new business premiums1 (PVNBP).  

As part of the strategy update in November 2019, we also set out new 
financial targets. These new targets focus on long-term economic value 
generation  and  confirm  our  commitment  to  deliver  on  our  plan  to 
reduce debt and maintain the progressive dividend policy and financial 
strength of the Group. Further information on the new financial targets 
can be found in the ‘Key performance indicators’ section. 

Our values 
Our four values are at the heart of how we do business. They are 
how we must operate:  
•  We Care More about our customers, our partners, our colleagues 

and the communities where we live and work  

•  We  look  for  opportunities  to  Kill  Complexity.  We  want  to  make 
things simpler for our customers and for each other so that we can 
all focus on what matters  

•  We Never Rest and have the ambition to be the best we can be  
•  And we Create Legacy, taking a long-term view to build a better 

and more sustainable future for everyone 

1  This  is  an  Alternative  Performance  Measure  (APM)  which  provides  useful  information  to  supplement  an  understanding  of  our  financial  performance.  Further  information  on  APMs,  including  reconciliation  to  the  financial 

statements (where possible), can be found in the ‘Other information’ section of the Annual report and accounts. 

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Governance 
Governance 
Governance 

IFRS financial statements 
IFRS financial statements 
IFRS financial statements 

Other information 
Other information 
Other information 

Our strategy 

  Continued 

Our businesses  
Under our new strategy, we have simplified our operating model 
into five new business divisions1: 
•  Investments, Savings & Retirement  
•  UK Life  
•  General Insurance 
•  Europe Life  
•  Asia Life 

This simplified operating model enables each business to focus on 
their  strategic,  commercial  and  operational  priorities  while  still 
benefiting from overall synergies between divisions.  

We  expect  all  business  divisions  to  deliver  both  cash  flows  and 
growth, however the balance will differ for each. This provides us with 
choices on how we allocate our capital and resources and ensures 
we generate the highest returns.  

Below  we  set  out  an  overview  of  each  of  these  five  new  business 
divisions,  including  their  updated  strategy,  key  priorities  and 
financial ambitions. 

Investments, Savings & Retirement  
Overview  
Helping people meet their savings and retirement needs is one of the 
biggest challenges facing our communities. We have created a new 
division  that  will  take  on  this  challenge  and  provide  us  with  an 
exciting growth opportunity. This division brings together our global 
asset  manager,  Aviva  Investors,  and  our  modern  UK  Savings  & 
Retirement  business2  to  create  a  wealth  and  asset  management 
business.  This  business  will  serve  a  fast-growing  market  as 
consumers  look  to  save  for  their  future,  safeguard  against  the 
unknown and enjoy income in their retirement years.  

We are uniquely positioned to win in this business. We have a market 
leading  brand,  we  are  currently  number  one3  in  UK  Workplace 
Pensions by assets under administration4 (AuA) and as at 2019 Aviva 
Investors assets under management4 (AuM) was £346 billion.  

With  a  large  customer  base,  scale  of  assets  and  strong  advisor 
relationships, this division is well positioned for growth. It will also 
draw  on  our  strong  track  record  and  expertise  in  the  area  of 
responsible investing. 

‘As we implement our plans, Aviva will become the leading provider of 
mass market savings and retirement solutions in the UK and the owner 
of  a  strong  international  asset  management  brand,  serving  third 
parties and global Aviva insurance businesses. I think it’s an exciting 
future’ – Euan Munro, CEO5 

from 
the  strong 
social  and  governance 

Key priorities for 2020: 
investment  performance, 
•  Realise  value 
environmental, 
leadership, 
distribution  reach  and  platform  capability  built  over  the  last  five 
years by: growing AuM by winning third party mandates at Aviva 
Investors,  growing  AuA  by  capturing  more  of  the  workplace  and 
adviser  markets  in  UK  Savings  &  Retirement  and  growing  Aviva 
Investors AuM across workplace and individual savings, by offering 
tailored  and  appropriate 
to  our 
customers  

investment  propositions 

(ESG) 

•  Deliver  holistic  client  and  customer  led  propositions  that  unlock 

new segments of the market 

•  Build  a  strong  Investments,  Savings  &  Retirement  brand  to 

reposition ourselves in the market  

•  Deliver a market leading customer and client experience  

Financial targets  
•  By  2022,  annual  net  fund  flows4  of  £10 billion  from  third  party 
investors  for  Aviva  Investors  and  £10 billion  for  UK  Savings  & 
Retirement. 

UK Life  
Overview  
From 2020, our UK Life division incorporates three lines of business: 
annuities  &  equity  release,  protection  &  health  and  heritage.  This 
division is key in generating sustainable cash flow.  

We are already a leading provider within each of these three lines, 
evidenced by a strong franchise and leading market share positions, 
including: number one in individual annuities, number two in group 
protection  and  number  two  in  individual  protection.  Across  these 
lines  we  have  a  full  suite  of  capabilities,  including  data  analytics, 
underwriting,  asset-liability  management,  scale  efficiencies  and 
access to Aviva Investors’ solutions. 

Our focus for UK Life is two-fold:  
•  Generate significant levels of capital and cash flow  
•  Recycle some of that capital to write profitable new business.  

‘UK  Life  is  a  fantastic  business  which  I  am  incredibly  proud  to  be 
leading.  It  has  a  central  role  to  play  in  Aviva’s  success.  My  clear 
objective for this business is to deliver dependable growth in long-term 
cash flows’ – Angela Darlington, CEO  

Key priorities for 2020:  
•  Expand our annuity business with capital efficient growth in bulk 

purchase annuities to increase long-term cash-flows 

•  Capitalise  on  data  analytics,  scale  and  modelling  techniques  to 
better understand our target customers, distributors and risks, and 
to  develop  more  focused  pricing  algorithms  and  services,  which 
are attractive to new and existing customers and enhances overall 
performance 

•  Manage heritage savings to minimise operational complexity and 

optimise capital use 

•  Increase automation and digitisation to improve cost efficiency 

Financial targets (Combined Investments, Savings & Retirement 
and UK Life)  
•  Solvency II return on capital4 of 9.5% and cash inflows4 to Group of 
£4.25-£4.75 billion  (cumulative  2019  –  2022)  and  a  special  cash 
inflow4 to Group of £0.5 billion (UK Life, 2019). 

General Insurance  
Overview:  
Our General Insurance division helps protect our customers from loss 
in  the  event  of  damage  to  their  property  or  assets,  or  injury  to 
themselves or others for which they are responsible. We offer a wide 
a range of products to personal and business customers, including 
motor, home, travel and pet insurance, commercial property, liability 
and specialty covers such as classic car and boiler breakdown.  

We  provide  General  Insurance  at  scale  in  the  UK  and  Canada  and 
have an attractive European business operating in France, Ireland, 
Italy and Poland. We hold the number one market position in the UK, 
and number two in Canada and Ireland.  

Our  focus  is  on  generating  sustainable  profitable  growth  through 
improving speed, simplicity and efficiency for our customers. In the 
UK,  we  have  aligned  our  UK  digital  business  with  our  UK  General 
Insurance  business  to  help  deliver  this.  We  will  also  build  on  our 
leading insurance expertise to expand our commercial lines business 
whilst continuing to optimise our potential in personal lines.  

1  From 2020. 
2  UK Savings & Retirement is reported within UK Life in 2019. 
3  Number one by bundled workplace AuA, Broadridge UK DC & Retirement Income, 2018. 
4  This  is  an  Alternative  Performance  Measure  (APM)  which  provides  useful  information  to  supplement  an  understanding  of  our  financial  performance.  Further  information  on  APMs,  including  reconciliation  to  the  financial 

statements (where possible), can be found in the ‘Other information’ section of the Annual report and accounts. 

5  Subject to regulatory approval. 

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Other information 
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Other information 

Our strategy 

  Continued 

‘We will be the best in the market at fundamentals. We will focus on 
speed  of  execution  and  we  will  simplify  our  business.  Financial 
discipline in all decisions will be a core requirement. We will hold each 
other to account and there will be no excuses’ – Colm Holmes, CEO  

Key priorities for 2020:  
•  Further  develop  our  multi-channel  distribution  capability  and 

strengthen the awareness of our brand 

•  Continue  to  evolve  the  savings  mix  towards  capital  efficient  unit 

Key priorities for 2020:  
•  Focus  on  simplicity,  speed  and  efficiency  for  our  customers  to 
strengthen  growth  and  profitability  across  our  business.  To  date 
we have already reduced the personal lines product suite by more 
than a quarter, and we continue to invest in our ‘self-serve’ claims 
technology 

•  Expand our commercial lines business by continuing to extend our 
strong small and medium enterprises position to mid-market and 
Global Corporate & Specialty portfolios  

•  Continue  to  deliver  the  recovery  in  Canada,  following  a  5.3pp 
improvement to combined operating ratio1 in 2019 and expand by 
leveraging  on  our  brokers  and  partnership  with  Royal  Bank  of 
Canada, which was recently extended to 2036  

Financial targets  
•  Cash  inflows1  to  Group  of  £2.0  –  £2.5 billion  (cumulative,  2019  – 
2022), combined operating ratio1 of 95% (2022), Solvency II return 
on capital1 of 14% (2022) and achieve net written premium growth 
of 20% (2022 vs. 2018)  

Europe Life  
Overview:  
Our  Europe  Life  division  offers  a  range  of  insurance  savings, 
investment and protection products to customers who want to make 
the most of their money, plan for the future and protect against the 
unexpected. We operate across five countries, France, Italy, Poland, 
Ireland and Turkey and have eight million customers.  

Europe  Life  has  diverse  distribution  and  focuses  on  maintaining  a 
capital  efficient  product  mix.  We  hold  several  strong  market 
positions, including number two in Poland, number four in Ireland 
and  number  five  in  Italy.  We  have  also  grown  our  policyholder 
reserves to £120 billion at 2019.  

Our focus will continue to be generating sustainable growth, while 
actively managing the low interest rate environment. We will achieve 
this by:  
•  Continuing to transform the product mix from guaranteed savings 

towards capital light products  

•  Expanding and investing in our distribution channels 
•  Focusing  on  the  fundamentals  of  insurance  to  drive  operational 

efficiencies, and  

•  Leveraging expertise and technology from across the Group  

‘It’s my privilege to present our strategy for the European businesses, 
which continues to be a significant contributor to the Aviva Group. We 
contribute a material portion of the group operating profits and are an 
important part of the wider Aviva story’ – Patrick Dixneuf, CEO  

linked and hybrid products 

•  Increase sales of protection products across our life customer base 
•  Simplify propositions and increase automation and digitisation to 

improve cost efficiency  

Financial targets 
•  Solvency II return on capital1 of 9.5% (2022) and cash inflows1 to 

Group of £0.75 – £1.25 billion (cumulative 2019 – 2022)  

Asia Life  
Overview:  
Asia  Life  comprises  our  businesses  in  Singapore,  China,  India, 
Indonesia, Vietnam and Hong Kong.  

Our business in Singapore contributed 77% to Asia’s total value of 
new business in 2019. Here, we are a leader in the financial advisor 
channel  and  operate  a  profitable  business  offering  protection  and 
savings products. Our aim is to continue to grow our market share 
and  further  extend  our  lead  in  the  financial  advisor  and  employee 
benefits  segments  with  a  broad  customer  footprint  across  private 
and public sectors. 

In  China,  our  joint  venture  company  in  partnership  with  COFCO 
continues  to  deliver  strong  growth,  especially  in  the  agency  and 
broker channels, alongside margin expansion. Our plan is to further 
invest  and  extend  these  competitive  advantages  and  continue  to 
outperform our peers in value creation and profit growth.  

In November 2019, we announced the sale of our stake in our Hong 
Kong joint venture, Blue, to our partner Hillhouse Capital, subject to 
regulatory approval. We are also in discussions with our partners in 
relation to our business in Vietnam and joint venture in Indonesia. 

‘Asia  continues  to  be  the  growth  engine  for  the  insurance  industry 
worldwide. Despite intense competition, Aviva focuses on leveraging 
our  unique  competitive  advantages  in  individual  Asian  markets  to 
continue to outperform our peers’ – Chris Wei, CEO  

 Key priorities for 2020:  
•  Extend our lead in the financial advisor channel in Singapore  
•  Further invest in agency and productivity growth in China  
•  Maintain a value-focused approach in product mix and margins 
•  Streamline regional support functions to enhance efficiency  

Financial targets (Singapore)  
•  Double digit Value of New Business1 (VNB) and profit growth  

Read  about  our  businesses  at  www.aviva.com/investors/our-
strategy. 

1  This  is  an  Alternative  Performance  Measure  (APM)  which  provides  useful  information  to  supplement  an  understanding  of  our  financial  performance.  Further  information  on  APMs,  including  reconciliation  to  the  financial 

statements (where possible), can be found in the ‘Other information’ section of the Annual report and accounts. 

Aviva plc Annual report and accounts 2019 
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Governance 

IFRS financial statements 

Other information 

Section 172 (1) statement and our stakeholders 

Section 172 (1) 
statement and our 
stakeholders 

Overview 
We report here on how our directors have performed their duty under 
Section 172 (s.172) of the Companies Act 2006, and this statement 
reflects the contribution by the Aviva Group to the performance of 
Aviva plc. S.172 sets out a series of matters to which the directors’ 
must have regard in performing their duty to promote the success of 
the  Company  for  the  benefit  of  its  shareholders,  which  includes 
having  regard  to  other  stakeholders.  Where  this  statement  draws 
upon information contained in other sections of the Strategic report, 
this is signposted accordingly1.  

Our  Board  considers  it  crucial  that  the  Company  maintains  a 
reputation  for  high  standards  of  business  conduct.  The  Board  is 
responsible  for  setting,  monitoring  and  upholding  the  culture, 
values, standards, ethics, brand and reputation of the Company to 
ensure  that  our  obligations  to  our  shareholders,  employees, 
customers and others are met. Management drives the embedding 
of  the  desired  culture  throughout  the  organisation.  The  Board 
monitors  adherence  to  our  policies  and  compliance  with  local 
corporate  governance  requirements  across  the  Group  and  is 
committed to acting where our businesses fail to act in the manner 
we expect of them. 

Our Board is also focussed on the wider social context within which 
our  businesses  operate,  including  those  issues  related  to  climate 
change which are of fundamental importance to the planet’s well-
being. A detailed explanation of how Aviva continues to manage the 
impact  of  its  business  on  the  environment  is  outlined  in  the 
‘Corporate responsibility’ section of the Strategic report.  

Our culture 
As the provider of financial services to millions of customers, Aviva 
seeks to earn their trust by acting with integrity and a deep sense of 
responsibility at all times. We look to build relationships with all our 
stakeholders based on openness and continuing dialogue. 

Our  culture  is  shaped  by  our  clearly  defined  purpose  –  with  you 
today, for a better tomorrow – to help ensure we do the right thing in 
Aviva. Throughout our business, we are proud that our people live by 
our core value of Care More for our customers, for each other and for 
the communities we serve. We value diversity and inclusivity in our 

workforce  and  beyond,  and  the  ‘Our  people’  section  of  this  report 
sets out the strength of Aviva’s culture in this regard and how that 
underpins everything we do every day. 

Key strategic decisions in 2019  
For each matter which comes before the Board, the Board considers 
the  likely  consequences  of  any  decision  in  the  long-term  and 
identifies stakeholders who may be affected, and carefully considers 
their  interests  and  any  potential  impact  as  part  of  the  decision-
making process. 

In  June  2019,  we  announced  that  our  life  and  general  insurance 
businesses  in  the  UK  will  be  managed  separately,  with  our  digital 
direct business integrated into UK General Insurance. This will enable 
stronger accountability and greater management focus on the UK’s 
leading life and general insurance business. We also disclosed that 
we are targeting a £300 million per annum reduction in controllable 
costs2  by  2022  (net  of  inflation),  which  will  involve  1,800  role 
reductions across the Group. 

In November 2019, we announced the outcome of a comprehensive 
strategic review of our business. Our strategy is to simplify Aviva into 
a  leading  international  savings,  retirement  and  insurance  business 
delivering for our customers, shareholders and communities. We will 
achieve this by delivering great customer outcomes, excelling at the 
fundamentals and investing in sustainable growth. These actions will 
drive higher returns for our shareholders. 

The Board determined that in order to progress its agreed strategic 
priorities,  Aviva  should  be  simplified  into  five  operating  divisions 
from  2020.  This  included  the  creation  of  a  new  business  division; 
Investments, Savings & Retirement (IS&R). IS&R brings together Aviva 
Investors and our UK Life Savings & Retirement businesses to look 
after all stages of customers’ savings and retirement needs. 

As a result of our strategic review, we announced in November 2019 
that we will retain our businesses in Singapore and China. We agreed 
the  sale  of  our  stake  in  our  Hong  Kong  joint  venture,  Blue,  to  our 
partner Hillhouse Capital Group, and we are in discussions with our 
partners in relation to our business in Vietnam and joint venture in 
Indonesia.  For  further  information  on  all  these  decisions,  see  ‘Our 
strategy’ in this Strategic report. 

Our  key  financial  decisions  made  during  the  year,  including  the 
adoption of a progressive dividend policy, our targeted £1.5 billion 
debt  reduction  and  our  planned  investment  of  c.£1.3 billion  in  our 
operating businesses in the period to 2022, were all made in line with 
our  long-term  strategic  goal  of  sustainable  value  creation.  A  full 
account  of  our  financial  performance  is  contained  in  the  Chief 
Financial Officer’s review within this Strategic Report.  

1  The s.172 statements of our qualifying subsidiaries will be made available on the Aviva plc website. 
2  This  is  an  Alternative  Performance  Measure  (APM)  which  provides  useful  information  to  supplement  an  understanding  of  our  financial  performance.  Further  information  on  APMs,  including  reconciliation  to  the  financial 

statements (where possible), can be found in the ‘Other information’ section of the Annual report and accounts 

Aviva plc Annual report and accounts 2019 
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Governance 
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IFRS financial statements 
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IFRS financial statements 

Other information 
Other information 
Other information 
Other information 

Section 172 (1) statement and our stakeholders   

  Continued 

Stakeholder engagement 
The table below sets out our approach to stakeholder engagement during 2019: 

Stakeholders  Why are they important to Aviva? 

What is our approach to engaging with them? 

Customers 

Our  purpose,  ‘with  you  today,  for  a 
better  tomorrow,’  captures  the  reason 
we  exist  as  a  business.  Understanding 
important  to  our  33 million 
what’s 
customers 
is  key  to  our  long-term 
success. 

•  The  Board  receives  regular  reporting  on  customer  outcomes  and  customer-
related  strategic  initiatives  throughout  the  year.  We  conducted  reviews  of  the 
‘customer journey’ within Aviva and of trust in the Aviva brand. 

•  The Board closely monitors customer metrics and engages with the leadership 
team to understand the issues if our performance does not meet our customers’ 
expectations. This is also reflected at each of our subsidiary boards. 

Our people 

Our  people’s  commitment  to  serving 
our  customers  is  essential  for  us  to 
deliver on our vision to earn customers’ 
trust  as  the  best  place  to  save  for  the 
future,  navigate  retirement,  and  insure 
what matters most to them. 

Suppliers 

We operate in conjunction with a wide 
range of suppliers to deliver services to 
our  customers.  It  is  vital  that  we  build 
strong  working  relationships  with  our 
intermediaries,  including  around  risk 
management and customer service. 

•  During 2019, we reviewed our Board committee structures and repurposed the 
Governance Committee to the Customer, Conduct and Reputation Committee to 
ensure comprehensive scrutiny of all customer-related areas. 

•  The Board continues to monitor and review developments concerning changes 
to our IT platforms which will allow us to simplify and support service delivery to 
our customers. 

•  For  further  information  on  how  we  engage  with  our  customers,  please  see  the 
reports from each of our business divisions in the ‘Market review’ section of this 
Strategic report. 

•  Through  employee  forums,  global  internal  communications  and  informal 
meetings, the directors engage with our people on a wide range of matters and 
act on the outputs of our annual global engagement survey. 

•  The Chairman also chairs the Evolution Council (a diverse group of high calibre 
leaders  from  across  the  business),  involving  them  in  discussions  related  to  the 
Group strategy and incorporating their insight into their final decisions. Council 
meetings are attended by a number of Non-Executive Directors. 

•  Our  directors  have  also  attended  meetings  of  Your  Forum,  our  fully  elected 

employee forum representing UK employees. 

•  We believe these methods of engagement with Aviva employees are effective in 
building  and  maintaining  trust  and  communication;  allowing  for  openness, 
honesty and transparency and increasing innovation and productivity within the 
business.  These  methods  of  engagement  also  act  as  a  platform  for  Aviva 
employees to influence change in relation to matters that affect them.  

•  In line with our talent management programme, talent breakfasts were held with 

the Board and high potential employees. 

•  Our people share in the business’ success as shareholders through membership 

of our global share plans. 

•  We are committed to recruiting, training and retaining the best talent we can find. 
We  are  proud  to  have  been  a  pioneer  in  some  areas  of  employee  benefits, 
including  providing  six  months  paid  parental  leave  for  all  UK  employees.  The 
Chairman  remains  a  member  of  the  30%  Club,  a  business-led  organistion 
committed to accelerating progress towards better gender balance at all levels of 
organisations.  Further  information  on  our  approach  can  be  found  in  the  ‘Our 
people’ section of this Strategic report. 

•  Our  directors  maintain  oversight  of  the  management  of  our  most  important 
suppliers and our operating subsidiary boards regularly review and report on their 
performance. During the year, we successfully progressed our migration to a new 
data centre infrastructure provider, including partial migration to the Cloud. 

•  Our  Board  reviews  the  actions  we  have  taken  to  prevent  modern  slavery  and 
associated practices in any part of our supply chain and approves our Modern 
Slavery Statement each year. 

•  All supplier-related activity is managed in line with the Group Procurement and 
Outsourcing  business  standard.  This  ensures  that  supply  risk  is  managed 
appropriately  in  relation  to  customer  outcomes,  data  security,  corporate 
responsibility, and financial, operational, contractual and brand damage caused 
by inadequate oversight or supplier failure. 

•  An  important  part  of  our  culture  is  the  promotion  of  high  legal,  ethical, 
environment  and  employee  related  standards  within  our  business  and  also 
among our suppliers. Before working with any new suppliers, we provide them 
with our Supplier Code of Behaviour, and our interaction with them is guided by 
our Business Ethics Code. 

•  In  the  UK,  Aviva  is  a  signatory  of  the  Prompt  Payment  Code  which  sets  high 
standards for payment practices. We are a Living Wage employer in the UK, and 
our supplier contracts include a commitment to paying eligible employees not 
less than the Living Wage in respect of work provided to Aviva in the UK. 

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Other information 
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Section 172 (1) statement and our stakeholders   

  Continued 

Stakeholders  Why are they important to Aviva? 
Communities  We 

recognise 

the 
to  our 
volunteering, 

importance  of 
communities 
contributing 
through 
community 
investment, and long-term partnerships 
with  non-governmental  organisations, 
and as a major insurance company we 
are fully engaged in building resilience 
against  the  global  impact  of  climate 
change. 

Regulators 

insurance  company,  we  are 
As  an 
subject to financial services regulations 
and  approvals  in  all  the  markets  we 
operate in. 

Shareholders  Our retail and institutional shareholders 

are the owners of the Company. 

What is our approach to engaging with them? 
•  The Board receives regular updates on our community activities, including our 
strategic partnership with the British Red Cross, and our community investment 
directed through the Aviva Community Fund and the Aviva Foundation. 

•  During the year, the Governance Committee supported the Board in this area by 
reviewing  our  Group  Corporate  Responsibility  strategy  and  overseeing  its 
implementation.  This  oversight  will  continue  in  2020  through  the  Customer, 
Conduct and Reputation Committee. 

•  Aviva and the British Red Cross have been working in partnership since 2016 to 
build  safer  and  stronger  communities  in  the  UK  and  beyond,  and  many  of  our 
people have volunteered in support of this work including as Community Reserve 
Volunteers and through a Global Mapathon, to help map some of the world’s most 
vulnerable  communities,  who  otherwise  could  not  easily  be  reached  by  aid 
organisations in crises. 

•  Through  the  Aviva  Foundation,  we  support  the  World  Benchmarking  Alliance 
which  develops  benchmarks  to  encourage  sustainable  business  practices  in 
relation to the UN Sustainable Development Goals. For further information, see 
the ‘Corporate responsibility’ section of this Strategic report. 

•  Aviva  was  the  first  global  insurer  to  become  carbon  neutral  in  2006  and  we 

continue to offset 100% of any remaining carbon emissions. 

•  More on how the Board incorporates climate-related risks and opportunities into 
our  governance,  strategy  and  risk  management  operations  is  included  in  ‘Our 
climate-related financial disclosures’ in this Strategic report. 

•  As the subject of close and continuous supervision by our regulators, we maintain 
constructive and open relationships with them. We have a programme of regular 
meetings between the directors and our UK regulators.  

•  This includes engagement on the management of our climate risk responsibilities 
to  meet  the  requirements  of  the  Prudential  Regulation  Authority’s  2019 
supervisory statement, ‘Enhancing banks’ and insurers’ approaches to managing 
the financial risks from climate change’. 

•  The Customer, Conduct and Reputation Committee enables continued focus in 

this area through its oversight of the regulatory landscape. 

•  The Board meets with shareholders at the Annual General Meeting which provides 
an opportunity, predominantly for our retail shareholders, to engage directly with 
the Board.  

•  The  Chairman,  Senior  Independent  Director  and  Executive  Directors  have  a 
programme of meetings with institutional investors during the year. The Board 
also receives regular briefings from our corporate brokers on investors’ views. 
•  A shareholder newsletter is published on aviva.com every quarter and provides 
shareholders with publicly available information including recent Board changes, 
financial  or  strategic  updates,  and  information  about  our  Aviva  Foundation 
projects. 

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Other information 

Our people 

Our people 

Our people are at the heart of our business. They play an integral role 
in fulfilling our purpose to be with you today, for a better tomorrow. 
Our  focus  for  2019  has  been  on  continuing  to  transform  Aviva’s 
culture, making Aviva a great place to work with the people and skills 
we need to grow our business, and to simplify what we do and how 
we do it, so our people can maximise their focus on our customers. 

Our diverse global workforce is made up of 31,181 colleagues, with 
more than 15,000 colleagues in our home market in the UK. 

Our strategy 
Our  global  people  strategy  sets  out  how  we  will  accelerate  the 
delivery of Aviva’s strategy from the inside out. We will: 
•  Help our people to connect their work to our purpose and to our 

customers. 

•  We launched Emerging Leaders@Aviva – a new talent programme 
to spot and develop potential leaders early in their careers. There 
was  significant  interest  with  1,000  applications  for  134  places. 
There  has  been  a  strong  gender  and  diversity  mix  (60%  of 
participants are female), with very positive results to date. 

•  Our Women in Leadership Programme designed to accelerate high 
potential  women  for  substantial  business  roles  evolved.  170 
women  have  now  gone  through  the  programme  with  41% 
subsequently being promoted or taking on a broader role. 

•  It  has  been  a  very  successful  year  for  our  Global  Graduate 
Leadership  Programme,  with  51  graduates  rolling  off  the 
programme and securing roles across the breadth of Aviva. 31 new 
graduates started in September (48% female). 

•  We’ve  improved  our  on-demand  learning  offering  with  our 
migration  to  LinkedIn  Learning,  tying  learning  more  closely  to 
career progression and performance. 

•  We’ve  continued  to  build  and  develop  a  professional  internal 
global  coaching  faculty  of  around  100  “jobs-plus”  coaches, 
providing  valuable  support  and  challenge  to  enhance  the 
performance of our people. 

•  Recruit,  retain  and  develop  the  very  best  people,  focusing 

especially on the fundamentals of insurance. 

•  Make our leaders accountable and empower them and their teams 
to  act  in  line  with  our  values,  with  an  increased  focus  on 
performance. 

Engaging our people 
In 2019 our global Voice of Aviva survey focused on  
•  Business: Strategic Direction, Insurance Fundamentals, Leadership 

behaviours and  

•  People:  Colleague  Engagement,  Colleague  Wellbeing  and 

•  Embed  inclusion  throughout  the  business,  making  Aviva  a  place 

Colleague Development. 

where everyone can be themselves.  

Our values 
Care More 
We start with the customer and prioritise delivering a great outcome 
for them. We do the right thing, making sure we and those around us 
are  acting  with  positive  intent.  We  don’t  shrink  from  the  tough 
conversations. We’re in it together. 

Kill Complexity 
We  can  list  our  priorities  on  one  hand,  picking  a  few  things  to  do 
brilliantly. We make the call with the right information. We join forces 
and build it once.  

Never Rest 
We fail fast and learn fast, testing and learning at pace. We embrace 
digital.  We  are  dissatisfied  with  the  way  things  are  done  now.  We 
challenge ourselves to learn about the cutting edge and harness it. 
We get it done at pace. 

Create Legacy 
We  invest  with  courage,  taking  smart  risks  and  making  good 
decisions  to  ensure  we  allocate  our  resources  where  they  can  do 
most. We think like an owner, taking responsibility. We go for more 
than quick wins. We take the long view. 

Developing our people 
Developing  our  people  remains  central  to  the  work  we  do.  We 
continue  to  build  a  digitally-enabled,  life-long  learning  culture  at 
Aviva, and focus on developing our talent and coaching capability. 
Highlights from 2019 include: 
•  We  completed  the  global  rollout  of  our  flagship  leadership 
programme  –  Leading  for  Growth.  Over  2,000  leaders  have  now 
gone through the programme, and markets have been trained to 
provide ongoing delivery for remaining leaders and new recruits. 

Engagement remains high at 73% but is slightly down on 2018 (76%) 
due to a period of uncertainty and change. Although confidence in 
our strategy has fallen since the 2018 Voice of Aviva survey, this shift 
was to a ‘wait and see’ position as the 2019 survey was performed 
just before the new Aviva strategy was announced in November 2019. 
Verbatim comments reinforced this view with colleagues saying they 
were eagerly anticipating the new strategy and what this meant for 
them, as well as suggesting ways to improve customer service and 
how to make Aviva more commercially minded. However, colleagues 
also said they want more simplicity in processes and structures to 
help them to deliver this.  

Pride, motivation and advocacy remain strong and consistent. The 
proportion  of  employees  recommending  Aviva  as  a  great  place  to 
work is at an all-time high. Significantly more colleagues believe that 
Aviva cares for their health and wellbeing (up 6 points to 80%) and 
there  have  also  been  solid  uplifts  in  the  view  that  Aviva  is  a  place 
where people are free from judgement or discrimination. This result 
in  2019  (82%)  is  now  13  points  higher  than  in  2015  –  a  major 
improvement on Aviva’s culture of inclusion in a short space of time. 
There is also a strong link between improvements on this metric and 
those  colleagues  who  feel  they  have  greater  freedom  to  make 
decisions in their job. 

Within Aviva we continue to take our responsibility to consult very 
seriously. We have a positive and constructive relationship with the 
trade  union  Unite  as  well  as  a 
fully  elected  all-employee 
representative  body  (Your  Forum).  The  existence  of  Your  Forum 
within Aviva is a key way of recognising that we all have a part to play 
in contributing to the debate on issues and opportunities impacting 
on our people and our organisation. During 2019, a full re-election 
process  took  place  with  the  appointment  of  over  ten  employee 
representatives across the UK. We provided training and coaching for 
new and existing representatives to ensure that they had the skills 
and capabilities required to undertake this important role.  

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Our people 

  Continued 

The  representative  bodies  meet  regularly  with  the  Members  of  the 
Aviva Leadership Team throughout the year as well as the Chair of 
the  Remuneration  Committee.  We  believe  that  by  doing  so  we 
encourage a culture of trust and open and honest communication 
that will help us ensure that our organisation is a better place to be. 
Following the launch of the Learning Agreement with Unite the Union 
in  2018,  we  have  continued  to  see  excellent  examples  of 
collaborative  working,  which  has  resulted 
in 
employees  using  the  Apprenticeship  Levy  as  well  as  building  and 
fostering a culture of personal development and learning.  

increase 

in  an 

In 2019, we hosted a one-day conference on the topic of Redefining 
Resolution, following the successful launch and implementation of 
our  Conflict  Resolution  and  Mediation  policy.  The  event  was 
attended by nearly 200 external guests from a very broad spectrum 
of  employers,  highlighting  how  Aviva  is  helping  to  change  the 
workplace and bring in new ideas through our policy agenda.  

We have continued to attend and speak at a large number of public 
and governmental events to talk about Aviva policies, in particular 
around our market-leading Equal Parental Leave policy. 

Diversity and Inclusion 
Diversity  and  Inclusion  are  key  to  Aviva  being  a  sustainable, 
successful  business.  An  inclusive  culture  ensures  employees  are 
happier,  can  be  themselves  and  work  towards  achieving  their  and 
the  organisation’s  goals.  Aviva’s  employees  need  to  reflect  our 
customer base and we continue to make sure all our customers are 
represented inside the organisation.  

At the end of 2019, we had 31% female leaders (2018: 31%). This has 
been achieved through targeted female development programmes, 
diverse short lists and a leadership team committed to change. In the 
UK, our mean and median gender pay gap and gender bonus gaps 
have all reduced marginally compared to the last two years. Whilst 
we welcome this movement, the change is minimal. It’s too early to 
tell whether the actions we’re taking are having a sustainable impact. 
We’re committed to driving long term change and continue to focus 
on recruitment, progression and retention. 

improving  our  ethnic  diversity 
We  are  also  committed  to 
representation within our employee population and have launched 
an  Ethnic  Minority  Leadership  programme  as  well  as  sponsoring 
Uncovering Different Women, a report highlighting ethnic minorities 
in female resource groups and networks. 

In November, we saw the second anniversary of our Equal Parental 
Leave policy. This policy has seen us as a first mover in the majority 
of our markets. 

identity; 

One  of  our  drivers  for  an  inclusive  culture  comes  through  our 
employee communities which were launched across all markets in 
2018. There are six communities covering race and religion and social 
mobility;  gender; 
caring 
sexuality  and  gender 
responsibilities;  age  and  mental  and  physical  health.  Over  6,000 
employees have joined these communities so far. They act as a lobby 
group and conscience to the organisation and are actively sponsored 
by all members of the Aviva Leadership Team. Aviva does not have 
just  one  accountable  executive  for  Diversity  and  Inclusion;  all 
members  are.  Some  of  the  notable  contributions  from  the 
communities  have  been  participating  for  the  first  time  in  Poland 
Pride, a series of activities marking Black History month, an event on 
the topic of Menopause and making sunflower lanyards available to 
colleagues (a discreet way for people with hidden disabilities to show 
they need additional support). 

We have over 31,000 people working in our offices from Norwich to 
Singapore.  Each  of  our  colleagues  brings  unique  knowledge  and 
experience,  attitudes  and  ambitions.  It’s  important  to  us  that 
everyone  is  involved  including  those  with  visible  and  invisible 
disabilities.  We  make  reasonable  adjustments  for  our  people  and 
also  for  candidates  who  are  interested  in  working  for  us.  As  a 
Disability Confident Employer; a Government scheme that supports 
employers  to  make  the  most  out  of  the  talents  that  disabled 
colleagues  can  bring  to  our  organisation,  we  will  interview  every 
disabled applicant that meets the minimum criteria for the job and 
offer Workplace Adjustment Passports to colleagues. Our AvivAbility 
community  is  for  all  colleagues  with  an  interest  in  disability  and 
engages  with  Aviva  and  the  wider  community  to  build  interest 
around  the  topic  of  Visible  and  Invisible  disabilities  to  increase 
awareness and acceptance of all disabilities and highlight the value 
that these individuals bring. 

Health and wellbeing 
We remain focussed on our employee health and wellbeing as vital 
to our success and growth. Our employees believe we’re getting it 
right,  as  our  Voice  of  Aviva  Survey  in  September  2019  saw  global 
colleagues  score  80%  for  “Aviva  values  my  health  and  wellbeing” 
(rising from 74% the previous year), and for the UK specifically the 
score was 82%. 

In 2019, we’ve continued to deliver our Wellbeing@Aviva programme 
in the UK. We reviewed elements in place since it launched in 2017, 
making sure it continues to meet our colleagues’ needs, and adding 
to  it  where  appropriate.  We  continue  to  support  colleagues  to  Be 
Healthy, Be Mindful, Be Secure and Be Awesome – supporting their 
physical, mental, financial and social wellbeing. 

Some specific highlights from 2019 include: 
•  The launch of Digital GP – giving our UK colleagues free access to a 
GP via an app 24/7. From January 2019 to September 2019, 4,185 
colleagues had registered on the app, with 1,301 GP appointments, 
1,093 prescriptions and 170 specialist referrals made.  

•  We continue to offer colleagues the yearly free Headspace app – 
with over a million minutes of meditation since the launch of the 
programme.  We  also  continue  to  train  our  leaders  on  mental 
health awareness. As a result, over 90% of leaders now feel they are 
comfortable having conversations about mental health with their 
team/peers  and  managers.  They  also  know  about  and  are 
comfortable signposting colleagues to the resources available to 
them. 

•  We rolled out wider financial wellbeing support including 

– The Mid Life MOT – visiting each of our UK locations to support 
the  wealth,  work  and  wellbeing  of  our  45+  population.  The 
sessions booked up quickly, and voluntary attendance averaged 
82%.  Designed  to  boost  confidence  in  wealth,  work  and 
wellbeing,  and  to  raise  awareness  of  where  colleagues  could 
seek support, the sessions met their goal with attendees scoring 
a 22% increase in confidence and a 34% increase in awareness of 
where to get support. 

– Continued  to  deliver  the  My  Retirement  My  Way  seminar  to 
colleagues close to retirement, with sessions booked up within a 
few days of being announced and oversubscribed. 

– Created new presentations on Company pension and Reward, to 
make sure colleagues understand what they receive from being 
an Aviva employee. 

Aviva plc Annual report and accounts 2019 
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IFRS financial statements 
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Other information 
Other information 
Other information 

Our people 

  Continued 

Our plans for 2020 
In  2020,  our  People  priorities  will  be  focused  around  the  role  our 
people play in delivering Aviva’s refreshed strategy. We will build on 
the best of our culture, becoming more performance led and focused 
on  customer  outcomes.  We  will  help  our  people  connect  to  our 
purpose and the difference we can all make to Aviva’s success. 

At 31 December 2019, we had the following gender split: 

Board membership 
Male 
6 
Female1 
3 

Senior management 
Male 
888 

Female 
402 

Aviva Group employees 
Male 
15,193 

Female 
15,988 

The  average  number  of  employees  during  2019  was  31,791 
(2018: 31,232). 

Read  more  about  our  approach  to  responsible  and  sustainable 
business in the ‘Corporate Responsibility’ section of this report and 
our people strategy at www.aviva.com/about-us/our-people. 

1 

Independent Non-Executive Director Claudia Arney retired with effect from 31 December 2019. Amanda Blanc was appointed as an Independent Non-Executive Director with effect from 2 January 2020.  

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Corporate responsibility 

Corporate 
responsibility 

At Aviva, we know that in order to earn the trust of our customers we 
need to act responsibly and sustainably every day. Only then will we 
be able to meet our strategic priorities and live out our purpose to 
be: ‘with you today, for a better tomorrow.’ 

As a company we aim to do the right thing for the long term. We are 
deeply invested in our people, our customers, our communities and 
our planet. By caring more today, we can leave a legacy of which we 
can be proud.  

A forward-looking approach 
In 2019, as part of our commitment to bring our business into line 
with the Paris Agreement (a United Nations-backed global treaty to 
limit global warming), we committed to ensuring our assets have a 
‘net zero’ carbon impact by 2050. Aligned to this we are also in the 
process of refreshing our wider responsible and sustainable business 
strategy (2020-2025), based on insight from over 9,000 stakeholders 
across  the  world.  We  look  forward  to  sharing  more  on  our  new 
strategy in 2020.  

This  year  also  marks  the  end  of  our  previous  five-year  Corporate 
Responsibility (CR) strategy. We are proud to have met or beaten a 
number of our ambitious targets over this period, including reducing 
our  CO₂e  emissions  by  66%  since  2010  (target:  50%  reduction), 
supporting  4.8 million  beneficiaries  through  our  CR  programmes 
(target:  2.5 million)  and  investing  over  £3.8 billion  in  low  carbon 
infrastructure since 2015 (target: £2.5 billion). 

The  following  sections  outline  the  key  areas  of  progress  we  have 
made over the course of 2019. 

Putting the customer at the centre of everything we do. 
In order to deliver great customer outcomes, we are committed to 
helping our 33 million customers protect what’s important to them 
and  save  for  a  bright  future.  In  2019  we  paid  out  £33.2 billion  in 
benefits and claims around the world.  

We know the importance of providing excellent customer service, as 
demonstrated through our businesses’ Net Promoter Scores®, which 
are  our  measures  of  customer  advocacy.  Seven  out  of  nine  of  our 
businesses  are  at  or  above  the  market  average  NPS®,  which 
quantifies the likelihood of a customer recommending Aviva.  

But  we  know  that  we  do  not  always  get  it  right  and  we  take  any 
complaints and feedback we receive seriously and investigate them 
thoroughly.  Our  customer  service  commitment  is  reflected  in  the 
Customer  Experience  Business  Standard  all  our  markets  abide  by 
(see the policies section of www.aviva.com/social-purpose). 

Our more than 60 green or accessible products and services across 
the  world  enable  our  customers  to  be  more  environmentally 
responsible or give them easier access to the protection they need 
for themselves and their families. (More details can be found in our 
Corporate 
on 
www.aviva.com/social-purpose). 

Responsibility 

Reporting 

Criteria 

2019 

In the UK last year, we launched a pilot with Moneyline (a leading not-
for-profit social lender) offering a home contents insurance product. 
This  is  designed  to  support  low-income,  financially  excluded 
customers  and  can  be  arranged  at  the  same  time  as  taking  out  a 
short-term loan. 

This  will  provide  lessons  on  how  to  encourage  low  income 
households to take up insurance protection against financial loss.  

In Aviva Singapore, we are going beyond paying out critical illness 
claims and are partnering with the Singapore Red Cross to set up a 
pilot ‘Disability Fund’ for our customers. This fund will help them use 
their  pay-out  effectively  by  paying  for  subsidised  services  such  as 
transport to and from medical appointments, rehabilitation at a day 
activity centre and digital home monitoring to keep people safe. 

Aviva Poland’s anti-smog campaign continues to benefit customers. 
Over the last two years the campaign has seen us fund the addition 
of 400 external air quality sensors to the national network, with over 
half  of  these  sensors  placed  in  areas  voted  for  by  the  public.  The 
sensors  are  accompanied  by  a  downloadable  app,  to  help  people 
keep  track  of  pollution  in  their  city  and  adjust  their  actions 
accordingly for the good of their health. 

Creating a better tomorrow for our planet 
To create a better tomorrow, we need to look after the planet we call 
home. Our plan to help tackle climate change is backed by our long 
history as a leader in sustainable practices.  

We  continue  to  manage  the  impact  of  our  business  on  the 
environment.  Our  Corporate  Responsibility,  Environment  and 
Climate  Change  business  standard  focuses  on  the  most  material 
operational  environmental  impacts,  which  we  have  identified  as 
greenhouse gas emissions.  

Our operational global greenhouse gas emissions data boundaries 
show the scope of the data we monitor and the emissions we offset. 
We report on Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emission sources on a carbon 
dioxide  emissions  equivalents  basis  (CO2e)  in  respect  of  Aviva’s 
Group-wide operations as required under the Companies Act 2006 
(Strategic  report  and  Directors’  reports)  2013  Regulations.  We  also 
refer  to  the  GHG  Protocol  Corporate  Accounting  and  Reporting 
Standard,  and  emission  factors  from  the  UK  Government’s  GHG 
Conversion  Factors  for  Company  Reporting  2019.  The  table  below 
shows the absolute operational carbon emissions: 

Tonnes CO2e 

Scope 1 
Scope 2 
Scope 3 
Absolute CO2e* 
Carbon offsetting** 
Total net emissions 

2019 

2018 

2017 

14,207 
21,340 
14,628 
50,175 
(50,175) 
— 

16,198 
25,012 
17,739 
58,949 
(58,949) 
— 

17,915 
31,280 
19,305 
68,500 
(68,500) 
— 

*   2019 Assurance provided by PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP available at www.aviva.com/CRkpisandassurance2019 
**   Carbon offsetting through the acquisition and surrender of emissions units on the voluntary and compliance markets. 

Scope 1 – natural gas, fugitive emissions (leakage of gases from air 
conditioning  and  refrigeration  systems),  oil,  and  company  owned 
cars. 

Scope 2 – electricity. 

Scope  3  –  business  travel  and  grey  fleet  (private  cars  used  for 
business), waste and water. 

The following table shows the carbon intensity of our operations: 

2019 
2018 
2017 

CO2e tonnes per 
employee 

1.0 
1.6 
1.6 

CO2e per  
£m GWP 

1.61 
2.06 
2.48 

To date globally we have achieved a 66% reduction in CO₂e against 
our 2010 baseline and we have committed to align our business to 
the  1.5°C  Paris  targets,  as  outlined  in  the  climate-related  financial 
disclosure section of this Strategic report.  

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Corporate responsibility 

Continued 

As  well  as  cutting  our  emissions  every  year,  we  have  offset  any 
remaining  emissions  to  ensure  our  business  impacts  have  been 
‘carbon  neutral’  since  2006.  We  have  helped  make  over  1.2 million 
people’s  lives  better  since  2012  through  our  carbon  offsetting 
projects.  This  includes  provision  of  household  water  filters  in  Laos 
and Cambodia, providing safe water.  

In 2019 we completed the installation of an innovative solar car port 
at one of our UK offices – Norwich Horizon. From April until the end 
of October, 89% of the daytime electricity demand for the office was 
covered by the solar carport, with the rest coming from renewably 
sourced  energy  via  the  national  grid.  Our  award-winning  Smart 
Building  Management  approach 
in  Ireland  has  also  reduced 
electricity use by 3% and gas use by 25% from May to December 2019. 

At  the  start  of  2019,  Aviva  UK  exited  underwriting  the  standalone 
operational  fossil  fuel  power  market  as  part  of  its  commitment  to 
help  tackle  climate  change.  In  July  2019  we  became  a  founding 
signatory of the Powering Past Coal Alliance Finance Principles. Then 
in November we launched ‘Aviva Renewable Energy’ – an integrated 
large 
package  of 
companies  in  the  complex  market  of  renewable  energy,  including 
onshore  windfarms,  solar  power  and  battery  storage.  Overall,  we 
have significantly reduced Aviva’s underwriting exposure to coal to 
practically zero.  

insurance  designed  specifically  to  support 

Aviva has a proud heritage in sustainability and was the first global 
insurer to become carbon-neutral in 2006, while Aviva Investors has 
invested  £6 billion  in  green  assets  on  behalf  of  Aviva  and  external 
clients  since  2015.  This 
low-carbon 
infrastructure, such as wind farms and solar panels, and £2.2 billion 
in green bonds. 

includes  £3.8 billion 

in 

Under  the  Carbon  Reduction  Commitment  Energy  Efficiency 
Scheme,  we  reported  total  emissions  of  55,374  tonnes  of  CO₂e  in 
2019  costing  £1,013,344.  This  mandatory  scheme  is  limited  to  UK 
business emissions from building energy and includes the property 
portfolio of our investment funds managed by Aviva Investors. 

Having  acknowledged  the  growing  numbers  of  our  customers, 
colleagues and partners speaking up about the issue of plastics, our 
workplaces  are  now  free  of  single-use  plastic  containers  in  all  our 
markets bar one, which has a roadmap to do so in the first half of 
2020. 

More  details  of  our  environmental  KPI  data  and  our  independent 
assurance process can be found at:  
www.aviva.com/CRkpisandassurance2019. 

Making an impact in communities 
Since 2015, we have invested over £67.6 million in our communities, 
including  £16 million  in  2019  (2018:  £17.6 million).  This  has  helped 
4.8 million people during the last five years (1.2 million in 2019) and 
supported over 9,800 local community projects (2,080 in 2019). This 
beats our 2015-2020 target of 5,000 projects.  

The  last  five  years  of  our  Aviva  Community  Fund  programme  has 
supported over 3,000 local projects in ten Aviva markets, investing 
over £13 million to help build capability and capacity in the charity 
sector.  In  2019  Aviva  France  continued  their  ambitious  Aviva  La 
Fabrique programme, which saw 46 social entrepreneurs awarded a 
share of one million euros following over 1.5 million public votes. The 
Aviva La Fabrique Impact Fund was also set up to allow investors the 
opportunity to invest in these social enterprises.  

Aviva Canada, a major general insurer, is also linking its core business 
expertise  to  its  community  investment.  In  2019,  the  business 
launched its new social impact platform, Aviva Take Back Our Roads, 
which aims to make Canadian roads and school zones safer for all. 
includes  on-the-ground  community 
The  data-driven  platform 

projects, adoption of innovative safety products and technology, and 
utilises our employees’ expertise to help solve road safety issues.  

In total, 11,600 of our people globally have contributed more than 
68,200  volunteering  hours  to  support  their  local  communities 
throughout 2019. They also gave or fundraised over £2.1 million. 

Last year the Aviva Foundation in the UK invested unclaimed assets 
of shareholders through grants and social enterprise investments. In 
2019  the  Foundation  has  now  committed  to  giving  £3.7 million  to 
nine  non-profit  organisations  and  social  enterprises  that,  working 
with  our  business,  can  support  our  communities  and  vulnerable 
customers.  This  has  included  funding  counselling  for  vulnerable 
home insurance customers who experience trauma following serious 
events such as flooding. 

In  2019  we  renewed  our  strategic  partnership  with  the  British  Red 
Cross for a further two years. This has enabled us to continue to work 
together to make communities safer, stronger and more resilient in 
times of uncertainty and crisis. This in turn will help them to recover 
quicker when a disaster strikes. Projects in 2019 have included the 
launch  of  an  innovative  ‘forecast-based  financing’  initiative.  This 
resulted in Aviva supporting the Indonesian Red Cross in developing 
an early action protocol in Indonesia. Once completed, the protocol 
will  be  activated  when  severe  flooding  is  forecasted,  building 
resilience by enabling communities to act and be helped before crisis 
strikes  and  therefore  reducing  the  impact  it  has  on  their  lives.  In 
support of this project, over 450 of our people mapped over 60,000 
buildings in urban Indonesia in one week. These maps will help the 
Red  Cross  to  prioritise  who  and  what  could  be  impacted  during  a 
disaster and determine the help they will receive ahead of time. 

Good governance and business ethics 
We are committed to the highest standards of ethical behaviour as 
outlined  by  our  Business  Ethics  Code.  This  underscores  our 
commitment to operate responsibly and transparently. We require 
all our people, at every level, to read and sign-up to our Code every 
year (99% of our employees did so in 2019). 

We have a zero-tolerance approach to acts of bribery and corruption. 
To manage this risk, we have a risk management framework which 
sets  policies  and  standards  across  all  markets.  These  policies  and 
standards apply to everyone at Aviva and it is the responsibility of 
CEOs  (or  equivalent)  to  ensure  that  their  business  operates  in  line 
with them. 

The  Financial  Crime  Business  Standard,  and  supporting  Minimum 
Compliance  Standards,  guide  our  risk-based 
financial  crime 
programmes.  These  seek  to  prevent,  detect  and  report  financial 
crime,  including  any  instances  of  bribery  and  corruption,  while 
complying fully with relevant legislation and regulation. We use risk-
based  training  to  ensure  employees  and  others  acting  on  Aviva’s 
behalf know what is expected of them and how they should manage 
bribery and corruption risks. 

At  a  Group  level,  the  Chief  Risk  Officer  provides  Aviva’s  Board 
Governance  Committee1  with  regular  reporting  on  financial  crime 
matters.  These  include  Aviva’s  anti-bribery  and  anti-corruption 
programme.  

Our  malpractice  helpline,  Speak  Up,  makes  it  easy  to  report  any 
concerns in confidence, with all reports referred to an independent 
investigation team. In 2019, 89 cases were reported through Speak 
Up (2018: 50), with four related to bribery and corruption concerns. 
59  cases  reached  conclusion,  and  30  remain  under  investigation. 
There has been no material litigation arising from any case reported 
in 2019. 

1  From 1 January 2020 this Committee has become the Customer, Conduct and Reputation Committee. Further details are available in the Governance Report in the Annual Report and Accounts. 

Aviva plc Annual report and accounts 2019 
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Strategic report 
Strategic report 
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Strategic report 
Strategic report 

Governance 
Governance 
Governance 
Governance 
Governance 
Governance 

IFRS financial statements 
IFRS financial statements 
IFRS financial statements 
IFRS financial statements 
IFRS financial statements 
IFRS financial statements 

Other information 
Other information 
Other information 
Other information 
Other information 
Other information 

Corporate responsibility 

Continued 

We  conduct  due  diligence  when  recruiting  and  engaging  external 
partners. At the end of 2019, 98% of our UK and Ireland registered 
suppliers have agreed to abide by our Code of Behaviour (or provided 
a reason why they didn’t do so, for example, because they have their 
own existing code of behaviour). Our Code of Behaviour outlines the 
way in which we commit to behave in our dealings with each other 
and includes guidance on financial crime laws and regulations.  

who, based on their sector, are at a higher risk of being exposed to 
modern slavery. Since 2018 we have completed  18 assessments, 
with no cases of modern slavery being discovered at Aviva or in our 
supply  chain.  The  assessments  provide  suppliers  with  the 
opportunity to spot any potential risks or control gaps which we 
then  work  with  them  to  address.  In  2019  we  have  conducted 
modern slavery training for key employees in five markets. 

We continue to work with our suppliers to promote the real Living 
Wage and include a Living Wage clause in all appropriate contracts. 
We are also working with the Living Wage Foundation to pilot and 
implement the new Living Wage Foundation standard, ‘Living Hours’, 
to ensure that workers have sufficient, predictable hours, for which 
we  won  the  Global  Sourcing  Association  Award  2019  for  Social 
Programme of the Year.  

Our  Board  Governance  Committee1  oversees  our  responsible  and 
sustainable business strategy and the policies that underpin it. Aviva 
plc  is  subject  to  the  UK  Corporate  Governance  Code  (the  Code), 
which we aim to comply with fully. Kirstine Cooper, Group General 
Counsel  and  Company  Secretary,  is  the  Aviva  Leadership  Team 
member responsible for corporate responsibility and sustainability, 
and  the  topic  has  been  covered  by  the  Board  Governance 
Committee1 three times during the course of 2019, as well as once at 
the Aviva plc Board and twice at the Board Risk Committee. 

Details of the Company’s compliance with the Code can be found in 
the  Directors’  and  Corporate  Governance  Report  in  the  Annual 
report and accounts and online at www.aviva.com/investors/corpor
ate-governance. The activities of the Board Governance Committee 
can  be  found  in  the  Governance  Committee  Report  in  the  Annual 
report and accounts. 

We have assessed the environmental risks that we face as a business. 
The  most  significant  of  these  is  the  potential  impact  of  climate 
change  on  our  customers’  lives  and  our  company’s  assets.  More 
detail can be found in the ‘Risk and risk management’ section and in 
‘Our  climate-related  financial  disclosure’  sections  of  this  Strategic 
report. 

We also manage the risks associated with our community investment 
activities through the controls outlined in our overarching Corporate 
Responsibility  Business  Standard.  This  includes  a  governance 
framework for our charitable donations and partnerships and details 
of how we manage the risks associated with employee volunteering 
(for example, through safeguarding). This standard is reviewed each 
year and communicated to all Aviva businesses. 

Our support for human rights 
We are committed to supporting the human rights and anti-modern 
slavery agenda both within the organisation through our operations, 
and outside of it through partnerships and collaboration. 

Our  human  rights  policy2  identifies  our  main  stakeholders  and  the 
most salient human rights issues for our business. The scope of this 
policy is group-wide and sets out the Group’s commitment to respect 
human rights. 

Within our own operations, in 2019 we:  
•  Completed human rights due diligence in a number of key markets, 
reviewing  their  risk  approach  in  areas  including  governance, 
employees, customers and investments. To date, 15 markets have 
completed an impact assessment including the UK, China, Turkey, 
Vietnam,  Singapore,  Italy  and  India.  The  assessments  allow 
markets to prioritise the most important actions to enhance Aviva’s 
work on human rights. 

•  Engaged key suppliers on the topic of human rights and conducted 
modern slavery threat assessments on a range of those suppliers 

We also work with trusted partners to enhance our approach. This 
includes  the  Slave  Free  Alliance,  whose  insights  we  use  to  both 
improve our strategic approach to modern slavery, and to train our 
staff across different markets on human rights and modern slavery 
issues.  These  workshops  have  ensured  our  people  understand  the 
complexities of modern slavery and human trafficking, help them to 
spot the signs of it, and teach them how to respond in the event that 
a case is identified. We also continue our work with the UN Global 
Compact as part of the UK Working Group on modern slavery.  

Finally,  we  use  our  influence  and  connections  to  bring  others 
together  and  enhance  the  industry’s  wider  understanding  of,  and 
impact  on  human  rights.  For  example,  we  worked  with  the  World 
Benchmarking Alliance (WBA) in 2019 to organise and host the official 
launch of the third Corporate Human Rights Benchmark (CHRB) 2019 
rankings, in our role as funder and founding member. 

For  our  complete  modern  slavery  statement,  please  see: 
www.aviva.com/modernslaverystatement. 

Towards a more sustainable future  
Aviva is not just an insurer but an investor in the economy, investing 
in buildings, infrastructure projects and companies around the world 
to  help  our  customers  save  for  their  future.  We  do  this,  in  part, 
through Aviva Investors (AI), our global asset management company 
with  a  heritage  in  responsible  investing  dating  back  to  the  early 
1970s. 

We  invest  responsibly  with  Environmental,  Social  and  Governance 
(ESG)  considerations  a  central  pillar  of  our  investment  process3, 
because  we  believe  it  minimises  risk  and  allows  us  to  spot 
opportunities  for  our customers,  empowering  them  to  make  more 
informed decisions. This process includes areas like climate change, 
human rights, plastics and gender diversity.  

During 2019 Aviva Investors enhanced their responsible investment 
processes  and  embarked  on  a  global,  company-wide  initiative  to 
fully  embed  them  across  all  asset  classes.  We  have  reached  some 
important milestones. These include: 
•  Establishing a new responsible investment philosophy, setting out 

our responsible investment commitments as a business. 

•  Agreeing  and  implementing  specific  ESG  integration  policies  for 
each of our investment functions: Credit, Equities, Multi-Asset and 
Macro, Real Assets and Solutions. 

•  Developing a framework for new products and solutions that meet 
the  specific  needs  and  values  of  our  clients  including  building  a 
Sustainable Outcomes Funds Range linked to the United Nations 
Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). We have already launched 
the first two products in the range – the Sustainable Income and 
Growth Fund and the Climate Transition European Equities Fund – 
and will develop several more in the next three years.  

•  Working with Aviva UK Life to design funds for customers who want 
more  bespoke  solutions.  For  example,  in  July  2019  Aviva  UK 
launched the ‘Stewardship lifestyle strategy’ – a workplace pension 
default investment strategy, marking the first time an investment 
strategy has been solely based on the Aviva Investors Stewardship 
Funds.  These  funds  were  also  then  launched  onto  Aviva  UK’s 
Adviser  Platform,  providing  a  new  ethical  and  ESG  option  for 
pension customers. 

1  From 2020 this Committee has become the Customer, Conduct and Reputation Committee. Further details are available in the Governance Report in the Annual Report and Accounts. 
2  Our humans rights policy can be found at www.aviva.com/content/dam/aviva-corporate/documents/socialpurpose/pdfs/policies-responses/20171025-Human-Rights-Policy-Final.pdf 
3  Please note there are no specific ESG restrictions on the Investment Manager’s decision. 

Aviva plc Annual report and accounts 2019 
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Strategic report 
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Strategic report 
Strategic report 

Governance 
Governance 
Governance 
Governance 
Governance 
Governance 

IFRS financial statements 
IFRS financial statements 
IFRS financial statements 
IFRS financial statements 
IFRS financial statements 
IFRS financial statements 

Other information 
Other information 
Other information 
Other information 
Other information 
Other information 

Corporate responsibility 

Continued 

We  also  continue  to  play  our  role  as  a  responsible  asset  owner 
engaging with the companies, projects and assets we own on issues 
such  as  climate  change,  human  rights  and  diversity.  For  example, 
Aviva  Investors  worked  with  other 
investors  on  a  resolution 
encouraging the oil and gas company British Petroleum to do more 
to  show  how  its  strategy  is  consistent  with  meeting  the  Paris 
Agreement – which passed with 96% support at its AGM. 

We  believe  in  the  need  to  encourage  change  not  just  with  the 
companies we invest in, but in our industry and economy as a whole. 
In September 2019, Maurice Tulloch, Global CEO, attended the UN 
General Assembly in New York to demonstrate our commitment to 
be  a  company  that  makes  a  difference.  We  know  that  an 
unsustainable  planet  creates  huge  risks  for  our  business  and  our 
customers – so we engage with governments and policymakers to try 
and  fix  the  financial  system  and  make  sure  more  money  goes 
towards building a sustainable future. At the event he talked about 
the  need  for  a  Marshall  Plan  for  the  planet,  an  ambitious  plan  to 
change the financial system for the better. 

We continue our support of the World Benchmarking Alliance (WBA), 
alongside the United Nations Foundation. The Alliance is committed 
to establishing public, transparent and authoritative league tables, 
ranking  companies  on  their  contribution  to  the  SDGs.  In  2019  the 
WBA published their first two rankings on sustainable seafood and 
climate change. In 2020 this will be accelerated with the publication 
of  a  suite  of  rankings  addressing  food  and  agriculture,  digital 
inclusion and gender equality and empowerment. 

figures)  and 

the  accompanying 

Corporate  Responsibility  (CR)  key  performance  indicators  (including 
limited  assurance 
2017-2019 
statement by PwC can be found in Aviva’s Environmental, Social and 
Governance  Data  sheet  on  www.aviva.com/social-purpose.  Our  CR 
Summary  2019  will  be  released  later  in  2020.  More  details  of  our 
internal diversity, inclusion and wellbeing approach can be found in 
the ‘Our people’ section of this Strategic report.

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Strategic report 
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Governance 
Governance 
Governance 

IFRS financial statements 
IFRS financial statements 
IFRS financial statements 

Other information 
Other information 
Other information 

Chief Financial Officer’s review 

Chief Financial 
Officer’s review 

Key financial metrics 
A  summary  of  the 
financial  metrics  used  to  measure  our 
performance, including key performance indicators and alternative 
performance measures (APMs) where appropriate, is shown below. 
Further  guidance  in  respect  of  the  APMs  used  by  the  Group  is 
included in the ‘Other information’ section of the Annual report and 
accounts. 

Group adjusted operating profit1  
Operating earnings per share2,3  
IFRS profit before tax4 
Solvency II return on equity2,5,6 
Solvency II operating own funds 

generation2,6 

Solvency II operating capital 

generation2,6 
Cash remittances2  
Controllable costs2 
Debt leverage2 
Estimated Solvency II shareholder 

cover ratio2,6  

Value of new business on an 
adjusted Solvency II basis2  

Combined operating ratio2  

2019  
£m 

3,184 
60.5p 
3,374 
14.3% 

Restated7 
2018  
£m 

3,004 
56.2p 
2,129 
12.5% 

Sterling 
Change 

Sterling % 
change 

180 
4.3p 
1,245 
1.8pp 

6% 
8% 
58% 
— 

2,257 

2,022 

235 

12% 

2,259 
2,597 
3,939 
31% 

3,198 
3,137 
3,968 
33% 

(939) 
(540) 
(29) 
(2)pp 

(29)% 
(17)% 
(1)% 
— 

206% 

204% 

2pp 

1,224 
97.5% 

1,202 
97.2% 

22 
0.3pp 

— 

2% 
— 

As  set  out  in  the  ‘Our  strategy’  section,  in  November  2019  we 
announced  new  financial  targets  focused  on  economic  value.  We 
also  announced  that  we  have  simplified  our  operating  model  into 
five  new  business  divisions  from  2020.  The  ‘Market  review’  section 
sets  out  the  main  changes  relating  to  the  new  divisions  and 
summarises  the  performance  of  our  markets  during  2019  on  the 
basis on which they were managed during the year. 

In  the  Business  performance  review  on  the  next  page,  our  2019 
performance  against  our  new  targets  has  been  presented  having 
regard  to  the  new  business  divisions.  UK  Life  and  Investments, 
Savings  &  Retirement  have  been  presented  together  for  both  the 
Solvency II operating capital generation2 and Solvency II return on 
capital2 metrics. This is consistent with the targets presented at the 
capital  markets  day  in  November  2019.  Other  key  performance 
indicators  have  been  presented  separately  for  UK  Life  and  Aviva 
Investors. 

Overview 
In  2019,  the  external  environment  provided  both  positives  and 
challenges. Economic growth was subdued across most developed 
economies  and  government  bond  yields  fell  sharply  in  the  second 
half  of  the  year,  moving  into  negative  territory  in  a  number  of 
European countries. However, equity markets rebounded and were 
supportive  for  asset  values.  The  political  backdrop  remained  a 
source  of  uncertainty,  particularly  in  the  UK,  where  the  December 
general  election  weighed  on  confidence  and  activity  across  the 
economy. 

Aviva is designed to perform whatever the external environment and 
made  good  operational  progress  in  2019,  delivering  increases  in 
customer  activity  levels  and  profitability  across  our  businesses. 
Group  adjusted  operating  profit1  increased  6%  to  £3,184 million 
(2018 restated7: £3,004 million)  while  Solvency  II  return  on  equity2,5,6 
was  14.3%  (2018: 12.5%),  continuing  to  benefit  from  favourable 
assumption changes. 

We also further strengthened our financial position. Our Solvency II 
capital  surplus6  rose  to  £12.6  billion  (2018: £12.0 billion),  with  an 
increase  in  the  cover  ratio2,6  to  206%  (2018: 204%).  As  planned,  we 
reduced  debt  by  £0.2  billion  in  2019,  leading  to  a  reduction  in  our 
leverage ratio2 to 31% (2018: 33%). Cash remittances2 of £2.6 billion 
(2018: £3.1 billion)  were  again  very  strong.  At 
the  end  of 
£2.4 billion 
was 
February 2020, 
(February 2019: £1.6 billion). 

liquidity 

centre 

our 

Reflecting  our  operational  momentum  and  strong 
financial 
fundamentals, the Board of Directors has declared a final dividend of 
21.4  pence  per  share,  resulting  in  a  3%  increase  in  the  full  year 
dividend per share to 30.9 pence (2018: 30.0 pence). 

Economic returns 
At  our  capital  markets  day  in  November  2019,  we  outlined  our 
intention to increase Aviva’s focus on economic performance in our 
financial communication. This reflects the importance of economic 
metrics in how we manage the business: the allocation of capital and 
other resources across the Group and the trading decisions we make 
each  day.  Economic  returns  ultimately  support  a  sustainable 
dividend and our ability to invest to grow the company. 

In  2019,  Aviva  generated  Solvency  II  operating  own  funds2,6  of 
in  RoE2,5,6  of  14.3% 
£2.3 billion 
(2018: 12.5%).  Solvency  II  operating  capital  generation  (OCG)2  was 
£2.3 billion (2018: £3.2 billion). 

(2018: £2.0 billion) 

resulting 

Our economic results continued to benefit from significant levels of 
longevity reserve reductions in our UK Life business, active balance 
sheet management and other modelling and assumption changes. 
As a result, net management actions added 6.2% to the Group return 
on equity2,5,6 (2018: 3.2%) and £0.8 billion to OCG2 (2018: £1.7 billion). 
In 2018, OCG2 also benefited from a number of actions such as model 
changes that reduced our solvency capital requirement (SCR). 

We remain prudently reserved for life expectancy in our UK annuity 
portfolio,  although  in  light  of  recent  trends  witnessed  in  2019,  we 
expect  longevity  reserve  releases  to  be  materially  lower  in  future 
periods. As a result, while management actions are expected to make 
a positive contribution to capital generation and RoE over time, we 
reaffirm our guidance that this is likely to be at a much lower level 
than has been the case in 2018 and 2019. 

On an underlying basis (excluding net management actions), return 
on  equity2,5,6  was  8.1%  (2018: 9.3%)  and  OCG2  was  £1.4 billion 
(2018: £1.5 billion).  Our  results  benefited  from  improved  returns  in 
general insurance, particularly from Canada, and a reduction in debt 
interest and corporate centre expenditure. However, this was offset 
by lower returns from our life businesses which were affected by the 
loss  of  temporary  transitionals  on  new  business,  experience 
variances in the UK, and lower new business profitability in Europe 
due to record low interest rates. 

1  Group adjusted operating profit is an Alternative Performance Measure (APM) which is used by the Group to supplement the required disclosures under IFRS. Please refer to note B in the ‘Accounting Policies’ section, note 5 

‘Segmental Information’ and ‘Other Information’ within the Annual report and accounts for further information. 

2  This is an Alternative Performance Measure (APM) which provides useful information to supplement an understanding of our financial performance. Further information on APMs, including a reconciliation to the financial 

statements (where possible), can be found in the ‘Other Information’ section of the Annual report and accounts. 

IFRS profit before tax attributable to shareholders’ profit. 
Includes Group centre, debt costs and other items not allocated to the markets. 

3  This measure is derived from the Group adjusted operating profit APM. Further details of this measure are included in the ‘Other information’ section of the Annual report and accounts. 
4 
5 
6  The estimated Solvency II position represents the shareholder view. Please refer to note 58 and the ‘Other information’ section of the Annual report and accounts for more information. 
7  During 2019 the Group adjusted operating profit APM has been revised and now includes the amortisation and impairment of internally generated intangible assets to better reflect the operational nature of these assets (see 
note 2(b)). Group adjusted operating profit continues to exclude amortisation and impairment of intangible assets acquired in business combinations. Comparative amounts have been restated resulting in a reduction in the 
prior period Group adjusted operating profit of £112 million. There is no impact on profit before tax attributable to shareholders’ profit. Following the change in the definition of Group adjusted operating profit, COR and operating 
earnings per share have also been restated to include the amortisation and impairment of internally generated intangible assets. Comparative amounts have been restated resulting in an increase in prior period COR of 0.6% 
and a reduction in the prior period operating earnings per share of 2.2 pence. 

Aviva plc Annual report and accounts 2019 
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Strategic report 

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Governance 

IFRS financial statements 
IFRS financial statements 
IFRS financial statements 

Other information 
Other information 
Other information 

Chief Financial Officer’s review 

  Continued 

To  achieve  our  12%  RoE3  target  in  2022,  an  increase  in  underlying 
economic  returns  is  planned.  This  improvement  will  include  lower 
costs, 
improved  operating  experience,  higher  new  business 
profitability  and  prioritisation  of  capital  to  product  and  business 
segments offering superior returns. 

Business performance review 
Our  operational  progress  in  2019  was  reflected  in  improved  IFRS 
results.  Group  adjusted  operating  profit1 
to 
£3,184 million (2018 restated2: £3,004 million), which in turn gave rise 
to  8%  growth  in  operating  earnings  per  share3,4  to  60.5 pence 
(2018 restated2: 56.2 pence).  IFRS  profit  before  tax  increased  to 
£3,374 million  (2018: £2,129 million)  helped  by  positive  investment 
variances, and this led to basic EPS of 63.8 pence (2018: 38.2 pence). 

increased  6% 

related 

UK Life and Investments, Savings & Retirement (IS&R) 
In  UK  Life  and  Investments,  Savings  &  Retirement,  own  funds 
generation3,5  was  £1,314  million  (2018: £1,663 million),  giving  rise  to 
return on capital3,5 of 9.5% (2018: 11.3%). The reduction in results was 
due  to  the  loss  of  transitional  benefits  on  new  business,  adverse 
experience  variances 
to  persistency,  expenses  and 
challenges  in  the  protection  market,  and  lower  Group  adjusted 
operating profit1 from Aviva Investors where revenues were impacted 
by  lower  opening  assets  under  management  in  higher  margin 
propositions  and  divestment  of  our  European  indirect  real  estate 
business in 2018. Positive assumption changes related to longevity 
reserves  of  approximately  £0.8  billion  were  partially  offset  by  a 
£175 million  provision  in  relation  to  a  heritage  pension  product 
where certain pension policyholders may not have been adequately 
informed  of  switching  options  available  to  them.  While  financial 
results were lower, in 2019, we achieved higher sales and customer 
net inflows1 across our life and savings businesses. This underpinned 
asset  growth  of  19% 
long-term  savings  to  £138 billion 
(2018: £116 billion),  9%  in  annuities  &  equity  release  to  £67 billion 
(2018: £62 billion)  and  5% 
Investors  to  £346 billion 
in  Aviva 
(2018: £331 billion), supporting a positive outlook for future financial 
results in our UK Life and Savings segments. 

in 

General Insurance 
General  Insurance  results  improved  in  2019,  with  own  funds 
generation3,5  increasing  to  £628  million  (2018: £532 million)  and 
return  on  capital3,5  of  14.0%  (2018: 11.7%).  The  improvement  in 
results was principally driven by a recovery in profitability in Canada 
where  pricing  and  underwriting  actions  we  took  in  response  to 
industry-wide challenges in the auto insurance market helped drive 
a 5.3 percentage point improvement in the combined operating ratio 
(COR)3 to 97.8% (2018 restated2: 103.1%). We are continuing to aim for 
a 96% or better COR3 in Canada in 2020. In the UK, reported COR3 in 
2019 has been affected by higher costs following its incorporation of 
UK Digital during the year. Adjusting for these changes, our UK COR3 
was  up  0.6 percentage  points  to  97.9%,  with  solid  results  in 
commercial lines offset by weaker performance in personal lines. In 
Europe we maintained attractive profitability with a COR3 of 95.7% 
(2018 restated2: 93.5%)  despite  adverse 
loss  experience. 
Weather  had  a  favourable  impact  on  our  COR3  of  1.0  percentage 
point relative to long-term average (2018: 0.1% unfavourable) while 
prior year reserve development (PYD) had a favourable 1.7% impact 
(2018: 2.3% favourable). 

large 

Europe Life 
In Europe Life, we have balanced long-term franchise value with the 
requirement to actively manage the current environment of very low, 
and  in  some  cases,  negative  government  bond  yields.  Own  funds 
generation3,5 
increased  to  £574 million  (2018: £384 million)  and 
included  assumption  changes  of  £181 million  spread  across  our 
France,  Italy  and  Ireland  businesses.  This  in  turn  gave  rise  to  an 
improvement  in  return  on  capital  to  10.3%  (2018: 6.9%).  New 
£13.8 billion 
business 
(2018: £12.6 billion)  demonstrating  the  strength  of  our  distribution 
networks  and  customer  appetite  for  our  products.  Strong  volume 
growth was achieved in France (+32%) and Poland (+28%). However, 
the  own  funds  contribution  from  new  business  declined  to 
£167 million (2018: £253 million) due to low yields. We will continue to 
address  the  challenges  from  low  yields  through  proactive  balance 
sheet management and a constructive approach to distribution and 
product mix management.  

(PVNBP)3 

volumes 

rose 

9% 

to 

Asia Life 
In  Asia  Life,  own  funds  generation  increased  30%  to  £187 million 
(2018: £144 million) and return on capital3,5 rose to 12.7% (2018: 9.7%). 
Our businesses in Asia have continued to grow profitably in our larger 
markets  while  successfully  narrowing 
losses  elsewhere.  New 
business volumes from our continuing operations in Asia increased 
22%  to  £2.7 billion  (2018: £2.2 billion)  with  double  digit  growth 
achieved  in  Singapore  and  China.  This  gave  rise  to  Value  of  new 
business  on  an  adjusted  Solvency  II  basis  (VNB)3  in  Asia  of 
£210 million (2018: £194 million), representing growth of 9%. 

Corporate centre 
Corporate centre costs reduced to £183 million (2018: £216 million) as 
we commenced initiatives aimed at streamlining our head office and 
reducing  project  spending,  while  debt  interest  expense  fell  to 
£255 million  (2018: £280 million).  The  loss  from  other  operations 
narrowed to £26 million (2018: £212 million loss) primarily as a result 
of digital and other costs being realigned to our business units. 

Operating expenses3 
Total  operating  expenses3  were  £4,119 million  (2018: £4,138 million) 
with reductions in controllable costs3 partly offset by an increase in 
levies  and  premium  taxes  to  £180 million  (2018: £170 million). 
Controllable costs fell to £3,939 million (2018: £3,968 million). 

Savings  of  £72  million6  were  mainly  derived  from  our  lean  group 
centre initiative and reduced project spend, although we reinvested 
some of these savings in other areas including IT modernisation and 
proposition development. Implementation costs associated with the 
cost  reduction  programme  and  our  spend  on  IFRS  17  was 
£59 million. 

Capital and liquidity 
At  the  end  of  2019,  our  Solvency  II  surplus5  was  £12.6 billion 
(2018: £12.0 billion), giving rise to cover ratio3,5 of 206% (2018: 204%).  

1  Group adjusted operating profit is an Alternative Performance Measure (APM) which is used by the Group to supplement the required disclosures under IFRS. Please refer to note B in the ‘Accounting Policies’ section, note 5 

‘Segmental Information’ and ‘Other Information’ within the Annual report and accounts for further information. 

2  During 2019 the Group adjusted operating profit APM has been revised and now includes the amortisation and impairment of internally generated intangible assets to better reflect the operational nature of these assets (see 
note 2(b)). Group adjusted operating profit continues to exclude amortisation and impairment of intangible assets acquired in business combinations. Comparative amounts have been restated resulting in a reduction in the 
prior period Group adjusted operating profit of £112 million. There is no impact on profit before tax attributable to shareholders’ profit. Following the change in the definition of Group adjusted operating profit, COR and operating 
earnings per share have also been restated to include the amortisation and impairment of internally generated intangible assets. Comparative amounts have been restated resulting in an increase in prior period COR of 0.6% 
and a reduction in the prior period operating earnings per share of 2.2 pence. 

3  This is an Alternative Performance Measure (APM) which provides useful information to supplement an understanding of our financial performance. Further information on APMs, including a reconciliation to the financial 

statements (where possible), can be found in the ‘Other Information’ section of the Annual report and accounts. 

4  This measure is derived from the Group adjusted operating profit APM. Further details of this measure are included in the ‘Other information’ section of the Annual report and accounts. 
5  The estimated Solvency II position represents the shareholder view. Please refer to note 58 and the ‘Other information’ section of the Annual report and accounts for more information. 
6  Constant currency. 

Aviva plc Annual report and accounts 2019 
25 

 
Strategic report 
Strategic report 
Strategic report 

Governance 
Governance 
Governance 

IFRS financial statements 
IFRS financial statements 
IFRS financial statements 

Other information 
Other information 
Other information 

Chief Financial Officer’s review 

  Continued 

All  of  our  principal  operating  entities  are  well  capitalised  and 
operating within their respective normal working ranges. In France, 
we added approximately 70 percentage points of solvency cover in 
the second half of 2019, including a 20 percentage point benefit from 
PPE1,  following  changes  to  regulations.  This,  combined  with  our 
active management of capital, including the purchase of interest rate 
and  other  hedges,  gives  us  headroom  to  manage  volatility  from 
falling bond yields. 

Solvency  II  net  asset  value  (NAV)2  per  share  rose  31 pence  to 
423 pence (2018: 392 pence). During 2019, we redeemed £0.2 billion 
of  hybrid  capital  as  part  of  our  overall  £1.5 billion  debt  reduction 
target. Together with the increase in Solvency II own funds2,3, this has 
led to a reduction in our leverage ratio3 to 31% (2018: 33%). 

Cash remittances3 were once more very strong in 2019 at £2.6 billion 
(2018: £3.1 billion).  This  represents  approximately  30%  of  our 
four-year  target  for  cash  inflows3  to  centre  (of £8.5-£9.0 billion), 
underpinning our confidence in meeting this objective. At the end of 
£2.4 billion 
February 
(February 2019: £1.6 billion). 

liquidity3 

centre 

2020, 

was 

Dividend 
Aviva  has  a  progressive  dividend  policy,  which  means  we  aim  to 
maintain or grow the dividend. In light of our 2019 performance and 
continued  strength  of  our  capital  and  liquidity,  the  Board  has 
declared  a 
share  
(2018: 20.75 pence),  bringing  the  full  year  dividend  for  2019  to 
30.9 pence (2018: 30.0 pence). 

final  dividend  of  21.40  pence  per 

Looking ahead 
As CFO of Aviva, my focus is on growing the value of the company 
safely,  by  increasing  sustainable  return  on  equity2,3,  improving 
growth  and  avoiding  volatility  through  prudent  and  proactive 
financial  management.  Our  2019  results  show  we  are  on  the  right 
path and I envisage significant upside in performance and value from 
delivering further progress.  

So  far  2020  has  brought  significant  uncertainty,  compounded  by 
COVID-19, in relation to macro trends including the level of interest 
rates, investment market volatility and foreign exchange. However, 
we  have  a  strong  and  resilient  balance  sheet  that  is  designed  to 
withstand volatility.  

In  the  last  three  years,  Group  adjusted  operating  profit4  and  OCG3 
have  benefited  from  large  assumption  changes  and  other  actions, 
most notably a reduction of longevity reserves. We expect our results 
to benefit from some similar actions over the medium term, but from 
2020,  we  expect  this  to  be  in  a  range  of  zero  to  £200  million  per 
annum  for  IFRS  and  c.£200  million  per  annum  for  OCG3,  as  we 
highlighted at our capital markets day in November. 

We have set out our targets to improve returns, reduce debt leverage3 
and  enhance  sustainable  capital  generation  while  continuing  to 
invest wisely to grow the company. We are committed to achieving 
these targets, and furthermore, we expect to make progress in 2020, 
with an increase in underlying OCG. 

Jason Windsor 
Chief Financial Officer 
4 March 2020 

1  Regulation was introduced in France that allows French insurers to place the Provision pour Participation aux Excedents (PPE) into Solvency II own funds. The PPE has been included in the France local regulatory own funds in 

2019 but it is not included in the Group regulatory own funds. 

2  The estimated Solvency II position represents the shareholder view. Please refer to note 58 and the ‘Other information’ section of the Annual report and accounts for more information. 
3  This is an Alternative Performance Measure (APM) which provides useful information to supplement an understanding of our financial performance. Further information on APMs, including a reconciliation to the financial 

statements (where possible), can be found in the ‘Other Information’ section of the Annual report and accounts. 

4  Group adjusted operating profit is an Alternative Performance Measure (APM) which is used by the Group to supplement the required disclosures under IFRS. Please refer to note B in the ‘Accounting Policies’ section, note 5 

‘Segmental Information’ and ‘Other Information’ within the Annual report and accounts for further information. 

Aviva plc Annual report and accounts 2019 
26 

 
 
 
 
 
 
Strategic report 

Governance 

IFRS financial statements 

Other information 

Market review 

Market review 

This section summarises the performance of our markets (UK Life, Aviva Investors, General Insurance – UK General Insurance and Canada, 
Europe and Asia) during 2019 on the basis on which they were managed during the year. 

On 20 November 2019, we presented our refreshed strategy which simplifies our operating model into five new business divisions effective 
from 2020 (UK Life; Investments, Savings & Retirement; General Insurance; Europe Life and Asia Life). The main changes are that: 
•  Investments, Savings & Retirement will bring together Aviva Investors and the UK Savings & Retirement business, which is currently reported 

within UK Life 

•  General Insurance will include our Europe and Asia general insurance operations as well as UK General Insurance and our Canadian general 

insurance business 

•  Europe Life and Asia Life will only include our Europe and Asia life and health businesses 

An overview of each of our five new business divisions, including their updated strategy, key priorities and financial targets is included in the 
‘Our strategy’ section.

UK Life 

Overview 
Aviva is one of the UK’s largest insurers with a 17%1 share of the UK 
life and savings markets. We are here to earn our customers’ trust as 
the  best  place  to  save  for  their  future,  navigate  retirement  and 
protect what matters most to them. We are uniquely positioned to 
help our customers and are a trusted provider of a broad range of 
products to both individual and corporate customers covering their 
savings, retirement, insurance and health needs. 

With over 11 million customers we have one of the largest customer 
bases  in  the  UK  life  and  savings  markets.  We  have  a  strong  core 
capability  in  managing  legacy  books  of  business.  We  have  strong 
relationships with independent financial advisers, brokers, employee 
benefit consultants and banks, single-tie agreements with three of 
the largest estate agencies and a digital direct offering. One of our 
key priorities is to become the retirement solutions partner of choice 
and  we  aim  to  empower  our  customers  to  take  control  of  their 
financial futures to help them enjoy a secure and happy retirement. 
We  are  a  leading  provider  of  individual  annuities  and  provide  a 
secure  income  to  1.2 million  customers  in  the  form  of  an  annuity, 
paying out over £3 billion each year. We are also a leading supplier1 
of equity release (lifetime mortgages), lending £770 million in 2019, 
helping  people  to  raise  money  to  fund  whatever  matters  most  to 
them in life. During 2019 we won ‘Best Equity Release Lender’, ‘Best 
Equity  Release  Lender  Customer  Service’  and 
‘Best  Financial 
Protection Provider’ at the What Mortgage Awards.  

We  continue  to  build  on  our  defined  benefit  de-risking  and  bulk 
purchase  annuity  capabilities,  supporting  our  business  customers 
looking  to  reduce  risk.  We  have  a  strong  brand  and  leading 
distribution, with market leading illiquid asset origination supported 

by  a  20-year  track  record  in  commercial  mortgages  and  equity 
release. 

We are the largest UK corporate pensions provider2, servicing over 
26,000  schemes  and  3.5 million  customers,  including  23%1  of  the 
workplace pensions market. We offer pensions, protection, and bulk 
purchase annuity propositions to both large and small companies, 
as  well  as  health,  wellness  and  employee  benefits,  creating  a 
differentiated  proposition.  During  2019  we  won 
‘Defined 
Contribution  Provider  of  the  Year’  and  ‘Pensions  Communication 
Initiative  of  the  Year’  at  the  Professional  Pensions  UK  Pension 
Awards. 

We are an emerging leader in the adviser platform market, currently 
servicing over 12,000 IFAs and over 260,000 customers. Our platform 
continues to grow with assets under administration3 up 28% in 2019 
to  £29 billion  and  net  fund  flows3  continue  to  be  positive  at 
£3.5 billion. In 2019 we have outgrown the market, ranked second4 
for  net  fund  flows3  and  are  a  top  10  player4  by  assets  under 
administration3. 

We are proud not only of the scale of the financial and wider support 
that our protection products provide, but the care with which claims 
are  managed.  In  2018  we  paid  out  98.9%  of  life  insurance  claims5 
equating to £563 million5. We are one of the largest in the market for 
individual and group protection6. We protect over 5 million people 
during  some  of  the  most  difficult  times  in  their  lives,  such  as 
bereavement  and  serious  illness.  We  have  won  several  awards 
recognising  our  achievements,  including,  for  the  second  year 
running, ‘Best Individual Critical Illness Provider’ at both the Health 
Insurance & Protection Awards and the Cover Excellence awards, and 
also ‘Best Group Critical Illness Provider’ at the latter.  

Health is a key concern for people in the UK. Our aim is to help our 
customers live more healthily, help them get better if they fall ill and 
to support them and their families when they can’t. We have been 
recognised as Health Insurer of the year for the 10th year running7. 

1  Association of British Insurers (ABI) 12 months to end Q319. 
2  Broadridge, UK DC and Retirement Income 2018. 
3  This is an Alternative Performance Measure (APM) which provides useful information to enhance the understanding of financial performance. Further information on APMs, including a reconciliation to the financial statements 

(where possible), can be found in the ‘Other Information’ section of the Annual report and accounts. 

4  Fundscape advised platforms, 9 months to Q319. 
5  Aviva individual protection claims report spring 2019. 
6  Swiss Re Group Watch 2018. 
7  Health & Insurance Protection Awards 2019. 

Aviva plc Annual report and accounts 2019 
27 

 
 
Strategic report 
Strategic report 
Strategic report 
Strategic report 

Governance 
Governance 
Governance 
Governance 

IFRS financial statements 
IFRS financial statements 
IFRS financial statements 
IFRS financial statements 

Other information 
Other information 
Other information 
Other information 

Market review 

Continued 

Financial performance  

Profit 

Solvency II return on capital1  

2019  
£m 

Restated6  
2018  
£m 

9.3% 

10.9% 

Solvency II operating capital generation (OCG)1  

1,170 

1,821 

Cash remitted to Group1  

1,387  

2,152  

Adjusted operating profit2  
Life 
Health 

Profit before tax 

Controllable Costs1  

New business 
Present value of new business premiums (PVNBP)1  
Value of new business on an adjusted  

Solvency II basis (VNB)1  

1,820  
35  
1,855  

1,848  
38  
1,886  

2,253  

1,436  

1,045  

1,013  

27,570   23,946  

592  

481  

Solvency II return on capital1 and Solvency II operating capital 
generation1 (OCG) 
UK  Life  (including  UK  Savings  &  Retirement)  Solvency  II  return  on 
capital1 reduced by 1.6pp to 9.3% (2018: 10.9%) and Solvency II own 
funds generation decreased to £1,244 million (2018: £1,552 million).  

This  is  largely  due  to  no  benefit  from  transitional  relief  on  new 
business together with adverse experience on protection business. In 
2018,  new  business  written  contributed  to  the  calculation  of 
transitional  measures  (in  line  with  clarification  issued  by  the  PRA 
since 2017) but it is no longer applicable to the Group in 2019. 2018 
own funds generation included £218 million of transitional benefits. 

UK Life Solvency II operating capital generation (OCG)1 has reduced 
to  £1,170 million  (2018: £1,821 million).  This  is  mainly  due  to  the 
absence  of  transitional  benefits  on  new  business  together  with 
adverse  experience  variances  and  a  reduction  in  assumption 
changes and management actions. These have been partially offset 
by lower new business strain which has significantly reduced due to 
reinsurance actions. The impacts of longevity assumption changes 
are broadly comparable in 2018 and 2019, but 2019 includes adverse 
impacts  from  persistency  and  other  non-economic  assumption 
changes.  2018  also  included  positive  impacts  from  modelling 
changes  and  additional  equity  volatility  hedging  that  did  not  re-
occur in 2019. 

remitted 

Cash 
to  Group1  by  UK  Life  was  £1,387 million 
Cash 
(2018: £2,152 million),  including  a  £500 million  special  remittance 
following 
included 
longevity  developments. 
£1,250 million  of  special  remittances,  £750 million  due  to  positive 
longevity  developments  and  management  actions  and  the  final 
Friends Life integration remittance of £500 million. 

recent 

2018 

Adjusted operating profit2  
Long-term savings3  
Annuities & equity release 
Protection 
Legacy4  
Health 
Other5  
Total adjusted operating profit2  

Restated6  
2018  
£m 

187  
777  
221  
316  
38  
347  

2019  
£m 

211  
866  
166  
274  
35  
303  

1,855  

1,886  

UK  Life  &  Health  adjusted  operating  profit2  decreased  by  2%  to 
£1,855 million (2018 restated6: £1,886 million). Within this, lower profit 
in  protection  and  our  legacy  book  were  offset  by  higher  profit  in 
annuities & equity release. There was a lower contribution from other 
items mainly due to the alignment of UK digital business costs within 
UK Life (which is neutral at Group level). 

The decrease in adjusted operating profit2 is more than offset by a 
favourable movement in economic variances leading to an increase 
in  profit  before  tax  attributable  to  shareholders’  profit  of 
£2,253 million (2018: £1,436 million).  

Long-term savings 
Long-term  savings  managed  assets1  increased  19%  to  £138 billion 
(2018: £116 billion),  with  net  fund  inflows1  improving  to  £5.4 billion 
(2018: £5.0 billion). Within this, heritage pensions net outflows were 
£2.1 billion  (2018:  £1.9 billion).  These  were  more  than  offset  by 
workplace pension net fund flows which grew to £4.8 billion (2018: 
£3.7 billion),  driven  by  new  scheme  wins  with  large  corporates,  the 
benefits  of  higher  auto  enrolment  contributions  and  improved 
retention.  

Positive net fund flows1 of £3.5 billion (2018: £3.9 billion) along with 
market  movements  have  resulted  in  platform  managed  assets1 
growing 28% to £29.1 billion (2018: £22.6 billion). 

Adjusted  operating  profit2  has  increased  by  13%  to  £211 million 
(2018 restated6: £187 million). 

to 

profit2 

operating 

increased 

Annuities & equity release 
Annuities  &  equity  release  adjusted  operating  profit2  increased  to 
£866 million (2018 restated6: £777 million). Within this, new business 
£506 million 
adjusted 
(2018: £363 million)  as  BPA  volumes  increased  55%  to  £4.0 billion 
(2018: £2.6 billion),  including  the  partial  buy-in  of  the  Aviva  staff 
pension scheme (£1.7 billion). Volumes in Individual annuities were 
5%  lower  as  we  took  a  selective  approach  to  trading  to  focus  on 
margins.  Existing  business  adjusted  operating  profit2  fell  by 
£54 million to £360 million (2018 restated6: £414 million) as there has 
been no repeat of either the in-year favourable longevity experience 
in  2018  or  the  £24 million  benefit  seen  in  2018  from  asset  mix 
optimisation. 

1  This is an Alternative Performance Measure (APM) which provides useful information to enhance the understanding of financial performance. Further information on APMs, including a reconciliation to the financial statements 

(where possible), can be found in the ‘Other Information’ section of the Annual report and accounts. 

2  Adjusted operating profit is an Alternative Performance Measure (APM) which is used by the Group to supplement the required disclosures under IFRS. Please refer to note B in the ‘Accounting Policies’ section, note 5 ‘Segmental 

Information’ and ‘Other Information’ within the Annual report and accounts for further information. 
Includes workplace, platform, individual personal pensions and heritage pensions.  

3 
4  Legacy represents products no longer actively marketed, including with-profits and bonds. 
5  Other life represents changes in assumptions and modelling, non-recurring items and non-product specific overheads. 
6  During 2019 the Group adjusted operating profit APM has been revised and now includes the amortisation and impairment of internally generated intangible assets to better reflect the operational nature of these assets (see 
note 1(b) in the Annual report and accounts). Group adjusted operating profit continues to exclude amortisation and impairment of intangible assets acquired in business combinations. Comparative amounts have been 
restated. There is no impact on profit before tax attributable to shareholders’ profit. 

Aviva plc Annual report and accounts 2019 
28 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Strategic report 
Strategic report 
Strategic report 
Strategic report 

Governance 
Governance 
Governance 
Governance 

IFRS financial statements 
IFRS financial statements 
IFRS financial statements 
IFRS financial statements 

Other information 
Other information 
Other information 
Other information 

Market review 

Continued 

Protection 
Protection adjusted operating profit1 decreased by 25% to £166 million 
(2018 restated4: £221 million)  reflecting  continued  competitive  trading 
conditions in the market, including the impact of hardening reinsurance 
rates and adverse claims experience in group protection. 

Annuities  &  equity  release  VNB3  increased  45%  to  £284 million 
(2018: £196 million) despite the absence of new business transitional 
benefits  in  2019.  Growth  has  mainly  been  driven  by  higher  BPA 
volumes written on a higher average margin due to pricing discipline, 
improved reinsurance rates and securing higher quality assets. 

Legacy 
Legacy  contributed  adjusted  operating  profit1  of  £274 million 
(2018 restated4: £316 million).  2019  fee  income  was  impacted  by 
lower asset values at the start of the year following weak investment 
markets towards the end of 2018. The fall in profits was broadly in 
line with the impact of expected net outflows. 

Health 
UK Health adjusted operating profit1 decreased by 8% to £35 million 
(2018: £38 million). 

Other 
Other  adjusted  operating  profit1  is  £303 million  (2018 restated4: 
£347 million). During 2019, there was a net benefit from assumption 
changes  of  £574 million2.  Within  this,  continued  net  positive 
longevity and mortality developments, including adopting CMI 2018, 
gave a benefit of £751 million which was partly offset by updates to 
persistency (£126 million charge) and other assumptions. A benefit 
to  reflect  changes  to  our  unitised  with  profit  reserving  approach 
(£167 million)  was  largely  offset  by  a  number  of  other  modelling 
changes.  We  have  recognised  a  £175 million  provision  to  allow  for 
certain  pension  policyholders  who  may  not  have  been  adequately 
informed  of  switching  options  available  to  them.  More  detail  is 
included in the ‘market context and challenges’ section. 

costs3 

increased 

Controllable costs3 
Controllable 
£1,045 million 
(2018: £1,013 million),  including  the  effect  of  realigning  £52 million  of 
UK digital business costs to UK Life. Excluding these costs, controllable 
costs3 reduced by 2%. We have benefited from a continued focus on 
efficiency  while  continuing  to  invest  in  growth  and  simplification 
initiatives, including improvements to customer experience. 

3% 

to 

Life new Business  

Long-term savings 
Annuities & equity 

release 
Protection 
Health and Other 

Total 

PVNBP3  

Solvency II VNB3   New Business Margin 

2019  
£m 

2018  
£m 

18,884  16,829 

6,182 
1,875 
629 

4,784 
1,799 
534 

27,570  23,946 

2019  
£m 

141 

284 
126 
41 

592 

2018  
£m 

111 

196 
140 
34 

481 

2019  
% 

2018  
% 

0.7% 

0.7% 

4.6% 
6.7% 
6.5% 

2.1% 

4.1% 
7.8% 
6.4% 

2.0% 

PVNBP3  increased  15%  to  £27,570 million  (2018: £23,946 million)  as 
strong  growth  in  BPA,  workplace  pensions,  group  protection  and 
equity  release  was  partly  offset  by  lower  platform  and  individual 
annuity  volumes.  VNB3 
to  £592 million 
(2018: £481 million), mainly reflecting growth in volumes and higher 
margins in annuities & equity release. 

increased  by  23% 

savings  VNB3 

to  £141 million 
Long-term 
(2018: £111 million) as a result of growth in workplace pensions VNB1. 
Platform  VNB1  has  been  impacted  by  lower  volumes  driven  by 
uncertain investment markets.  

increased  27% 

VNB3 

by 

10% 

decreased 

£126 million 
Protection 
(2018: £140 million) mainly due to hardening reinsurance rates with 
PVNBP3  up  4%  to  £1,875  million  (2018:  £1,799  million).  Group 
protection volumes grew strongly driven by large corporates growth. 
Individual  protection  volumes  were  stable  despite  competitive 
trading pressures. 

to 

Health  and  Other  VNB3  improved  to  £41 million  (2018: £34 million), 
due to growth in health volumes. 

Operational and customer highlights  
During  2019  our  operational  highlights  and  examples  of  great 
customer outcomes we have delivered include: 

Customer 
•  We  continue  to  focus  on  the  customer.  Our  transactional  net 
promotor  scores,  a  measure  of  the  number  of  customers  that 
would recommend us following a purchase, service or claim, has 
increased by 10 points to +43 (2018: +33). 

•  We have received encouraging scores from a newly introduced Net 
Trust Index, showing we are above benchmark for consumer trust 
in  our  sector.  We  will  continue  working  to  improve  consumer 
perception and trust levels. 

•  We  constantly  work  to  improve  our  customer  service,  taking 
learnings  from  dissatisfaction  and  analysing  the  root  cause  of 
complaints 
improve  our  performance.  In  2019 
complaint volumes have fallen 21% compared to 2018. 

in  order  to 

Digital & Technology 
•  We  have  over  5.5 million  customers  in  the  UK  registered  on 
MyAviva,  allowing  them  to  manage  their  policies  online.  We  are 
accessible to new and existing personal and corporate customers 
however they want to engage with us. In February 2019 we were 
awarded  the  Pension  Age  Innovation  Award  for  Technology. 
Technology  is  at  the  heart  of  all  our  product  offerings  and  this 
award recognises our work in helping to make members’ pensions 
more accessible and manageable through MyAviva. 

•  We  continue  to  improve  connectivity  with  our  intermediary 
partners, making it easier, simpler and more efficient to deal with 
us. For example, we have introduced a protection online advisor 
portal, enabling self-serve and reducing inbound call volumes. We 
have also launched MyPension into workplace to further capitalise 
on our market leading workplace position. 

Products and solutions 
•  We  have  launched  a  new  corporate  mental  health  cover  option, 
Mental  Health  Pathways  Plus,  enabling  large  companies  and 
organisations in the UK to support employees with all addictions, 
including online gambling, gaming and social media.  

•  In 2019 we wrote over £4.0 billion of bulk purchase annuities, which 
included  a  £1.7 billion  partial  buy-in  transaction  with  the  Aviva 
Staff  Pension  Scheme,  insuring  the  defined  benefit  pension 
liabilities and removing the investment and longevity risk of these 
members from the schemes. 

1  Adjusted operating profit is an Alternative Performance Measure (APM) which is used by the Group to supplement the required disclosures under IFRS. Please refer to note B in the ‘Accounting Policies’ section, note 5 ‘Segmental 

Information’ and ‘Other Information’ within the Annual report and accounts for further information.  

2  Please refer to note 48 ‘Effect of changes in assumptions and estimates during the year’ within the Annual report and accounts 
3  This is an Alternative Performance Measure (APM) which provides useful information to enhance the understanding of financial performance. Further information on APMs, including a reconciliation to the financial statements 

(where possible), can be found in the ‘Other Information’ section of the Annual report and accounts. 

4  During 2019 the Group adjusted operating profit APM has been revised and now includes the amortisation and impairment of internally generated intangible assets to better reflect the operational nature of these assets (see 
note 1(b) in the Annual report and accounts). Group adjusted operating profit continues to exclude amortisation and impairment of intangible assets acquired in business combinations. Comparative amounts have been 
restated. There is no impact on profit before tax attributable to shareholders’ profit. 

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Strategic report 

Governance 
Governance 
Governance 
Governance 

IFRS financial statements 
IFRS financial statements 
IFRS financial statements 
IFRS financial statements 

Other information 
Other information 
Other information 
Other information 

•  The  Group  Protection  market  continued  to  be  highly  price 
competitive in 2019. Despite the price competition, Aviva delivered 
strong trading results, especially in the first half of the year, whilst 
maintaining capital allocation and pricing discipline. Aviva’s claims 
experience  was  weaker  than  expected,  particularly  across  Group 
Life and Group Critical Illness products. 

•  In  April  2019  auto-enrolment  minimum  contributions  increased 
from 3% to 5%, supporting better retirement prospects for all UK 
workers.  The  ‘secondary  market’,  where  businesses  look  to 
potentially change their workplace pension provider, continues to 
thrive  as  employers  and  employees  increasingly  recognise  the 
value  of  a  well-run  pension  scheme.  In  a  recent  survey  pensions 
came second3 in a poll of workplace benefits employees were most 
interested in, just behind annual leave.  

•  We are working with the PRA on the consultation process in respect 
of the capital required by firms offering equity release mortgages. 
We  believe  equity  release  is  a  valuable  product  for  certain 
customers  aged  over  55,  helping  homeowners  access  money  in 
their  later  life.  We  await  clarification  from  the  Financial  Conduct 
Authority (FCA) into whether or not it intends to extend the scope 
of  its  review  of  the  defined  benefit  transfer  market.  2019  saw 
activity  in  this  market  fall  significantly  following  the  FCA’s  initial 
intervention.  

•  We  promote  strong  regulation  that 

is  effectively  targeted, 
efficiently  delivered,  and  supports  sustainable  growth  and 
innovation. We will continue to work closely with our regulator to 
bring  further  improvements  to  the  market  over  the  next  two  to 
three years. 

•  Many investors are cautious about short-term market movements 
and we have seen a growth in the popularity of funds which aim to 
address this need. The Aviva Smooth Managed Fund is designed to 
deliver growth over the medium to long term using a ‘smoothing’ 
process to shelter individuals from some of the impact of adverse 
market movements.  

•  In  July  we  launched  the 

‘Stewardship  lifestyle  strategy’,  a 
workplace pension default investment strategy that incorporates 
ethical  and  environmental,  social  and  governance 
(ESG) 
considerations.  The  launch  comes  a  year  ahead  of  a  significant 
ESG-related  milestone  in  the  UK  in  2021  that  means  financial 
advisers will need to be more proactive with customers in relation 
to ESG considerations by asking them about their preferences. The 
funds have also been launched on the Adviser platform. 

Market review 

Continued 

•  We  have  made  significant  changes  to  our  lifetime  mortgage 
proposition,  introducing  new  flexible  repayment  options.  With 
these  new  features,  customers  can  take  advantage  of  increased 
flexibility  to  make  managing  their  finances  in  retirement  even 
simpler. 

•  We continue to promote both financial and health wellbeing in the 
workplace through Aviva Wellbeing, our desktop and mobile app 
dedicated to helping people live their best lives. The programme 
offers a set of services aimed at helping employers strengthen the 
mental,  physical  and  emotional  wellbeing  of  their  employees  by 
inspiring positive behavioural change. 

•  We continue to receive external recognition for excellent service in 
the  pensions  marketplace,  receiving  a  five-star  rating  in  the 
Thomson’s  2019  Pensions  Provider  Report.  Our  commitment  to 
digital  development,  a  solid  Group  Personal  Pension  product, 
improved retirement journey and our ambition to change benefits 
for the good were all cited as contributing factors. 

•  Aviva Financial Advice continues to expand its offering. We are also 
seeing  positive  engagement  with  large  corporate  schemes  and 
SME businesses, connecting group scheme members with advice. 
•  We  recognise  the  practical,  financial  and  emotional  costs  many 
people in mid-life are facing in caring for relatives both young and 
old. To help support these employees we have introduced a carers’ 
policy which provides up to 70 hours of additional annual leave for 
our  people  with  caring  responsibilities  and  are  piloting  a 
partnership  with  ‘SuperCarers1’  to  help  our  people  navigate  the 
care landscape. 

•  The over-45s are the fastest growing working age-group in the UK. 
Aviva’s mid-life MOT leads the market by providing its people with 
targeted  guidance 
the 
opportunities of a longer working life. We have also run sessions for 
a small number of corporate clients. 

this  population  embrace 

to  help 

Market context and challenges 
•  In 2019, we recognised a £175 million provision after determining 
that  past  communications  to  a  specific  sub-set  of  pension 
policyholders  may  not  have  adequately 
informed  them  of 
switching  options  into  with-profits  funds  that  were  available  to 
them. The issue is restricted to a product acquired by Aviva through 
the purchase of Friends Life. It does not affect any other part of our 
business. 

•  The individual annuity market was particularly competitive during 
2019. With bond yields tightening over the first half of the year, and 
the open market only growing by 2%2, trading was difficult for Aviva 
and all of our competitors. With our disciplined approach to capital 
allocation, Aviva took a selective approach to trading to focus on 
margins. 

•  The  highly  competitive  environment  in  the  individual  protection 
market continued into 2019 making for difficult trading conditions 
and the need to balance volume and margin. A focus on quality of 
business through Distributor Value Management and underwriting 
risk  cost  alongside  enhancing  pricing  sophistication  still  allowed 
volume  growth  quarter  on  quarter  throughout  the  year  as  we 
competed  for  quality  share,  but  saw  margin  reductions  against 
previous years. 

1  SuperCarers is an independent organisation that helps individuals and their families navigate the UK care system. www.supercarers.com 
2  Association of British Insurers (ABI) 12 months to end Q319 
3  Survey of 2,011 employed people carried out by Censuswide on behalf of Aviva in March 2019 

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IFRS financial statements 
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IFRS financial statements 
IFRS financial statements 

Other information 
Other information 
Other information 
Other information 

Market review 

Continued 

Aviva Investors 

Overview 
We are Aviva’s global asset management business with expertise in 
real assets, solutions, multi assets and macro1, equity and credit. We 
currently  invest  £346 billion  on  behalf  of  our  customers  across  a 
number  of  major  markets.  This  gives  us  the  size  and  scale  to 
successfully  seek  out  opportunities  that  will  deliver  specific 
outcomes our investors are looking for. 

Being an integral part of the Group, we provide asset management 
services and solutions to both internal and external customers. We 
combine  our  insurance  heritage  and  DNA  with  our  skills  and 
experience  in  asset  allocation,  portfolio  construction  and  risk 
to 
management 
institutional, wholesale and retail clients.  

to  provide  asset  management  solutions 

In a world of low interest rates and Solvency II, we aim to provide the 
solutions for investors to achieve the returns they need. 

In November 2019 Aviva announced the creation of the Investments, 
Savings & Retirement (IS&R) division effective from 2020. IS&R brings 
together Aviva Investors and the UK Savings & Retirement business, 
which in 2019 and prior years was presented within UK Life.  

Financial performance  

Assets under management2  

Revenue 

Adjusted operating profit3,4  

Profit before tax 

Cash remitted to Group2  

Controllable Costs2  

2019  
£m 

Restated5  
2018  
£m 

£346bn  £331bn 

542  

597  

96  

91  

86  

147  

170  

92  

446  

450  

Net flows and assets under management2 
Assets under management2 (AUM) represents all assets managed by 
Aviva  Investors.  These  comprise  Aviva  (internal)  assets  which  are 
included  within  the  Group’s  statement  of  financial  position  and 
those belonging to external clients outside the Aviva Group which are 
therefore not included in the Group’s statement of financial position. 
These  assets  under  management2  exclude  those  funds  that  are 
managed  by  third  parties.  Assets  under  administration2  comprise 
assets managed by third parties on platforms administered by Aviva 
Investors. 

Assets under management2 increased during the year by £15.4 billion 
to  £346.1 billion  (2018:  £330.7 billion).  This  is  due  to  £21.4 billion  of 
favourable  market  and  foreign  exchange  movements,  external  net 
inflows of £2.3 billion and £1.3 billion net flows into  liquidity funds 
and cash, partly offset by outflows on our Aviva client of £6.4 billion 
and £3.2 billion of assets transferred to an external manager, which 
were  previously  managed  by  Aviva  Investors  under  a  legacy 
distribution 
and 
administration2  at  31 December  2019  were  £382.4 billion 
(2018: £359.8 billion). 

agreement.  Assets  under  management 

Revenue2 
Revenue2 decreased by 9% to £542 million (2018: £597 million) driven 
by  the  effect  of  the  2018  disposals  of  an  indirect  real  estate  multi-
manager  business  and  our  interest  in  the  management  of  a  pan-
European  commercial  property  fund,  reduced 
internal  client 
demand for originating assets, higher margin external outflows and 
run-off of the legacy Aviva client book of business.  

Profit 
Adjusted operating profit3,4 decreased by £51 million to £96 million 
(2018 restated5: £147 million) mainly due to the reduction in revenue 
described above. Cost control by the business helped mitigate the 
impact on profitability.  

Profit before tax attributable to shareholders’ profit has reduced to 
£91 million  (2018:  £170 million)  mainly  due  to  the  lower  adjusted 
operating profit3,4. In 2018 there was also a £27 million one off gain 
on disposal relating to the Real Estate Multi-Manager business and 
the  disposal  of  our  interest  in  the  pan-European  commercial 
property fund. 

Solvency II return on capital2 

13.7% 

22.7% 

Cash 
Cash remitted2 to Group was £86 million (2018: £92 million). 

Solvency II operating capital generation (OCG)2 

90 

126 

During 2019, our investment capabilities have delivered consistently 
improving  investment  performance  across  all  asset  classes.  The 
expansion in our distribution capability in the US led to significant 
new business wins, creating a more diversified client base across a 
broader range of products. 

Following  global  growth  in  demand  among  institutional  investors, 
we have also strengthened our focus on our real assets business. 

Controllable costs2 
Controllable  costs2 
Investors  were  £446 million 
(2018: £450 million).  The  decrease  includes  £11 million  cost  savings 
partly offset by £7 million of non-recurring restructuring costs. 

in  Aviva 

1  A global macro strategy bases its holdings primarily on the overall economic and political views of various countries or their macroeconomic principles. Holdings may include long and short positions in various equity, fixed 

income, currency, commodities, and futures markets. 

2  This is an Alternative Performance Measure (APM) which is used by the Group to supplement the required disclosures under IFRS. Please refer to note B in the ‘Accounting Policies’ section, note 5 ‘Segmental Information’ and 

‘Other Information’ within the Annual report and accounts for further information. 

3  Adjusted operating profit is an Alternative Performance Measure (APM) which is used by the Group to supplement the required disclosures under IFRS. Please refer to note B in the ‘Accounting Policies’ section, note 5 ‘Segmental 

Information’ and ‘Other Information’ within the Annual report and accounts for further information. 

4  Fund management adjusted operating profit excludes £nil (2018: £1 million) of profit relating to the Aviva Investors Pensions Limited business. 
5  During 2019 the Group adjusted operating profit APM has been revised and now includes the amortisation and impairment of internally generated intangible assets to better reflect the operational nature of these assets (see 
note 1(b) in the Annual report and accounts). Group adjusted operating profit continues to exclude amortisation and impairment of intangible assets acquired in business combinations. Comparative amounts have been 
restated. There is no impact on profit before tax attributable to shareholders’ profit. 

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IFRS financial statements 
IFRS financial statements 
IFRS financial statements 
IFRS financial statements 

Other information 
Other information 
Other information 
Other information 

Market review 

Continued 

Operational and customer highlights 
•  Positive net sales across our credit and real assets businesses in the 
second  half  of  2019  were  very  encouraging,  with  net  positive 
external  client  flows  of  circa  £2.3 billion  at  year  end.  However, 
redemptions from certain high margin funds in the first part of 2019 
resulted in lower revenue for the year.  

•  Our key focus is on enhancing investment returns for our clients. 
With 84% of total AUM1 ahead of benchmark as at 31 December, we 
have  beaten  our  target  objective  of  70%,  demonstrating  the 
incremental value that we have achieved for our investors. We have 
also  seen  a  significant  improvement  on  the  internal  book  of 
business, with 85% of AUM1 ahead of benchmark as at the end of 
2019, compared to 31% at the end of 2018.  

•  Our AIMS funds have materially improved in 2019, with AIMS Target 
Return fund up 9.9%, and the Target Income fund up 11.7% over 
the same period. 

•  We  have  also  continued  to  see  a  strong  long-term  investment 
performance, with over 66% of our funds beating the benchmark 
over a five year period.  

•  We consistently integrated the environmental, social thinking and 
governance  (ESG)  investment  processes  across  all  our  asset 
classes,  with  launches  of  several  new  ESG  funds,  such  as 
Sustainable Income and Growth and Climate Transition European 
Equity Fund. 

•  We completed our Equity team build out in 2019, ensuring that we 
have the right expertise to deliver our global multi-asset and equity 
propositions. 

•  We launched the Credit Business Strategy, with continued focus on 
growth  in  the  US  and  Canada,  with  $3.6 billion  raised  in  US 
Investment Grade Credit in 2019. 

•  In  Real  Assets,  we  reshaped  the  team  bringing  investment,  fund 
management and asset management together, and continued to 
focus on strengthening our capability. 

•  In November 2019 we merged Aviva Investors Real Estate SGP (Real 
Estate regulated business in France) into Aviva Investors France (all 
other regulated activities in France). This enabled us to simplify our 
Real Asset activities in France, and realise cost efficiencies. 

Market context and challenges 
•  During the year our business has delivered improved investment 
performance despite the uncertainties arising from Brexit, the UK 
domestic  political  situation  and  trade  pressure  between  the  US 
and China. 

•  Brexit  uncertainty  continues  to  present  challenges  for  the  asset 
management  industry.  We  continue  to  plan  for  all  eventualities 
but believe  Aviva  Investors  is  already  well  placed  both  globally, 
and particularly within Europe, as we have a significant and long-
standing established presence in France, Luxembourg and Poland.  
•  Our central expectation is for a stabilisation and improvement of 
global growth (barring any excess negative implications relating to 
in  an  environment  of 
is  happening 
the  Coronavirus).  This 
supportive monetary conditions. This should be supportive of risk 
assets. 

1  This is an Alternative Performance Measure (APM) which is used by the Group to supplement the required disclosures under IFRS. Please refer to note B in the ‘Accounting Policies’ section, note 5 ‘Segmental Information’ and 

‘Other Information’ within the Annual report and accounts for further information. 

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Other information 
Other information 
Other information 
Other information 

Market review 

Continued 

General Insurance 

Overview 
Aviva’s General Insurance business operates at scale in the UK and 
Canada and we have a European business that operates in France, 
Ireland, Poland and Italy.  

From 2020, all of our general insurance businesses will be reported 
together  as  a  General  Insurance  division.  For  further  details  of  our 
strategy and key priorities for this division, refer to the ‘Our strategy’ 
section. 

The overall results of our General Insurance business are as follows: 

Net written premiums (NWP) 
UK 
Canada 
Europe 
Asia 

Adjusted operating profit2 
UK 
Canada 
Europe 
Asia 

Combined operating ratio (COR)3  
UK 
Canada 
Europe 
Asia 

Solvency II return on capital3 
Solvency II operating capital generation (OCG)3 

2019  
£m 

Restated1  
2018  
£m 

4,218  
3,061  
2,017  
13  
9,309  

4,193  
2,928  
1,985  
13  
9,119  

250  
191  
154  
(1) 
594  

383  
27  
201  
(2) 
609  

94.6% 
97.9% 
97.8%  103.1% 
93.5% 
95.7% 
112.8%  123.0% 
97.2% 

97.5% 

14.0% 
574 

11.7% 
647 

The following sections provide additional details and performance 
analysis  of  our  UK  and  Canada  general  insurance  businesses.  For 
detail on the Europe and Asia general insurance businesses, refer to 
the Europe and Asia ‘Market review’ sections. 

UK GI 

Overview 
Aviva  is  a  leading  insurer  in  the  UK  general  insurance  market  with 
£4.2 billion  of  net  written  premiums  in  2019,  equating  to  a  c.11% 
market share.  

We offer Personal lines (Home, Motor and Travel insurance products) 
and Commercial lines insurance to a wide range of businesses from 

micro  through  small  and  mid-market  to  large,  multinational 
corporates.  

Our  capabilities  in  distribution,  underwriting  and  digital  are  clear 
differentiators. During the year we integrated the majority of our UK 
digital business into UK GI.  

We focus on our customers, with customer service at the heart of our 
business. The quality of our service has enabled us to win long-term 
relationships with four of the UK’s five largest banks to provide their 
insurance solutions. 

We  have  increased  our  Regional  and  Global  Corporate  Specialty 
(GCS)  underwriting  capability  and  enhanced  our  multinational 
proposition. The commercial lines speciality portfolio continues to 
grow with new products launched based on customer demand and 
maximisation of a hardening rate environment, while the completion 
of  Guidewire  implementation  across  SME  is  delivering  digitisation 
and automation benefits. 

We continued to win many awards in 2019, including ‘General Insurer 
of the Year’ from Insurance Times for the sixth year running. 

Financial performance 

Adjusted operating profit2 

Profit before tax 

Combined operating ratio (COR)3  

Net written premiums (NWP) 

Cash remitted to Group3,4  

Controllable Costs3  

2019  
£m 
250  

Restated1  
2018  
£m 
383  

288  

413  

97.9% 

94.6% 

4,218  

4,193  

248  

361  

726  

600  

During  2019,  as  part  of  our  strategy  to  simplify  our  business,  we 
aligned our UK digital business with UK General Insurance and UK 
Life. It has had a significant effect on a number of UK GI’s headline 
metrics this year which is explained in the analysis below. 

Profit 

Adjusted operating profit2  

Underwriting result 
Long-term investment return 
Other 
Total adjusted operating profit2 

2019  
£m 

86  
166  
(2) 

250  

Restated1  
2018  
£m 

221  
161  
1  

383  

Overall,  adjusted  operating  profit2,3  was  down  35%  at  £250 million 
(2018 restated1:  £383 million).  Excluding  an  adverse 
impact  of 
£113 million from alignment of UK digital, adjusted operating profit2 
was  down  5%  at  £363 million  (2018 restated1:  £383 million).  Within 
this, there was a 10% fall in the underwriting result to £199 million 
(2018 restated1:  £221 million)  which 
included  higher  expenses 
reflecting  continued  investment  in  our  IT  infrastructure  and  less 
favourable  prior  year  reserve  releases  but  lower  weather  costs 
compared  to  2018.  Long-term  investment  return3  was  up  3%  at 
£166 million (2018: £161 million). 

1  During 2019 the Group adjusted operating profit APM has been revised and now includes the amortisation and impairment of internally generated intangible assets to better reflect the operational nature of these assets (see 
note 1(b) in the Annual report and accounts). Group adjusted operating profit continues to exclude amortisation and impairment of intangible assets acquired in business combinations. Comparative amounts have been 
restated. There is no impact on profit before tax attributable to shareholders’ profit. Following the change in the definition of Group adjusted operating profit, COR has also been restated to include the amortisation and 
impairment of internally generated intangible assets. Comparative amounts have been restated. 

2  Adjusted operating profit is an Alternative Performance Measure (APM) which is used by the Group to supplement the required disclosures under IFRS. Please refer to note B in the ‘Accounting Policies’ section, note 5 ‘Segmental 

Information’ and ‘Other Information’ within the Annual report and accounts for further information. 

3  This is an Alternative Performance Measure (APM) which provides useful information to enhance the understanding of financial performance. Further information on APMs, including a reconciliation to the financial statements 

(where possible), can be found in the ‘Other Information’ section of the Annual report and accounts. 

4  2019 General Insurance cash remittances include £83 million (2018: £331 million) received from UK General Insurance in February 2020 in respect of 2019 activity. 

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Other information 
Other information 
Other information 
Other information 

Market review 

Continued 

Profit before tax was 30% lower at £288 million (2018: £413 million). In 
addition  to  the  reduction  in  adjusted  operating  profit2  described 
above,  there  was  a  £235 million  adverse  movement  due  to  the 
change in the Ogden discount rate (2019: £45 million strengthening; 
2018: £190 million release) which is described in more detail below. 
This  was  mostly  offset  by  a  £251 million  favourable  movement  in 
short term fluctuations in investment performance and the impact of 
changes 
liabilities 
(2019: £74 million  gain;  2018:  £177 million  loss)  driven  by  lower 
interest rates, tightening credit spreads and gains in equity markets. 

in  economic  assumptions  on 

insurance 

Following the announcement by the Lord Chancellor on 15 July 2019 
to increase the Ogden discount rate4 from the -0.75% set in 2017 to  
-0.25%,  balance  sheet  reserves  in  the  UK  were  calculated  using  a 
discount rate of -0.25% at 31 December 2019. This compares to the 
Ogden discount rate applied at 31 December 2018 of 0.00%. This has 
resulted  in  a  strengthening  of  claims  reserves  of  £45 million.  The 
negative  impact  of  this  reserve  change  has  been  excluded  from 
adjusted operating profit2,3 in line with previous periods. The Ogden 
discount  rate  is  expected  to  be  reviewed  again  by  the  Lord 
Chancellor within five years. 

Net written premium (NWP) and combined operating ratio (COR) 

United Kingdom General insurance 

Personal motor 
Personal non-motor 
UK Personal lines 

Commercial motor 
Commercial non-motor 
UK Commercial lines 

Total 

Net written premiums 

Combined  
operating ratio3  

2019  
£m 

2018  
£m 

2019  
% 

1,067  
1,332  
2,399  

555  
1,264  
1,819  

1,125  
1,369  
2,494   99.3% 

532  
1,167  
1,699   96.0% 

Restated1  
2018 
% 

92.9% 

97.3% 

4,218  

4,193   97.9% 

94.6% 

NWP 
NWP increased by 1% to £4,218 million (2018: £4,193 million). 

lines  NWP 

reduced  4% 

to  £2,399 million 
UK  Personal 
(2018: £2,494 million) as we maintained our pricing discipline in Motor 
and  targeted  reductions  in  poor  performing  segments,  combined 
with  the  continued  run-off  of  the  Creditor  book.  Home  premiums 
were  broadly  stable.  UK  Commercial  lines  NWP  increased  7%  to 
£1,819 million  (2018:  £1,699 million)  driven  by  a  combination  of 
volume  and  above  inflation  rate  increases.  There  was  an  8%  
increase 
to  £1,264 million 
(2018: £1,167 million) with solid growth in SME and Global Corporate 
Specialty  (GCS),  while  Commercial  motor  NWP  increased  4%  to 
£555 million (2018: £532 million). 

in  Commercial  non-motor  NWP 

COR3 
Overall, UK GI COR3 was 97.9% (2018 restated1: 94.6%). Excluding the 
2.7pp effect of the alignment of UK digital, COR3 was 0.6pp higher at 
95.2% (2018: 94.6%) for the reasons described in relation to adjusted 
operating profit above. 

Personal lines COR3 of 99.3% (2018: 92.9%) was 6.4pp higher year-on-
year, of which 4.6pp reflects the UK digital alignment. Excluding this, 
Personal lines COR3 was 1.8pp higher reflecting higher expenses and 
lower prior year reserve releases, partly offset by lower weather costs. 

Commercial lines COR3 of 96.0% (2018: 97.3%) was 1.3pp better year-
on-year,  reflecting  higher  prior  year  reserve  releases  and  lower 
weather costs. 

remitted 

Cash 
to  Group3  was  down  31% 
Cash 
to  £248 million 
(2018: £361 million),  reflecting  lower  Solvency  II  operating  capital 
generation3.  

Controllable costs3 
Controllable  costs3  increased  to  £726 million  (2018:  £600 million). 
Excluding the impact from the alignment of UK digital, controllable 
costs3  were  up  3%  to  £619 million  (2018:  £600 million)  reflecting 
continued investment in our IT infrastructure, partly offset by savings 
in the underlying costs of running the business. 

Operational and customer highlights  
Our operational and customer highlights in 2019 included: 
•  Our transactional Net Promoter Scores (TNPS) in Property Claims 

are strong and consistently lead the market. 

•  In  underwriting,  we  introduced  our  ‘Ask  it  Never’  approach, 
reducing the number of questions we ask our customers from over 
100 to just five.  

•  We launched our simple digital online underwriting tool at Barclays 
in November 2019 which we believe offers a blueprint for the future 
of integrating insurance into banking digital ecosystems. 

•  Our  investment  in  digital  and  claims  management  has  enabled 
customers to start and complete their claim online. 40% of people 
now notify their claims online.  

•  Global Corporate Specialty lines continues to grow and retention 
has  increased  to  89%.  We  are  a  leading  property  investors 
underwriter in the London market.  

•  In UK Personal lines our aggregator business, QuoteMeHappy, has 

acquired in excess of 1.4 million customers. 

•  Our UK Commercial business has been a key growth segment for 
us over the last few years, growing in the high single digits every 
year and in 2019 wrote over £1.8 billion in NWP. We are a leading 
player in the UK SME market. 

1  Following the change in the definition of Group adjusted operating profit (see note 1(b) of the Annual report and accounts), COR now includes the amortisation and impairment of internally generated intangible assets to better 

reflect the operational nature of these assets. Comparative amounts have been restated.  

2  Adjusted operating profit is an Alternative Performance Measure (APM) which is used by the Group to supplement the required disclosures under IFRS. Please refer to note B in the ‘Accounting Policies’ section, note 5 ‘Segmental 

Information’ and ‘Other Information’ within the Annual report and accounts for further information. 

3  This is an Alternative Performance Measure (APM) which provides useful information to enhance the understanding of financial performance. Further information on APMs, including a reconciliation to the financial statements 

(where possible), can be found in the ‘Other Information’ section of the Annual report and accounts 

4  The Ogden discount rate in Scotland is still at -0.75%. 

Aviva plc Annual report and accounts 2019 
34 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Strategic report 
Strategic report 
Strategic report 
Strategic report 

Governance 
Governance 
Governance 
Governance 

IFRS financial statements 
IFRS financial statements 
IFRS financial statements 
IFRS financial statements 

Other information 
Other information 
Other information 
Other information 

Market review 

Continued 

Market context and challenges 
•  The  Commercial  business  is  actively  pursuing  attractive  growth 
opportunities in the market, with a focus on growing our heartland 
commercial book, supporting UK business with overseas risks and 
leveraging our strong regional distribution network to provide a full 
suite  of  products, 
including  specialty  lines  to  our  existing 
customers.  Growth  and  profitability  are  expected  to  continue  at 
existing  levels,  supported  by  a  hardening  rating  environment 
across the majority of our product lines. 

•  In  GCS,  the  market  has  seen  an  increasing  frequency  of  large 
property  losses,  natural  catastrophes  and  adverse  prior  year 
development  from  non-UK  casualty  and  financial  lines.  These 
conditions will be supportive of a sustained rate hardening, and we 
are well placed to take advantage. 

•  In  SME,  the  sector  continues  to  suffer  from  significant  levels  of 
under-insurance  and  we  are  actively  supporting  customers  and 
brokers with our commercial intelligence tool in identifying gaps; a 
good  customer  outcome  that  will  also  deliver  growth.  We  also 
continue to automate and digitise policy administration, reducing 
manual intervention and cost, while enabling our customers and 
brokers to access our service by their preferred means. 

•  We  have  created  a  single  Personal  lines  business  and  taken  a 
number of actions to improve the underlying performance of the 
book. Our plan is to reduce controllable costs3. We see a positive 
rating  environment  in  motor  and  home  and  will  drive  growth  in 
channels  and  products  where  we  believe  there 
is  profit 
opportunity. 

•  During  2019,  the  FCA  published  their  GI  Pricing  Market  Study 
Interim  Report.  We  have  provided  a  comprehensive  response  to 
this outlining our recommended solution and the action we have 
already  taken.  We  are  broadly  supportive  of  tackling  the  issues 
raised, including protecting vulnerable customers and highlighted 
our progress on safeguarding and AvivaPlus. 

Canada 

Overview 
We are the second largest general insurance provider in the market 
place, providing a range of Personal and Commercial lines products 
to over 2.4 million customers with a 10% market share1. Our business 
is primarily intermediated, sold through a network of just over 900 
independent broker partners and, following our acquisition of RBC 
General Insurance (RBC GI) in 2016, RBC insurance agents. 

We  have  returned  to  profitability  following  the  deterioration  that 
began in early 2017 and continued into 2018, which was principally 
due to increased claims costs in our motor insurance line of business 
and  less  favourable  prior  year  reserve  releases.  Working  with  our 
regulator, we successfully achieved rate increases in late 2018 which 
are  now  earning  through  the  book.  2019  also  saw  natural 
catastrophe losses more in line with the historical 10-year average. 
As a  result,  adjusted  operating  profit2,4  in  2019  has  recovered  from 
the 2018 level and profitability actions are taking hold. 

Financial performance 

Adjusted operating profit2,4  

Profit/(loss) before tax 

Combined operating ratio (COR)3,4  

Net written premiums (NWP) 

Cash remitted to Group3  

Controllable costs3  

2019  
£m 

191  

Restated4  
2018  
£m 

27  

211  

(75) 

97.8%  103.1% 

3,061  

2,928  

156  

28  

402  

391  

During  2019,  adjusted  operating  profit2,4  of  £191 million 
(2018 restated4:  £27 million)  improved  due  to  the  extensive  profit 
remediation plan put in place towards the end of 2017 with actions 
around pricing, indemnity management and risk selection. 

All percentage movements below are quoted in constant currency 
unless otherwise stated. 

Profit 

Adjusted operating profit2  

Underwriting result 
Long-term investment return 
Other5  
Total adjusted operating profit2 

2019  
£m 

65  
133  
(7) 

191  

Restated4  
2018  
£m 

(90) 
120  
(3) 

27  

In  2019,  the  underwriting  result  was  a  profit  of  £65 million 
(2018 restated4:  loss  of  £90 million),  mainly  driven  by  premium  rate 
increases, lower claims frequency and severity in our personal lines 
business,  better  weather  conditions  compared  to  the  long-term 
average and favourable prior year reserve development, partly offset 
by higher commission. Long-term investment return improved 11% 
due  to  higher  yields  on  short-duration  securities  and  actions  to 
optimise returns within our fixed income portfolio. 

The  improvement  in  underwriting  profit,  along  with  favourable 
market  movements  were  the  key  drivers  of  the  current  year  profit 
before  tax  attributable  to  shareholders’  profits4  of  £211 million 
(2018: loss of £75 million). 

Net written premiums (NWP) and combined operating ratio (COR)3 

Personal lines 
Commercial lines 

Total 

Net written premiums 

Combined  
operating ratio3  

2019  
£m 

2018  
£m 

2019  
% 

Restated4  
2018 
% 

2,100  
961  

2,107   97.8%  105.0% 
821   97.8%  98.3% 

3,061  

2,928   97.8%  103.1% 

NWP 
Net written premiums were £3,061 million (2018: £2,928 million), up 
3% on a constant currency basis. In personal lines, NWP was broadly 
stable at £2,100 million (2018: £2,107 million). Commercial lines NWP 
increased to £961 million (2018: £821 million) due to growth in Global 
Corporate  and  Specialty  new  business  and  rate  increases  put 
through during renewals. 

1  Market Security & Analysis inc. 2018 database 
2  Adjusted operating profit is an Alternative Performance Measure (APM) which is used by the Group to supplement the required disclosures under IFRS. Please refer to note B in the ‘Accounting Policies’ section, note 5 – ‘Segmental 

Information’ and ‘Other Information’ within the Annual report and accounts for further information. 

3  This is an Alternative Performance Measure (APM) which provides useful information to enhance the understanding of financial performance. Further information on APMs, including a reconciliation to the financial statements 

(where possible), can be found in the ‘Other Information’ section of the Annual report and accounts. 

4  Following the change in the definition of Group adjusted operating profit (see note 1(b) of the Annual report and accounts), COR now includes the amortisation and impairment of internally generated intangible assets to better 

reflect the operational nature of these assets. Comparative amounts have been restated.  
Includes unwind of discount and pension scheme net finance costs. 

5 

Aviva plc Annual report and accounts 2019 
35 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Strategic report 
Strategic report 
Strategic report 
Strategic report 

Governance 
Governance 
Governance 
Governance 

IFRS financial statements 
IFRS financial statements 
IFRS financial statements 
IFRS financial statements 

Other information 
Other information 
Other information 
Other information 

Market review 

Continued 

COR1 
The  COR1  improved  to  97.8%  (2018 restated2:  103.1%)  due  to  the 
improvement in the underwriting result described above. 

Cash 
Cash  remittances1  during  the  year 
(2018: £28 million), 
our 
performance. 

reflecting 

increased  to  £156 million 
underwriting 

improved 

Controllable costs1 
Controllable  costs1  were  1%  higher 
in  constant  currency  at 
£402 million  (2018: £391 million),  reflecting  increased  investment  in 
claims  personnel  and  processes, 
in  our  pricing 
capabilities  and  the  Global  Corporate  and  Specialty  business  and 
continued investment in our IT infrastructure, mostly offset by lower 
real estate and other operating expenses. 

investment 

Operational and customer highlights  
•  In addition to improved profitability in our Personal lines business, 
we  invested  in  our  claims  capability,  which  delivered  significant 
synergies.  Greater  capacity  and  improved  processes  led  to  more 
claims  handled  by  Aviva  staff  and  better  customer  and  financial 
outcomes.  In  Commercial  lines,  our  focus  continued  to  be  more 
efficient  processing  for  small  policies,  improved  risk  selection  in 
our  core  and  middle  market  business  and  growth  in  our  Global 
Corporate and Specialty division, which has been able to provide 
capacity in a significantly hardening market. These actions, along 
with  a  focus  on  efficiency,  has  resulted  in  significant  progress 
towards our sub-96% target combined operating ratio1 by the end 
of 2020. 

Other  key  operational  and  customer  highlights  during  the  year 
included: 

•  Launched  Connex,  our  new  Personal  lines  service  model  for 
brokers, including dedicated underwriting teams and web chat for 
faster service. 

•  Brand  refresh  of  our  Global,  Corporate  and  Specialty  line  and 
rebranded  Ovation,  our  high  net  worth  home  insurance  offering, 
helping customers better identify with the products they need. 
•  Launched BuyOnline for RBC property business to help customers, 

improve sales capacity and reduce commission expenses. 

•  Extended the RBC distribution partnership by a further 5 years to 

2036. 

•  In  the  second  half  of  2019,  we  undertook  a  national  launch  of  a 
commercial digital solution which provides c.50% of SME quotes 
making the process more efficient for our customers and partners. 

Market context and challenges 
•  During  2019,  there  were  significant  changes  to  the  provincial 
regulatory  landscape  in  Canada  impacting  the  auto  insurance 
industry. 

•  In  Ontario,  the  Financial  Services  Regulatory  Authority  was 
launched  in  June  2019  with  a  streamlining  of  the  auto  rate 
regulation process announced as a priority for 2019-20. 

•  In Alberta the provincial government decided not to renew a 5% 

cap on auto rate increases, from Q4 2019. 

•  In Commercial lines, adverse experience, particularly in residential 
property, along with shrinking capacity has resulted in a hardening 
market. 

1  This is an Alternative Performance Measure (APM) which provides useful information to enhance the understanding of financial performance. Further information on APMs, including a reconciliation to the financial statements 

(where possible), can be found in the ‘Other Information’ section of the Annual report and accounts. 

2  Following the change in the definition of Group adjusted operating profit (see note 1(b) of the Annual report and accounts), COR now includes the amortisation and impairment of internally generated intangible assets to better 

reflect the operational nature of these assets. Comparative amounts have been restated. 

Aviva plc Annual report and accounts 2019 
36 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Strategic report 
Strategic report 
Strategic report 
Strategic report 

Governance 
Governance 
Governance 
Governance 

IFRS financial statements 
IFRS financial statements 
IFRS financial statements 
IFRS financial statements 

Other information 
Other information 
Other information 
Other information 

Market review 

Continued 

Europe 

Overview 
Aviva operates in a number of markets in Europe with insurance operations 
in France, Italy, Poland, Ireland and Turkey. During 2019 we have focused 
on  the  development  and  implementation  of  our  market  strategies  for 
organic growth and the integration of Friends First in Ireland. 

Our  European  markets  are  a  major  contributor  to  the  Group, 
providing a valuable source of diversification. 

We  have  over  10 million  customers  and  operate  a  life  and  general 
insurance  model  across  all  our  European  businesses  except  for 
Turkey where we offer life and savings products. 

We are present in attractive markets where we have a competitive 
advantage and ability to source skills. We believe this offers us clear 
potential for future profitable growth. 

Low  interest  rates  and  regulatory  pressures  in  some  markets  have 
presented  challenges  during  the  year,  but  through  the  actions  we 
have taken we believe we are well positioned to succeed. 

From  2020,  our  European  general  insurance  businesses  will  be 
presented  as  part  of  our  General  Insurance  division.  The  Europe 
general  insurance  businesses  will  be  managed  day  to  day  by  the 
CEOs in each country. Our life and health businesses will form the 
Europe  Life  division.  Further  details  of  our  strategic  priorities  for 
these divisions are set out in the ‘Our Strategy’ section. 

Financial performance 

Adjusted operating profit2,3  
Life & Health 
General insurance 

France 
Poland 
Italy, Ireland and Other 

Profit before tax  
France 
Poland 
Italy, Ireland and Other 

2019  
£m 

Restated1  
2018  
£m 

827 
154 
981 

473 
194 
314 
981 

410 
198 
352 
960  

807  
201  
1,008  

510 
198 
300 
1,008 

426 
178 
304 
908  

All  percentage  movements  below  are  quoted  in  constant  currency 
unless otherwise stated. 

Overall  adjusted  operating  profit2,3 
in  Europe  was  down  by  1% 
to £981 million  (2018 restated1:  £1,008 million).  Europe  Life  adjusted 
operating  profit2,3  increased  to  £827 million  (2018 restated1: £807 million) 
driven by increased revenue, improved product mix and focus on expense 
efficiencies.  Adjusted  operating  profit2,3  from  Europe  General  Insurance 
business was down 23% to £154 million (2018 restated1: £201 million) due 

to weather costs and higher large losses and lower favourable prior year 
reserve releases compared to 2018.  

Profit before tax attributable to shareholders’ profits3 has increased 
to  £960 million  (2018:  £908 million)  as  the  benefit  from  positive 
investment variances (2018: negative variances) was partly offset by 
the reduction in operating profit. The 2018 profit before tax included 
gains from disposals in Italy and Spain and the write-off of negative 
goodwill arising on the acquisition of Friends First in Ireland. 

Europe Life  
Overview, market context and challenges 
•  In France we are number 114 in a life market dominated by mutuals 
and banks and are number four amongst the traditional insurers. 
We offer a full range of savings, investment, protection and health 
insurance products with strength in distribution through AFER, the 
number  1  savers  association5,  and  UFF  the  number  2  financial 
adviser  network5.  In  late  2018  the  French  government  proposed 
new laws that seek to shift savings and investment towards the real 
economy, bringing about further opportunities for our savings and 
retirement business. The main challenge we face continues to be 
balancing  the  demand  amongst  French  savers  for  low  volatility 
guaranteed products with the pressure this places on our return on 
capital in the current low interest rate market environment. A key 
pillar of our strategy is to continue to adapt our business mix to 
position us for longer-term low interest rates whilst continuing to 
serve  our  customers’  needs  through  the  provision  of  attractive 
unit-linked and capital-light products.  

•  In Italy we are number five in the life market6 and the second largest 
non-domestic insurer6. We offer savings, investments, pension and 
through  a  major 
protection  products  with  distribution 
bancassurance  partnership  with  UBI  and  also 
through 
independent  financial  advisor  networks.  Our  hybrid  proposition 
maintained its strong performance in the market in 2019, helping 
to improve our business mix that, together with other management 
actions and better market conditions, materially strengthened our 
capital position. In 2020, our current distribution agreements with 
our two principal bancassurance partners are reaching the end of 
their  terms  and  we  are  in  ongoing  discussions  about  the  future 
status of our relationships.  

•  In Poland we are the number two7 life insurer in the market with 
one  of  the  largest  life  tied  agent  salesforces  and  two  key 
bancassurance partnerships with Santander and ING. The market 
in  Poland  has  stagnated  in  recent  years  as  insurers  have  moved 
away  from  single  premium  investment  products  and  there  has 
been an increased level of regulatory intervention in the market. 
Our Polish business is efficient, has very strong brand recognition, 
and through innovation in product development and digitisation 
we are in a strong position to outperform the market. 

•  In Ireland we are now number four8 in the life market as a result of 
the  acquisition  of  Friends  First  and  continue  to  benefit  from 
positive demographics and a strong macroeconomic environment 
with  high  GDP  and  low  unemployment.  The  positive  economic 
backdrop  was  muted  for  much  of  2019  by  concerns  over  a  hard 
Brexit outcome but, once this risk dissipated, sales volumes have 
been  encouraging.  Aviva’s  Life  business  in  Ireland  is  entirely 
distributed through intermediaries. The main challenge we face is 
improving  the  operational  efficiency  of  the  business  and 
rationalising our product offering to improve margins.  

1  During 2019 the Group adjusted operating profit APM has been revised and now includes the amortisation and impairment of internally generated intangible assets to better reflect the operational nature of these assets (see 
note 1(b) of the Annual report and accounts). Group adjusted operating profit continues to exclude amortisation and impairment of intangible assets acquired in business combinations. Comparative amounts have been 
restated. There is no impact on profit before tax attributable to shareholders’ profit. 

2  Adjusted operating profit is an Alternative Performance Measure (APM) which is used by the Group to supplement the required disclosures under IFRS. Please refer to note B in the ‘Accounting Policies’ section, note 5 – ‘Segmental 

Information’ and ‘Other Information’ within the Annual report and accounts for further information. 

3  The amounts shown above in respect of adjusted operating profit and profit before tax attributable to shareholders’ profits reconcile to the corresponding amounts for Europe of France, Poland and Italy, Ireland and Other in 

note 5 – ‘Segmental information’ within the Annual report and accounts.  

4  La Fédération Française de l’Assurance 
5  AFER website, and UFF website and French Insurance Federation. 
6  ANIA (Italian National Association of Insurance Companies) 
7  Polska Izba Ubezpieczeń 
8 

Insurance Ireland 

Aviva plc Annual report and accounts 2019 
37 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Strategic report 
Strategic report 
Strategic report 
Strategic report 

Governance 
Governance 
Governance 
Governance 

IFRS financial statements 
IFRS financial statements 
IFRS financial statements 
IFRS financial statements 

Other information 
Other information 
Other information 
Other information 

Market review 

Continued 

•  In  Turkey  we  have  a  life  insurance  business  through  our  joint 
venture  with  Sabanci.  We  are  number  one  in  the  market  for 
pensions and the number three private auto-enrolment provider 
and we offer protection products through both bancassurance and 
retail  channels  including  a  direct  sales  force.  Our  business  has 
responded well to the political instability and financial volatility in 
recent  periods  and  we  have  seen  strong  growth  in  protection 
premiums during 2019.  

Financial performance 

Solvency II return on capital3  

2019  
£m 

Restated1  
2018  
£m 

10.3% 

6.9% 

Solvency II operating capital generation (OCG)3  

754  

724  

Cash remitted to Group3  

Adjusted operating profit2  

Controllable costs3  

414  

336  

827  

807  

548  

568  

Life new business 
Present value of new business premiums (PVNBP)3  
Value of new business on an adjusted Solvency II basis 

(VNB)3  

13,772   12,641  

414  

517  

Solvency II return on capital3 and Solvency II operating capital 
generation (OCG)3 
Europe Life Solvency II return on capital3 has increased by 3.4pp to 
10.3% (2018: 6.9%) and Solvency II operating own funds generation 
increased  to  £574 million  (2018:  £384 million).  This  was  primarily 
driven by modelling and assumption changes in Italy which are partly 
offset by a reduction in own funds generation from new business in 
France  and  Italy  due  to  the  impact  of  lower  interest  rates.  2018 
included the adverse impact on own funds arising from the transfer 
of  pensions  business  into  a  supplementary  occupational  pension 
fund (FRPS) in France (note the overall impact on capital generation 
was  beneficial  due  to  a  significant  reduction  in  solvency  capital 
requirement).  

Europe Life Solvency II operating capital generation3 has increased 
by  £30 million  to  £754 million  (2018: £724 million).  Increases  in 
management actions and higher returns on existing business have 
been partially offset by the increase in new business strain as a result 
of the low interest rate environment. In 2019, management actions 
included  the  beneficial  impact  of  modelling  and  assumption 
changes in Italy as well as increased market risk hedging in France, 
while 2018 included the beneficial assumption changes and a benefit 
arising from the transfer of pensions business into a supplementary 
occupational pension fund (FRPS) in France.  

Profit 

Adjusted operating profit2  

France 
Poland 
Italy (excl. Avipop) 
Ireland 
Other Europe4 (excl. Spain) 

Total (excl. Avipop, Spain) 

Disposals (Avipop, Spain) 

Total 

Life & Health 

2019  
£m 

408  
174  
173  
59  
13  

827  

— 

827  

Restated1  
2018  
£m 

418  
177  
147  
40  
10  

792  

15  

807  

to 

by 

6% 

health 

businesses 

Excluding the impact of disposals, the adjusted operating profit2 of our life 
and 
£827 million 
grew 
(2018 restated1: £792 million). Dealing with each of the markets in turn: 
•  In  France,  adjusted  operating  profit2  reduced  by  2%  to  £408 million 
(2018: £418 million).  Within  this,  the  life  result  was  down  5%  to 
£387 million  (2018: £408 million),  mainly  due  to  lower  protection  profit 
(including adverse claims experience in 2019), partly offset by an increase 
in  savings  business  profit.  The  health  result  was  £21 million 
(2018: £10 million) following actions to improve profitability.  

•  In Poland, adjusted operating profit2 was flat in constant currency terms 
at  £174 million  (2018 restated1: £177 million),  with  lower  fee  income  on 
assets under management as a result of weak equity markets towards 
the end of 2018 offset by a more favourable mix of new business, and an 
improved result on protection business. 
adjusted 

£173 million 
(2018 restated1: £147 million), an increase of 18% with significant net 
inflows  to  our  hybrid  product  in  2017  and  2018  driving  higher 
revenues  on  assets  under  management  and  an  increase  in  profit 
from existing business. 

profit2  was 

operating 

Italy, 

•  In 

•  In 

Ireland,  adjusted  operating  profit2 

increased  to  £59 million 
(2018: £40 million), an increase of 49% mainly driven by a one-off benefit 
from methodology and assumption changes and the inclusion of a full 
year of Friends First in 2019. 

•  In Turkey, adjusted operating profit2 was £13 million (2018: £10 million), 

mainly driven by strong growth in our protection business.  

Controllable costs3 
Controllable  costs3  for  Europe  Life  reduced  by  2%  to  £548 million 
(2018:  £568 million).  Excluding  disposals,  controllable  costs3  were 
down  3%  to  £548 million  (2018:  £562 million)  mainly  due  to  a 
reduction  in  project  spend  in  France  partly  offset  by  increased 
marketing and IT spend in Italy. 

Life new business 

Cash 
Cash  remitted  to  Group3  was  £414 million  (2018:  £336 million).  This 
includes a special remittance of £107 million following the disposal 
of  Avipop  in  2018.  2019  remittances  from  France  are  £141 million 
(2018:  £176 million),  which  are  shown  after  adjusting  for  a  capital 
injection  of  £139 million  (2018:  £nil),  as  the  net  amount  more 
appropriately reflects the overall remittances received from France 
during the year. 

France 
Poland 
Italy (excl. Avipop) 
Ireland 
Other Europe4 (excl. Spain) 

Total (excl. Avipop, Spain) 

Disposals (Avipop, Spain) 

Total 

PVNBP3 

Solvency II VNB3 

2019  
£m 

5,702 
624 
5,537 
1,589 
320 

2018  
£m 

4,335 
486 
6,263 
1,208 
333 

13,772  12,625 

— 

16 

13,772  12,641 

2019  
£m 

168 
64 
147 
8 
27 

414 

— 

414 

2018  
£m 

210 
58 
222 
11 
13 

514 

3 

517 

Excluding  disposals,  PVNBP3  was  up  10%  to  £13,772 million 
(2018: £12,625 million).  VNB3  decreased  by  18%  to  £414 million 
(2018: £514 million).

1  During 2019 the Group adjusted operating profit APM has been revised and now includes the amortisation and impairment of internally generated intangible assets to better reflect the operational nature of these assets (see 
note 1(b) of the Annual report and accounts). Group adjusted operating profit continues to exclude amortisation and impairment of intangible assets acquired in business combinations. Comparative amounts have been 
restated. There is no impact on profit before tax attributable to shareholders’ profit. 

2  Adjusted operating profit is an Alternative Performance Measure (APM) which is used by the Group to supplement the required disclosures under IFRS. Please refer to note B in the ‘Accounting Policies’ section, note 5 – ‘Segmental 

Information’ and ‘Other Information’ within the Annual report and accounts for further information. 

3  This is an Alternative Performance Measure (APM) which provides useful information to enhance the understanding of financial performance. Further information on APMs, including a reconciliation to the financial statements 

(where possible), can be found in the ‘Other Information’ section of the Annual report and accounts. 
Includes Turkey. 

4 

Aviva plc Annual report and accounts 2019 
38 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Strategic report 
Strategic report 
Strategic report 
Strategic report 

Governance 
Governance 
Governance 
Governance 

IFRS financial statements 
IFRS financial statements 
IFRS financial statements 
IFRS financial statements 

Other information 
Other information 
Other information 
Other information 

Market review 

Continued 

France, PVNBP1 was up 33% reflecting growth in sales of with-profits 
savings  products  and  the  acquisition  of  a  significant  collective 
pension scheme with EDF. VNB1 was down 19% primarily due to an 
adverse margin impact from lower interest rates. In Poland PVNBP3 
increased by 30% driven by the performance of our new protection 
product and pensions transfers. In Italy, PVNBP1 was down by 11% 
due  to  a  reduction  in  standalone  with-profits  and  unit-linked 
volumes,  partially  offset  by  further  growth  in  our  hybrid  product 
whilst VNB margins were adversely impacted by lower interest rates. 

Operational and customer highlights 
•  In France we experienced strong inflows into with-profit funds as 
customers  sought  more  stable  returns  in  response  to  market 
volatility and record low interest rates. In response we undertook 
various commercial initiatives during the second half of the year to 
re-balance our new business inflows towards unit-linked products. 
These  included  targeted  marketing  campaigns  and  mix  capping 
with  some  distributors. 
In  parallel  we  undertook  capital 
management  actions  to  reduce  the  immediate  pressure  on  our 
balance sheet resulting from low (and negative in early September) 
interest  rates.  These  included  interest  rate  hedging  activities, 
further optimisation of our asset mix, and changes to our internal 
model.  During  the  final  quarter  of  2019  we  initiated  the  Savings 
Business Model Change programme to provide even greater focus 
on addressing the changes necessary to adapt and transform our 
business in the medium term. 

•  Other customer highlights in France included the launch of a new 
pension product (PERIN) which is compliant with the new French 
pension regime. In April, in conjunction with Aviva Investors France, 
we 
launched  Aviva  Solutions  Durables  a  sustainable  and 
responsible investment unit-linked life insurance offering. We are 
widely  recognised  as  a  leader  in  sustainable  investing  with  the 
broadest  range  of  propositions  in  the  market.  We  continued  our 
journey to improve the customer experience and during 2019 our 
funerals business made the switch from paper to nearly fully digital 
communication. Other digital innovations include the introduction 
of  a  chatbot  to  improve  the  customer  journey  and  increase  the 
sales  conversion  rate  in  our  Eurofil  distributor  and  we  plan  to 
widen deployment of this tool to retail motor, property and funeral 
products in 2020. 

•  We  are  also  actively  participating  in  several  smaller  acquisition 
opportunities  as  part  of  our  strategy  to  expand  our  owned 
distribution network.  

•  In  Italy,  our  Hybrid  product  offers  customers  a  combination  of 
attractive  yields,  stable  performance  with  a  partial  capital 
guarantee together with protection and health riders. During the 
year  we  have  consolidated  on  the  success  of  the  product  and 
introduced further innovations in the structure of the product with 
an auto-switch with-profit to unit-linked mechanism. Commercial 
initiatives with our distributors allowed us to significantly reduce 
the  mix  of  more  capital-intensive  standalone  with-profit  new 
business to 29% (2018: 48%). Whilst the pressure on our balance 
sheet from higher Italian government bond spreads eased during 
the year, we undertook further de-risking activities to reduce the 
sensitivity of our balance sheet.  

•  Other  highlights  in  Italy  included  investment  in  a  multimedia 
marketing campaign which has resulted in a 16pp increase in our 
brand  awareness.  Overall  customer  numbers  increased  by  56%. 
Improvements  to  our  customer  segmentation  capabilities  will 
enhance our ability to design propositions in response to customer 
and distributor demand. 

•  Our Polish business has experienced growth despite contraction of the 
life insurance market. Growth has been supported by the launch of our 
new  Twoje  Życie  (Your  Life)  protection  product  into  our  direct 

ING. 

channels,  the  redesign  of  our  CPI  offering  in  the  bancassurance 
channel, and the strengthening of our distribution relationships with 
Santander  and 
In  the  pension  market,  auto-enrolment 
commenced during the year and we have written nearly 400 contracts 
with  companies  employing  250+  employees  since  July  (over  70,000 
employees are covered). The MyAviva platform is very well embedded 
in Poland and 2019 has seen us reach over 400,000 active customers (a 
71%  increase),  introduce  21  new  functionalities,  and  hit  29,000 
monthly transactions (an 86% increase). 

•  In  Ireland  we  completed  the  integration  of  the  Friends  First 
business. We also successfully delivered the first phase of our new 
governance and operating model – separating the management of 
our  Irish  life  and  general  insurance  businesses  –  and  shifted  our 
focus  to  the  realisation  of  further  efficiency  benefits  and 
commercial initiatives to improve the margins on our unit-linked 
products. One of the key drivers here will be the consolidation of 
our IT administration systems and 50% of this work completed in 
2019.  We  delivered  the  first  phase  of  our  Integrated  Protection 
Product  offering  best  of  both  Aviva  and  Friends  First  to  our 
customers.  Improvements  were  made  to  our  annuity  pricing 
process  with  a  major  re-price  in  August  that  improved  our  new 
business  margins  during  the  second  half  of  the  year,  and  the 
implementation of an annuity reinsurance solution in line with our 
longevity risk appetite. Our Irish business achieved first place in the 
annual  Broker  Service  Excellence  Awards  in  2019  and  our 
policyholder TNPS scores continue to be top quartile in our sector. 
•  In  Turkey,  we  continued  our  market  leadership  in  pensions  and 
increased  our  market  share 
in  protection.  While  customer 
persistency actions played a key role in maintaining our pension 
leadership,  we  have  increased  our  market  share  in  protection 
driven by strong growth in our market leading “return of premium” 
endowment  product  and  our  new  credit  linked  product,  further 
assisted by a general market recovery in the second half of 2019. 
The  new  credit  linked  protection  product  is  a  very  customer 
focused proposition and has positioned us favourably against our 
competition.  We  have  increased  our  customer  engagement 
through  a  new  mobile  app  which  has  had  nearly  500,000 
downloads  and  enabled  our  customers  to  better  manage  their 
funds  and  offers  a  fully  digitised  sales  process;  providing  an 
improved customer experience and driving process efficiency.  

Europe GI 
Overview, market context and challenges 
•  In France we are number 121 in the market and offer a full range of 
general  insurance  products  with  strength  in  distribution  through 
our sizeable agent and broker networks and particular expertise in 
the  construction  sector.  We  have  recognised  an  opportunity  for 
profitable growth in SME commercial lines of business where the 
market is under-penetrated by our larger competitors and we have 
invested in our capabilities in this area during 2019. 

•  In  Italy  we  dropped  to  number  182  in  the  market  after  the  Avipop 
disposal in 2018. We offer general insurance across motor and non-
motor lines of business. In the Italian market motor is the primary line 
of business representing nearly half of gross written premium in 2018 
but has seen declining or flat premiums over the last five years with 
rising competition, customer churn, and loss ratios. Our response has 
been twofold: firstly in 2018 we took profitability actions on our motor 
book  that  reduced  volumes  but  resulted  in  improvements  in 
underlying  loss  ratios  and  a  strong  base  from  which  to  rebuild  our 
book; secondly we have shifted our strategic focus to invest for growth 
in the under-penetrated but profitable SME commercial market, and in 
the  growing  non-motor  personal  lines  segments,  with  expanded 
distribution through multi-agents and brokers. 

1  This is an Alternative Performance Measure (APM) which provides useful information to enhance the understanding of financial performance. Further information on APMs, including a reconciliation to the financial statements 

(where possible), can be found in the ‘Other Information’ section of the Annual report and accounts. 

2  La Fédération Française de l’Assurance 
3  Associazione Nazionale fra le Imprese Assicuratrici 

Aviva plc Annual report and accounts 2019 
39 

 
Strategic report 
Strategic report 
Strategic report 
Strategic report 

Governance 
Governance 
Governance 
Governance 

IFRS financial statements 
IFRS financial statements 
IFRS financial statements 
IFRS financial statements 

Other information 
Other information 
Other information 
Other information 

Market review 

Continued 

•  In Poland we are number ten4 in the market and provide general 
insurance distributed through a direct sales network, brokers and 
two key bancassurance partnerships with Santander and ING. The 
market is showing another year of strong growth. We have chosen 
to focus our growth strategy more on the commercial market due 
to price competition in personal lines.  

•  In Ireland we are a market leading general insurance provider and 
continue  to  benefit  from  a  strong  macroeconomic  environment 
with high GDP and low unemployment. Despite a continuing soft 
personal lines market, we achieved a 92.6% combined operating 
ratio  (COR)3  demonstrating  the  strength  of  our  underwriting 
capability.  The  Irish  market  has  capacity  challenges  across  a 
number  of  sectors  such  as  Child  Care,  Elderly  Care,  Sports  and 
Hospitality.  Business  repatriating  from  the  UK  continues  to  form 
part  of  the  new  business  pipeline.  We  continue  to  prudently 
underwrite  this  business,  only  writing  better  quality  risks  with 
strong rate strength. 

•  In  Poland,  adjusted  operating  profit2  was  £20 million 
(2018: £21 million) with net earned premiums in line with 2018. 
•  In Italy, excluding disposals, adjusted operating profit2 was down 
23%  to  £22 million  (2018: £30 million).  Within  this  net  earned 
premiums  were  down  3%  as  underwriting  actions  taken  on  the 
personal motor book during 2018 earned through and there were 
higher large losses in commercial lines and higher expenses. 

•  In  Ireland,  adjusted  operating  profit2  reduced  to  £47 million 
(2018: £56 million)  driven  by  a  soft  market  in  personal  lines  with 
earned premiums 2% lower than 2018, and higher expenses (driven 
largely by the impact of the new motor levy of 2% applied to all 
motor policies since December 2018), partly offset by lower large 
losses and more benign weather than 2018. 

Net written premiums (NWP) and combined operating ratio (COR)4 

Financial performance 

Adjusted operating profit2  

2019  
£m 

154  

Restated1  
2018  
£m 

201  

France 
Poland 
Italy (excl. Avipop) 
Ireland 

Net written premiums (NWP) 

2,017  

1,985  

Total (excl. Avipop) 

Disposals (Avipop) 

Combined operating ratio (COR)3  

95.7% 

93.5% 

Total 

Combined operating 

Net written premiums 

2019  
£m 

1,166  
112  
319  
420 
2,017  

2018  
£m 

2019  
% 

1,118   97.2% 
106   85.9% 
317   97.7% 
430  92.6% 
1,971   95.7% 

 ratio3  
Restated1  
2018 
% 

94.6% 
87.0% 
95.2% 
91.5% 

93.5% 

— 

14  

— 

87.8% 

2,017  

1,985   95.7% 

93.5% 

Cash remitted to Group3  

Controllable costs3  

Profit 

Adjusted operating profit1,2  

France 
Poland 
Italy (excl. Avipop) 
Ireland 

Total (excl. Avipop) 

Disposals (Avipop) 

Total 

180  

147  

288  

273  

General 
insurance  
Restated1  
2018  
£m 

92  
21  
30  
56  

199  

2  

201  

2019  
£m 

65  
20  
22  
47  
154  

— 
154  

Excluding  disposals,  Europe  general  insurance  adjusted  operating 
profit2 reduced by 22% to £154 million (2018 restated1: £199 million). 
Dealing with each of the markets in turn: 
•  In  France,  adjusted  operating  profit2  was  £65 million 
(2018 restated1: £92 million), with growth in net earned premiums of 
6%,  particularly  in  commercial  lines,  more  than  offset  by  higher 
large  losses  and  less  favourable  prior  year  reserve  development 
than 2018. 

NWP 
Excluding  the  disposal  of  Avipop,  NWP  increased  by  3%  to 
£2,017 million (2018: £1,971 million) with growth in France, Italy and 
Poland  (particularly  in  commercial  lines)  partly  offset  by  lower 
premiums in Ireland as we maintained strong underwriting discipline 
in a soft personal motor market. 

COR3 
COR3 has increased by 2.2pp to 95.7% (2018 restated1: 93.5%) for the 
reasons described in the profit section above. 

Cash 
Cash  remitted  to  the  Group3  was  £180 million  (2018:  £147 million) 
which includes a £65 million special remittance from the disposal of 
Avipop in Italy in 2018. 

Controllable costs3 
Controllable  costs3  were  up  8%  to  £288 million  (2018: £271 million) 
excluding  the  disposal  of  Avipop,  which  includes  investment  in 
underwriting platforms in Italy. 

1  During 2019 the Group adjusted operating profit APM has been revised and now includes the amortisation and impairment of internally generated intangible assets to better reflect the operational nature of these assets (see 
note 1(b) of the Annual report and accounts). Group adjusted operating profit continues to exclude amortisation and impairment of intangible assets acquired in business combinations. Comparative amounts have been 
restated. There is no impact on profit before tax attributable to shareholders’ profit. Following the change in the definition of Group adjusted operating profit, COR has also been restated to include the amortisation and 
impairment of internally generated intangible assets. Comparative amounts have been restated. 

2  Adjusted operating profit is an Alternative Performance Measure (APM) which is used by the Group to supplement the required disclosures under IFRS. Please refer to note B in the ‘Accounting Policies’ section, note 5 – ‘Segmental 

Information’ and ‘Other Information’ within the Annual report and accounts for further information. 

3  This is an Alternative Performance Measure (APM) which provides useful information to enhance the understanding of financial performance. Further information on APMs, including a reconciliation to the financial statements 

(where possible), can be found in the ‘Other Information’ section of the Annual report and accounts. 

4  Polska Izba Ubezpieczeń 

Aviva plc Annual report and accounts 2019 
40 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Strategic report 
Strategic report 
Strategic report 
Strategic report 

Governance 
Governance 
Governance 
Governance 

IFRS financial statements 
IFRS financial statements 
IFRS financial statements 
IFRS financial statements 

Other information 
Other information 
Other information 
Other information 

Market review 

Continued 

Operational and customer highlights 
•  In  France  we  continued  to  organically  build  out  our  SME  broker 
team which resulted in strong growth in commercial lines volumes. 
We  continued  to  improve  our  pricing  sophistication,  notably 
through  use  of  the  RADAR  tool  which  has  enhanced  our  view  of 
margins  and  competitor  pricing. Our  innovative  Client  Unique 
proposition  aims  to  simplify  the  sales  journey  for  our  retail 
customers  with  consistent  products  and  pricing  across  all 
distribution  channels,  together  with  centralised  and  efficient 
claims  processing.  We  launched  a  pilot  phase  with  50  agents 
during  the  year  with  results  expected  during  the  first  quarter  in 
2020. 

•  In  Italy,  we  have  launched  a  new  Guidewire  based  underwriting 
platform offering a simple and flexible range of products initially to 
smaller businesses and have been commended by the industry for 
our  innovative  implementation.  In  parallel,  we  commenced  a 
review and renewal of our entire product catalogue and intend to 
launch  across  more  of  our  distribution  channels  so  that  all  our 
customers and distribution partners can benefit from the simplicity 
of the new platform. We have achieved strong customer feedback 
during  the  year  and  were  ahead  of  the  market  on  both  our 
customer satisfaction score and retail net promoter score. 

•  Our  Polish  business  has  experienced  growth,  particularly  SME 
focused  commercial  lines  business  where  net  written  premiums 
grew by 60% assisted by the launch of new propositions including 
general  third-party  liability.  We  also  continue  to  build  on  the 
strength  of  our  distribution  relationship  with  our  bancassurance 
partners  and  further  digitised  the  sales  and  claims  processes 
including  self-claims  in  personal  accident  and  the  reporting  of 
motor third party liability claims online. 

•  In Ireland the general insurance business has been able to navigate 
the  soft  personal  lines  market  with  underwriting  discipline.  We 
improved  the  underlying  performance  of  our  commercial  lines’ 
portfolio (1pp COR1 improvement). We continued to improve our 
personal  lines  pricing  sophistication  as  well  as  retaining  key 
distribution  partners,  including  a  two-year  extension  with  our 
largest  partner  An  Post  Insurance.  Our  customer  recognition 
remained strong and our RNPS is in the upper quartile and market 
leading. 

1  This is an Alternative Performance Measure (APM) which provides useful information to enhance the understanding of financial performance. Further information on APMs, including a reconciliation to the financial statements 

(where possible), can be found in the ‘Other Information’ section of the Annual report and accounts. 

Aviva plc Annual report and accounts 2019 
41 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Strategic report 
Strategic report 
Strategic report 
Strategic report 

Governance 
Governance 
Governance 
Governance 

IFRS financial statements 
IFRS financial statements 
IFRS financial statements 
IFRS financial statements 

Other information 
Other information 
Other information 
Other information 

Market review 

Continued 

Asia 

Overview 
Following a strategic review in 2019, we have a selective approach in 
Asia, focused on high potential markets in Singapore and China. We 
are  continuing  to  explore  strategic  options  for  our  businesses  in 
Vietnam and Indonesia. 

All of our markets provide access to a combined population of over 
3 billion people1, with relatively low insurance penetration compared 
to more developed Western markets. We currently provide life and 
health  insurance  solutions  to  over  5 million  customers  across  our 
markets in Asia. 

In  particular,  as  a  composite 
insurer  with  around  1 million 
customers, Aviva is one the biggest providers of employee benefits 
and healthcare insurance in Singapore2. 

Across Asia, we operate a multi-distribution channel strategy which 
includes  tied-agency,  financial  advisers,  bancassurance,  affinity 
partnerships, telemarketing and direct sales force. Our core strategy 
is to leverage strong partnerships and our distribution capability to 
grow  long  term  value.  We  continue  to  place  emphasis  on  earning 
customers’ 
trust  and  delivering  great  customer  outcomes. 
Investment in enhancing Asia’s distribution and analytics capabilities 
continued throughout 2019.  

Our FPI business and our business in Hong Kong are classified as held 
for sale at 31 December 2019. 

Financial performance  

Adjusted operating profit3,4  

Life & Health  
General Insurance  

Profit before tax 

Controllable costs5  

Life: 
Solvency II return on capital5 

Solvency II operating capital generation (OCG)5  

Cash remitted to Group5  

Life new business  
Present value of new business premiums (PVNBP)5 
Value of new business on an adjusted Solvency II basis 
(VNB)5 

General Insurance: 
Net written premiums (NWP) 
Combined operating ratio (COR)3,5  

2019  
£m 

Restated3  
2018 
£m 

276 
(1) 
275 
87  

263 
(2) 
261 
90 

202  

187 

12.7% 

9.7% 

60  

51 

55 

6 

3,057  
206 

2,656 
189 

13  

13 
112.8%  122.1% 

All  percentage  movements  below  are  quoted  in  constant  currency 
unless otherwise stated. 

Profit 

Adjusted operating profit4 

Singapore 
China 
Other Asia (excl. FPI & Hong Kong) 

Total (excl. FPI & Hong Kong) 

FPI 
Hong Kong 
Total adjusted operating profit4 

Life & Health 
Restated3 
2018  
£m 

2019  
£m 

General insurance 
Restated3 
2018  
£m 

2019 
 £m 

145  
25  
(13) 

157  

128  
(9) 

276  

123  
22  
(26) 

119  

151  
(7) 

263  

(1) 
— 
— 

(1) 

— 
— 

(1) 

(2) 
— 
— 

(2) 

— 
— 

(2) 

Adjusted  operating  profit4  from  our  life  and  health  businesses  was 
£276 million  (2018 restated3:  £263 million).  Excluding  FPI  and  Hong 
Kong,  adjusted  operating  profit4  increased  by  29%  to  £157 million 
(2018 restated3: £119 million).  Within 
result 
improved  14%  to  £145 million  (2018 restated3:  £123 million),  with 
continued  investments  in  our  financial  advisory  channel  driving 
higher new business, and improving profitability in health insurance. 
China’s  adjusted  operating  profit  improved  by  18%  to  £25 million 
(2018: £22 million). 

this,  Singapore’s 

Life  adjusted  operating  profit  for  FPI  was  £128 million  (2018: 
£151 million), while Hong Kong reported an adjusted operating loss 
of £9 million (2018: £7 million loss). 

Singapore general insurance reported an adjusted operating loss of 
£1 million (2018: £2 million loss). 

Profit before tax attributable to shareholders’ profit decreased by 3% 
to £87 million (2018: £90 million), with the increase in operating profit 
more than offset by the effect of an impairment charge related to our 
associate in India and a £28 million remeasurement loss in relation 
to FPI. 

Controllable costs5 
Total  controllable  costs5  for  Asia  subsidiaries  was  £202 million 
(2018: £187 million). Excluding Hong Kong and FPI, controllable costs5 
were  £155 million  (2018:  £140 million).  The  increase  was  mainly  to 
support  Singapore’s  financial  adviser  development  initiative  and 
organic channel growth across Asia. 

Solvency II return on capital5 and Solvency II operating capital 
generation (OCG)5 
Asia  Life  Solvency  II  return  on  capital5  has  increased  by  3.0pp  to 
12.7%  (2018:  9.7%),  Solvency  II  own  funds  generation  increased  by 
£43 million  to  £187 million  (2018:  £144 million)  and  Solvency  II 
operating  capital  generation5  has 
increased  by  £5 million  to 
£60 million (2018: £55 million). The increase is primarily due to growth 
and beneficial non-economic assumption changes in Singapore.  

Cash 
Cash  remitted  to  Group5  in  2019  has  increased  to  £51 million 
(2018: £6 million),  mainly  attributable  to  improved  performance  in 
Singapore.  China  paid  its  first  dividend  to  Group  of  £5 million 
(2018: £nil) in 2019. 

1  Swiss Re Institute sigma No 3/2019 publication 
2  2018 Insurance statistics published by Monetary Authority of Singapore 
3  During 2019 the Group adjusted operating profit APM has been revised and now includes the amortisation and impairment of internally generated intangible assets to better reflect the operational nature of these assets (see 
note 2(b)). Group adjusted operating profit continues to exclude amortisation and impairment of intangible assets acquired in business combinations. Comparative amounts have been restated. There is no impact on profit 
before tax attributable to shareholders’ profit. Following the change in the definition of Group adjusted operating profit, COR has also been restated to include the amortisation and impairment of internally generated intangible 
assets. Comparative amounts have been restated.  

4  Adjusted operating profit is an Alternative Performance Measure (APM) which is used by the Group to supplement the required disclosures under IFRS. Please refer to note B in the ‘Accounting Policies’ section, note 5 – ‘Segmental 

Information’ and ‘Other Information’ within the Annual report and accounts for further information. 

5  This is an Alternative Performance Measure (APM) which provides useful information to enhance the understanding of financial performance. Further information on APMs, including a reconciliation to the financial statements 

(where possible), can be found in the ‘Other Information’ section of the Annual report and accounts. 

Aviva plc Annual report and accounts 2019 
42 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Strategic report 
Strategic report 
Strategic report 
Strategic report 

Governance 
Governance 
Governance 
Governance 

IFRS financial statements 
IFRS financial statements 
IFRS financial statements 
IFRS financial statements 

Other information 
Other information 
Other information 
Other information 

Market review 

Continued 

Life new business 

Singapore 
China 
Other Asia (excl. FPI & Hong Kong) 

Total (excl. FPI & Hong Kong) 
FPI 
Hong Kong 

PVNBP1 

Solvency II VNB1 

2019  
£m 

1,580 
718 
406 

2,704 

351 
2 

2018  
£m 

1,279 
650 
279 

2,208 

448 
— 

2019  
£m 

159 
43 
8 

210 

(1) 
(3) 

2018  
£m 

152 
42 
— 

194 

(2) 
(3) 

Total 

3,057 

2,656 

206 

189 

Excluding  FPI  and  Hong  Kong,  PVNBP1  has  increased  by  20%  to 
£2,704 million  (2018:  £2,208 million),  which  was  led  by  double  digit 
growth  in  Singapore  and  China,  and  strong  agency  channel 
expansion  in  Vietnam.  Solvency  II  VNB1  increased  by  6%  to 
£210 million (2018: £194 million). 

Net written premiums (NWP) and combined operating ratio (COR)1 
Singapore  general  insurance  net  written  premiums  were  flat  at 
£13 million  (2018:  £13 million).  Our  general  insurance  combined 
operating  ratio1  improved  by  10.2pp  to  112.8%  (2018: 122.1%)  as  a 
result of a change in mix away from motor to travel and commercial 
lines. 

Operational and customer highlights  
During 2019 Singapore  continued  to  grow  its  distribution  network. 
Our  financial  adviser  subsidiaries,  Aviva  Financial  Advisers  and 
Professional  Investments  Advisory  Services  now  have  a  combined 
total of 1,819 advisers (2018: 1,540 advisers). 

In  China,  we  continued  to  have  an  excellent  relationship  with  our 
partner COFCO and in 2019 our joint venture continued to focus on 
its  core  agency  channel,  growing  operating  profit  by  18%  as  the 
market recovered following a period of regulatory tightening in 2018. 

Other key operational and customer highlights during 2019 included: 
•  Our business in Singapore received several major awards including 
the  Sustainability  &  Corporate  Social  Responsibility  Award  from 
Asia Insurance Review and Singapore’s Best Workplaces (Medium 
and Large Workplaces) 2019 Award from the Great Place to Work 
Institute. 

•  In July 2019, we were awarded the contract to provide insurance 
cover  to  the  Singapore  government’s  Public  Officers  Group 
Insurance Scheme (POGIS). 

•  In  China,  our  joint  venture  won  an  award  from  the  Project 
Management  Institute  recognising  our  efforts  to  promote  an 
innovative  culture  and  to  reduce  complexity  for  our  customers, 
agents and employees. 

•  By 

leveraging  Quantum  capabilities,  Aviva  Singapore  has 
integrated  artificial  intelligence  driven  solutions  across  both 
pricing and distribution. These have contributed to both top line 
growth and bottom-line profit generation. 

Market context and challenges 
Driven  by  robust  macro  fundamentals  in  Asia,  regional  insurance 
markets  are  expected  to  continue  their  growth  despite  global 
economic  volatility.  We  continue  to  believe  that  the  long-term 
favourable trends of the rising middle-class, increasing awareness of 
retirement planning and a growing market in healthcare will persist 
across the region. We also believe Asia will continue to outperform 
other markets in insurance growth in the coming decade.  

Asia’s  rapid  growth  in  internet,  social  media  and  mobile  activities 
continued in 2019, and China is a leader in the technology revolution 
and digital applications. Today, digital has become an essential part 
of our daily lives and we are strongly encouraged by various Asian 
governments’  support  in  Fintech,  and  consumers  continued  rapid 
adoption. 

Following  the  outbreak  of  Coronavirus,  our  Asia  business  has 
implemented  safeguards  to  ensure  business  continuity  and 
supporting  the  wellbeing  of  our  customers,  colleagues  and 
communities. We continue to monitor developments closely.  

1  This is an Alternative Performance Measure (APM) which provides useful information to enhance the understanding of financial performance. Further information on APMs, including a reconciliation to the financial statements 

(where possible), can be found in the ‘Other Information’ section of the Annual report and accounts. 

Aviva plc Annual report and accounts 2019 
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Other information 
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Types of risk inherent to our business model 
Risks customers transfer to us 
•  Life  and  health  insurance  risk  includes  longevity  risk  (annuity 
customers living longer than we expect), mortality risk (customers 
with life protection), critical illness risk, expense risk (the amount it 
costs  us  to  administer  policies)  and  persistency  risk  (customers 
lapsing or surrendering their policies). 

•  General  insurance  risk  is  the  risk  arising  from  loss  events  (fire, 

flooding, windstorms, accidents etc). 

Risks arising from our investments 
•  Credit  risks  (actual  defaults  and  market  expectation  of  defaults) 
create  uncertainty  in  our  ability  to  offer  a  minimum  investment 
return on our investments. 

•  Liquidity risk is the risk of not being able to make payments when 
they  become  due  because  there  are  insufficient  assets  in  cash 
form. 

•  Market  risks  result  from  fluctuations  in  asset  values,  including 
equity  prices,  property  prices,  foreign  exchange,  inflation  and 
interest rates. 

Risks from our operations and other business risks 
•  Operational  risk  is  the  risk  of  direct  or  indirect  loss,  arising  from 
inadequate  or  failed  internal  processes,  people  and  systems,  or 
external events including changes in the regulatory environment. 
•  Asset management risk is the risk of customers redeeming funds, 
not investing with us, or switching funds, resulting in reduced fee 
income. 

Risk and risk management 

Risk and risk 
management 

Risk  management  is  key  to  Aviva’s  success.  We  accept  the  risks 
inherent  to  our  core  business  lines  of  life,  health  and  general 
insurance and asset management. We diversify these risks through 
our scale, geographic spread, the variety of the products and services 
we offer and the channels through which we sell them. 

We  receive  premiums  which  we  invest  to  maximise  risk-adjusted 
returns,  so  that  we  can  fulfil  our  promises  to  customers  while 
providing a return to our shareholders.  

In doing so we have a preference for retaining those risks we believe 
we are capable of managing to generate a return. 

Looking  forward,  these  risks  may  be  magnified  or  dampened  by 
current and emerging external trends (for example, climate change, 
cyber crime and political risks, such as Brexit) which may impact our 
current and longer term profitability and viability, in particular our 
ability to write profitable new business.  

This includes the risk of failing to adapt our business model to take 
advantage  of  these  trends.  The  ‘Principal  risk  trends  and  causal 
factors’  table  in  this  section  describes  these  trends,  their  impact, 
future outlook and how we manage these risks. 

How we manage risk 
Rigorous and consistent risk management is embedded across the 
Group  through  our  Risk  Management  Framework,  comprising  our 
systems  of  governance,  risk  management  processes  and  risk 
appetite framework. 

Our governance 
This  includes  risk  policies  and  business  standards,  risk  oversight 
committees and roles and responsibilities. Line management in the 
business is accountable for risk management which, together with 
the risk function and internal audit, form our ‘three lines of defence’. 
The roles and responsibilities of the Board Governance Committee1, 
Audit  and  Risk  Committees  and  management’s  Disclosure,  Asset 
Liability and Operational Risk Committees in relation to the oversight 
of risk management and internal control is set out in the ‘Directors’ 
and corporate governance report’ in the Annual report and accounts. 

Our process 
The  processes  we  use  to  identify,  measure,  manage,  monitor  and 
report  risks,  including  the  use  of  our  risk  models,  and  stress  and 
scenario  testing,  are  designed  to  enable  dynamic  risk-based 
decision-making and effective day-to-day risk management. Having 
identified and measured the risks of our business, depending on our 
risk appetite, we either accept these risks or take action to reduce, 
transfer or mitigate them. 

Our risk appetite framework 
This refers to the risks that we select in pursuit of return on capital 
deployed, the risks we accept but seek to minimise and the risks we 
seek  to  avoid  or  transfer  to  third  parties,  including  quantitative 
expressions of the level of risk we can support (e.g. the amount of 
capital we are prepared to put at risk). 

1  From 1 January 2020 the Committee has become Customer, Conduct and Reputation Committee. Further details are available in the Governance Report in the Annual Report and Accounts 

Aviva plc Annual report and accounts 2019 
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Other information 
Other information 
Other information 
Other information 
Other information 

Risk and risk management 

Continued 

Principal risk types 
The types of risk to which the Group is exposed have not changed significantly over the year and are described in the table below. All of the 
risks below, and in particular operational risks, may have an adverse impact on our brand and reputation. 

Risk type 

Risk preference 

Mitigation 

Credit risk 
•  Credit spread1 
•  Credit default 

Market risk 
•  Equity price1 
•  Property 
•  Interest rate 
•  Foreign exchange 
•  Inflation 

Life and health 
insurance risk 
•  Longevity1 
•  Persistency 
•  Mortality and 
morbidity 
•  Expenses 
General insurance 
risk 
•  Catastrophe 
•  Reserving (latent 
and non-latent) 

•  Underwriting 
•  Expenses 

Liquidity risk2 

Asset management 
risk 
•  Fund liquidity 
•  Performance and 

margin 
•  Product 
•  Retention risks 

We  take  a  balanced  approach  to 
credit  and  believe  we  have  the 
expertise  to  manage  it  and  the 
structural investment advantages 
conferred  to  insurers  with  long-
dated, relatively illiquid liabilities 
that  enables  us  to  earn  superior 
investment returns. 
We  actively  seek  some  market 
risks  as  part  of  our  investment 
and  product  strategy.  We  have  a 
limited  appetite  for  interest  rate 
and  property  risks  as  we  do  not 
believe that these are adequately 
rewarded. 

•  Risk appetites set to limit overall level of credit risk 
•  Credit limit framework imposes limits on credit concentration by issuer, sector 

and type of instrument 

•  Investment restrictions on certain sovereign and corporate exposures 
•  Credit risk hedging programme 
•  Specific asset de-risking 

•  Risk appetites set to limit exposures to key market risks 
•  Active asset management and hedging in business units 
•  Scalable Group-level equity and foreign exchange hedging programme 
•  Pension fund active risk management 
•  Asset and liability duration matching limits impact of interest rate changes and 

actions taken to manage guarantee risk, through product design 

We take measured amounts of life 
insurance  risk  provided  we  have 
the  appropriate  core  skills 
in 
underwriting and pricing.  

•  Risk selection and underwriting on acceptance of new business 
•  Longevity swaps covering pensioner-in-payment scheme liabilities 
•  Product design that ensures products and propositions meet customer needs 
•  Use  of  reinsurance  on  longevity  risk  for  our  annuity  business,  including  the 

bulk annuity buy-in transaction with Aviva staff pension scheme. 

We take general insurance risk in 
measured  amounts  for  explicit 
reward, in line with our core skills 
in  underwriting  and  pricing.  We 
have  a  preference  for  those  risks 
that we understand well, that are 
intrinsically  well  managed  and 
where there is a spread of risks in 
the 
same  category.  General 
insurance risk diversifies well with 
our Life Insurance and other risks.  

The  relatively  illiquid  nature  of 
insurance liabilities is a potential 
source  of  additional  investment 
return by allowing us to invest in 
higher  yielding,  but  less  liquid, 
assets 
commercial 
mortgages. 

such  as 

to 

specific 

Risks 
asset 
management should generally be 
reduced  to  as  low  a  level  as  is 
commercially  sensible,  on  the 
basis  that  taking  on  these  risks 
will  rarely  provide  us  with  an 
upside. 

•  Use of reinsurance to reduce the financial impact of a catastrophe and manage 

earnings volatility 

•  Application  of  robust  and  consistent  reserving  framework  to  derive  best 
estimate  with  results  subject  to  internal  and  external  review,  including 
independent reviews and audit reviews 

•  Extensive use of data, financial models and analysis to improve pricing and risk 

selection 

•  Underwriting  appetite  framework  linked  to  delegations  of  authority  that 

govern underwriting decisions and underwriting limits 

•  Product  development  and  management  framework  that  ensures  products 

and propositions meet customer needs 

•  Formal and documented claims management procedures 
•  Maintaining  committed  borrowing  facilities  (£1.65 billion  at  31  December 

2019) from banks 

•  Asset  liability  matching  methodology  develops  optimal  asset  portfolio 
maturity  structures  in  our  businesses  to  ensure  cash  flows  are  sufficient  to 
meet liabilities 

•  Commercial paper issuance 
•  Use  of  our  limit  framework  covering  minimum  liquidity  cover  ratio  and 

minimum Group Centre liquidity 

•  Contingency funding plan in place to address liquidity funding requirements 

in a significant stress scenario 

•  Product development and review process 
•  Investment performance and risk management oversight and review process 
•  Propositions based on customer needs 
•  Client relationship teams managing client retention risk 

1  Top three risks ranked by diversified Solvency II Solvency Capital Requirement 
2  Not quantifiable in terms of economic capital 

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Other information 
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Risk and risk management 

Continued 

Risk type 

Operational risk 
•  Conduct 
•  Legal & regulatory 
•  People 
•  Process 
•  Data security 
•  Technology 
•  Brand and 
Reputation 

Risk preference 
Operational risk should generally 
be reduced to as low a level as is 
commercially sensible. 

Operational risk will rarely 
provide us with an upside. 

Mitigation 
•  Application of enhanced business standards covering key processes 
•  Our Operational Risk & Control Management Framework which includes the 
tools, processes and standardised reporting necessary to identify, measure, 
manage, monitor and report on the operational risks and the controls in place 
to mitigate those risks within centrally set tolerances 

•  Enhanced scenario-based approach to determine appropriate level of capital 

to be held in respect of operational risks 

•  On-going  investment  in  simplifying  our  technology  estate  to  improve  the 
resilience and reliability of our systems and in IT security to protect ours and 
our customers’ data 

•  During 2019 we transitioned IT services to new data centres bringing disaster 

recovery risk back into tolerance 

Principal emerging trends and causal factors 
This table describes the emerging trends and causal factors impacting our inherent risks, their impact, future outlook and how we take action 
to manage these risks: 

Key trends and movement 
Economic  &  credit  cycle  –  uncertainty  over 
prospects for future macroeconomic growth, 
credit and current low interest rates, and the 
response  of  Central  Banks,  could  adversely 
impact  the  valuation  of  our  investments  or 
credit default experience as well as the level 
of  the  returns  we  can  offer  to  customers 
going  forwards  and  our  ability  to  profitably 
meet our promises of the past. 

Trend: Increasing 

impacted:  Credit  risk,  Market  risk, 

Risks 
Liquidity risk 

UK-EU  relations  (Free  Trade  Agreement 
uncertainty)  –  there  remains  considerable 
uncertainty over the outcome of negotiations 
over the UK’s future relationship with the EU, 
and  the  implications  for  our  operations, 
economic growth and productivity and in the 
longer term for financial services regulation, 
including Solvency II. 

Trend: Stable 

impacted:  Credit  risk,  Market  risk, 

Risks 
Operational risk 

Risk management 
Over  the  last  few  years  we  have  taken 
significant  steps  to  reduce  the  sensitivity  of 
our balance sheet to investment risks. While 
interest rate exposures are complex, we aim 
to  closely  duration-match  assets  and 
liabilities  and  take  additional  measures  to 
limit  interest  rate  risk.  We  hold  substantial 
capital against market risks, and we protect 
our  capital  with  a  variety  of  hedging 
strategies to reduce our sensitivity to shocks. 
We  regularly  monitor  our  exposures  and 
employ both formal and ad hoc processes to 
evaluate changing market conditions. Other 
actions  taken  in  the  past  include  reducing 
sales  of  products  with  guarantees  and 
shifting  our  sales  towards  protection  and 
unit-linked products. 

In  preparing  for  the  end  of  the  transition 
period on 31 December 2020 under the UK-
EU  withdrawal  agreement,  we  have  already 
taken the operational measures necessary to 
ensure continuous service to our customers. 
This  includes  addressing  the  loss  of  our 
ability  to  passport  business  into  the  EU 
through  insurance  portfolio  transfers  to  our 
business  in  Ireland  and  expansion  of  our 
business  in  Luxembourg  to  serve  our  EEA 
asset  management  clients  and  funds,  and 
amending contractual terms for data sharing 
to  allow  continued  uninterrupted  flow  of 
personal  data  between  our  EU  businesses 
and  the  UK.  We  have  contingency  plans  to 
restructure our businesses in case the UK is 
not  considered  Solvency  II  equivalent  and 
restrictions to asset management delegation 
rights as a non-EU manager. 

Outlook 
During  2019,  interest  rates  reached  record 
lows in many eurozone economies, requiring 
further management action in our businesses 
in France and Italy. We expect rates to remain 
at low levels for some time to come and we 
continue  to  manage  our  key  exposures, 
specifically  in  Italy,  France  and  Asia.  While 
asset returns had a strong run, a number of 
economists have warned we are approaching 
the end of this credit cycle. In addition, there 
continues to be significant geopolitical risks 
that  will  have  knock  on 
to 
economies  and  financial  markets,  including 
Brexit and the threat of both trade wars and 
actual wars. 

impacts 

As 2020 progresses we expect greater clarity 
to emerge over the terms of any future UK-EU 
free  trade  agreement  and  other  aspects  of 
the future relationship and the extent, if at all, 
to  which  financial  and  other  services  are 
included. There is a risk that financial services 
are included in a way that leaves the UK as a 
“rule  taker”  of  EU  regulation,  which  would 
negatively impact on the ability for the UK to 
calibrate  financial  services  rules  for  UK 
market  needs.  There  is  also  a  risk  that 
negotiations fail to conclude by 31 December 
2020, the end of the transition period under 
the  withdrawal  agreement,  and  without  an 
extension to negotiations the UK may need to 
revert to trading on World Trade Organisation 
terms.  Any  agreement  may  require  an 
implementation period after 2020. While the 
ultimate  outcome  remains  uncertain,  we 
expect UK financial markets to be volatile and 
macroeconomic growth subdued.  

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IFRS financial statements 
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Other information 
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Other information 

Risk and risk management 

Continued 

Key trends and movement 
Changes  in  public  policy  –  any  change  in 
public  policy  (government  or  regulatory) 
for,  and 
could 
the  demand 
In  some 
profitability  of,  our  products. 
markets there are (or could be in the future) 
restrictions  and  controls  on  premium  rates, 
rating factors and charges. 

influence 

Trend: Volatile 

Risks impacted: Operational risk  

this 

Risk management 
We  actively  engage  with  governments  and 
regulators  in  the  development  of  public 
to 
policy  and  regulation.  We  do 
understand  how  public  policy  may  change 
and to help ensure better outcomes for our 
customers  and  the  Company.  The  Group’s 
multi-channel  distribution  and  product 
strategy  and  geographic  diversification 
underpin  the  Group’s  adaptability  to  public 
policy risk, and often provides a hedge to the 
risk.  For  example,  since 
the  end  of 
compulsory annuitisation in the UK, we have 
compensated  for  falling  sales  of  individual 
annuities by increasing sales of other pension 
products  –  particularly  bulk  purchase 
annuities. 

Outlook 
Following  the  decisive  general  election 
victory, the new UK government has a clear 
mandate  on  Brexit,  and  a  relatively  pro-
business  stance  more  generally.  We  believe 
that  a  relatively  hard  Brexit  with  minimal 
alignment  to  the  EU  is  likely  by  the  end  of 
2020. Within the domestic agenda there are 
tax,  pensions 
potential 
regulatory 
legislation 
intervention (particularly on GI pricing). 

risks  around 

increasing 

and 

In the EU there is a review of Solvency II, the 
key regulatory regime for EU insurers. A new 
EU Commission has an ambitious agenda for 
climate 
Artificial 
Intelligence/data regulation which may bring 
regulatory changes directly impacting on our 
businesses in the EU and in a post Brexit UK 
indirectly. 

change 

and 

New  technologies  &  data  –  failure  to 
understand  and  react  to  the  impact  of  new 
technology  and 
its  effect  on  customer 
behaviour  and  how  we  distribute  products 
in  our  business 
could  potentially  result 
model  becoming  obsolete.  Failure  to  keep 
pace  with  the  use  of  data  to  price  more 
accurately  and  to  detect  insurance  fraud 
could lead to loss of competitive advantage 
and underwriting losses. 

Trend: Increasing 

Risks impacted: Operational risk 

Climate  change  –  potentially  resulting  in 
higher than expected weather-related claims 
(including  business  continuity  claims)  and 
inaccurate pricing of general insurance risk, 
as  well  as  adversely  impacting  economic 
growth and investment markets. 

Trend: Increasing 

impacted:  General 

Risks 
Credit risk, Market risk 

insurance  risk, 

Cyber  crime  –  criminals  may  attempt  to 
access  our  IT  systems  to  steal  or  utilise 
company  and  customer  data,  or  plant 
malware viruses, in order to access customer 
or  company  funds,  and/or  damage  our 
reputation and brand. 

Trend: Increasing 

Risks impacted: Operational risk 

Data  creation  is  likely  to  continue  to  grow, 
while  effective  use  of  “Big  data”  through 
artificial intelligence and advanced analytics 
will  increasingly  become  a  critical  driver  of 
competitive  advantage  for 
insurers,  and 
subject to increasing regulatory scrutiny. 

The competitive threat to traditional insurers 
is likely to increase with the potential for big 
low  cost 
technology  companies  and 
innovative  digital  start-ups  to  enter  the 
insurance  market,  where 
previously 
underwriting  capability,  risk  selection  and 
required  capital  have  proven  to  be  a 
sufficient barrier to entry.  

Global  average  temperatures  over  the  last 
five  years  have  been  the  hottest  on  record. 
Despite  the  UNFCCC  Paris  agreement,  the 
current trend of increasing CO2e emissions is 
expected  to  continue,  in  the  absence  of 
radical  action  by  governments,  with  global 
temperatures  likely  to  exceed  pre-industrial 
levels  by  at  least  2oC  and  weather  events 
(floods, droughts, windstorms) increasing in 
frequency  and 
severity.  Disclosure  of 
potential  impacts  against  various  climate 
scenarios  and  time  horizons  will  become 
increasingly common for all companies.  

In  2019  there  continued  to  be  high  profile 
cyber security incidents for corporates in the 
is 
UK  and  elsewhere  and  Cyber  threat 
expected  to  persist  in  2020  from  multiple 
sources, including cyber criminals and rogue 
increasing 
states, 
of 
with 
levels 
sophistication 
industrialisation 
and 
anticipated. Aviva continuously monitors the 
external  threat  environment  to  ensure  that 
our Cyber investment remains appropriate to 
mitigate the continued and changing nature 
of the cyber threat. 

to 

journey, 

improve 

Our  data  science  capabilities 
facilitate 
market leading innovation in the use of data 
the 
analytics 
significantly 
our 
customer 
understanding  of  how  customers  interact 
with  us,  and  improve  underwriting  margins. 
Our  Data  Charter  sets  out  our  public 
commitment  to  use  data  responsibly  and 
securely.  Considerable  work  is  going  into 
modernising our legacy infrastructure. 

improve 

We  are  actively  engaged  in  public  policy 
debate  on  the  risks  and  impacts  of  climate 
change  to  our  business  and  customers.  We 
use  reinsurance  to  reduce  the  financial 
impact of catastrophic weather events. In the 
UK,  our  flood  mapping  analytics  helps  us 
identify properties most at risk and improve 
our 
responsible 
selection.  Our 
investment strategy ensures climate change, 
as  well  as  other  environmental  and  social 
issues  are  integrated  into  our  investment 
decisions.  You  can  read  more  about  the 
physical, transition and liability risks we face 
as an asset owner, insurer and asset manager 
in our ‘Climate-related financial disclosure’. 

risk 

Aviva  has  invested  significantly  in  Cyber 
security  introducing  additional  automated 
controls  to  protect  our  data  and  critical  IT 
services.  This  investment  has  enhanced  our 
ability to identify, detect and prevent Cyber-
attacks  and  we  regularly  test  ourselves 
through  our  own  ‘white  hat’  hackers  to  test 
our  Cyber  defences  and  crisis  management 
protocols.  Aviva  encourages  a  Cyber  aware 
culture  by  regularly  undertaking  activities 
such  as  employee  phishing  exercises, 
computer-based  training  and  more  regular 
communications  about 
specific  Cyber 
threats. 

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IFRS financial statements 
IFRS financial statements 
IFRS financial statements 
IFRS financial statements 
IFRS financial statements 

Other information 
Other information 
Other information 
Other information 
Other information 

Risk and risk management 

Continued 

Key trends and movement 
Medical  advances  and  healthier  lifestyles 
–  these  contribute  to  an  increase  in  life 
expectancy  of  our  annuity  customers  and 
thus future payments over their lifetime may 
be higher than we currently expect. 

Trend: Stable 

Risks impacted: Life insurance risk (longevity) 

Risk management 
We monitor our own experience carefully and 
analyse external population data to identify 
emerging  trends.  Detailed  analysis  of  the 
factors  that  influence  mortality  informs  our 
pricing  and  reserving  policies.  We  add 
qualitative  medical  expert  inputs  to  our 
statistical  analysis  and  analyse 
factors 
influencing mortality and trends in mortality 
by  cause  of  death.  We  also  use  longevity 
swaps  to  hedge  some  of  the  longevity  risk 
from  the  Aviva  Staff  Pension  Scheme  and 
longevity  reinsurance  for  bulk  purchase 
annuities  and  for  some  of  our  individual 
annuity business.  

Changes  in  customer  behaviour  –  will 
impact how customers wish to interact with 
us  and  the  product  offering  they  expect, 
including the exercise of options embedded 
in contracts already sold by us. 

Trend: Stable 

Risks impacted: Operational risk  

We listen to our customers to ensure we meet 
insurance 
their  savings,  retirement  and 
needs. We also seek to improve the way we 
serve  our  customers  by  simplifying  our 
interactions  with  them,  resolving  queries  at 
their first point of contact where appropriate 
and enhancing our digital capabilities.  

providers 

Outsourcing  –  we  rely  on  a  number  of 
business 
outsourcing 
processes,  customer  servicing,  investment 
operations  and  IT  support.  The  failure  of  a 
critical  outsourcing  provider  could  disrupt 
our operations. 

for 

Trend: Stable 

Risks impacted: Operational risk  
Pandemic  –  in  an  increasingly  globalised 
world, new or mutations of existing bacteria 
or  viruses  may  be  difficult  for  stretched 
healthcare  systems  to  contain,  disrupting 
national  economies  and  affecting  our 
operations  and  the  health  and  mortality  of 
our customers. 

Trend: Increasing 

Risk impacted: Market, Credit, Life Insurance 
risk (mortality, longevity, morbidity), General 
Insurance (business interruption, travel) and 
Operational risk. 

sheet 

identify 
Our  businesses  are  required  to 
functions 
critical  outsourced 
business 
(internal and external) and for each to have 
exit  and  termination  plans,  and  business 
continuity  and  disaster  recovery  plans  in 
place  in  the  event  of  supplier  failure,  which 
are  reviewed  annually.  We  also  carry  out 
supplier  financial  stability  reviews  at  least 
annually. 
We have taken significant steps to reduce the 
to 
sensitivity  of  our  balance 
market/credit  risks  and  have  contingency 
plans which are designed to reduce as far as 
possible  the  impact  on  operational  service 
arising  from  mass  staff  absenteeism,  travel 
restrictions  and  supply  chain  disruption 
caused by a pandemic. We reinsure much of 
the  mortality  risk  arising  from  our  Life 
Protection business and hold capital to cover 
the  risk  of  a  1-in-200  year  pandemic  event. 
We model extreme pandemic scenarios such 
as  a  repeat  of  the  1918  Spanish  Influenza 
pandemic.  In  the  Group  and  commercial 
insurance  business  we  limit  our  potential 
exposure through our policy wordings. As an 
investor,  we 
investment  manager  and 
engage  with  companies  to  ensure  the 
responsible  use  of  antibiotics  to  reduce  the 
risk that antimicrobial resistance negate the 
efficacy of medical treatment. 

Aviva plc Annual report and accounts 2019 
48 

Outlook 
There 
is  considerable  uncertainty  as  to 
whether the improvements in life expectancy 
that have been experienced over the last 40 
years  will  continue  into  the  future.  Despite 
continued  medical  advances  emerging, 
dietary  changes, 
increasing  obesity  and 
strains on public health services have begun 
to slow this trend, leading in the UK to some 
significant  industry-wide  longevity  reserve 
releases  in  recent  years.  In  the  longer  term 
this may even result in a reversal in the trend 
of  increasing  life  expectancy.  Although  the 
latest  analysis  of  population  data  indicates 
much lighter mortality in 2019 compared to 
2018,  which  is  a  marked  change  to  the 
experience seen during the past decade. 
We  expect  customers  will  be  much  more  in 
control,  expecting  to  self-service  and  self-
solve.  They  will  want  to  access  data  and 
insight  and  use 
it  to  guide  their  own 
decisions.  However,  we  also  expect 
regulatory scrutiny to increase to ensure we 
continue  to  serve  and  treat  our  existing 
customers  fairly  particularly  those  who  are 
vulnerable and less digitally aware.  

We expect regulatory scrutiny of outsourcing 
arrangements  to  remain  following  financial 
difficulties  faced  by some  providers,  as  well 
as  customer  service  issues  following  the 
migration  of  our  third  party  provided  IT 
platform in the UK.  

2020 has begun with the outbreak of a new 
strain  of  the  Coronavirus  in  China.  With 
confirmed  cases  in  more  than  50  countries 
including  all  of  those  in  which  Aviva  has 
material  businesses.  There  is  a  risk  of  a 
significant  global  pandemic  and  economic 
travel 
disruption.  We  have 
restrictions  on  staff  and  a  work-from-home 
self-quarantine  regime  for  staff  who  have 
recently visited infected regions. In addition 
we  have  reviewed  the  exposure  of  our 
balance  sheet,  and  are  taking  actions  to 
further  reduce  our  sensitivity  to  economic 
shocks. 

imposed 

Notwithstanding  our  robust  capital  and 
liquidity  position  and  the  operational  and 
financial  actions  that  we  are  taking,  a 
deterioration 
in  the  situation,  and  the 
consequent  impacts  on  financial  markets, 
our insurance exposures and our operations, 
would  have  adverse  implications  for  our 
businesses. 

Going  forward,  increasing  migration  and 
international travel is expected to make the 
containment  of  future  pandemics  more 
challenging. 

 
 
 
Strategic report 
Strategic report 
Strategic report 
Strategic report 

Governance 
Governance 
Governance 
Governance 

IFRS financial statements 
IFRS financial statements 
IFRS financial statements 
IFRS financial statements 

Other information 
Other information 
Other information 
Other information 

Capital management  

Capital management 

Overview  
Group capital is represented by Solvency II own funds. The Group manages capital in conjunction with its solvency capital requirements 
(SCR), and seeks to, on a consistent basis: 

•  Maintain sufficient, but not excessive, financial strength in accordance with risk appetite, to support new business growth and satisfy the 
requirements of our regulators and other stakeholders giving both our customers and shareholders assurance of our financial strength 
•  Retain financial flexibility by maintaining strong liquidity, access to a range of capital markets and significant unutilised committed credit 

lines 

•  Manage an appropriate level of leverage to ensure an efficient capital structure 
•  Allocate capital rigorously to support value adding growth and repatriate excess capital where appropriate 
•  Operate a sustainable dividend policy with reference to factors including growth in cash flow and capital generation 

The  Solvency  II  position  disclosed  is  based  on  a  ‘shareholder  view’.  The  shareholder  view  is  considered  by  management  to  be  more 
representative  of  the  shareholders’  risk  exposure  and  the  Group’s  ability  to  cover  the  SCR  with  eligible  own  funds  and  aligns  with 
management’s approach to dynamically manage its capital position. In arriving at the shareholder position, a number of adjustments are 
typically made to the regulatory Solvency II position. The Group Solvency II capital position, including these adjustments, is summarised in 
the table below:  

Estimated Solvency II regulatory surplus as at 31 December  
Adjustments for: 
Fully ring-fenced with-profit funds  
Staff pension schemes in surplus 
Notional reset of the transitional measure on technical provisions (TMTP) 
Pro forma adjustments1 

Estimated Solvency II shareholder surplus at 31 December 

Own funds  
2019 
£m 

SCR  
2019 
£m 

Surplus  
2019 
£m 

Own funds  
2018 
£m 

SCR  
2018 
£m 

Surplus  
2018 
£m 

28,347  (15,517)  12,830 

27,567 

(15,339)  12,228 

(2,501)  2,501 
(1,181)  1,181 
— 
(75) 

— 
(117) 

— 
— 
— 
(192) 

24,548  (11,910)  12,638 

(2,634) 
(1,142) 
(127) 
(113) 
23,551 

2,634 
1,142 
— 
(6) 

— 
— 
(127) 
(119) 

(11,569)  11,982 

1  The 31 December 2019 Solvency II position includes three pro forma adjustments that relate to the disposal of FPI (£nil impact on surplus), the disposal of Hong Kong (£nil impact on surplus) and the potential impact of an 
expected change to Solvency II regulations on the treatment of equity release mortgages (£0.2 billion decrease in surplus as a result of an increase in SCR). The 31 December 2018 Solvency II position includes the pro forma 
impact of the disposal of FPI (£0.1 billion increase in surplus) and the potential impact of an expected change to Solvency II regulations on the treatment of equity release mortgages (£0.2 billion reduction in surplus as a result 
of an increase in SCR).  

The estimated Solvency II cover ratio1 is 206% at 31 December 2019 (2018: 204%). 

The movement in the Solvency II shareholder surplus over the period is shown in the table below:  

Shareholder view 

Group Solvency II surplus at 1 January 
Operating capital generation 
Non-operating capital generation 
Dividends 
Share buy-back 
Hybrid debt repayments 
Acquired/divested business 

Estimated Solvency II surplus at 31 December 

Own funds  
2019 
£m 

23,551 
2,257 
178 
(1,222) 
— 
(210) 
(6) 

SCR  
2019 
£m 

(11,569) 
2 
(362) 
— 
— 
— 
19 

Surplus  
2019 
£m 

11,982 
2,259 
(184) 
(1,222) 
— 
(210) 
13 

24,548 

(11,910) 

12,638 

Solvency II operating capital generation1 (OCG) measures the amount of Solvency II capital the Group generates from operating activities. 
Capital generated enhances Solvency II surplus which can be used to support sustainable cash remittances1 from our business, which in turn 
supports  the  Group’s  progressive  dividend  as  well  as  funding  investments  that  provide  sustainable  growth.  The  OCG1  by  market  is 
summarised in the table below: 

Operating capital generation1 

UK Life (including UK Savings & Retirement) 
Aviva Investors 
General Insurance 
Europe Life  
Asia Life 
Group centre, debt costs and Other  
Total Group Solvency II operating capital generation1 

2019 
£m 
1,170 
90 
574 
754 
60 
(389) 
2,259 

2018  
 £m 

1,821 
126 
647 
724 
55 
(175) 

3,198 

1  This is an Alternative Performance Measure (APM) which provides useful information to enhance the understanding of financial performance. Further information on APMs, including a reconciliation to the financial statements 

(where possible), can be found in the ‘Other Information’ section of the Annual report and accounts. 

Aviva plc Annual report and accounts 2019 
49 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Strategic report 
Strategic report 
Strategic report 
Strategic report 

Governance 
Governance 
Governance 
Governance 

IFRS financial statements 
IFRS financial statements 
IFRS financial statements 
IFRS financial statements 

Other information 
Other information 
Other information 
Other information 

Capital management 

Continued 

Solvency II own funds 
One of the objectives of capital management is to maintain an efficient capital structure using a combination of equity shareholders’ funds, 
preference share capital, subordinated debt and borrowings, in a manner consistent with our risk profile and the regulatory and market 
requirements of our business. The table below provides a summary of the Group’s regulatory Solvency II own funds by Tier:  

Regulatory view 

Unrestricted Tier 1 
Restricted Tier 1 
Tier 2 
Tier 31 
Total regulatory own funds2 

2019  
£m 

20,377 
1,839 
5,794 
337 
28,347 

2018 
 £m 

19,312 
2,096 
5,811 
348 

27,567 

1  Tier 3 regulatory own funds at 31 December 2019 consists of £259 million subordinated debt (2018: £253 million) plus £78 million net deferred tax assets (2018: £95 million). 
2  Regulation was introduced in France that allows French insurers to place the Provision pour Participation aux Excedents (PPE) into Solvency II own funds. The PPE has been included in the France local regulatory own funds in 

2019 but it is not included in the Group regulatory own funds. 

•  Unrestricted Tier 1 capital includes Aviva’s ordinary share capital and share premium which are high quality instruments with principal loss 
absorbing features such as permanence, subordination, undated, absence of redemption incentives, mandatory costs and encumbrances 
•  Restricted Tier 1 includes Aviva’s direct capital instrument (DCI), preference shares and subordinated debt. None of these instruments 

include principal loss absorbency features and all qualify as restricted Tier 1 capital under transitional provisions 

•  Tier 2 capital consists of dated subordinated debt. The features of Tier 2 capital include subordination, a minimum duration of 10 years 
with no contractual opportunity to redeem within 5 years, absence of redemption incentives and mandatory costs and encumbrances 
•  Tier 3 capital consists of subordinated debt and net deferred tax assets after taking into account the ability to offset assets against deferred 

tax liabilities. The features of Tier 3 capital include subordination and a minimum duration of 5 years 

Capital and liquidity risk appetite  
The Group’s economic capital risk appetite is set in terms of our Solvency II shareholder cover ratio1. Our Solvency II cover ratio1 working 
range is 160%-180%.  

More recently, our Solvency II cover ratio1 has typically been in a range of 190-210%, above our working range. If the ratio was to remain above 
200% for an extended period we have scope for additional actions such as further debt reduction or additional investment in business growth 
and change. Similarly, if the ratio reduced to below the bottom of the working range, we would consider improvement actions which include 
derisking and reprioritisation of growth initiatives.  

Our businesses are capitalised based on their regulatory minimum levels with further prudent volatility buffers specific to each entity. Market 
local capital appetites and working ranges are reviewed regularly by local boards. Our Group cash remittance policy is that business units 
should  pay  down  to  the  bottom  of  their  respective  working  ranges  based  on  up-to-date  assessments  of  their  capital  positions.  This  is 
consistent with our preference to hold excess capital at centre to improve fungibility and underpins the upstreaming of excess business unit 
capital via additional remittances seen in recent years.  

We actively manage our centre liquidity and we have defined a liquidity risk appetite that sets a minimum level of centre liquid assets to be 
held at all times. In addition, we stress our forecast levels of centre liquid assets in order to ensure that we would still able to meet our 
commitments to pay a progressive dividend and meet our deleveraging ambitions if a liquidity event were to occur. 

Capital deployment and allocation framework 
The Group’s economic value-added (EVA) framework ensures that we deploy our capital based on a robust assessment of value creation. EVA 
is calculated as the own funds generated less the Group’s cost of capital and this EVA approach is closely related to our Solvency II return on 
equity1 metric. 

We  use  EVA  to  support  strategic  decision  making,  such  as  transformation  projects  or  M&A,  business  capital  allocation,  pricing,  hedging, 
reinsurance and asset allocation. We also use EVA to support a detailed review of each segment of the group to inform strategic planning and 
performance management.  

When making capital allocation decisions in addition to EVA we consider other key metrics including cash remittances1, OCG1 and Group 
adjusted operating profit1.  

1  This is an Alternative Performance Measure (APM) which provides useful information to enhance the understanding of financial performance. Further information on APMs, including a reconciliation to the financial statements 

(where possible), can be found in the ‘Other Information’ section of the Annual report and accounts. 

Aviva plc Annual report and accounts 2019 
50 

 
Strategic report 

Governance 

IFRS financial statements 

Other information 

Our climate-related financial disclosure 

Our climate-related 
financial disclosure 

As an international insurance group, our sustainability and financial 
strength is underpinned by an effective risk management framework. 
Our business is directly impacted by the effects of the climate crisis. 
We believe that unmitigated climate-related risks present a systemic 
threat  to  societal  and  financial  stability  and  therefore  to  our 
business, over the coming decades. 

response 

reflects  Aviva’s  2019 

This  disclosure 
the 
recommendations  of  the  Taskforce  on  Climate-related  Financial 
Disclosures  (TCFD).  It  sets  out  how  Aviva  incorporates  climate-
related  risks  and  opportunities  into  governance,  strategy,  risk 
management,  metrics  and  targets  and  how  we  are  responding  to 
new regulatory requirements. These pages, along with the expanded 
report, are available at www.aviva.com/TCFD.  

to 

Governance 
Aviva  has  built  a  strong  system  of  governance,  with  effective  and 
robust  controls.  In  2019  we  updated  the  Senior  Management 
Function’s  Statements  of  Responsibilities  in  line  with  the  PRA’s 
Supervisory  Statement  3/191.  The  regulated  entities’  Chief  Risk 
Officers (CROs) are responsible for ensuring that climate-related risks 
and opportunities are identified, monitored and managed through 
Aviva’s  risk  management  framework  and  in  line  with  our  risk 
appetite.  The  Group  CRO  is  responsible  for  overseeing,  at  Group 
level, the embedding of the risk management framework. To support 
the  CROs  in  meeting  regulatory  expectations,  we  have  initiated  a 
group-wide  climate-related  risks  and  opportunities  project.  The 
Group CRO is the executive sponsor of the project.  

The  Board  Risk  Committee  and  Board  Governance  Committee2 
oversee our management of climate-related risks and opportunities. 
The Board Risk Committee2 met six times in 2019 to review, manage 
and  monitor  all  aspects  of  risk  management,  including  climate-
related risks and opportunities. The Board Governance Committee2 
met four times in 2019 to oversee how Aviva meets its corporate and 
societal obligations.  

integrated 

In 2019, we updated our risk policies and business planning process 
to ensure the assessment of climate-related risks and opportunities 
into  our  overall  strategy,  decision-making,  risk 
is 
management  and  reporting  frameworks.  Local  markets  have  also 
responded  to  local  regulations  (e.g.  Article  173  in  France  and  the 
PRA’s  climate  change  Insurance  Stress  Test).  In  2019  papers 
considering the impact of climate change on our business have been 
presented to Board committees across the group (e.g. the outcomes 
of the PRA’s climate change Insurance Stress Test were presented to 
the UK Life and UK GI Risk Committees). 

As  part  of  our  regular  Board  training  programme,  Aviva’s  climate-
related  risks  and  opportunities  are  presented  to  the  Board.  This 
training  equips  the  Board  to  give  appropriate  direction  to  the 
company and ensure actions are taken to identify, measure, manage, 
monitor and report these risks and opportunities. 

Strategy 
Having achieved the targets set as part of our 2015 strategic response 
to  climate  change,  this  year  our  climate  strategy  took  another 
important step forward. We are widening the scope from primarily 
focusing  on  investments,  to  create  a  broader,  joined-up  four-pillar 
approach  covering  investments,  insurance,  our  operations  and 
influence.  

Aviva is a trusted climate leader. We commit to aligning our business 
to the 1.5°C Paris target3 and to be a net zero asset owner by4 2050. 
Our businesses will seek to develop and offer further climate-friendly 
products. We also commit to further cutting our operational carbon 
impact, as well as using our influence to help tackle climate change. 
This strategy is aligned to our Company Purpose ‘With you today, for 
a  better  tomorrow’  and  will  be  implemented  as  part  of  the  Group 
Business Strategy. 

Investments  –  There  are  three  ways  in  which  Aviva  is  involved  in 
investments i.e. as an asset owner, a long-term savings and pensions 
provider and as an asset manager. 
•  As  an  asset  owner,  we  seek  to  align  our  investments  with  a 
pathway  towards  net  zero  carbon  emissions  and  ensure 
consistency with the Paris target. We have signed-up to key global 
commitments such as the UN Net Zero Asset Owners Alliance. We 
are  working  with  the  industry  to  define  methodologies  and 
milestones  with  respect  to  these  commitments  and  plan  to 
increase  our  level  of  investment  in  low  carbon  infrastructure 
through to 2030; in addition to our £3.8 billion investments since 
2015. We use our shareholder influence to encourage companies 
to  transition  to  a  low  carbon  economy  and  divest  from  highly 
carbon-intensive fossil fuel companies where we consider they are 
not making sufficient progress towards the engagement goals set. 
We  engaged  with an  initial  set  of  40  companies  where  Aviva  has 
beneficial  holdings,  and  which  have  >30%  of  their  business  (by 
revenue)  associated  with  thermal  coal  mining  or  coal  power 
generation. By the start of 2020 we had divested Aviva’s own assets 
from 18 thermal coal mining and power generation companies; we 
are prepared to add further companies to our Investment Stoplist 
to limit our exposure to this and other carbon intensive sectors. 
•  For long-term savings and pensions, we integrate consideration 
of  long-term  issues  into  the  products  and  services  we  offer.  We 
continue  to  develop  our  customer  Environmental,  Social  and 
Governance (ESG) strategy, and offer climate friendly and ethical 
funds such as the stewardship fund range.  

•  As an asset manager, Aviva Investors (AI) integrates consideration 
of  ESG  factors  into  the  investment  process  to  deliver  long-term 
sustainable  and  superior  investment  outcomes  for  customers 
whilst adhering to their mandate. AI is developing a range of funds 
that support the climate change transition. In 2019, AI launched the 
European Equity Climate Transition Fund, which whilst excluding 
investments  in  companies  with  exposure  to  high  carbon  fossil 
fuels,  invests  in  companies  that  provide  solutions  for  climate 
mitigation/adaptation; or are orientating their business models to 
be successful in adapting to a warmer world, and supporting the 
transition to a low-carbon economy. In 2019 we integrated the T-
Risk  methodology5  into  our  real  assets’  assessment  process  and 
continued  to  integrate  climate  issues  into  our  voting  strategy  by 
withholding support for high carbon emitting companies that do 
not publish TCFD disclosures. 

1  Prudential Regulation Authority’s (PRA) Supervisory Statement – ‘Enhancing bank’s and insurers’ approaches to managing the financial risks from climate change’ 
2  From 1 January 2020 the Committee has become Customer, Conduct and Reputation Committee. Further details are available in the Governance Report in the Annual Report and Accounts 
3  The 1.5C target was set as an aspiration by the global Paris climate change deal in 2015 to limit the damage wreaked by acute events such as extreme weather and chronic events such as sea level rise. 
4  Reduce the carbon emissions of our investment portfolio to net-zero 
5  T-risk is a model using research inputs from in-house as well as academia, consultants, civil society, peers to rate the 159 GICS (Global Industry Classification System) sub-industries on their risk exposure to both physical and 

decarbonisation risks through their value chain 

Aviva plc Annual report and accounts 2019 
51 

 
 
 
Strategic report 
Strategic report 
Strategic report 
Strategic report 

Governance 
Governance 
Governance 
Governance 

IFRS financial statements 
IFRS financial statements 
IFRS financial statements 
IFRS financial statements 

Other information 
Other information 
Other information 
Other information 

Our climate-related financial disclosure 

Continued 

Insurance – We seek to grasp opportunities to support the transition 
to a low carbon economy and promote activities that will secure a 
better  future  for  our  customers  and  wider  society.  We  develop 
‘climate conscious’ products across Aviva, which reward customers 
for  environmentally  responsible  actions,  provide  an  element  of 
adaptation/resilience or additional cover for those customers at risk 
of the extreme weather impacts of climate change. For example, we 
offer products and services that support customers’ choices such as 
bespoke  electric  vehicle  policies  (France),  reduce  premiums  for 
customers  who  opt  to  use  public  transport  (France),  support  the 
sharing  economy  (Canada),  cover  solar  panels  on  residential 
insurance policies without charging an additional premium (UK GI). 
Last  year,  Aviva  confirmed  we  would  stop  underwriting  fossil  fuel 
power  generation  worldwide  and  has  recently  launched  its  whole 
lifecycle insurance for renewable energy companies. We  continue 
to  reduce  the  environmental  impact  of  our  claims  process  and 
implement  changes  which  benefit  the  customer  and  minimise  the 
amount of waste to landfill or recycling.  

Operations – Our operations have been carbon neutral since 2006, 
through  reducing  our  emissions  year-on-year  and  offsetting  any 
remaining  emissions.  Our  ambition  over  time  is  that  our  business 
operations  should  have  positive  climate  impact.  We  have  already 
reduced  our  emissions  by  66%1  since  2010  and  have  a  long-term 
reduction target of 70% by 2030. We are committed to using 100% 
renewable electricity by 2025 (via our RE100 commitment2). In 2019, 
we  commissioned  a  ‘first  of  its  kind  in  the  UK’  solar  carport 
installation  for  our  Norwich  office,  which  with  the  right  weather 
conditions  removes  our  reliance  on  the  National  Grid  and  feeds 
surplus electricity back into the grid. In 2019 our carport produced 40 
GWh  of  electricity,  of  which  3.8  GWh  was  exported  to  the  grid.  We 
have  identified  two  further  locations  for  the  installation  of  solar 
carports  which  will  come  on-stream  in  2020.  We  have  planning 
permission for a wind turbine at our Perth office, which through the 
combination of the existing solar array, new solar carport and battery 
storage will take the location off-grid. 

Influence – Aviva continues to provide strong and vocal support for 
capital market reform, to mobilise the trillions of pounds required to 
transition  to  a  low  carbon  economy  and  correct  existing  market 
failures with respect to climate change. 

We encourage policymakers and regulators to change the financial 
system so markets reward sustainable investments and sustainable 
businesses.  Aviva’s  CEO  spoke  about  climate  at  the  UN  High-level 
Dialogue Financing for Development Forum, which was convened by 
the  UN  General  Assembly  in  September  2019.  He  highlighted  the 
need for strategic asset allocation for governments and the private 
sector,  the  need  for  free  public  league  tables  e.g.  the  World 
Benchmarking  Alliance,  the  need  for  subsidies  to  be  in  the  right 

places  and  the  responsibility  of  financial  advisors  to  have  to  ask 
customers  for  their  views  on  how  their  money  is  invested.  We 
launched our report “A Marshall Plan for the Planet”, which develops 
these ideas, during the UN General Assembly. 

Risk management 
Rigorous and consistent risk management is embedded across Aviva 
through our risk management framework, comprising our systems of 
governance, and risk management processes. This framework sets 
out how Aviva identifies, measures, manages, monitors and reports 
on the risks to which it is, or could be, exposed (including climate-
related risks). Aviva considers climate change to be one of the most 
material long-term risks to our business model, and its impacts are 
already being felt. 

Given its materiality and proximity, we are acting now to mitigate and 
manage the impacts of climate change both today and in the future. 
Through these actions, Aviva continues to build resilience to climate-
related  transition,  physical  and  liability  risks.  Aviva  has  developed 
models and tools to assess the potential impact on our business of 
the  four 
Intergovernmental  Panel  on  Climate  Change  (IPCC) 
scenarios.  Each  IPCC  scenario  describes  a  potential  trajectory  for 
future levels of greenhouse gases and other air pollutants. These can 
be mapped to likely temperature rises: 1.5°C (aggressive mitigation), 
2°C (strong mitigation), 3°C (some mitigation) and 4°C (business as 
usual). 

Aviva calculates a Climate Value-at-Risk (Climate VaR) for each IPCC 
scenario to assess the climate-related risks and opportunities over 
the next 15 years with the ability to look at shorter time periods (three 
to  five  years)  where  appropriate.  A  range  of  different  financial 
indicators  are  used  to  assess  the  impact  on  our  investments  and 
insurance liabilities. These impacts are aggregated to determine the 
overall impact across all scenarios by assigning relative likelihoods 
or probabilities to each scenario. Climate VaR includes the financial 
impact  of  transition  risks  and  opportunities.  This  covers  the 
projected costs of policy action related to limiting greenhouse gas 
emissions  as  well  as  projected  profits  from  green  revenues  arising 
from  developing  new  technologies  and  patents.  In  addition,  it 
captures the financial impact of physical risks from extreme weather 
(e.g. flood, windstorm and wildfires) as well as chronic effects (e.g. 
the  impact  of  rising  sea  levels  and  temperature),  although  we 
recognise that the most extreme physical effects will only be felt in 
the second half of the century. Our UK Life and UK GI businesses have 
also  participated  in  the  PRA’s  2019  Insurance  Stress  Test.  This 
included a climate stress test covering both physical and transition 
risk. Aviva also recognises that there is a growing trend in climate-
related 
its  potential  exposure 
accordingly. 

litigation  and  has  assessed 

1  Scope 1 -natural gas, fugitive emissions, oil and company owned cars; Scope 2 – electricity, and Scope 3- business travel, grey fleets, waste and water. More details of this analysis can be found on www.aviva.com/social-purpose. 
2  RE100’s purpose is to accelerate change towards zero carbon grids, at global scale. Aviva has signed up to the commitment pledging to purchase or generate 100% of our global electricity from renewable sources by 2025 

Aviva plc Annual report and accounts 2019 
52 

 
 
 
 
 
Strategic report 
Strategic report 
Strategic report 
Strategic report 

Governance 
Governance 
Governance 
Governance 

IFRS financial statements 
IFRS financial statements 
IFRS financial statements 
IFRS financial statements 

Other information 
Other information 
Other information 
Other information 

Our climate-related financial disclosure 

Continued 

Metrics and targets 
In addition to Climate VaR, Aviva uses a variety of other metrics to 
manage,  monitor  and  report  its  alignment  with  global  or  national 
targets  on  climate  change  mitigation  and  the  associated  potential 
financial impact on our business. Whilst recognising the limitations 
of the metrics and tools used (e.g. the scope of emissions or sectors 
covered) and that some are backward looking, we believe they are 
still valuable in supporting our climate-related governance, strategy 
and risk management. 
•  We  track  our  investment  in  green  assets  and  low  carbon 
infrastructure. We have already invested £6 billion in green assets 
(i.e.  £3.8 billion  in  low  carbon  infrastructure  and  £2.2 billion  in 
green and sustainable bonds). 

•  We  use  carbon  foot-printing  and  weighted  average  carbon 
intensity data (tCO2e/£m sales) to assess our assets exposure to a 
potential  increase  in  carbon  prices  in  shareholder  funds  and  we 
continue to report on our operational carbon footprints. 

•  We use Carbon Delta’s portfolio warming potential metric to assess 
our  shareholder  funds’  alignment  with  the  Paris  target.  This 
warming  potential  methodology  captures  Scope  11  emissions  as 
well as revenues from low-carbon technology to provide a forward-
looking perspective. We would like to extend this analysis to our 
whole portfolio over time. 

•  We  use  Notre-Dame  University’s  Notre  Dame-Global  Adaptation 
Index (ND-GAIN) to measure and monitor our sovereign holdings 
exposure  to  climate  change.  ND-GAIN  measures  a  country’s 
vulnerability  to  climate  change  and its readiness by considering: 
economic, governance and social readiness. 

•  We build the possibility of extreme weather events into our pricing 
to ensure it is adequate and monitor actual weather-related losses 
versus  planned  weather  losses  by  business  (net  of  reinsurance). 
Catastrophic  event  model  results  are  supplemented  by  in-house 
disaster  scenarios.  Our  general  insurance  business  exposure  is 
limited by being predominantly in Northern Europe and Canada. 
We require our general insurance businesses to protect against all 
large,  single  catastrophe  events  in  line  with  local  regulatory 
requirements, or where none exist, to at least a 1-in-250-year event. 

We are working closely with peers, academics, professional bodies, 
regulators,  governments  and  international  agencies  to  further 
develop our tools and approaches. For example, we are a member of 
the  United  Nations  Environment  Programme  Finance  Initiative 
insurance pilot and the PRA-FCA Climate Financial Risk Forum as well 
as the UN Net Zero Asset Owners Alliance. 

1  Scope 1- All direct emissions from the activities of an organisation or under their control, including fuel combustion onsite such as gas boilers, fleet vehicles and air-conditioning leaks 

Aviva plc Annual report and accounts 2019 
53 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Strategic report 

Governance 

IFRS financial statements 

Other information 

Governance 

In this section 
Chairman’s Governance Letter 
Our Board of Directors 
Directors’ and Corporate Governance report 
Directors’ Remuneration report 

Page 
55 
57 
59 
83 

Aviva plc Annual report and accounts 2019 
54 

 
Strategic report 

Governance 

IFRS financial statements 

Other information 

Chairman’s Governance Letter 

Chairman’s 
Governance Letter 

for  a  better 

Our Governance 
Good governance is of fundamental importance to Aviva. At Aviva we 
have a clear and shared purpose, which is to be with our customers 
today, 
tomorrow.  Without  good  governance, 
underpinned  by  our  values  and  our  culture,  we  would  simply  be 
unable  to  deliver  on  that  promise  for  all  our  stakeholders.  I  also 
believe that our strong and consistent approach to governance will 
enable us to deliver on our strategy to simplify Aviva into a leading 
international savings, retirement and insurance business.  

2018 Corporate Governance Code 
We welcomed the introduction by the Financial Reporting Council of 
the revised and simplified 2018 UK Corporate Governance Code (the 
Code).  This  is  our  first  year  of  reporting  on  our  application  of  and 
compliance  with  the  Code.  Amongst  other  changes,  the  Code 
created a heightened requirement for boards to set and maintain a 
corporate culture rooted in a strong ethical base, and for directors, 
and  the  companies  they  lead,  to  build  and  maintain  positive 
range  of 
relationships  with  a  diverse  and  comprehensive 
stakeholders.  Considering  our  stakeholders  when  performing  our 
duties as directors is not a new concept, and indeed was first codified 
into the Companies Act 2006, and this is a well-established feature of 
our  Board  processes.  The  Code  reinforces  the  importance  of  the 
Board’s consideration of the Company’s stakeholders in its decision-
making  processes,  which  we  describe  in  our  ‘Section  172  (1) 
statement and our stakeholders’ section in the Strategic report.  

Board Changes 
On 21 January 2020, I announced my intention to retire as Chairman 
of the Company during 2020 once a successor has been appointed. 
Having led the Board for five years and through the appointment of 
our new Chief Executive Officer (Group CEO) it feels that now is the 
right  time  for  a  new  Group  Chairman.  This  is  an  exciting  time  for 
Aviva,  we  have  a  refreshed  purpose  and  strategy,  a  new  senior 
management  team  and  an  experienced  Board.  The  succession 
planning process to find the new Chairman is advancing and, in the 
meantime, I remain committed to this great organisation which I am 
confident will deliver for all its stakeholders.  

The Board has led Aviva through a period of substantial change during 
2019 to make sure our Company is fully fit for the future. From October 
2018 when our former CEO stepped down until the appointment of 
Maurice  Tulloch  as  Group  Chief  Executive  Officer  (Group  CEO)  on  4 
March  2019,  I  operated  in  the  capacity  as  Executive  Chairman.  This 
was a hugely challenging but rewarding experience that brought me 
even greater insight into the businesses of Aviva and which I continue 
to draw on after reverting to being Non-Executive Chairman.  

As we reported last year, the process to select our Group CEO was a 
thorough  and  competitive  process  and  the  Board  unanimously 
agreed that Maurice Tulloch was the right choice for the role. As we 
progressed through 2019, we continued to refresh the Board. Andy 
Briggs  and  Tom  Stoddard  stepped  down  from  the  Board  as  Chief 
Executive  Officer,  UK  Insurance  and  Group  Chief  Financial  Officer 
respectively, and we wish them every future success. After a period 
as  Interim  Group  Chief  Financial  Officer,  Jason  Windsor,  formerly 
Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of Aviva UK Insurance, was appointed 
permanently  to  the  role  and  joined  the  Board  of  Directors  on  26 
September 2019. 

There  were  also  several  changes  amongst  our  Non-Executive 
Directors this year. After nine years of distinguished service, including 
as Chair of the Risk Committee, Mike Hawker retired from the Board 
on  31  March  2019  and,  following  his  appointment  as  Chairman  of 
Royal Mail, Keith Williams stepped down from the Board on 23 May 
2019.  On  31  December  2019,  Glyn  Barker  and  Claudia  Arney  both 
retired  from  the  Board.  Glyn  retired  after  eight  years  and  having 
assisted with the Board refreshment process, and Claudia to focus 
on  her  expanded  non-executive  roles  elsewhere.  I  am  extremely 
grateful to them all for the valuable contributions they have made to 
the Board and Committees of Aviva plc. 

We were delighted to welcome three new Non-Executive Directors to 
our Board this year, all with deep knowledge and experience of the 
financial services industry. Patrick Flynn, previously Chief Financial 
Officer  of  ING  and  of  HSBC  Insurance  joined  our  Board  on  16  July 
2019  and  became  Audit  Committee  Chair  on  4  November  2019. 
George  Culmer  was  appointed  as  a  Non-Executive  Director  of  the 
Company  on  25  September  2019,  having  previously  been  Chief 
Financial  Officer  of  Lloyds  Banking  Group  and  of  RSA  Insurance 
Group plc. George assumed the role of Senior Independent Director 
on 1 January 2020 following the retirement of Glyn Barker. We also 
announced  the  appointment  of  Amanda  Blanc  to  the  Board  with 
effect from 2 January 2020. Amanda was previously CEO at AXA UK & 
Ireland,  and  CEO,  EMEA  &  Global  Banking  Partnerships  at  Zurich 
Insurance  Group.  I  look  forward  to  introducing  our  new  Non-
Executive  Directors  to  our  shareholders  at  our  upcoming  Annual 
General Meeting (AGM) on 26 May 2020.  

Aviva Governance Framework 
We recognise that good governance requires Board ownership and 
accountability for driving the necessary behaviours and culture that 
we are striving  to achieve  at  Aviva.  Good governance supports  the 
sustainable  growth  and  superior  customer  outcomes  we  are 
targeting.  

During the year the Board introduced a new governance framework, 
which reflects how the Aviva plc Board, through the CEO and Aviva’s 
leadership  team,  delivers  key  customer,  shareholder  and  broader 
stakeholder  outcomes  and  how  this  is  oversighted  through  the 
organisation. The governance framework incorporates the legal and 
regulatory flow of accountability, prescribed delegations of authority 
and  the  supporting  ancillary  frameworks,  policies  and  standards 
involved  in  the  management  of  our  business,  including  the  three 
lines of defence model which assesses the effectiveness of controls 
and enables risks to be managed.  

The governance framework will be applied to each subsidiary across 
the Group and attested to on an annual basis. This will underpin our 
focus on board effectiveness at every level of the organisation.  

While  much  has  gone  well,  the  Board  continues  to  focus  on  the 
Company’s overall control environment. There remains considerable 
political and economic uncertainty which has led us to review and 
improve  the  Company’s  risk  indicators  and  our  financial  and 
operational  risk  appetite  monitoring,  for  example  around  interest 
rate risk exposures. 

The improvements made in 2019 have been recognised by the Board, 
however, the downward risk and control adjustment to the Annual 
Bonus  Plan  scorecard  is  a  clear  statement  of  the  need  to  keep  a 
strong focus on improving in these areas and this is something the 
Board will be closely monitoring in 2020. 

Aviva plc Annual report and accounts 2019 
55 

Strategic report 

Governance 

IFRS financial statements 

Other information 

The Code rightly continues to stress the importance of diversity in the 
composition  of  an  effective  Board.  I  continue  to  be  committed  to 
bringing diversity in its widest sense to the Board including gender, 
ethnicity,  diversity  of  thought,  tenure,  age,  experience,  skills,  and 
geographic, educational, social and professional background. I am 
very pleased that the Board has met its target for women to represent 
a minimum of 33% of our Board by 2020.  

The  Group  Executive  Committee  was  reconstituted  as  the  Aviva 
Leadership Team (ALT) during 2019 and expanded to 14 members by 
the  first  quarter  of  2020.  As  at  the  date  of  this  report,  females 
represented  35%  of  the  ALT  and  our  ambition  remains  to  drive 
female  representation  on  the  ALT  higher.  The  Board  continues  to 
monitor  the  pipeline  of  talent  for  both  the  Board  and  ALT  with 
diversity in mind, aligned of course with our skills matrix, to ensure 
that we continue to develop a high performing and diverse top team. 
I am proud to continue to support the FTSE 100 30% Club and will 
continue to keep the diversity agenda at the forefront of the Board’s 
mind.  

Sir Adrian Montague CBE 
Chairman 
4 March 2020

Chairman’s Governance Letter 

Continued 

Our Strategy 
The Board, together with the new Group CEO, reviewed the Group 
strategy in 2019. On 20 November 2019 we announced our refreshed 
purpose, vision and strategy. The strategy is designed to optimise our 
offering to our customers and to improve efficiencies by simplifying 
Aviva 
into  five  operating  divisions:  Investments,  Savings  and 
Retirement; UK Life; General Insurance; Europe Life; and Asia Life. We 
reaffirmed our commitment to our progressive dividend policy and 
we also set out a series of new financial metrics to allow investors to 
better  measure  our  performance  in  relation  to  capital,  cash  and 
operating  profit.  The  Board  is  committed  to  supporting  the  Group 
CEO and his team in executing on the strategy and in running a more 
commercially focused business. 

Culture 
The Board continues to focus on enhancing its understanding of the 
culture  within  the  organisation.  This  includes  broadening  the 
measures  which  the  Board  uses  to  assess  and  drive  the  requisite 
culture. We are placing emphasis on four measures: accountability; 
psychological safety; diversity of thought; and customer focus. These 
measures  are  intended  to  provide  both  historic  data  as  well  as 
leading  indicators.  Evidence  shows  us  that  these  specific  cultural 
traits  have  a  positive 
impact  on  workforce  productivity  and 
performance.  

Diversity 
The  charts  below  illustrate  the  diversity  of  the  Board  and  senior 
management as at the date of this report. 

Board of Directors 

Non-Executive 

Executive 

Aviva 
Leadership 
Team 

  Composition 

  Total 

  Gender 

  Male 
  Female 
  Experience and Skills1  
  Insurance  
  Banking 
  Actuarial/Capital Management 
  Transformation  
  Law 
  Government 
  Customer 
  IT/Digital 
  Strategy 
  International Experience1  
  Europe 
  Asia Pacific 
  The Americas 
  Middle East & Africa 

  Tenure 

  >10 years 
  5-10 years 
  4 years 
  3 years 
  2 years 
  1 year 
  <1 year 

  Age 

  30-39 
  40-49 
  50-59 
  60+ 

1 

Individual directors may fall into one or more categories 

7 

4 
3 

6 
6 
3 
6 
2 
4 
4 
3 
6 

7 
2 
1 
1 

— 
3 
1 
— 
— 
— 
3 

— 
— 
4 
3 

2 

2 
— 

2 
1 
1 
2 
— 
1 
2 
2 
2 

2 
1 
1 
1 

— 
— 
— 
— 
1 
— 
1 

— 
1 
1 
— 

14   

9   
5   

9   
5   
6   
3   
2   
1   
5   
3   
6   

13   
3   
2   
1   

—   
5   
1   
—   
—   
4   
4   

2   
4   
7   
1   

Aviva plc Annual report and accounts 2019 
56 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
    
 
 
 
 
 
   
 
 
   
 
 
   
 
 
   
 
 
   
 
 
   
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Strategic report 

Governance 

IFRS financial statements 

Other information 

Our Board of Directors: Biographies 

Our Board of 
Directors 

Sir Adrian Montague, CBE ▲ 
Position: Chairman 
Nationality: British 
Committee Membership: Nomination Committee2 (Chair) 
Tenure: 7 years 2 months. Appointed to the Board as a Non-Executive 
Director  in  January  2013,  as  Chairman  in  April  2015  and  Executive 
Chairman from October 2018 to March 2019 before reverting to Non-
Executive Chairman. 
Skills  and  Experience:  Having  held  appointments  as  Chairman  of 
Anglian Water Group Ltd, Friends Provident plc, British Energy Group 
plc,  Michael  Page  International  plc  and  Crossrail  Ltd,  Sir  Adrian 
possesses a wealth of experience as a Chairman.  He has extensive 
leadership  skills,  together  with  a  deep  knowledge  of  the  financial 
services  industry,  government  affairs  and  regulatory  matters.  His 
diverse  skill-set  and  strategic  awareness  facilitate  open  discussion 
and allow for constructive challenge in the boardroom. 
External Appointments: Chairman of The Manchester Airports Group 
and Cadent Gas Ltd. Chair of the Advisory Council of TheCityUK and 
a trustee of the Commonwealth War Graves Foundation.  

Maurice Tulloch ■ 
Position: Group Chief Executive Officer (CEO) 
Nationality: British/Canadian 
Committee Membership: N/A 
Tenure: 2 years 9 months. Appointed to the Board as an Executive 
Director in June 2017 and as CEO in March 2019. 
Skills and Experience: Maurice has more than 25 years’ experience 
within Aviva and knows the business inside out having led businesses 
in the UK and internationally. Maurice has a deep understanding of 
insurance and customer needs and his focus on the fundamentals 
and  customer  experience  make  him  well  qualified  to  re-energise 
Aviva  and  deliver  long-term  growth  for  shareholders.  He  most 
recently  held  the  role  of  CEO  of  International  Insurance  and  had 
responsibility  for  Aviva’s  life  insurance  and  general  insurance 
operations internationally, together with the Global Corporate and 
Speciality business.  
External Appointments: Non-Executive Director of Pool Reinsurance 
Company Ltd, a member of the Insurance Development Forum and 
the Board of the Geneva Association.  

Jason Windsor ■ 
Position: Chief Financial Officer 
Nationality: British 
Committee Membership: N/A 
Tenure:  6  months.  Appointed  to  the  Board  and  as  Chief  Financial 
Officer in September 2019. 
Skills and Experience: Jason became Interim Chief Financial Officer 
on 1 July 2019 and was previously Chief Financial Officer of Aviva UK 
Insurance. Jason joined Aviva in 2010 and has extensive experience 
of the group, including as Chief Capital and Investments Officer, and 
as a member of the Aviva Leadership Team. Jason has a proven track 
Insurance  business  and  a  deep 
record  as  CFO  of  the  UK 
understanding of Aviva and its markets and brings a strong analytical 
and commercial perspective to his role as Group CFO.  
External Appointments: N/A. 

(Chair), 

Amanda Blanc ▲ 
Position: Independent Non-Executive Director 
Nationality: British 
Committee  Membership:  Governance  Committee1 
Nomination Committee2, Risk Committee 
Tenure: 2 months. Appointed to the Board in January 2020. 
Skills  and  Experience:  Amanda  brings  extensive  knowledge  and 
experience of the insurance industry to her role at Aviva, having held 
several senior executive roles across the insurance industry. Amanda 
was  most  recently  CEO,  EMEA  &  Global  Banking  Partnerships  at 
Zurich Insurance Group and before that CEO at AXA UK & Ireland. In 
2018, Amanda was the first woman to be appointed as Chair of the 
Association  of  British  Insurers  and  was  also  Chair  of  the  Insurance 
Fraud  Bureau  and  President  of  the  Chartered  Insurance  Institute. 
Amanda’s breadth and depth of experience of the UK and European 
insurance  industry  and  her  detailed  understanding  of  insurance 
business  and  customers  make  her  well  placed  to  Chair  the 
Governance Committee.  
External Appointments: Non-Executive Director of the Welsh Rugby 
Union and Chair of the Professional Game Board. 

Patricia Cross ▲ 
Position: Independent Non-Executive Director 
Nationality: Australian 
Committee  Membership:  Remuneration  Committee  (Chair),  Audit 
Committee, Nomination Committee2 
Tenure: 6 years 3 months. Appointed to the Board in December 2013. 
Skills and Experience: Patricia is an experienced company director 
with over 20 years’ experience of serving on multiple ASX-30 boards 
including  Macquarie  Group  Ltd  and  Macquarie  Bank  Ltd,  National 
Australia  Bank,  Wesfarmers  Ltd,  AMP  Ltd,  and  Qantas  Airways  Ltd. 
She is the founding Chair of the 30% Club in Australia. Patricia has 
held  several  Australian  government  positions,  including  with  the 
Financial  Sector  Advisory  Council,  Companies  and  Securities 
Advisory  Committee,  Panel  of  Experts  to  the  Australian  Financial 
Centre Forum and Sydney APEC Business Advisory Council. Patricia 
has  served  on  a  wide  range  of  not  for  profit  boards,  including  the 
Murdoch  Children’s  Research  Institute,  and  she  was  a  founding 
Director  of  The  Grattan  Institute.  In  2001,  Patricia  received  the 
Australian Centenary Medal for service to Australian society through 
the  finance  industry  and  was  awarded  Life  Fellowship  of  the 
Australian Institute of Company Directors in 2018. Having started her 
career in the U.S. Government working in foreign affairs, Patricia had 
a long career in senior executive roles in large international banking 
and investment management organisations.  
Commonwealth 
Chair 
External 
Superannuation  Corporation,  and  Ambassador  for  the  Australian 
Indigenous Education Foundation. 

Appointments: 

the 

of 

George Culmer ▲ 
Position: Senior Independent Non-Executive Director 
Nationality: British 
Committee Membership: Audit Committee, Nomination Committee2, 
Remuneration Committee, Risk Committee 
Tenure: 6 months. Appointed to the Board in September 2019 and as 
Senior Independent Director on 1 January 2020. 
Skills  and  Experience:  George  brings  significant  board-level 
experience  with  15  years  experience  as  a  FTSE  100  Chief  Financial 
Officer, and a deep understanding of insurance and wider financial 
services.  George  was  previously  Chief  Financial  Officer  of  Lloyds 
Banking  Group  plc  and  joined  its  board  on  16  May  2012.  He  has 
extensive  insurance  experience  and  was  previously  a  director  and 
Chief Financial Officer of RSA Insurance Group plc; Head of Capital 
Management of Zurich Financial Services and Chief Financial Officer 
of  its  UK  operations.  George  has  a  deep  understanding  of  the 
challenges  that  affect  the  industry,  Aviva’s  businesses,  and  the 
implications  for  shareholders,  which  enables  him  to  support  the 
Chairman and Board in driving the strategy, culture and values of the 
Company.  
External Appointments: Non-Executive Director of Rolls Royce plc. 

Aviva plc Annual report and accounts 2019 
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IFRS financial statements 

Other information 

Kirstine Cooper ◆ 
Position: Group General Counsel and Company Secretary 
Nationality: British 
Committee Membership: N/A 
Tenure:  9  years  3  months.  Appointed  as  Company  Secretary  in 
December 2010 and a member of the Aviva Leadership Team in May 
2012. 
Skills and Experience: Kirstine has over 25 years’ experience at Aviva 
and is a trusted advisor to the Board. As a qualified solicitor Kirstine 
is  able  to  execute  the  role  of  Company  Secretary  by  advising  the 
Board  on  governance  issues  and  the  regulatory  environment. 
Kirstine  established  the  legal  and  secretarial  function  as  a  global 
team  and  is  responsible  for  the  provision  of  legal  services  to  the 
Group.  She  also  leads  the  team  on  public  policy  and  corporate 
responsibility.  During  March  2016  to  March  2017,  Kirstine  was  the 
Commissioner on the Cabinet Office’s Dormant Assets Commission 
which was tasked with identifying new pools of dormant assets and 
working with industry to encourage the contribution of these assets 
to good causes. 
External Appointments: Trustee of the Royal Opera House and Non-
Executive Director of HM Land Registry. Kirstine is also Insurance and 
pension champion for an expanded Dormant Assets scheme. 

The full biographies for all our Board and Aviva Leadership Team are 
available online at www.aviva.com/about-us 

Key 
■ Executive 

▲ Non-Executive 

◆ Group General Counsel and Company Secretary 

Our Board of Directors: Biographies  

Continued 

Patrick Flynn ▲ 
Position: Independent Non-Executive Director 
Nationality: Irish 
Committee  Membership:  Audit  Committee  (Chair),  Nomination 
Committee1, Risk Committee 
Tenure: 8 months. Appointed to the Board in July 2019.  
Skills  and  Experience:  Patrick  is  an  experienced  finance  executive 
and  has  significant  experience  of  retail  financial  and  insurance 
services.  Patrick  was  previously  Chief  Financial  Officer  of  ING,  the 
Netherlands’ largest financial services group, and was recognised for 
playing  a  key  role  in  the  transformation  of  the  group  to  a  well-
capitalised and focused financial services provider with a significant 
retail offering. Prior to that Patrick was Chief Financial Officer of HSBC 
Insurance and served as a Non-Executive Director of the boards of 
two  listed  former  ING  insurance  companies,  and  this  experience 
thoroughly equips Patrick to chair the Audit Committee.  
External Appointments: Non-Executive Director of the Royal Bank of 
Scotland.  

Belén Romana García ▲ 
Position: Independent Non-Executive Director 
Nationality: Spanish 
Committee Membership: Risk Committee (Chair), Audit Committee, 
Governance Committee2, Nomination Committee1 
Tenure: 4 years 8 months. Appointed to the Board in June 2015. 
Skills  and  Experience:  Belén  has  extensive  governmental  and 
regulatory  experience  and  brings  a  detailed  knowledge  of  the 
financial services industry and regulations to the Board. Belén has 
held senior positions at the Spanish Treasury and represented the 
Spanish government at the Organisation for Economic Co-operation 
and  Development.  Belén’s  experience  as  both  an  executive  and  a 
non-executive  in  the  financial  services  sector,  and  in  international 
policy making and regulation provide a valuable perspective to the 
Board and in her role as Chair of the Risk Committee.  
External  Appointments:  Independent  Non-Executive  Director  of 
Banco  Santander  and  a  member  of  the  advisory  board  of  the 
Foundation Rafael del Pino (non-profit organisation) and Co-Chair of 
the Global Board of Trustees of the Digital Future Society. 

Michael Mire ▲ 
Position: Independent Non-Executive Director 
Nationality: British 
Committee  Membership:  Governance  Committee1,  Nomination 
Committee2, Remuneration Committee, Risk Committee 
Tenure:  6  years  6  months.  Appointed  to  the  Board  in  September 
2013. 
Skills and Experience: Michael has a detailed understanding of the 
financial  services  sector  and  a  wealth  of  experience  in  business 
transformation  and  developing  strategies  for  retail  and  financial 
services  companies.  Michael  was  a  senior  partner  at  McKinsey  & 
Company where he worked for more than 30 years, and alongside his 
governmental experience, he brings a unique perspective and insight 
to the Board. 
External  Appointments:  Chairman  of  HM  Land  Registry,  Non-
Executive Director of the Department of Health and Social Care, and 
senior adviser to Lazard. 

1  The Nomination Committee changed its name to the Nomination and Governance Committee with effect 1 January 2020 
2  The Governance Committee changed its name to the Customer, Conduct and Reputation Committee with effect 1 January 2020 

Aviva plc Annual report and accounts 2019 
58 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Strategic report 

Governance 

IFRS financial statements 

Other information 

Directors’ and Corporate Governance report 

Directors’ and 
Corporate 
Governance report  

The UK Corporate Governance Code 
As a UK Premium Listed company, Aviva’s governance framework is 
based on the 2018 UK Corporate Governance Code (the Code). The 
Code is publicly available at www.frc.org.uk. Details of how we have 
applied and complied with the Code during 2019 are set out in this 
report and the Directors’ Remuneration report. The Strategic report 
also  discloses  information  on  how  we  have  complied  with  the 
reporting  requirements  set  out  in  the  Companies  (Miscellaneous 
Reporting)  Regulations  2018  (the  Regulations)  on  our  engagement 
with  our  employees,  suppliers,  customers  and  other  stakeholders. 
Also,  in  line  with  the  Regulations,  further  information  on  how  the 
directors  have  performed  their  Companies  Act  2006  Section  172 
duties is contained in the Strategic report.  

The  Board  can  confirm  that  the  Company  was  compliant  with  the 
Code throughout the financial year under review, except for a period 
of non-compliance with Provision 9 of the Code from 9 October 2018 
to  4  March  2019  when  Sir  Adrian  Montague  assumed  the  role  of 
Executive Chairman. Following the appointment of Maurice Tulloch 
as  Group  Chief  Executive  Officer  (Group  CEO)  on  4  March  2019,  Sir 
Adrian reverted to his former position as Non-Executive Chairman.  

Changes to the Board 
There  were  several  Board  changes  during  2019.  Following  an 
extensive and rigorous process which included a number of highly 
talented  external  and  internal  candidates,  the  Board  unanimously 
agreed to appoint Maurice Tulloch as Group CEO on 4 March 2019. 
The Board believes that Maurice Tulloch’s deep knowledge of Aviva’s 
domestic and international businesses, combined with his vision for 
delivering enhanced shareholder returns through a relentless focus 
on  the  customer  experience,  make  him  uniquely  well  qualified  to 
guide Aviva through the next phases in our development.  

Two of our Executive Directors stepped down from their roles during 
the year to pursue opportunities outside the Group. Andy Briggs left 
Aviva  on  24  April  2019  and  was  replaced  as  CEO  UK  Insurance  by 
Angela Darlington on an interim basis. Following the separation of 
UKI  into  three  separate  divisions,  General  Insurance,  Life  and 
Investment, Savings and Retirement, Angela was confirmed as CEO 
UK Life with effect from 7 August 2019. Following the departure of 
Tom  Stoddard  as  Group  Chief  Financial  Officer  (Group  CFO)  on  30 
June 2019, and after a period as interim Group CFO, Jason Windsor, 
formerly  CFO  of  UK  Insurance,  was  appointed  permanently  to  the 
role and also joined the Board of Directors on 26 September 2019. 
Jason  Windsor  joined  Aviva  in  2010  and  has  a  broad  range  of 
experience, including as Chief Capital and Investments Officer, and 
as a member of the Aviva Leadership Team.  

Four of our Non-Executive Directors retired from the Board during the 
year. In line with Provision 10 of the Code, Michael Hawker stepped 
down as a Non-Executive Director and as Chair of the Risk Committee 
after nine years’ service on 31 March 2019. Belén Romana García was 
appointed  Chair  of  the  Risk  Committee 
following  Michael’s 
retirement. Keith Williams retired from the Board at the conclusion 
of the Annual General Meeting on 23 May 2019 after being appointed 
Chair of Royal Mail Group plc. On 31 December 2019, and after eight 
years’  service  including  two  years  as  Senior  Independent  Director, 
Glyn Barker retired from the Board. Claudia Arney also retired on the 

same date in order to focus on her other non-executive directorships. 
We would like to thank them all for their significant contributions to 
Aviva. 

We  were  delighted  to  appoint  three  highly  experienced  Non-
Executive Directors to the Board during the year. Patrick Flynn joined 
the Board as a Non-Executive Director and a member of the Board 
Audit, Risk and Nomination Committees on 16 July 2019. He became 
Chair  of  the  Audit  Committee  on  4  November  2019.  Patrick  was 
previously Chief Financial Officer at ING and has also served as Chief 
Financial Officer of HSBC Insurance and as a Non-Executive Director 
on the boards of two listed former ING insurance companies. 

George  Culmer  was  appointed  as  a  Non-Executive  Director  of  the 
Company on 25 September 2019, and he also joined the Board Audit, 
Remuneration,  Risk  and  Nomination  Committees.  Following  the 
retirement  of  Glyn  Barker,  George  was  appointed  as  Senior 
Independent Director. George was previously Chief Financial Officer 
of Lloyds Banking Group and has held positions as Chief Financial 
Officer of RSA Insurance Group plc; Head of Capital Management of 
Zurich  Financial  Services  and  Chief  Financial  Officer  of  its  UK 
operations.  

Amanda  Blanc  joined  the  Board  as  a  Non-Executive  Director  on  2 
January 2020. She was formerly CEO at AXA UK & Ireland, and CEO, 
EMEA  &  Global  Banking  Partnerships  at  Zurich  Insurance  Group. 
Amanda 
is  Chair  of  the  Customer,  Conduct  and  Reputation 
Committee (previously the Governance Committee) and is a member 
of  the  Risk  and  the  Nomination  and  Governance  Committees 
(previously the Nomination Committee). 

On  21  January  2020  we  announced  that  Sir  Adrian  Montague  will 
retire as Chairman during 2020. He was appointed to the Board of 
Aviva in January 2013 and became Senior Independent Director in 
May 2013, and Chairman in April 2015.  

The  succession  planning  process  to  find  the  new  Chairman  is 
ongoing.  

The Board 
As  at  the  date  of  this  report  the  Board  is  comprised  of  the  Non-
Executive  Chairman,  two  Executive  Directors  and  six  independent 
Non-Executive Directors (NEDs). Details of the role of the Board and 
its committees are described in this report. The duties of the Board 
and of each of its committees are set out in the respective Terms of 
Reference. Our committees’ Terms of Reference can be found on the 
Company’s  website  at  www.aviva.com/committees  and  are  also 
available on request from the Group Company Secretary. The Terms 
of  Reference  list  both  matters  that  are  specifically  reserved  for 
decision by our Board and those matters that must be reported to it. 
its 
The  Board  delegates  clearly  defined  responsibilities  to 
committees  and  reports  from  the  Audit,  Governance,  Nomination 
and Risk Committees are contained in this report. A report from the 
Remuneration Committee is included in the Directors’ Remuneration 
report. 

Board diversity and inclusion 
At  Aviva,  diversity  encompasses  a  very  wide  range  of  factors, 
including  but  not  limited  to:  gender;  ethnicity;  disability;  sexual 
orientation; social background; and diversity of thought. Supporting 
and  embracing  diversity  and  inclusion,  and  valuing  difference,  are 
integral parts of our culture. The ways in which we seek to put into 
practice these values are set out in our Board Diversity and Inclusion 
Statement, which supports our Nomination Committee’s approach 
to  succession  planning.  This  is  closely  linked  to  our  Group-wide 
Global  Inclusion  and  Diversity  Strategy  (Diversity  Strategy),  which 
sets  out  how  we  implement  our  policies  to  increase  diversity  and 
inclusion throughout the Group. Board diversity is monitored by the 
Nomination  Committee  which  reviews  the  balance  of  skills, 
knowledge,  experience  and  diversity  of  the  Board  and  leads  on 

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Other information 

Directors’ and Corporate Governance report 

  Continued 

succession planning for appointments to the Board and the senior 
executive  team.  Our  Board  skills  matrix  supports  this  approach 
enabling  us  to  map  the  range  of  diversity  of  skills,  knowledge  and 
experience of the Board and link these to our strategy.  

We have been committed to our target of having 33% of women on 
the  Board  by  2020,  and  we  are  pleased  to  have  achieved  this.  We 
recognise  that  as  a  Board  we  have  further  to  travel  to  reach  our 
shared  ambition  that  our  Board  composition  should  be  fully 
reflective of the diversity of the customers we seek to serve, and we 
remain firmly committed to reaching that goal. Inclusion at Aviva is 
imperative  not  only  because  it’s  the  right  thing  to  do,  but  also 
because it will help us deliver the outcomes that our shareholders 
and other stakeholders expect us to achieve. Further detail can be 
found in the Nomination Committee report.  

Board activities during 2019 
Strategy and business plans  
•  Approved  the  revised  strategic  plans  and  purpose  for  the  Aviva 
Group, which were announced during our Capital Markets Day on 
20 November 2019 

•  Approved  the  proposed  cost  reduction  plans  to  support  the 
business to move towards better cost efficiency and a lean group 
centre 

•  Held an annual dedicated two-day offsite strategy session in June 
2019,  supplemented  by  further  specific  strategy  sessions,  to 
oversee  the  development  and  implementation  of  the  Group’s 
strategy 

Oversight of risk and risk management 
•  Received and discussed reports from the Chief Risk Officer (CRO), 
and assessed the Group’s significant risks and regulatory issues 
•  Approved the Group’s risk appetite and risk policies which provide 

the risk framework for managing risk across the Group 

•  Reviewed  the  effectiveness,  challenges  and  management  action 
plans  in  relation  to  the  Group’s  Operational  Risk  and  Control 
Management Framework  

•  Reviewed the Group’s strategy on climate related financial risk in 

line with regulatory requirements 

Governance 
•  Discussed  reports  from  Board  committees  and  management  on 
legislation and proposed consultations that affect or will affect the 
Group’s  legal  and  regulatory  obligations,  including  the  2018  UK 
Corporate Governance Code (the Code) 

•  Reviewed and approved the revised Group Governance Framework 
•  Discussed  and  approved  changes  to  the  Board  committee 
structure, and the repurposing of the Nomination Committee and 
the  Governance  Committee  to  the  Nomination  and  Governance 
Committee  and 
the  Customer,  Conduct  and  Reputation 
Committee respectively  

Significant transactions and expenditure 
•  Approved  financial  matters  in  line  with  the  Group  Funding  Plan, 
including  capital 
into  regulated 
subsidiaries,  the  redemption  of  the  £210  million  Step-Up  Tier  1 
Insurance Capital Securities (STICS) perpetual subordinated loan 
notes, and an asset reinsurance transaction 

injections  where  required 

Financial reporting and controls, capital structure and dividend 
policy 
•  Discussed  reports  provided  by  the  Group  Chief  Financial  Officer 
(Group  CFO)  and  by  the  Group’s  committees  on  key  matters  of 
financial  reporting,  providing  the  opportunity  for  the  Board  to 
input and challenge where necessary  

•  Monitored  the  Group’s  financial  performance,  financial  results, 
approved  dividend  payments  and  the  adoption  of  a  progressive 
dividend policy 

•  Assessed  the  Group’s  capital  and  liquidity  requirements,  arising 

from the Group’s strategy and Group Plan 

•  Approved the full year results and Annual report and accounts, and 

the half year results 

People, culture, succession planning and Board effectiveness 
•  Oversaw  the  search  process,  reviewed  candidates  and  approved 
the  appointment  of  Maurice  Tulloch  as  Group  CEO  and  Jason 
Windsor  as  Group  CFO  following  recommendations  from  the 
Nomination Committee 

•  Following  recommendations  from  the  Nomination  Committee, 
approved the appointment of the three Non-Executive Directors to 
the Board during 2019 

•  Discussed the current Group culture, its alignment with strategy, 

and how it has been further strengthened during the year  

•  Reviewed the succession plan of the Board and approved the new 

Board succession planning process 

•  Undertook  an  evaluation  of  the  Board’s  effectiveness,  the 

effectiveness of each committee and individual directors 

Stakeholder engagement 
In  line  with  the  requirements  of  the  Companies  (Miscellaneous 
Reporting)  Regulations  2018,  we  report  on  our  stakeholder 
engagement and other relevant matters in the ‘Section 172 (1) and 
Our stakeholders’ section of the Strategic report. This outlines how 
the Board has engaged with our principal stakeholder groups. The 
Board  considers  stakeholder  engagement,  including  engagement 
with our workforce to be a matter of strategic importance. 

Board appointments 
Our Non-Executive Directors played a principal role in the process to 
appoint Maurice Tulloch as Group CEO, and Jason Windsor as Group 
CFO, and in the appointment of three Non-Executive Directors during 
the year through their membership of the Nomination Committee. In 
line  with  our  succession  planning  processes,  and  led  by  the 
Nomination  Committee,  we  undertake  a  formal,  rigorous  and 
transparent  search  process  for  each  appointment,  considering  the 
current  balance  of  skills,  experience  and  diversity  amongst  our 
directors.  Each  appointment  is  made  subject  to  receipt  of  the 
requisite  regulatory  approvals.  Furthermore,  the  continuation  of 
each  Board  appointment  is  also  subject  to  the  annual  board 
effectiveness  review  to  confirm  that  each  director’s  performance 
continues to be satisfactory. In accordance with the Code and our 
articles of association, all serving directors must retire and those who 
wish to continue in office must stand for election or re-election by 
our shareholders at each Annual General Meeting (AGM). All directors 
were re-elected in 2019 except Keith Williams who retired from the 
Board at the conclusion of the AGM.  

Board and committee structure 
The  Board  is  collectively  responsible  for  promoting  the  long-term, 
sustainable  success  of  the  Company  through  delivering  excellent 
outcomes  for  our  customers,  seeking  to  generate  value  for 
shareholders whilst fulfilling our responsibilities to our stakeholders 
and contributing positively to the societies in which we operate. One 
of the Board’s key roles is to determine our shared purpose and to 
set  and  uphold  the  Group’s  values,  standards  and  ethics  which 
combine together to create our corporate culture. We recognise that 
there is a clear link between our culture and our conduct, both with 
regards  to  our  customers  and  to  the  way  in  which  governance 
operates in the Group, and our policies, processes and behaviours in 
relation  to  these  issues  are  closely  monitored  by  the  Board.  The 
Board  is  also  responsible  for  setting  the  Group’s  risk  appetite  and 
monitoring the operation of our controls framework. It also seeks to 
maintain an appropriate dialogue with shareholders on strategy and 
remuneration. 

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In order to ensure there is a clear division of responsibilities between 
the running of the Board and the running of the business, the Board 
has identified certain ‘reserved matters’ for its approval. In relation to 
all other matters, unless they are specifically reserved for shareholder 
approval in a general meeting, the Board delegates responsibility for 
these  to  our  Group  CEO,  who  then  delegates  responsibility  for 
specific operations to members of the Aviva Leadership Team (ALT), 
comprised of our most senior managers from across the business.  

The Board has established certain principal committees to assist in 
fulfilling its oversight responsibilities, providing dedicated focus on 
the  areas  set  out  below.  Each  committee  chairman  reports  to  the 
Board on the committee’s activities after each meeting. Full details 
of the responsibilities of the Board committees are set out later in 
this report and in the Directors’ Remuneration report.  

With effect from 1 January 2020, certain amendments were made to 
the  structure  and  defined  responsibilities  of  our  suite  of  Board 
committees.  To  better  align  with  our  strategy  to  deliver  great 
customer  outcomes  we  redefined  the  remit  of  the  Governance 
Committee  around  customer  and  customer  conduct  issues  and 

Committee’s purpose 

Name of Committee 

Committee Purpose 

renamed  this  committee  the  ‘Customer,  Conduct  and  Reputation 
Committee’ (CCRC). This is also aligned to our refreshed purpose, to 
ensure our actions in every part of the business are fully focused on 
consistently earning customers’ trust as the best place to save, retire 
and  insure.  To  provide  more  time  for  the  CCRC  to  consider  the 
customer, we expanded the remit of the Nomination Committee to 
cover  a  broader  range  of  governance  issues,  including  subsidiary 
governance and oversight of the Aviva governance framework, which 
had previously been considered by the Governance Committee and 
renamed this the ‘Nomination and Governance Committee’ (NGC). 
The NGC will continue to play a key role in succession planning for 
both  our  Executive  and  Non-Executive  Directors  as  well  as  having 
oversight of our governance framework and regulatory environment.  

Upon  their  establishment,  the  chairs  and  members  of  the  new 
committees  were  unchanged  except  for  the  CCRC  which  is  now 
chaired by Amanda Blanc following Claudia Arney’s retirement from 
the Board on 31 December 2019.  

The new remits of the Committees are outlined below. 

Audit Committee 

Nomination and Governance 
Committee  

Customer, Conduct and 
Reputation Committee 

Remuneration Committee  

Risk Committee 

Assists  the  Board  in  its  oversight  of  financial  reporting  by  assessing  the  integrity  of  the  Company’s 
financial  statements  and  related  announcements;  monitoring  the  adequacy  of  controls  over  financial 
reporting;  monitoring  the  Group’s  whistleblowing  provisions;  and  monitoring  the  independence  and 
performance of the Internal Audit function and the External Auditors.  

Assists the Board in its oversight of Board composition; Board and senior executive succession; talent 
development; diversity and inclusion initiatives; operation of the Group governance framework; Aviva’s 
subsidiary governance principles; and the regulatory control environment.  

Assists the Board in its oversight of customer, conduct and reputation issues including operational risks 
related  to  customer  and  business  conduct;  the  Group’s  customer  strategy  and  customer  conduct 
obligations; oversight of the Group’s brand; reputational risk profile; data governance and data privacy; 
and corporate responsibility. 
Assists  the  Board  in  its  oversight  of  remuneration  by  reviewing  the  Group  Remuneration  Policy,  the 
Directors’ Remuneration Policy, and recommending remuneration packages for the ALT. Works with the 
Board Risk Committee to ensure that risk management is considered in setting the Remuneration Policy 
and  promoting  a  risk  awareness  culture  through  the  alignment  of  incentive  and  rewards  with  risk 
management.  

Assists the Board in its oversight of risk by assessing the effectiveness of the Group’s risk management 
framework, risk strategy, risk appetite and risk profile; the methodology used in determining the Group’s 
capital  requirements  and  stress  testing  these  requirements;  assessing  the  adequacy  of  the  Group’s 
system of non-financial reporting controls; its cyber strategy and compliance with prudential regulatory 
requirements.  

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the  year 

the  Nomination  Committee  assessed 

Board independence 
During 
the 
independence of the Non-Executive Directors to ensure that they are 
able  to  properly  fulfil  their  roles  on  the  Board  and  provide 
constructive challenge to the Executive Directors. The independence 
criteria  set out in the Code  were  taken  into account as part of the 
selection process for the three Non-Executive Directors who joined 
Aviva during the year.  

During  2019,  the  Committee  determined  that  all  Non-Executive 
Directors were free from any relationship or circumstances that could 
affect, or appear to affect, their independent judgement. In line with 
the Code, over half of our Board members, excluding the Chairman, 
are independent Non-Executive Directors.  

Time commitment 
It is vital to the proper functioning of our Board and committees that 
each Non-Executive Director is able to commit sufficient time to their 
roles in order to discharge their responsibilities effectively. In January 
2020 the Nomination and Governance Committee assessed the Non-
Executive  Directors’  time  commitment  considering  both  the  time 
required for Aviva Board and committee appointments (including on 
subsidiary  boards)  and  the  number  and  nature  of  the  directors’ 
external 
commitments.  All  Non-Executive  Directors  have 
demonstrated  they  have  sufficient  time  to  devote  to  their  present 
role within Aviva, including during any potential periods of corporate 
stress.  George  Culmer  became  a  Non-Executive  Director  of  Rolls 
Royce plc on 2 January 2020. The time commitment and potential 
conflicts involved were assessed by the Nomination and Governance 
Committee  which  determined  that  George  has  sufficient  time  to 
commit to the Aviva Board and committee appointments.  

the 

(SID) 

reviewed 

Independent  Director 

The  Senior 
time 
commitment of the Chairman. During the period to 4 March 2019, the 
Chairman increased his time commitment to allow him to perform 
the  role  of  Executive  Chairman.  He  was  supported  in  this  by  the 
Chairman’s Committee, composed of the Executive Directors at the 
time, Maurice Tulloch, Andy Briggs and Tom Stoddard, who advised 
on  the  strategic,  performance  and  risk  and  control  aspects  of  the 
management of the Group. The role of SID was also enhanced during 
this  time  to  allow  for  the  monitoring  and  management  of  any 
potential  conflicts  arising  from  Sir  Adrian’s  role  as  Executive 
Chairman.  

According  to  the  Board’s  policy,  Executive  Directors  may  hold  one 
external directorship, subject to obtaining the prior consent of the 
Board.  The  Executive  Directors  do  not  hold  any  such  external 
directorships at present. 

Conflicts of interest 
In accordance with the Companies Act 2006, the Company’s Articles 
of  Association  allow  the  Board  to  authorise  potential  conflicts  of 
interest that may arise and to impose such limits or conditions as are 
necessary. The decision to authorise a conflict of interest can only be 
made by non-conflicted directors (those who have no interest in the 
matter being considered) and in making such a decision the directors 
must act in a way they consider, in good faith, will be most likely to 
promote the Company’s success for the benefit of its shareholders as 
a whole. 

The Board continues to monitor and note any potential conflicts of 
interest that each Director may have and recommends to the Board 
whether these should be authorised and whether conditions should 
be  attached  to  any  such  authorisation.  The  directors  are  regularly 
reminded of their continuing obligations in relation to conflicts and 
are required annually to review and confirm their external interests, 
which  helps  to  determine  whether  they  can  continue  to  be 
considered independent.  

Independent advice 
All  directors  have  access  to  the  advice  and  services  of  the  Group 
Company Secretary in relation to the discharge of their duties on the 
Board and any committees they serve on. Furthermore, any directors 
may  take  independent  professional  advice  at  the  Company’s 
expense. During the year, no directors sought to do so. The Company 
arranges  appropriate  insurance  cover  in  respect  of  legal  actions 
against its directors and has also entered into indemnities with its 
directors as described in the ‘Other Statutory Information’ section in 
this report. 

Role profiles 
Following an update to the Board’s Terms of Reference during 2019 
to reflect the provisions of the Code, and consistent with the Senior 
Managers  and  Certification  Regime  (SMCR),  amended  role  profiles 
have been created for the Non-Executive Chairman, SID, Group CEO, 
Group  CFO  and  Non-Executive  Directors  which  are  all  available  at 
www.aviva.com/about-us/roles. A profile for the Executive Chairman 
was  in  place  during  the  period  that  Sir  Adrian  Montague  occupied 
that role.  

The Non-Executive Chairman is tasked with leadership of the Board, 
setting  its  agenda  and  ensuring  its  effectiveness,  and  enabling  the 
constructive challenge of the performance and strategic plans of the 
Executive  Directors  by  the  Non-Executive  Directors.  The  Chairman 
also  plays  a  key  role  in  working  with  the  Board  to  establish  our 
culture, purpose and values. The Group CEO is the senior executive 
of the Company and has overall accountability for the development 
and execution of the Group’s overall strategy in line with the policies 
and objectives agreed by the Board.  

The role of the SID is to provide a sounding board for the Chairman 
and  to  serve  as  an  intermediary  for  the  other  directors  where 
necessary. The SID should be available to shareholders should they 
have  concerns  they  have  been  unable  to  resolve  through  normal 
channels, or when such channels would be inappropriate. 

Throughout  the  year  the  Chairman  held  meetings  with  the  Non-
Executive Directors without management present. Additionally, Glyn 
Barker  as  SID  met  with  other  Non-Executive  Directors  without  the 
Chairman present to discuss any matters which they wished to raise.  

Induction, training and development 
A  commitment  to  support  the  continuing  development  of  all 
employees is a central part of Aviva’s culture. Our directors are highly 
supportive  of  this  and  are  committed  to  their  own  ongoing 
professional development. During 2019, the directors participated in 
internal  training  sessions  on  subjects  including  blockchain,  the 
impact  of  IFRS  17,  regulatory  capital,  financial  crime,  SMCR  and 
directors’ duties. Further training sessions have been incorporated 
into  the  Board  and  Committee  plans  for  2020.  The  Board  also 
receives  regular  briefings  on  a  range  of  strategically  important 
matters to ensure they are informed of developments in these areas.  

A  structured  and  tailored  induction  programme  was  prepared  for 
each of our three new Non-Executive Directors appointed this year. 
This  covered,  amongst  other  matters,  the  current  strategic  and 
operational  plan;  meeting  packs  and  minutes  from  recent  board 
meetings; stakeholder engagement; organisation structure charts; a 
history  of  the  Group;  role  profiles;  and  all  relevant  policies, 
procedures  and  other  governance  material.  The  induction  also 
included  meeting  key  members  of  the  management  team  and 
visiting  different  Aviva  office  locations.  Any  knowledge  or  skill 
enhancements identified during the directors’ regulatory application 
induction 
process  would  also  be  addressed  through  their 
programme.  

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  Continued 

Board calendar 
During  2019,  16  Board  meetings  were  held,  of  which  twelve  were 
scheduled  meetings  and  four  were  additional  meetings  called  at 
short  notice.  In  addition,  the  Board  delegated  responsibility  for 
certain items to specially created Board committees, which met nine 
times to discuss these particular items. 

The  unusually  high  number  of  meetings  of  the  Nomination 
Committee  included  eight  ad  hoc  meetings  which  were  called  to 
consider specific matters in relation to the appointment processes 
for the Executive and Non-Executive Directors who joined the Board 
during the year. If any Directors are unable to attend a meeting, they 
can communicate their opinions and comments on the matters to be 
considered via the Chairman of the Board or the relevant committee 
chairman. 

Board and Committee meetings attendance during 2019 

The Board visits different markets each year and during 2019 held a 
Board meeting at our Irish office. This gave the Board the opportunity 
to meet the senior management team locally and to gain a deeper 
understanding of the operations and performance of the business. In 
June 2019, the Board held its annual two-day strategy meeting offsite 
in  the  UK  to  review  progress  against  our  strategic  plan  and  to 
consider how it should be further developed to ensure we deliver on 
our  commitments  to  our  shareholders  and  our  stakeholders. 
Following  the  meeting  a  refresh  to  the  Group  strategy  was 
announced on 20 November 2019. 

Number of meetings held1 

Chairman 
Sir Adrian Montague2 

Executive Directors  

Maurice Tulloch 
Tom Stoddard3 
Andy Briggs4  
Jason Windsor5 

Non-Executive Directors  
Glyn Barker6 
Patricia Cross 

Belén Romana García7 
Michael Hawker8 
Michael Mire9 
Claudia Arney10 
Keith Williams11 
Patrick Flynn12 
George Culmer13 

Board1 
16 

Audit  
Committee 
7 

Governance 
Committee 
4 

Nomination 
Committee 
13 

Remuneration 
Committee 
10 

Risk  
Committee 
6 

16/16 

16/16 

7/7 

4/4 

4/4 

15/16 

16/16 

16/16 

3/3 

16/16 

16/16 

4/5 

7/8 

4/4 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

6/7 

7/7 

4/5 

3/3 

— 

— 

3/3 

4/4 

2/2 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

4/4 

— 

4/4 

— 

4/4 

4/4 

2/2 

— 

— 

13/13 

— 

— 

— 

— 

10/13 

13/13 

13/13 

6/6 

13/13 

13/13 

7/8 

4/4 

1/1 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

8/10 

10/10 

— 

— 

9/10 

10/10 

— 

— 

— 

—  

— 

— 

— 

— 

3/6 

— 

6/6 

2/2 

6/6 

5/6 

2/2 

3/3 

2/2 

1  During the year there were 16 Board meetings, of which 12 were scheduled meetings and 4 were called at short notice. In addition, there were 9 further Board sub-committee meetings held at short notice and attended by the 

Chairman and the NEDs.  

2  Sir Adrian Montague acted as Executive Chairman in the period to 4 March 2019 when Maurice Tulloch was appointed as Group Chief Executive Officer. Following this, Sir Adrian reverted to his previous position as Non-Executive 

Chairman. 

3  Tom Stoddard resigned as an Executive Director on 30 June 2019.  
4  Andy Briggs resigned as an Executive Director on 24 April 2019. 
5  Jason Windsor was appointed to the Board as Group Chief Financial Officer on 26 September 2019.  
6  Glyn Barker was unable to attend three meetings of the Risk Committee due to prior commitments; he was unable to attend 3 meetings of the Nomination Committee and Remuneration Committee both called at short notice 

due to prior commitments. Glyn also missed a Board meeting and Audit Committee meeting due to prior engagements.  

7  Belén Romana García was unable to attend a meeting of the Audit Committee due to a prior commitment accepted before she became a member of the Audit Committee.  
8   Michael Hawker retired as a Non-Executive Director on 31 March 2019.  
9  Michael Mire was unable to attend a meeting of the Remuneration Committee called at short notice due to prior commitments.  
10  Claudia Arney was unable to attend a meeting of the Risk Committee due to prior commitments.  
11  Keith Williams retired as a Non-Executive Director on 23 May 2019.  
12  Patrick Flynn joined the Board as a Non-Executive Director on 16 July 2019 and was unable to attend a Board meeting due to prior commitments. 
13  George Culmer joined the Board as a Non-Executive Director on 25 September 2019.  

Board priorities  
During  2019,  the  Board  continued  to  make  progress  on  delivering 
sustainable and growing financial returns for our shareholders and 
overseeing  prudent  capital  management.  We  put  in  place  a 
progressive dividend policy which is aligned to the Solvency II Return 
on Equity14 target of 12% by 2022 which we announced as part of our 
Capital  Markets  Day 
in  November  2019,  and  continued  our 
programme  of  debt  deleveraging  including  the  redemption  of  the 
£210  million  Step-Up  Tier  1  Insurance  Capital  Securities  (STICS) 
perpetual subordinated loan notes during the year.  

This  includes  the  simplification  of  Aviva  into  our  five  operating 
divisions from 2020: Investments, Savings and Retirement; UK Life; 
General Insurance; Europe Life; and Asia Life. In the 2019 Strategic 
report and 2019 Annual report and accounts, we continue to report 
the  results  of  our  business  by  market  on  the  basis  they  were 
managed  in  2019.  In  making  these  changes,  we  are leveraging our 
substantial  digital  and 
to  drive  better 
commercial  outcomes  across  Aviva  and  rigorously  controlling  our 
costs, including a £300 million per annum reduction in controllable 
costs14 by 2022 (net of inflation). 

insurance  expertise 

Following the appointment of our new Group CEO in March 2019, we 
embarked  on  a  comprehensive  strategic  review  of  our  business, 
identifying a number of changes which are now being implemented 
to  enhance  our  service  to  customers  and  improve  the  operating 
efficiencies of our business. 

14  This is an Alternative Performance Measure (APM) which provides useful information to supplement an understanding of our financial performance. Further information on APMs, including a reconciliation to the financial 

statements (where possible), can be found in the ‘Other Information’ section of the Annual report and accounts.

Aviva plc Annual report and accounts 2019 
63 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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Governance 

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Other information 

Directors’ and Corporate Governance report 

  Continued 

We understand that our financial plans can only be achieved through 
a relentless focus on the experience of our customers and by working 
to  ensure  that  we  offer  each  one  of  our  personal  and  corporate 
customers great outcomes, earning their trust as the best place to 
save  for  the  future,  navigate  retirement  and  insure  what  matters 
most  to  them.  The  Board  has  focused  on  understanding  our 
customers’  experience,  closely  monitoring  customer  metrics  and 
engaging with management to understand the issues involved when 
our performance did not meet our customers’ expectations.  

During 2020, the Board’s agenda will focus on driving delivery of the 
Group’s  strategic  priorities,  which  are  to  deliver  great  customer 
outcomes;  excel  at  the  fundamentals;  and  to  continue  to  invest  in 
sustainable growth.  

We will seek to ensure that we successfully implement our simplified 
operating model and maintain our careful control of operating costs. 
The Board will closely monitor and drive enhancements in our risk 
and control environment and will continue to assess and respond to 
changes  in  the  external  political  and  economic  environment; 
including those related to the UK’s decision to leave the European 
Union  (EU).  The  Board  will  seek  to  ensure  that  as  a  business,  we 
maintain our focus on managing operational resilience and potential 
risks  around  our  IT  estate.  We  will  closely  review  our  progress 
towards  meeting  the  financial  targets  outlined  in  our  strategic 
update  in  November  2019  which  will  support  our  progressive 
dividend  strategy  and  our  goal  of  driving  higher  returns  for  our 
stakeholders. 

Our two-day offsite Board strategy session in June 2020 will be used 
to  review  our  three-year  strategic  plan  and  to  set  out  strategic 
priorities for the year ahead.  

Culture will remain a key area, and we will continue to engage with 
our stakeholders and integrate their interests and concerns into our 
decision-making processes. Succession planning and the continued 
development of the talent pipeline will remain an area of focus for 
both the Board and the Nomination and Governance Committee.  

Board evaluation 
The effectiveness of the Board is vital to the success of the Group. The 
Board undertakes a rigorous evaluation process each year to assess 
how  it,  its  committees  and  individual  directors  are  performing. 
During 2018, an external evaluation was conducted, with a series of 
outcomes  reported  in  2019.  Following  an  externally  facilitated 
evaluation process over the last two years, the Board decided that 
the  2019  evaluation  be  undertaken 
internal 
questionnaire prepared in conjunction with Lintstock. Lintstock also 
provide  evaluations  to  other  operating  subsidiaries  in  the  Aviva 
Group. Lintstock are an independent provider of Board evaluations 
and have no other connection with Aviva or any individual director. 
The  questionnaires  covered  a  variety  of  areas  including  board 
composition, strategic and operational oversight, risk management 
and  internal  controls,  and  culture.  The  Board  considered  the  final 
report  and  the  recommendations  which  were  shared  with  each 
committee,  and  an  action  plan  for  areas  of  focus  was  agreed.  The 
2018  Board  evaluations  and  2019  actions  are  outlined  in  the  table 
below.  

through  an 

Outcomes from the 2018 Board evaluation and steps taken in 2019 

Focus area  
Board composition 

Theme 
Utilising our skills 
matrix as part of our 
Board succession 
planning 

Feedback/actions 
The  Board  skills  matrix  was  utilised  to  focus  NED  recruitment  on  specific  Board  skills 
requirements, including insurance, finance and accounting experience. We have successfully 
recruited three NEDs with very deep experience in these areas. 

Governance 

Stakeholder 
engagement 

Culture 

Reorganisation of our 
Board committees 
and their remits 

We  made  certain  changes  to  remits  of  our  Board  committees,  including  repurposing  the 
Governance  Committee  as  the  Customer,  Conduct  and  Reputation  Committee  and  the 
Nomination  Committee  as  the  Nomination  and  Governance  Committee.  The  aim  of  these 
changes was to further enhance our focus on the customer and customer conduct issues. 

Reviewing our 
engagement 
mechanisms in 
relation to the Code 

Continuing to set and 
monitor our 
corporate culture 

The interests of our stakeholders are central to the way we operate as a company, and the 
Board reviewed the ways in which we engage with them to ensure that they facilitate dialogue 
and that the interests of our stakeholders are considered in our decision making.  

The Board had several discussions on the Group’s culture and this remains a priority for 2020. 
The  Board  remains  committed  to  maintaining  our  focus  on  valuing  diversity  and  policies 
supporting inclusion across the Group. It ensured that these are fully considered in overseeing 
succession planning for the senior leadership team. It also closely monitors the outputs from 
our ‘Voice of Aviva’ engagement surveys and reviews actions proposed to improve employee 
engagement.  

Aviva plc Annual report and accounts 2019 
64 

 
 
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Governance 

IFRS financial statements 

Other information 

Directors’ and Corporate Governance report 

  Continued 

Committee effectiveness 
As part of the Board effectiveness review process, each committee 
considers  the  feedback  from  the  Board  evaluation  exercise  and 
develops an action plan as appropriate. 

Frameworks for risk management and internal control 
The Board is responsible for promoting the long-term success of the 
Company for the benefit of shareholders, as well as taking account of 
other  stakeholders 
including  employees  and  customers.  This 
includes ensuring that an appropriate system of risk governance is in 
place  throughout  the  Group.  To  discharge  this  responsibility,  the 
Board has established frameworks for risk management and internal 
control using a ‘three lines of defence’ model and reserves for itself 
the setting of the Group’s risk appetite. Further details are contained 
on the following pages.  

In-depth monitoring of the establishment and operation of prudent 
and effective controls in order to assess and manage risks associated 
with the Group’s operations is delegated to the Risk, Governance and 
Audit Committees which report regularly to the Board. However, the 
Board  retains  ultimate  responsibility  for  the  Group’s  systems  of 
internal  control  and  risk  management  and  has  reviewed  their 
effectiveness for the year. The frameworks for risk management and 
internal control play a key role in the management of risks that may 
impact the fulfilment of the Board’s objectives. They are designed to 
identify  and  manage,  rather  than  eliminate,  the  risk  of  the  Group 
failing  to  achieve  its  business  objectives  and  can  only  provide 
reasonable  and  not  absolute  assurance  against  material 
misstatement and loss. The frameworks are regularly reviewed and 
were in place for the financial year under review and up to the date 
of  this  report.  They  help  ensure  the  Group  complies  with  the 
Financial Reporting Council’s (FRC) guidance on Risk Management, 
Internal Controls and Related Financial and Business Reporting. 

A robust assessment was conducted by the Board of the emerging 
and principal risks facing the Company, including those that could 
impact  the  Group’s  business  model,  future  performance,  solvency 
and  liquidity.  In  2019  the  Risk  Committee  reviewed  a  number  of 
emerging risk scenarios and the management actions and mitigation 
to address them. These included the decision for the UK to leave the 
European Union (regular updates), UK political risk, US-China trade 
war, the credit cycle, systemic cloud risk, harmonisation of European 
conduct regulation, pension tax relief, risks posed by climate change 
and  other  emerging  risks  and  sources  of  market  uncertainty.  The 
Company’s approach to risk and risk management together with the 
principal risks that face the Group are explained within the Risk and 
risk management section of this report.  

Risk management framework 
The  Risk  Management  Framework  (RMF)  is  designed  to  identify, 
measure,  manage,  monitor  and  report  the  principal  risks  to  the 
achievement  of  the  Group’s  business  objectives  and  is  embedded 
throughout  the  Group.  It  is  codified  through  risk  policies  and 
business  standards  which  set  out  the  risk  strategy,  appetite, 
framework and minimum requirements and controls for the Group’s 
worldwide operations. Further detail is set out in note 60. 

Internal controls 
Internal  controls  facilitate  effective  and  efficient  operations,  the 
development  of  robust  and  reliable 
internal  reporting  and 
compliance with laws and regulations. Group reporting manuals in 
relation  to  IFRS  and  Solvency  II  reporting  requirements  and  a 
Financial  Reporting  Control  Framework  (FRCF)  are  in  place  across 
the  Group.  FRCF  relates  to  the  preparation  of  reliable  financial 
reporting, covering both IFRS and Solvency II reporting activity. The 
FRCF  process  follows  a  risk-based  approach,  with  management 
testing), 
identification, 
remediation  (as  required),  reporting  and  certification  over  key 
financial 
regularly 
undertakes quality assurance procedures over the application of the 
FRCF process and controls. 

related  controls.  Management 

(documentation 

assessment 

reporting 

and 

In 2019, the Group continued to focus on its operational resilience by 
completing  major  control  improvements  in  a  number  of  areas, 
including  disaster  recovery  capability  and  the  strengthening  of  its 
cyber security controls, through continued investment in the Group’s 
IT estate. More broadly the Group seeks to continue to monitor and 
further  enhance 
its  control  frameworks  across  the  business, 
including change management, financial crime prevention and data 
privacy.  Further  information  can  be  found  in  the  Audit  and  Risk 
Committee reports.  

First line – management monitoring 
The Aviva Leadership Team and each market Chief Executive Officer 
are responsible for the application of the RMF, for implementing and 
monitoring  the  operation  of  the  system  of  internal  control  and  for 
providing assurance to the Audit, Governance and Risk Committees 
and the Board. 

Second line – risk management, compliance and actuarial functions 
The  Risk  Management  function  is  accountable  for  the  quantitative 
and  qualitative  oversight  and  challenge  of  the  identification, 
measurement,  monitoring  and  reporting  of  principal  risks  and  for 
developing the RMF. 

The  Actuarial  function  is  accountable  for  the  Group  wide  actuarial 
methodology,  reporting  to  the  relevant  governing  body  on  the 
adequacy  of  reserves  and  the  appropriateness  of  the  Solvency  II 
internal  model,  as  well  as  underwriting  and 
reinsurance 
arrangements.  The  Compliance  function  supports  and  advises  the 
business on the identification, measurement and management of its 
regulatory,  financial  crime  and  conduct  risks.  It  is  accountable  for 
maintaining the compliance standards and framework within which 
the Group operates and monitoring and reporting on its compliance 
risk profile. 

Third line – internal audit 
The  third  line  of  defence  is  Internal  Audit.  This  function  provides 
independent and objective assessment on the robustness of the RMF 
and the appropriateness and effectiveness of internal control to the 
Audit, Governance and Risk Committees, market audit committees 
and  the  Board.  Further  information  can  be  found  in  the  Audit 
Committee report. 

Aviva plc Annual report and accounts 2019 
65 

 
 
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Governance 

IFRS financial statements 

Other information 

Directors’ and Corporate Governance report 

  Continued 

The principal committees that oversee risk management are as follows 

The Risk Committee 
Assists the Board in its oversight of risk and 
risk  management  across  the  Group  and 
makes  recommendations  on  risk  appetite 
to the  Board.  Reviews  the  effectiveness  of 
the risk  management  framework,  and  the 
methodology  in  determining  the  Group’s 
capital and liquidity requirements.  

Ensures  that  risk  management  is  properly 
considered in setting remuneration policy. 

The Governance Committee 
Works closely with the Risk Committee and 
is responsible for assisting the Board in its 
oversight  of  operational  risk  across  the 
Group, particularly the risk of not delivering 
good customer outcomes and compliance 
with  our  corporate  governance  principles. 
From  1  January  2020  the  Governance 
Committee  was  renamed  the  Customer, 
Conduct and Reputation Committee.  

for  assisting  the  Board 

The Audit Committee 
Works  closely  with  the  Risk  Committee  and 
in 
is responsible 
discharging its responsibilities for the integrity 
of  the  Company’s  financial  statements,  the 
effectiveness of the system of internal controls 
and 
the  effectiveness, 
performance  and  objectivity  of  the  internal 
and external auditors. 

for  monitoring 

Board oversight of risk management 
The  Board’s  delegated  responsibilities  regarding  oversight  of  risk 
management and the approach to internal controls are set out on 
the previous pages. There are good working relationships between 
the Board committees, and they provide regular reports to the Board 
on 
their  activities  and  escalate  significant  matters  where 
appropriate.  The  responsibilities  and  activities  of  each  Board 
committee are set out in the committee reports. 

Assessment of effectiveness of risk management 
Each  business  unit  Chief  Executive  Officer  and  Chief  Risk  Officer  is 
required  to  make  a  declaration  that  the  Group’s  governance,  and 
system  of internal  controls  are  effective  and  are  fit  for  purpose  for 
their business and that they are kept under review through the year. 

Any  material  risks  not  previously  identified,  control  weaknesses  or 
non-compliance with the Group’s risk policies or local delegations of 
authority  must  be  highlighted  as  part  of  this  process.  This  is 
supplemented  by  investigations  carried  out  at  Group  level  and  a 
Group CEO and CRO declaration for Aviva plc.  

The  effectiveness  assessment  also  draws  on  the  regular  cycle  of 
assurance activity conducted during the year, as well as the results of 
the  annual  assessment  process.  During  2019,  this  has  been 
supported  by  the  application  of  the  Group’s  Operational  Risk  & 
Control  Management  framework.  The  details  of  key  failings  or 
weaknesses are reported to the Risk and Audit Committee and the 
Board  on  a  regular  basis  and  are  summarised  annually  to  enable 
them to carry out an effectiveness assessment. 

the  systems  of 

internal  control  and 

The  Risk  Committee,  on  behalf  of  the  Board,  have  reviewed  the 
effectiveness  of 
risk 
management. This review occurs annually. In addition, Internal Audit 
plays  a  significant  role  in  contributing  to  the  routine  ongoing 
assessment of the Group’s Risk & Control framework. There has been 
regular reporting to the committees throughout the year to ensure 
that  outstanding  areas  of  improvement  are  both  identified  and 
remediated.  Whilst  there  has  been  substantial  progress  during  the 
year there remains a number of areas where significant work is still 
required. The reports to the Audit and Risk Committees refer to the 
need  to  sustain  the  embedding  of  controls  in  a  number  of  areas 
where  significant  progress  has  been  made  in  2019,  such  as  cyber 
security,  risk  management  through  major  change,  UK  Insurance 
complaints management and IT disaster recovery; and the need to 
continue to make further improvement in a number of other areas, 
such as IT resilience, financial crime prevention, data management, 
risk  culture  and  ongoing  improvements  in  Canada,  France  and 
Ireland. The Risk Committee, on behalf of the Board will continue to 
monitor progress throughout 2020.  

The  risk  management  framework  of  a  small  number  of  our  joint 
ventures and strategic equity holdings differs from the RMF outlined 
in this report. We continue to work with these entities to understand 
how their risks are managed and to align them, where possible, with 
our framework. 

Communication with shareholders 
The  Company  places  considerable  importance  on  communication 
with shareholders. The Executive Directors have an ongoing dialogue 
and  a  programme  of  meetings  with  institutional  investors,  fund 
managers  and  analysts  which  are  managed  by  the  Company’s 
Investor  Relations  function.  The  Chairman  met  several  of  the 
Company’s  major  shareholders  during  2019.  At  these  meetings  a 
range of issues were discussed within the constraints of information 
already made public, to understand shareholders’ perspectives. On 
20  November  2019  we  held  a  Capital  Markets  Day  in  London  to 
update  investors  and  analysts  on  our  strategy  and  financial 
objectives. Shareholders’ views are regularly communicated to the 
Board through the Group CEO’s, and Group CFO’s reports and weekly 
briefings  from  the  corporate  brokers  and  the  Investor  Relations 
function.  The  SID  was  available  to  meet  with  major  investors  to 
discuss  any  concerns  that  could  not  be  resolved  through  normal 
channels and a formal programme of introductory investor meetings 
for the new SID commenced in January 2020. 

2020 AGM 
The 2020 AGM will be held on Tuesday 26 May 2020 and the Notice of 
AGM  and  related  papers  will,  unless  otherwise  noted,  be  sent  to 
shareholders at least 20 working days before the meeting. The AGM 
provides a valuable opportunity for the Board to communicate with 
private shareholders. All serving directors attended the Company’s 
2019 AGM, and plan to attend the 2020 AGM. A presentation on the 
Group’s  performance  will  be  given  at  the  2020  AGM  and  made 
available  on  the  Company’s  website  after  the  meeting  at 
www.aviva.com/agm 

Shareholders are invited to ask questions related to the business of 
the meeting at the AGM and have an opportunity to meet with the 
directors following the conclusion of the meeting. Further details on 
the  AGM  are  provided  in  the  Shareholder  Services  section  of  this 
report.

Aviva plc Annual report and accounts 2019 
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Governance 

IFRS financial statements 

Other information 

Board and executive succession planning  
The 2018 UK Corporate Governance Code (the Code) places greater 
emphasis on succession planning and the Committee has built on its 
existing processes to enhance its focus in this area.  

The  Committee,  on  behalf  of  the  Board,  regularly  assesses  the 
balance  of  Executive  and  Non-Executive  Directors,  and  the 
composition of the Board in terms of skills, experience, diversity and 
capacity.  

Executive Directors 
The Committee led the process for the recruitment of a new Group 
CEO  following  the  departure  of  Mark  Wilson  in  October  2018.  The 
Committee approved the search brief and engaged Spencer Stuart 
to identify suitable candidates. The brief included finding candidates 
with  strong  insurance  experience,  a  track  record  of  running  large 
global  organisations,  outstanding  leadership  qualities,  a  customer 
focused  approach,  and  alignment  to  the  Company’s  culture  and 
values.  A  diverse  shortlist  of  internal  and  external  candidates  was 
interviewed by the Chairman, the Senior Independent Director and 
the chairs of the Board Audit, Risk, Governance and Remuneration 
Committees.  The  preferred  candidates  met  with  all  Non-Executive 
Directors  and  the  successful  candidate  met  with  the  Financial 
Conduct  Authority  (FCA)  and  the  Prudential  Regulatory  Authority 
(PRA). The Remuneration Committee led on the development of an 
appropriate  remuneration  package  for  the  role  and  approved  the 
final  package  to  be  offered  to  the  successful  candidate.  Both  the 
Remuneration  and  Nomination  Committees  were  mindful  of 
shareholder views when considering the remuneration package for 
the  role.  Having  considered  all  the  skills,  experience  and  personal 
attributes of the preferred candidates, the Committee unanimously 
agreed  to  recommend  Maurice  Tulloch  as  Group  CEO.  The  Board 
appointed  Maurice  as  Group  CEO  on  4  March  2019.  Maurice  was 
formerly  Chief  Executive  Officer 
Insurance.  The 
appointment  of  Maurice  as  Group  CEO  reflected  a  strong  internal 
succession planning process and demonstrated our focus on people 
development and readiness for future roles. 

International 

On 30 June 2019, Tom Stoddard stepped down as Group CFO and as 
an Executive Director of Aviva plc. The Committee was involved in the 
appointment of the new Group CFO and engaged Spencer Stuart to 
carry  out  an  extensive  external  search  and  to  benchmark  internal 
candidates  for  the  role.  A  shortlist  of  highly  capable  and  diverse 
internal  and  external  candidates  was  produced  and  considered 
against  the  role  profile  previously  agreed  by  the  Committee. 
Interviews  were  held  with  the  shortlisted  candidates  and  the  Non-
Executive  Directors,  following  which  the  Committee  unanimously 
agreed to recommend Jason Windsor’s appointment to the role. The 
Board  appointed  Jason  Windsor  as  Group  CFO  and  Executive 
Director  of  Aviva  plc  from  26  September  2019.  Jason  Windsor  was 
Aviva’s  interim  Chief  Financial  Officer  from  1  July  2019  and  was 
previously  Chief  Financial  Officer  of  Aviva  UK  Insurance.  He  has  a 
deep understanding of Aviva and the markets we operate in and was 
considered the right candidate for the role in line with our executive 
succession plans.  

During  the  year,  Spencer  Stuart  had  no  other  connection  with  the 
Company or any individual director. 

Directors’ and Corporate Governance report 

  Continued 

Nomination 
Committee  
report 

Committee focus during 2019  
I  am  pleased  to  present  the  Nomination  Committee’s  (the 
Committee) report for the year ended 31 December 2019. 

During  the  year,  the  Committee  led  the  selection  process  for  the 
appointment of Maurice Tulloch as the Group Chief Executive Officer 
(Group  CEO)  on  4  March  2019,  and  the  appointment  of  Jason 
Windsor  as  the  Group  Chief  Financial  Officer  (Group  CFO)  on  26 
September 2019. 

The  Committee  also  led  the  Independent  Non-Executive  Director 
succession process in view of the retirement of Michael Hawker, Keith 
Williams, Claudia Arney and Glyn Barker during the year, and with the 
appointment of Patrick Flynn, George Culmer and Amanda Blanc to 
the Board.  

Committee membership 
Michael Hawker and Keith Williams retired from the Board and the 
Committee on 31 March 2019 and 23 May 2019 respectively, and Glyn 
Barker and Claudia Arney retired from the Board and the Committee 
on  31  December  2019.  I  would  like  to  thank  them  all  for  their 
contribution.  The  members  of  the  Committee  as  at  31  December 
2019  are  shown  in  the  table  below.  Amanda  Blanc  joined  the 
Committee on 2 January 2020. Details of members’ experience and 
qualifications are shown in the ‘Our Board of Directors’ section, and 
their  attendance  at  Committee  meetings  during  the  year  is  shown 
within the Directors’ and Corporate Governance report. 

Name 

Sir Adrian Montague1 
Claudia Arney2 
Glyn Barker3 

Patricia Cross 

Belén Romana García 

Michael Mire 

Patrick Flynn 

George Culmer 

1  Chair 
2  Claudia Arney retired from the Committee on 31 December 2019 
3   Glyn Barker retired from the Committee on 31 December 2019 

Member since 

06/03/2013 

08/02/2016 

01/07/2012 

01/12/2013 

26/06/2015 

12/09/2013 

16/07/2019 

25/09/2019 

Years on the 
Committee 

7 

4 

7 

6 

4 

6 

<1 

<1 

in 

Committee Purpose 
The main purpose of the Committee is oversight of the balance of 
skills, knowledge, experience and diversity on the Board to enable it 
to  identify  and  respond  appropriately  to  current  and  future 
opportunities  and  challenges.  To  assist 
identifying  and 
nominating candidates for the Board, the Committee monitors the 
succession  plans  for  senior  management  and  Executive  and  Non-
Executive  Directors.  The  Committee  also  oversees  diversity  and 
inclusion  initiatives  and  talent  development  for  the  wider  Group. 
remit  and 
During 
responsibilities were reviewed. With effect from 1 January 2020 the 
Committee  changed  its  name  to  the  Nomination  and  Governance 
Committee and expanded its responsibilities to include oversight of 
governance, regulatory compliance and organisational change. More 
information on the Board and Committees’ structure can be found in 
the Directors’ and Corporate Governance report.  

the  Board  and  Committees’ 

the  year, 

Aviva plc Annual report and accounts 2019 
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IFRS financial statements 

Other information 

Directors’ and Corporate Governance report 

Continued 

Non-Executive Directors 
Following nine years on the Board, Michael Hawker retired from the 
Board and as Chair of the Risk Committee on 31 March 2019. Keith 
Williams retired from the Board and as chair of the Audit Committee, 
following  the  conclusion  of  the  Company’s  AGM  on  23  May  2019. 
Claudia Arney and Glyn Barker retired from the Board and as chair of 
the  Governance  Committee  and  Senior  Independent  Director 
respectively, with effect from 31 December 2019.  

During the year, the Committee reviewed the Board skills matrix and 
capability gaps identified and agreed the areas of experience which 
would be beneficial to the composition of the Board. Spencer Stuart 
was engaged to undertake an extensive external search based on the 
specification agreed by the Committee. The Committee considered 
the  role  profiles  of  the  shortlisted  candidates,  met  the  candidates 
with the most alignment to the specification and recommended the 
appointment of Patrick Flynn, George Culmer and Amanda Blanc to 
the Board. Patrick Flynn was appointed to the Board on 16 July 2019 
and  became  Chair  of  the  Audit  Committee  on  4  November  2019. 
Patrick  brings  significant  experience  of  both  retail  financial  and 
joined  the  Board  on  25 
insurance  services.  George  Culmer 
September  2019,  bringing  extensive 
insurance  and  banking 
experience.  He  was  appointed  as  the  Senior  Independent  Director 
with effect from 1 January 2020. Amanda Blanc joined the Board as a 
Non-Executive Director and Chair of the Governance Committee on 
2  January  2020.  Amanda  brings  strong  knowledge  of  the  UK  and 
European  insurance  industry  and  a  detailed  understanding  of 
business and customers.  

Following  Michael  Hawker’s  retirement  from  the  Board,  Belén 
Romana García became the Chair of the Risk Committee with effect 
from 5 July 2019. Belén has been a member of the Risk Committee 
since joining the Board in June 2015 and has extensive experience of 
financial  services  including  insurance,  banking,  regulation  and  risk 
management.  

Talent management 
The  Committee  also  monitors  the  development  of  the  Aviva 
Leadership  Team  (ALT)  to  ensure  that  there  is  a  diverse  supply  of 
senior  executives  and  potential  future  Board  members  with  the 
appropriate skills and experience. Following the appointment of the 
Group CEO, the ALT was refreshed in line with the Group’s strategic 
direction. The investment made in growing our leadership capability 
over the past three years meant that there was a strong pipeline of 
internal candidates available with the majority of ALT appointments 
originating internally in line with our succession plans. During 2019, 
the Committee received regular updates from the Group CEO on the 
composition  and  changes  to  the  ALT  and  considered  the 
development  plans  and  talent  profiles  of  these  individuals  in  line 
with the Group’s succession plans.  

The Committee also considers the development plans designed to 
prepare  successors  for  ALT  roles.  Internal  talent  development  and 
developing  a  pipeline  of  potential  future  leaders  has  continued  to 
receive Committee focus during the year.  

The Committee also considers the initiatives to enhance, strengthen 
and  diversify  the  talent  pipeline  across  the  wider  Group  and 
members  of  the  Committee  remain  involved  in  various  initiatives, 
including  an  ongoing  programme  of  talent  breakfasts  where  high 
potential employees meet with the Board.  

Diversity 
Diversity  and  inclusion  continue  to  be  an  area  of  focus  for  the 
Committee  and  the  Board.  The  Board  is  committed  to  having  a 
diverse  and  inclusive  leadership  team  which  provides  a  range  of 
perspectives and insights and the challenge needed to support good 
decision  making.  Diversity  at  Aviva  includes,  but  is  not  limited  to 
gender, and is inclusive of all strands of diversity including skills and 
experience, geographic background, ethnicity, disability and sexual 
orientation. The Board is supportive of the recommendations set out 
in the Parker Review and we aim to increase the ethnic diversity of 
the  Board  by  2021,  as  well  as  monitoring  ethnic  diversity  in  our 
succession and leadership pipeline.  

As a global business Aviva recognises the importance of reflecting the 
diversity of the customers we serve in the composition of our Board 
and the senior management of the markets we operate in.  

As  at  the  date  of  the  report  the  representation  of  women  on  the 
Board  has  increased  from  27%  in  March  2019  to  33%.  We  actively 
support women advancing into senior roles, with the Chairman being 
an active member of the 30% Club. We are a charter signatory of HM 
Treasury’s  Women  in  Finance  Charter,  which  commits  financial 
services  companies  to  a  range  of  measures  to  improve  gender 
diversity amongst senior management. As at the date of this report 
females  represent  35%  of  the  ALT  and  further  details  on  gender 
diversity in the workforce can be found in the Strategic report. 

In May 2017, the Board adopted a Diversity and Inclusion statement 
which  supports  the  Committee  in  its  approach  to  succession 
planning. The Board’s Diversity and Inclusion statement, which is in 
line  with  the  overall  Group  Diversity  and  Inclusion  strategy,  is 
available  on  the  Company’s  website  at  www.aviva.com/corporate-
governance 

Conflicts of interest and independence 
During  2019,  the  Committee  reviewed  the  balance  of  skills, 
experience  and 
independence  of  the  Board.  The  Committee 
conducted a review of individual director conflict authorisations as 
recorded  in  the  Conflicts  of  Interest  register.  The  register  is 
maintained by the Group Company Secretary and sets out any actual 
or  potential  conflict  of  interest  situations  which  a  director  has 
disclosed to the Board in line with their statutory duties. In order to 
form a view surrounding director independence when reviewing the 
conflicts of interest authorisations, consideration was also given to 
other external appointments held by each director.  

For  Non-Executive  Directors, 
in  thought  and 
judgement is vital to facilitating constructive and challenging debate 
in the boardroom and is essential to the operational effectiveness of 
the Board and Committees of Aviva.  

independence 

The  Committee  determines 
a  Non-Executive  Director’s 
independence in line with Provision 10 of the Code. During 2019 the 
Committee conducted a particularly rigorous review of Glyn Barker, 
who had served on the Board for more than seven years. Glyn’s deep 
understanding of accounting and regulatory issues and his extensive 
experience  as  a  business  leader  meant  that  he  also  continued  to 
provide independent insight and challenge to the boardroom. After 
careful  consideration  the  Committee  agreed  that  Glyn  remained 
independent and continued to make a valuable contribution to the 
Board. The Committee examined Glyn’s former position as a partner 
at the Group’s current external auditors and was satisfied this did not 
affect his judgement or independence as a director.  

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Directors’ and Corporate Governance report 

  Continued 

The  Committee  also  considered  the  cross-directorships  of  Keith 
Williams and Claudia Arney who were both directors on the Board of 
Halfords  plc.  The  Committee  was  satisfied  that  the  cross 
directorships  did  not  impact  the  independence  of  either  Claudia 
Arney  or  Keith  Williams  or  their  ability  to  carry  out  their  role  as 
directors  of  the  Company.  Claudia  Arney  stepped  down  from  the 
board of Halfords plc on 1 March 2019.  

Committee effectiveness review 
The  Committee  undertakes  a  review  of  its  effectiveness  annually. 
More  information  can  be  found  in  the  Directors’  and  Corporate 
Governance report. 

2020 priorities 
In 2020, the Committee will continue to focus on succession planning 
at the Board and senior management level (particularly following the 
internal appointments to the ALT during the year) and developing a 
strong and diverse talent pipeline. The Committee will also focus on 
appointing  the  new  Chair  and  building  an  induction  and  training 
programme to support their appointment process. The Committee 
will also begin to operate under its extended Terms of Reference as 
the Nomination and Governance Committee. 

Sir Adrian Montague 
Chair of the Nomination Committee 
4 March 2020 

Committee activities during 2019 
Evaluation and annual assessment 
•  Assessed the Non-Executive Directors’ independence 
•  Considered  and  recommended  to  the  Board  the  election/re-
election  of  each  continuing  director  ahead  of  their  election/re-
election by shareholders at the Company’s 2019 AGM 

•  Reviewed and made recommendations to the Board in respect of 
each directors actual, potential or perceived conflicts of interests 
•  Reviewed  the  external  appointments  and  time  commitments  of 

the Non-Executive Directors 

Board composition and diversity 
•  Reviewed  the  composition  of  the  Board  and  its  committees  and 
whether the Board required additional skills and experience which 
would  complement  those  of  the  existing  members  and  the 
Company’s risk profile and strategy 

•  Led the search process for the new Group CEO, Group CFO and the 

three Non-Executive Directors appointed during 2019 

•  Considered  specific  steps  to  be  taken  in  relation  to  diversity  in 

Board and executive succession planning 

Succession planning 
•  Continued to focus on succession planning arrangements at both 
Board and executive level, against a specification for the role and 
capabilities required for the position and the composition of the 
Board 

•  Considered plans for succession for each Aviva Leadership Team 

member, including talent development below the ALT level 

Talent pipeline 
•  Reviewed the career and development plans for the ALT to ensure 
that  there  is  an  adequate  talent  pool  of  potential  Executive 
Directors 

•  Reviewed  talent  development  throughout  the  Group  to  ensure 
there  is  a  sufficient  and  diverse  pipeline  of  talent  available  to 
execute the Company’s current and future strategy

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Directors’ and Corporate Governance report 

  Continued 

Risk Committee 
report 

Committee focus during 2019  
I am pleased to present the Risk Committee’s (the Committee) report 
for the year ended 31 December 2019.  

The Company’s approach to risk and risk management together with 
detail on the principal risks that face the Group are explained within 
the Risk and risk management section of this report. 

During  the  year,  the  Committee  focused  on  strengthening  the  risk 
culture and control environment, with particular attention given to 
operational  and  IT  risks.  The  Committee  also  focused  on  the 
changing  macroeconomic  and  political  environment,  including 
preparations for the UK to leave the European Union (EU), the risks 
posed by the low interest rate environment,  cyber threats, climate 
change and ongoing regulatory change.  

The Company’s overall risk profile has remained stable throughout 
2019  and  the  Committee  continued  to  review  and  oversee  the 
strengthening  of  the  Group’s  operational  risk  profile  and  control 
environment.  

Committee membership 
I assumed the role of Chair on 5 July 2019. Michael Hawker was the 
Chair until 31 March 2019 when he stepped down from the Board and 
the  Committee  after  nine  years’  service.  Glyn  Barker  and  Claudia 
Arney  also  retired  from  the  Board  and  the  Committee  on  31 
December  2019  and  I  would  like  to  thank  them  all  for  their 
contribution.  The  members  of  the  Committee  as  at  31  December 
2019 are shown in the table below. Amanda Blanc became a member 
of the Committee on 2 January 2020 following her appointment to 
the  Board.  Details  of  members’  experience,  qualifications  and 
attendance at Committee meetings during the year are shown within 
the Directors’ and Corporate Governance report.  

Name 
Belén Romana García1 

Michael Mire 
Claudia Arney2 
Glyn Barker3  

Patrick Flynn 

George Culmer 

1  Chair. 
2  Claudia Arney retired from the Committee on 31 December 2019 
3  Glyn Barker retired from the Committee on 31 December 2019 

Member since 

26/06/2015 

12/09/2013 

01/01/2017 

02/05/2012 

16/07/2019 

25/09/2019 

Years on the 
Committee 

4 

6 

3 

7 

<1 

<1 

framework.  The  Committee 

Committee purpose 
The  main  purpose  of  the  Committee  is  to  assist  the  Board  in  its 
oversight  of  risk  within  the  Group,  with  a  focus  on  reviewing  the 
Group’s risk appetite and risk profile in relation to capital, liquidity 
and franchise value and  reviewing the effectiveness of the Group’s 
risk  management 
the 
methodology used in determining the Group’s capital requirements 
and  associated  stress  testing  and  ensures  that  due  diligence 
appraisals are carried out on strategic or significant transactions. In 
addition to the risks inherent in the Group’s investment portfolio, the 
Committee  reviews  the  Group’s  operational  risks, 
including 
significant  changes  to  the  regulatory  framework.  The  Committee 
works  with  the  Remuneration  Committee  to  ensure  that  risk 
management  and risk culture  is properly considered in setting the 
Remuneration  Policy.  During  2019  the  Committee  supported  the 

reviews 

development of the new primary risk and control metric included in 
the Company’s Annual Bonus Plan and further details on this can be 
found in the Directors’ Remuneration report.  

During the year the remit of the Committee was reviewed, and it was 
agreed  that  responsibility  for  controls  over  financial  reporting  will 
remain  with  the  Audit  Committee  while  the  Committee  has 
responsibility for all other internal controls. The Committee’s Terms 
of Reference were updated accordingly.  

The  Committee  works  closely  with  the  Remuneration  and  Audit 
Committees.  The  cross  membership  between  these  Committees 
promotes  a  good  understanding  of 
issues  and  efficient 
communication.  

UK exit from the EU 
During the year the Committee monitored the negotiations between 
the  UK  and  EU  and  reviewed  the  Group’s  operational  readiness 
planning, including the appropriateness of the ‘No Deal’ operational 
planning assumption against the backdrop of political uncertainty. 
Management  plans  included  implementing  a  monthly  Steering 
Committee to oversee preparations and the Committee reviewed the 
progress made by the Steering Committee and the implementation 
of  the  Part  VII  transfers  of  insurance  portfolios  to  subsidiaries  in 
Ireland, which were completed by 29 March 2019. More generally the 
Committee  discussed  the  Group’s  contingency  planning  to  ensure 
continuous service to customers in the event of a ‘No Deal’ exit and 
also considered customer service capacity planning to ensure that 
continuous service could be maintained in the event that a ‘No Deal’ 
exit  occurred  concurrently  with  other  risk  events  (for  example 
extreme weather) and business-as-usual peak demand (for example 
tax  year-end).  The  resilience  of  the  Group’s  balance  sheet  and  the 
effectiveness of financial hedges to help mitigate possible financial 
market shocks from a ‘No Deal’ exit were reviewed, together with the 
progress made by the team working across the Group to ensure EEA 
to UK data transfers would be legally compliant absent of an EU data 
protection  adequacy  ruling.  The  Committee  reviewed  the  scenario 
planning for potential fund suspensions, particularly property funds, 
to ensure that communication controls and cascades were in place.  

Control environment 
During  the  year  the  Committee  received  updates  on  disaster 
recovery,  cyber  resilience  and  IT  outsourcing,  and  monitored  and 
challenged the progress made by management.  

The  Committee  reviewed  the  progress  made  by  management  in 
testing Aviva’s ability to recover critical IT services in the event of a 
disaster  and  the  robustness  of  the  controls  to  support  this  on  an 
ongoing basis. The progress made on the disaster recovery testing, 
and the new facilities provided by the data centre migration, allowed 
the Committee to support a return to tolerance for Aviva’s disaster 
recovery risks.  

In  the  case  of  cyber  resilience,  the  Committee  requested  that 
management develop supporting management information (MI) for 
each business to demonstrate the effectiveness of key controls. The 
cyber  scorecard  allows  each  market  to  track  control  effectiveness 
and  take  proactive  actions  to  address  any  issues  arising.  The 
Committee  recognised  that  progress  had  been  made  across  the 
including  an 
risk  and  control  environment, 
overall  cyber 
improvement  in  cyber  resilience  maturity.  In  addition,  there  had 
been  demonstrable  improvements  in  Aviva’s  Cyber  and  Disaster 
Recovery  controls,  and  focus  will  remain  on  ensuring  the  controls 
operate at an optimum level.  

Notwithstanding these improvements the Committee believes that 
further work is required on the overall risk and control environment 
and  that  the  assessment  and  the  subsequent  impact  on  the 
Company’s  2019  Annual  Bonus  pool  provides  a  clear  statement  of 
the focus on continual improvement across 2020.  

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Directors’ and Corporate Governance report 

  Continued 

Data centre migration 
As  part  of  the  lessons  learned  from  previous  change  programmes, 
the  Committee  ensured  that  appropriate  governance  structures 
were in place for future programmes. During 2019, a joint multi-entity 
forum was used for the data centre migration project with assurance 
provided by an independent expert. This forum operated in support 
of  each  legal  entity  board  to  ensure  appropriate  oversight  of  the 
programme and the most material IT migrations. As a result of this 
oversight, and the risk management practices embedded within the 
programme,  the  migration  of  Aviva’s  data  centres  was  completed 
with minimal impact to customer service.  

Risk culture 
During  the  year  the  Committee  reviewed  the  overall  risk  culture 
within the Group and the balance of risk and control expertise. This 
is  in  addition  to  the  annual  assessment  of  the  performance  of  all 
Group  business  units  and  functions  against  the  Group  Risk  and 
Control  Goal  which  considered  a  range  of  quantitative  and 
qualitative  measures  and  outcomes.  As  a  result,  there  has  been  a 
greater  focus  on  risk  culture  with  additional  scrutiny  on  relevant 
metrics  which  forms  part  of  the  new  operational  risk  appetite 
framework and focus will remain on further development.  

Committee effectiveness review 
The  Committee  undertakes  a  review  of  its  effectiveness  annually. 
More  information  can  be  found  in  the  Directors’  and  Corporate 
Governance report. 

2020 priorities  
The Committee will continue to monitor the political environment, 
following the UK’s exit from the European Union, including progress 
on  trade  negotiations  and  the  future  regulatory  and  political 
relationship. There will continue to be a focus on strengthening the 
risk  and  control  environment  particularly  in  relation  to  change 
activity,  cyber  risk  reduction  and  ensuring  IT  service  continues  to 
meet customer demands and support the emerging requirements of 
operational resilience. The new risk reward metric and operational 
risk  appetite  should  support  this  momentum  while  balancing  the 
need  to  incentivise  the  required  culture  and  behaviours  to  ensure 
controls are sustainably returned to tolerance. The Committee will 
focus  on  the  potential  risks  associated  with  the  business  growth 
agenda and cost reduction activities to ensure these stay aligned to 
our commitment to improve the risk and control environment and 
deliver great customer outcomes.  

In addition, I will continue to ensure a strong dialogue between the 
Group  Risk  Committee  and  our  equivalent  subsidiary 
level 
committees. This will include further developing the strength of the 
Company’s  controls  around  non-financial  and  emerging  risks  and 
how they support overall operational resilience, the horizontal and 
geographic  review  of  key  risks,  remuneration  processes  and  the 
linkage to culture. 

Finally, on 11 February 2020 we welcomed Jan-Hendrick Erasmus as 
the new Group Chief Risk Officer. The Committee will work closely 
with Jan-Hendrick on his on-boarding and objectives which will be 
closely aligned to the priorities for the Committee.  

Belén Romana García 
Chair of the Risk Committee 
4 March 2020 

Committee activities during 2019 
Risk appetite, risk management and risk reporting 
•  Reviewed reports from the Group Chief Risk Officer (Group CRO), which 
included  updates  on  significant  risks  facing  the  Group,  the  Group’s 
capital and liquidity position, the control environment, emerging risks 
and  the  Company’s  risk  profile,  and  operational,  regulatory  and 
conduct risks 

•  Reviewed  and  recommended  for  Board  approval,  the  Group’s  risk 

policies 

•  Reviewed and recommended for Board approval the Group’s Solvency 

II (SII) capital and liquidity risk appetites 

•  Approved the Group’s SII capital risk tolerances by risk type 

Group capital and liquidity, financial plan and stress testing  
•  Approved the 2019 Group Capital and Liquidity Plan and subsequent 

updates 

•  Reviewed  capital  and  liquidity  projections  including  the  Group’s  SII 

shareholder cover ratio and liquidity cover ratio 

•  Reviewed updates on credit risk and the Company’s credit exposure 

and reviewed mitigating actions 

•  Reviewed  the  development  of  the  Company’s  strategy  from  a  risk 

perspective 

•  Approved the Systemic Risk Plan, the Recovery Plan and the Liquidity 

Risk Management Plan 

•  Approved the scenarios for group-wide stress testing to support the 

Group Recovery Plan 

•  Reviewed the risks to the 2020-2022 Group Plan  

Solvency II internal model  
•  Undertook  a  review  of  the  internal  model  components,  reviewed 
internal  model  validation  reports  and  governance  updates,  and 
approved changes to the internal model 

External factors  
•  Reviewed  regular  updates  on  the  performance  of  the  Group’s 
investment portfolios and on the external economic environment and 
assessed the implications on the Group’s asset portfolio 

•  Monitored the risk for cyber security, the progress against cyber risks 
and  reviewed  the  results  of  simulated  security  attacks  against  the 
Group 

•  Monitored the impact of the decision of the UK to leave the EU, the exit 
scenarios  and  regularly  reviewed  updates  regarding  the  potential 
impact on our customers and capital and liquidity 

•  Reviewed  the  most  significant  emerging  risk  scenarios  affecting  the 

delivery of the Company’s strategy 

Regulatory, governance and internal audit  
•  Received risk and control updates from certain business units as part 

of an updated programme of risk deep-dive reviews  

•  Reviewed  the  Group  Own  Risk  and  Solvency  Assessment  (ORSA) 

Supervisory Report and approved its submission to the regulator 

•  Received updates on the disaster recovery, IT security, IT outsourcing 
and cyber risk Major Control Improvement Topics, and monitored and 
challenged progress by management 

•  Received  quarterly  reports  from  the  Group  Chief  Audit  Officer  on 
internal  audit  which  included  progress  on  improving  the  control 
environment 

•  Approved the refresh of Solvency II related Group Business Standards 
•  Reviewed and approved the annual objectives and performance of the 

Group CRO 

•  Reviewed the effectiveness of the systems of internal control and risk 

management 

•  Reviewed  the  Company’s  reporting  on  the  Taskforce  on  Climate 

Related Financial Disclosures requirements 

•  Recommended  the  2020  Risk  and  Control  Goal  for  approval  by  the 

Remuneration Committee 

•  Reviewed the adequacy and quality of the risk function 
•  Assessed the performance of all Group business units against the 2019 

Group Risk and Control Goal

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Other information 

Committee member requirements  
The  Committee  annually  reviews  how  its  members  meet  the 
experience  and  expertise  criteria  set  out  in  the  2018  UK  Corporate 
Governance Code (the Code) and the FCA Disclosure Guidance and 
Transparency  Rules  (DTRs).  Following  the  review  undertaken  for 
2019, a recommendation was made to the Board that I as Committee 
Chair, – Belén Romana García and George Culmer, fulfilled the Code 
requirements  for  recent  and  relevant  financial  experience  and  the 
DTR requirements for competence in accounting and auditing and 
Patricia Cross confirmed that she also met the Code requirement for 
recent and relevant financial experience. The Committee as a whole 
has  competence  relevant  to  both  the  insurance  and  financial 
services industry.  

Committee purpose 
The primary purpose of the Committee is to make sure we follow a 
robust process to ensure our half and full year financial statements 
are suitable for publication. The Committee supports the Board in 
carrying out its responsibilities in relation to accounting policies, and 
internal  controls  and  the  financial  reporting  framework.  The 
Committee monitors the adequacy and effectiveness of our system 
of  control  over 
the  effectiveness, 
performance,  objectivity  and  independence  of  our  internal  and 
external auditors. The Committee also monitors our whistleblowing 
arrangements. The Audit Committee responsibilities are set out in its 
Terms of Reference. 

reporting  and 

financial 

in  certain  areas.  The  Committee 

During  the  year  the  remit  of  the  Committee  was  reviewed  and 
clarified 
is  responsible  for 
overseeing internal  controls  over  financial  reporting while  the  Risk 
Committee is responsible for the oversight of other areas of internal 
controls.  The  Committee’s  Terms  of  Reference  were  updated 
accordingly. The Committee acts independently of management and 
works  closely  with  the  Governance,  Remuneration  and  Risk 
Committees.  The  cross-membership  between  these  Committees 
supports  good  understanding  of  current 
issues  and  efficient 
communication. 

Directors’ and Corporate Governance report 

  Continued 

Audit Committee 
report 

Committee focus during 2019 
I  am  pleased  to  present  the  Audit  Committee’s  (the  Committee) 
report for the year ended 31 December 2019.  

During  2019,  the  Audit  Committee  dedicated  substantial  time  to 
reviewing the Aviva Group financial statements at both half and full 
year.  In  both  cases,  the  financial  statements  were  supported  by 
detailed  reports  with  judgements  applied  in  preparation  of  the 
financial statements, including Life and GI technical provisions and 
reserves. The Committee also spent time considering the merits of 
more frequent financial reporting. 

The Committee also focused on the Company’s financial reporting, 
our  system  of  internal  controls  over  financial  reporting,  and  the 
performance  of  the  internal  and  external  auditors.  The  potential 
impact of new International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRSs), 
particularly the new insurance accounting standard (IFRS 17) on the 
Company’s  financial  operations  and  financial  reporting  remained 
under  close  review  by  the  Committee  and  the  Committee  also 
commenced a project for the tender of the external audit.  

Committee membership 
I  became  Chair  of  the  Audit  Committee  on  4  November  2019  and 
succeeded  Glyn  Barker,  who  had  chaired  the  Committee  on  an 
interim  basis  following  the  retirement  of  Keith  Williams  on  23  May 
2019, and pending receipt of my regulatory approval for the role. I 
would like to thank Glyn for his support to the Committee during this 
interim  phase  and  prior  to  his  retirement  from  the  Board  on  31 
December 2019. Michael Hawker also retired from the Committee on 
31 March 2019. The members of the Committee as at 31 December 
2019  are  shown  in  the  table  below.  Details  of  their  experience, 
qualifications and attendance at Committee meetings, together with 
the number of Committee meetings held, during the year are shown 
in  the  ‘Our  Board  of  Directors’  section  and  the  Directors’  and 
Corporate Governance report.  

Name 

Patrick Flynn1 
Glyn Barker2 

Patricia Cross  
Belén Romana García  

George Culmer 

1  Chair 
2  Glyn Barker retired from the Committee on 31 December 2019. 

Member since 

16/07/2019 

08/08/2012 

01/12/2013 

05/07/2019 

25/09/2019 

Years on the 
Committee 

<1 

7 

6 

<1 

<1 

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  Continued 

Significant issues  
The significant issues that the Committee considered during the year are set out in the table below. 

Areas of focus 

Actions taken by the Committee 

IFRS and Solvency II Life 
technical provisions and 
reserves  

IFRS and SII GI reserving  
issues and judgements 

IFRS and SII key issues and 
judgements and disclosures 

Internal controls  

Challenged the assumptions used in the calculation of the Best Estimate Liability component of the technical provisions and the 
reserves required under Solvency II (SII), and the expense impacts on SII reserves. Reviewed and challenged the longevity, expense 
and  credit  default  assumptions  used  for  the  2019  half  and  full  year  financial  statements.  The  challenge  around  the  setting  of 
longevity assumptions was a particularly significant area for review as those judgements could continue to have a material impact 
on  Aviva’s  SII  and  IFRS  results.  During  2019,  a  detailed  analysis  was  conducted,  and  reviewed  by  the  Committee,  to  validate 
changes observed in recent mortality experience and the resulting impact on the existing longevity assumptions. In particular, the 
Committee reviewed the rate of annuitant mortality improvement reflecting recent experience in the UK market. The Committee 
met with the Chair of the UK Life Audit Committee, which had conducted its own review of longevity assumptions, together with 
the UK Life Chief Financial Officer. This provided an additional opportunity to examine the assumptions in greater detail. Following 
assessment of the proposed assumption changes the Committee considered the associated release of margins and the timing of 
the  recognition  of  changes  in  longevity  experience  in  the  financial  statements.  During  the  year  the  Committee  considered, 
reviewed  and  approved  the  adoption  of  the  relevant  industry  tables  for  the  Bulk  Purchase  Annuity  business  in  the  UK.  The 
Committee also reviewed proposals for the adoption of updated Continuous Mortality Investigations (CMI) models for mortality 
improvement  including  the  selection  of  parameters  within  the  CMI  model.  The  Committee  reviewed  the  continued 
implementation  of  a  new  modelling  tool  to  measure  actuarial  liabilities  in  place  of  an  externally  hosted  product.  The 
implementation of the new model was ongoing and would continue to be applied to further actuarial models on a phased basis. 
The Committee also approved the maintenance expenses used in the measurement of life insurance contract liabilities in UK Life. 

Reviewed and challenged the principal assumptions in the calculation of the GI reserves, in particular the ‘Ogden rate’ for bodily 
injury claims including the impact of the July 2019 announcement by the Lord Chancellor of the -0.25% Ogden discount rate. This 
resulted in a £45 million reduction in IFRS profit. The Committee continues to monitor how the Ogden rate might change and 
subsequent  reviews  (at  least  every  five  years)  including  the  potential  for  a  dual  rate,  and  the  impact  of  future  mortality  and 
economic scenarios. The Committee considered the key points of the PRA’s ‘Dear Chief Actuary’ letter and the actions taken across 
the  Group  to  ensure  our  reserving  remains  at  best  practice  level.  It  also  tracked  actual  weather  claims  against  expectations 
throughout the year.  

Challenged estimates and judgements for IFRS and SII reporting bases. IFRS judgements included goodwill and intangible asset 
impairment reviews, assets classified as held for sale, (including the continued held for sale of Friends Provident International 
Limited) and the valuation assumptions for certain mark to model assets and liabilities. With the repeated change of date for the 
UK exit from the European Union and reflecting the continuing uncertainty and risk of a ‘no deal’ exit from the EU, the Committee 
continued to review the size and continuation of the allowance in relation to the UK exit from the EU and agreed the allowance 
should continue to be retained and that further disclosure of the purpose of retaining the allowance be provided in the financial 
statements.  The  Committee  also  reviewed  two  provisions  created  in  respect  of  product  governance  issues  for  heritage  book 
customers in the UK Life business.  The first related to advice given on the transfer from defined benefit pensions to  personal 
pension arrangements and resulted in a £229 million provision (2018: £250 million). The second related to past communications 
to a specific sub-set of policyholders that may not have adequately informed them of switching options into with-profits funds 
that were available to them and resulted in a provision of £175 million. In addition, the Committee reviewed an issue relating to 
the incorrect consolidation of investment funds, the resulting restatement of financial statements at Half Year 2019 following the 
reclassification  of  those  Investment  funds,  and  the  further  strengthening  of  the  internal  controls  for  the  classification  of 
investment funds going forward. The Committee monitored the additional disclosures required at Full Year 2019 following the 
restatement at Half Year 2019 and continues to assess the revisions to the control environment. 

The Committee continued to challenge and drive the ongoing implementation of the Operational Risk and Control Management 
framework (ORCM) to ensure ORCM is embedded across the Group and to support a risk aware culture. From 1 January 2020 the 
Committee’s Terms of Reference were updated to clarify that the Committee will oversee internal controls over financial reporting. 
The Risk Committee Terms of Reference were updated at the same time to clarify that the other internal controls are overseen by 
the  Risk  Committee.  The  Committee  reviewed  the  internal  controls  over  financial  management  to  gain  assurance  that  these 
remained in tolerance with no control weaknesses which could have a material impact on the full year 2019 financial results.  

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IFRS financial statements 

Other information 

Directors’ and Corporate Governance report 

  Continued 

IFRS 16 and IFRS 17 

Prepared for the implementation of new IFRSs, but most significantly IFRS 16 (the new leasing standard adopted on 1 January 
2019) and IFRS 17, the new insurance accounting standard issued by the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) due to 
take effect on 1 January 2022. In particular, the Committee reviewed the transition approach to be taken by the Group on the 
adoption of IFRS 16. Implementation of the standard has resulted in an additional c.£0.5 billion of assets and liabilities relating to 
the Group’s owner-occupied property portfolio being recognised on the statement of financial position for the first time. In respect 
of IFRS17, the Committee considered the impact of the proposed requirement to calculate a ‘Contractual Service Margin’ (CSM), 
whereby the profits earned from a policy will be spread over its full life, and a new CSM liability to be held on the balance sheet 
representing ‘unearned profits’. While the impact of adopting IFRS 17 has yet to be fully assessed, particularly as the standard has 
not yet been finalised, it is expected that IFRS 17 will have a significant impact on the measurement and disclosure of insurance 
contracts. The Committee continues to regularly assess the impact on financial reporting, the operation of new internal financial 
tools to be used for financial forecasting and planning purposes, and the cost of implementing the new IFRS 17 standard.  

Longer term viability 
statement (the Statement) 

Reviewed  and  challenged  the  principles  underpinning  the  Statement  for  2019  and  concluded  that  the  Company  and  its 
subsidiaries will be able to continue in operation and meet their liabilities as they become due. The Committee continues to 
consider it appropriate that the Statement covers a three-year period. 

Financial transformation  

The Committee reviewed and challenged management’s plans for the simplification of the Group’s internal finance functions. The 
primary objective of this activity is to simplify and consolidate finance systems and operations to a unified model and underlying 
IT systems, driving simplicity and lower cost.  

Tender of external audit 

External quality  
assessment (EQA) of the 
Internal Audit Function 

Performance measures 

Under Competition and Markets Authority regulations, Aviva is required to tender for the provision of the external audit every 10 
years.  PricewaterhouseCoopers  LLP  (PwC)  was  appointed  for  the  first  time  for  the  31  December  2012  financial  year  end  and 
therefore a mandatory re-tender is required for the year ending 31 December 2022. The Committee initiated and is leading the 
external audit tender process which is expected to be completed during 2020. The timing of the tender of the external audit will 
align the appointment, or re-appointment of the external auditor, with the introduction of IFRS 17.  

The Internal Audit function is required by professional standards to engage an independent EQA review at least every 5 years. The 
EQA  covers  all  aspects  of  the  governance  and  operation  of  the  function  including  compliance  with  relevant  professional 
standards. The Committee reviewed the report of the EQA and will continue to monitor the associated action plan for the Internal 
Audit function following the EQA report.  

At the Capital Markets Day on 20 November 2019 new financial metrics were announced which align with our strategic priorities. 
The Committee has reviewed those economic value metrics based on SII which will be used to manage the business and measure 
future performance.  

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IFRS financial statements 

Other information 

Directors’ and Corporate Governance report 

  Continued 

External auditor  
PwC was appointed as the Group’s External Auditor (Auditor) in 2012 
following a formal tender process. The external audit contract must 
be  put  out  to  tender  at  least  every  ten  years  in  conformance  with 
Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) rules on mandatory audit 
tendering.  The  Committee  has  agreed  that  a  competitive  tender 
process will be completed during 2020, for the 2022-year end.  

While there is no requirement to rotate audit firms until the current 
auditor  has  served  a  maximum  of  20  years,  in  determining  the 
proposed  timing  of  the  tender  process,  the  Committee  is  mindful 
that it is necessary to allow the selected auditor appropriate time to 
become independent should the Committee propose that an auditor 
other than PwC be selected. The Committee will continue to monitor 
the effectiveness and independence of PwC, as well as considering 
whether  this  proposed  timing  remains  appropriate  in  light  of 
business developments. 

The Committee is leading the tender and has defined audit quality as 
the primary criteria for selecting the external auditor. The Committee 
expressly requested that audit firms outside the ‘big four’ be invited 
to participate in the tender process and we were pleased that several 
firms outside the ‘big four’ discussed the audit tender with us. 

The external audit is currently led by the audit partner, Andrew Kail, 
who replaced Marcus Hine by rotation following the approval of the 
2018  annual  report  in  March  2019.  Andrew  completed  a  detailed 
transition exercise with Marcus during the completion of the 2018-
year end audit process.  

The Auditor attends every Committee meeting and submits a formal 
report  for  discussion.  This  report  updates  the  Committee  on  the 
progress  of  audit  activity,  a  review  of  the  reasonableness  of 
managements’ approach to key issues, judgements and accounting 
matters and the impact on the financial statements and assurance 
around  auditor  independence.  The  Auditor  also  provides  the 
Committee  with  external  benchmarking  data  around  key  areas  of 
interest  such  as  annuitant  mortality  assumptions,  pensions  and 
internal controls.  

An annual review of the Auditor was undertaken through completion 
of  a  questionnaire  by  the  Committee,  subsidiary  company  audit 
committees,  senior  management,  and  members  of  the  Group’s 
finance team. The review focused on the effectiveness of the audit 
team,  expertise  and 
interaction  with  audit 
resources  and 
committees.  Feedback  on  interaction  with  the  Auditor  from  audit 
committees across the Group was positive. Where opportunities for 
improvement were identified, the finance function engaged with the 
Auditor to include that feedback into the planning for future audit 
activity.  The  Committee  concluded  that  the  Auditor  continued  to 
perform  effectively  and  is  recommended  to  shareholders  for 
reappointment at the 2020 AGM.  

The  Company  has  complied  with  the  Statutory  Audit  Services 
Investigation  (Mandatory  Use  of 
for Large  Companies  Market 
Committee 
Audit 
Competitive 
Responsibilities) Order 2014 for the year ended 31 December 2019. 

Processes 

Tender 

and 

The Company has an External Auditor Business Standard (Standard) 
in  place  which  is  aimed  at  safeguarding  and  supporting  the 
independence  and  objectivity  of  the  Auditor.  The  Standard  is 
compliant with all UK and International Federation of Accountants 
rules and takes into account the FRC’s Revised Ethical Standard 2016 
and the EU Audit Directive (2014/56/EU).  

Non-audit fees  
In  2019  the  Group  paid  PwC  £21.2  million  (2018:  £20.4  million)  for 
audit and audit-related assurance services, with the overall increase 
primarily  due  to  additional  fees  relating  to  the  prior  year  audit  of 
In addition,  PwC  were  paid  £0.8 million 
Group  subsidiaries. 
(2018: £1.9 million) 
£0.7 million 
(2018: £0.9 million) for other assurance services, giving a total fee to 
PwC of £22.0 million (2018: £22.3 million).  

for  other services, 

including 

In line with the Standard, the Committee satisfied itself that for all 
non-audit  engagements,  robust  controls  were  in  place  through  a 
quarterly  review  process  for  audit  related  and  non-audit  services 
provided,  to  ensure  that  PwC’s  objectivity  and  independence  was 
safeguarded,  and  concluded  that  it  was  in  the  interests  of  the 
Company to purchase these services from PwC due to their specific 
expertise.  Further  details  are  provided  in  note  13  of  the  financial 
statements.  

Internal control 
The Committee is responsible for supporting the Board in ensuring a 
robust system of internal control and risk management in the Group. 
The Committee receives regular reports on the status of the control 
environment and updates on the management of operational risks 
and controls under  the Operational Risk and Control Management 
(ORCM) framework. More information about our system of internal 
control  and  risk  management  can  be  found  in  the  Directors’  and 
Corporate Governance report. The Committee has clarified its role to 
provide oversight on internal controls over financial reporting with 
other areas of internal control overseen by the Risk Committee.  

The  Committee  also  receives  quarterly  control  reports  from  the 
Internal Audit function and reviews and challenges management on 
the actions being taken to improve the quality of the overall control 
environment  and  the  risk  control  culture  across  the  Group.  The 
quarterly  reports  include  an  assessment  of  control  environment 
metrics  including:  any  risks  that  are  reported  to  be  outside  of 
tolerance; the plans to return these to tolerance; the status of internal 
audit  opinions  that  are  rated  as  unsatisfactory  or  where  major 
improvement is needed; key issues identified and emerging trends 
and themes for the Committee to focus on in the future. 

The  Committee  reviews  and  approves  the  Internal  Audit  Plan  and 
budget  and  satisfied  itself  that  the  Internal  Audit  function  had  the 
appropriate  resources  to  discharge  its  remit.  The  Committee  also 
conducts an annual review of the Internal Audit Function to assess its 
effectiveness  and  to  satisfy  itself  that  the  quality,  experience  and 
expertise  of  the  Internal  Audit  function  is  appropriate  for  the 
business. This is carried out by reviewing reports issued by Internal 
Audit and the output of an annual stakeholder effectiveness survey. 
This formal process is supplemented by regular private discussions 
with executive management, the Internal Auditor, and the Auditor. In 
2019, the Internal Audit function also undertook an EQA review, and 
the Committee assessed the outcome of this review. The EQA results 
highlighted  the  strength  of  the  Internal  Audit  function,  and  action 
plans were developed to address areas of improvement identified, 
with  progress  against  that  plan  reported  to  the  Committee.  The 
Committee concluded that for 2019 the function performed well and 
remained effective.  

For the financial year under review, the Company met the relevant 
provisions  of  the  Code  relating  to  internal  controls,  and  the  FRC’s 
2014 ‘Guidance on Risk Management, Internal Control and Related 
Financial and Business Reporting’. 

Aviva plc Annual report and accounts 2019 
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IFRS financial statements 

Other information 

Directors’ and Corporate Governance report 

  Continued 

The Committee is also supported in its work by the audit committees 
that operate in the Group’s subsidiary entities. The subsidiary audit 
committees  review  the  operation  of internal  controls  in  these 
subsidiaries,  and  actively  challenge 
judgement  made  by 
management,  strengthening  the  overall  governance  and  control 
framework  for  the  Group.  The  Committee  Chair  will  meet  with 
subsidiary  entity  audit  chairs  during  the  year  to  discuss  their 
oversight responsibilities. 

Whistleblowing 
The Committee Chair is the whistleblowers’ champion for the Group 
and  has  responsibility  to  oversee  the  integrity,  independence  and 
effectiveness  of  the  Group’s  policies  in  relation  to  whistleblowing. 
The  Committee  as  a  whole  is  responsible  for  establishing  and 
overseeing the effectiveness of controls put in place in accordance 
with regulatory requirements in respect of whistleblowing. The Audit 
Committee and Board receives updates from the Committee Chair as 
the  whistleblowers’  champion.  Aviva’s  whistleblowing  programme 
‘Speak  Up’  is  available  to  employees  across  the  Group.  The 
Committee receives reports on the number of cases reported to the 
Speak Up service, the proportion of reports that are designated as 
instances of whistleblowing, the number of substantiated cases and 
summaries of the action taken. The Committee continues to look for 
opportunities to further enhance the Speak Up service.  

Committee effectiveness review 
The  Committee  undertakes  a  rigorous  review  of  its  effectiveness 
annually.  More  information  can  be  found  in  the  ‘Our  Board  of 
Directors’ and Corporate Governance report’. 

2020 priorities 
In  2020,  in  addition  to  carrying  out  its  principal  function,  the 
Committee will continue to monitor the implementation of the new 
IFRS 17 standard, ahead of its scheduled introduction from 1 January 
2022.  The  Committee  also  intends  to  complete  the  external  audit 
tender process while also considering changes in the external audit 
environment following the Brydon, Kingman and Competition and 
Market  Authority  reviews  of  the  audit  market.  The  Committee  will 
following  the 
consider  the  changes 
announcements  made  at  the  Capital  Markets  Day  on  the  revised 
structure  of  the  Aviva  Group  and  will  continue  to  support  the 
development of the ORCM framework in relation to internal controls 
over financial reporting.  

in  segmental  reporting 

Patrick Flynn 
Chair of the Audit Committee 
4 March 2020 

Committee activities during 2019 
Financial statements and accounting policies  
•  Recommended to the Board for approval the 2019 half and full year 

financial statements  

•  Approved the IFRS and SII technical provisions with the 2019 half 

and full year financial statements 

•  Recommended  to  the  Board  for  approval  the  SII  Solvency  and 

Financial Condition Report 

•  Reviewed  and  challenged  the  reserve  positions  relating  to  the 

Group Life and GI operations 

•  Reviewed  and  challenged  the  treatment  and  recoverability  of 

goodwill and other intangible assets 

•  Reviewed  the  Group  Chief  Financial  Officer’s  reports  which 
included:  IFRS  and  SII  key  issues  and  judgements;  accounting 
developments  including  the  new  IFRSs;  and  overview  of  internal 
control and risk management over financial reporting 

•  Reviewed and challenged the going concern assumptions for 2019 
and  the  principles  underpinning  the  Longer-Term  Viability 
Statement 

•  Reviewed  the  Group  Risk  Actuary’s  report  on  significant  issues 

related to the technical provisions of SII and IFRS 

•  Reviewed  an  issue  relating  to  the  incorrect  consolidation  of 
investment 
financial 
resulting 
statements at half year 2019 following the reclassification of those 
investment funds, and updates to relevant internal controls 

restatement  of 

funds, 

the 

•  Assessed that the Annual report was considered fair, balanced and 

understandable 

External audit, auditor engagement and policy  
•  Reviewed the effectiveness of the Auditor and was satisfied that the 
services  it  provided  remained  effective,  objective  and  fit  for 
purpose 

•  Reviewed the Auditor’s compliance with the independence criteria 

set out in the Code 

•  Monitored  compliance  with  our  External  Auditor  Business 

Standard on a quarterly basis 

•  Refreshed the External Auditor Business Standard 
•  Held  private  meetings  with  the  Auditor  without  management 
present to provide an appropriate forum for issues to be raised 
•  Reviewed reports from the Auditor regarding: the 2019 Audit Plan 
and progress against plan and reports on the audit of the 2019 half 
and full year results including key assumptions used and outcomes 
of the audit 

•  Commenced the process for a tender of the external audit 

Internal audit  
•  Reviewed reports from the Chief Audit Officer (CAO) 
•  Recommended to the Board the appointment of a new CAO during 

the year 

•  Reviewed and approved changes to our Internal Audit Charter and 

Business Standard 

•  Reviewed and approved our Internal Audit Plan  
•  Assessed the independence of the CAO 
•  Assessed the effectiveness of the Internal Audit function 
•  Held private meetings with the CAO without management present  
•  Reviewed the objectives of the CAO 

Internal controls, including financial reporting control framework 
and financial reporting developments  
•  Received quarterly updates on the effectiveness of our ORCM FRCF 

framework and rectification of controls 

•  Reviewed  management’s  assessment  of  the  effectiveness  of  the 

risk management and control environment 

•  Reviewed the Internal Audit function report to ensure adequacy of 

the systems of internal control and risk management 

•  Received  updates  from  the  Speak  Up  and  whistleblowers’ 

champion 

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IFRS financial statements 

Other information 

Directors’ and Corporate Governance report 

  Continued 

Governance 
Committee report  

Committee focus during 2019  
I  am  pleased  to  present  the  Governance  Committee’s  (the 
Committee) report for the year ended 31 December 2019.  

During the year, the Committee considered and monitored a range 
of matters which included the treatment of our customers including 
vulnerable  customers,  our  corporate  responsibility  agenda,  data 
governance and regulatory compliance. 

The  Committee  reviewed  the  scope  and  outcomes  from  a 
the  UK  businesses  and  monitored 
governance 
implementation  of  the  recommendation  from  the  review  of  the 
governance framework across the Group. 

review  of 

Committee membership 
I joined the Board on 2 January 2020 and also assumed the Chair of 
the Committee. Claudia Arney was the Committee Chair throughout 
2019  and  I  would  like  to  thank  Claudia  for  her  leadership  of  the 
governance agenda and for enhancing the Committee’s focus on the 
customer. Glyn Barker retired from the Board and the Committee, on 
31  December  2019,  and  I  would  also  like  to  thank  Glyn  for  his 
contribution  as  a  Committee  member.  The  members  of  the 
Committee who served during 2019 and as at the date of this report 
are  shown 
in  the  table  below.  Details  of  their  experience, 
qualifications  and  attendance  at  Committee  meetings  during  the 
year  are  shown  within  the  Directors’  and  Corporate  Governance 
report.  

Name 

Amanda Blanc1 
Claudia Arney2 
Glyn Barker3 

Michael Mire 

Belén Romana García 

Member  
Since 

Years on  
the Committee 

02/01/2020 

01/06/2016 

10/05/2017 

12/09/2013 

26/06/2015 

<1 

3 

2 

6 

4 

1  Chair 
2  Claudia Arney retired from the Committee on 31 December 2019 
3  Glyn Barker retired from the Committee on 31 December 2019 

Committee purpose 
The  main  purpose  of  the  Committee  is  to  assist  the  Board  in 
overseeing  our  customer  and  conduct  obligations,  our  data 
governance, compliance with our corporate governance principles, 
our  broader  compliance  activities  and  shaping  the  culture  and 
ethical  values  of  the  Group  and  our  approach  to  corporate 
responsibility.  

With  effect  from  1  January  2020  the  Committee’s  remit  was 
refocused to provide greater clarity on the role of the Committee in 
overseeing customer and conduct topics. As a result, the Committee 
changed  its  name  to  the  Customer,  Conduct  and  Reputation 
Committee (CCRC). This report sets out the Committee purpose and 
activities during 2019 prior to becoming the CCRC.  

Customers 
During 2019, the Committee had oversight of the changes to Aviva’s 
organisational  design,  particularly  the  restructuring  of  the  UK 
Insurance (UKI) business, into two separate businesses to enhance 
the  end 
to  end  customer  experience  and  drive  clearer 
accountabilities. This included providing input to the development 
of the customer measures that form part of the Company’s Annual 

Bonus Plan. Further details on these enhancements are provided in 
the Directors’ Remuneration report. 

The creation of UKI customer operations, working across both our 
Life and Insurance businesses, was monitored by the Committee to 
ensure positive outcomes for the customer. The Committee regularly 
reviewed  the  balanced  scorecard  of  customer  metrics  to  better 
understand our customers’ needs. 

The Committee emphasised the importance of the customer agenda 
in the Group strategy and provided constructive challenge on how 
customer  service  and  perception  could  be  incorporated  into  the 
strategy. 

The  identification  and  fair  treatment  of  vulnerable  customers  was 
also an area of focus for the Committee. The Committee conducted 
‘deep  dives’ 
into  customer  complaints  and  carried  out  an 
assessment of the UKI Complaint Risk controls to understand the key 
root causes of complaints. The Committee also increased the focus 
on  standardised  monitoring  of  customer  complaints  across  all 
international markets. 

Data 
During 2019 the Committee reviewed the development and delivery 
of  the  data  governance  and  data  privacy  framework  and  records 
management  within  the  Group.  A  data  protection  officer  has  been 
appointed  in  each  European  market  and  in  Aviva  Investors  and 
training  and  awareness  of  data  privacy  has  been  rolled  out  to  all 
employees to support a strong, robust data privacy culture.  

incidents  remained  a 
The  Committee  recognised  that  data 
significant  threat  to  the  Company’s  business  and  reputation  and 
therefore emphasised the importance of an effective Data Strategy, 
and focus remains on further developing this Strategy and improving 
the quality and robustness of the Company’s data privacy processes 
and framework.  

Conduct and compliance 
The Committee continued to pay close attention to Aviva’s conduct 
risk  agenda,  conduct  risk  profile,  compliance  obligations  and  the 
wider  regulatory  landscape.  The  Committee  reviewed  the  Group’s 
regulatory risk profile and conduct risk data analytics capability. The 
Committee considered and approved updates to the Conduct Risk 
Policy and its application across the Group. 

In  addition  to  UK  conduct  risks,  the  Committee  also  reviewed 
conduct  and  compliance  risks  across  our  markets  and  received  a 
deep dive on conduct risk in our Turkish and French businesses.  

The Committee monitored material compliance developments and 
changes in the regulatory landscape particularly from a conduct risk 
perspective. The Committee also reviewed and approved the annual 
Group Compliance Plan and reviewed performance against this Plan 
and  the  delivery  of  good  customer  outcomes.  The  Committee 
continued  to  monitor  the  financial  crime  risks  for  the  Group,  and 
focused  on 
associated  action  plans  and  during 
strengthening first line anti-fraud controls. 

the  year 

Governance  
The Committee focused on changes in the internal governance of the 
Group, particularly governance within our subsidiary businesses. The 
Committee continued to receive updates and approved changes to 
the  subsidiary  governance  principles  and  subsidiary  succession 
management  framework  to  provide  a  consistent  governance 
framework  across  the  Group.  The  governance  around  managing 
multi-disciplined  projects  was  also  strengthened  to  provide  a 
consistent approach to major change projects.  

The Committee also reviewed the outcomes of the board evaluations 
completed  by  subsidiaries  across  the  Group  and  monitored  the 
action  plans  developed  by  subsidiary  boards  to  reflect  those 
outcomes.  

Aviva plc Annual report and accounts 2019 
77 

Strategic report 

Governance 

IFRS financial statements 

Other information 

Committee activities during 2019 
Customer and risk  
•  Focused  on  the  customer  agenda  and  received  regular  updates 
and monitored progress on customer metrics relating to customer 
complaints and the conduct agenda, sales, retention and claims 
experience 

Corporate responsibility  
•  Continued  to  drive  the  corporate  responsibility  agenda  and 
monitored  compliance  with  the  Group’s  corporate  responsibility 
strategy  

•  Reviewed the Group’s Modern Slavery statement, annual corporate 
responsibility 
the  Group’s  Financial  Crime, 
Regulatory  Business  and  Corporate  Responsibility,  Environment 
and Climate Change Business Standards 

reporting  and 

•  Received updates on the Group’s health and safety performance 

Governance 
•  Considered regular updates from the Group Company Secretary on 
governance  matters,  legal  and  litigation  risks  which  had  the 
potential to impact the reputation of the Group 

•  Monitored  the  Group’s  compliance  with  the  2018  UK  Corporate 

Governance Code and other areas of regulation and guidance 

•  Reviewed  and  where  appropriate  approved  changes  to  the 

composition of the material subsidiary boards  

•  Discussed the outcomes of the 2019 subsidiary board effectiveness 

reviews  

•  Considered succession planning for material subsidiaries around 

the Group 

•  Reviewed the outcomes of the governance review and monitored 
implementation  of  the  recommendations  to  the  governance 
framework 

People  
•  Reviewed the results of the Voice of Aviva surveys  
•  Reviewed and considered the talent development programmes for 

leadership across the Group, with a focus on diversity  

•  Approved updates to the Business Ethics Code 

Regulatory and financial crime  
•  Regularly reviewed updates from the Group Compliance Oversight 

Director 

•  Reviewed potential financial crime risks and any actions required 

in response 

•  Monitored the  implementation  of  the data  governance and  data 

privacy framework 

•  Monitored the Group’s relationship and interaction with regulatory 
bodies and actions taken in respect of regulatory developments 
•  Reviewed and challenged management’s explanations and actions 

in response to issues/events 

Directors’ and Corporate Governance report 

  Continued 

Corporate responsibility 
The  Committee  continued  to  monitor  our  approach  to  corporate 
responsibility and the corporate responsibility strategy to build pride 
and trust in our company. During the year, the Committee approved 
updates to the Business Ethics Code to include explicit references to 
human rights and the reporting of climate change related risks. The 
Committee also continued to monitor and support our community 
investment.  

The  Committee  reviewed  Aviva’s  reporting  on  modern  slavery  and 
received  updates  on  the  Aviva  Foundation,  which  had  been 
established  to  distribute  the  proceeds  of  the  Company’s  share 
forfeiture  programme.  The  Foundation  has  committed  over 
£3.7 million to projects that support our communities and vulnerable 
customers.  This  included  funding  a  pilot  to  provide  a  counselling 
package  to  vulnerable  home  insurance  customers’  experiencing 
trauma  following  a  serious  event  such  as  flooding;  and  funding  a 
national  programme  to  help  people  over  50 
increase  their 
employability skills and to promote, among businesses, the benefits 
of being an age friendly employer. The Foundation also supported 
the  World  Benchmarking  Alliance  which  aims  to  challenge 
businesses to do more to achieve the UN Sustainable Development 
Goals.  

Aviva  is  committed  to  behaving  as  a  responsible  corporate  citizen 
and the Committee sets the guidance, direction and policies for the 
Group’s  corporate  responsibility  agenda  to  identify  the  most 
important sustainability issues for customers, the business and our 
wider  stakeholders.  Further 
integrated 
responsibility and sustainable business approach can be found on 
the Company’s website at www.aviva.com/social-purpose 

information  on  our 

Culture, diversity and inclusion 
The  Committee  reviewed  the  outcomes  of  the  employee  Voice  of 
Aviva  engagement  survey,  which  provided  insights  into  employee 
concerns and the culture of the Group. The Committee also received 
updates on Global Inclusion and the evolution of the working culture 
to  actively  embrace  all  individuals  and  build  an  agile  and  diverse 
workforce.  The  Committee  recognised  that  shifting  demographics 
were making it ever more important to understand and reflect the 
diversity  of  the  markets  Aviva  operated  in.  During  2019,  the 
Committee  prioritised  two  dimensions  of  diversity,  gender  and 
ethnicity, and progress is being made in both areas, evidenced by the 
success of both internal interventions and external recognition.  

Committee effectiveness review 
The  Committee  undertakes  a  review  of  its  effectiveness  annually. 
More  information  can  be  found  in  the  Directors’  and  Corporate 
Governance report.  

2020 priorities 
In 2020, the Committee will begin to operate under its revised Terms 
of Reference as the CCRC, with an enhanced focus on the customer 
agenda, customer conduct issues, the Group’s exposure in managing 
financial  risks  from  climate  change  and  concentrating  on  further 
improving the experience we provide to our customers.  

The Committee will also focus on overseeing Aviva’s reputation, our 
conduct risk profile and corporate responsibility agenda. 

Amanda Blanc 
Chair of the Governance Committee 
4 March 2020 

Aviva plc Annual report and accounts 2019 
78 

 
 
 
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Governance 

IFRS financial statements 

Other information 

Directors’ and Corporate Governance report 

  Continued 

Other statutory 
information 

The directors submit their Annual report and accounts for Aviva plc, 
together  with  the  consolidated  financial  statements  of  the  Aviva 
group of companies, for the year ended 31 December 2019. 

The  Directors’  report  required  under  the  Companies  Act  2006 
comprises  this  Directors’  and  Corporate  Governance  report,  the 
Directors’  Remuneration  report  and  the  following  disclosures  in 
the Strategic report: 
•  Corporate  responsibility  –  Disclosure  of  our  greenhouse  gas 

emissions 

•  Our  people  –  Inclusive  diversity  –  details  of  our  employment 

policies 

•  Our  people  –  Engaging  with  our  people  –  details  of  employee 

engagement 

•  Our business relationships – suppliers, customers and others  
•  Our strategy – Delivering on a clear plan of action 
•  Important events since the financial year end 
•  Future developments  

Details of significant post balance sheet events that have occurred 
after 31 December 2019 are disclosed in note 66. 

report 

The  management 
required  under  Disclosure  and 
Transparency  Rule  4.1.5R  comprises  the  Strategic  report  (which 
includes  the  principal  risks  relating  to  our  business)  and  details  of 
material acquisitions and disposals made by the Group during the 
year  which  are  included  in  notes  3  and  4.  This  Directors’  and 
Corporate  Governance  report  fulfils  the  requirements  of  the 
corporate 
and 
governance 
Transparency Rule 7.2.1. 

statement  under  Disclosure 

Our policy on hedging 
The hedging policy is disclosed in note 61. 

Related party transactions 
Related  party  transactions  are  disclosed  in  note  63  which  is 
incorporated into this report by reference. 

Dividends 
Dividends for ordinary shareholders of Aviva plc are as follows: 
•  Paid 

interim  dividend  of  9.50  pence  per  ordinary  share 

(2018: 9.25 pence) 

•  Proposed  final  dividend  of  21.40  pence  per  ordinary  share 

(2018: 20.75 pence) 

•  Total ordinary dividend of 30.9 pence per ordinary share (2018: 30.0 

pence) 

•  Total  cost  of  ordinary  dividends  paid  in  2019  was  £1,184  million 

(2018: £1,128 million) 

Subject to shareholder approval at the 2020 AGM, the final dividend 
for 2019 will become due and payable on 2 June 2020 to all holders 
of ordinary shares on the Register of Members at the close of business 
on  24  April  2020  (payment  date  approximately  four  business  days 
later  for  holders  of  the  Company’s  American  Depositary  Shares 
(ADS)). 

In  compliance  with  the  rules  issued  by  the  Prudential  Regulation 
Authority in relation to the implementation of the Solvency II regime, 
the dividend is required to remain cancellable at any point prior to 
becoming due and payable and to be cancelled if, prior to payment, 
the Group ceases to hold capital resources equal to or in excess of its 
Solvency  Capital  Requirement,  or  if  that  would  be  the  case  if  the 
dividend was paid. Details of any dividend waivers are disclosed in 
note 35. 

Dividend policy 
For  the  full  year  dividend  for  2019  the  Board  of  Directors  has 
proposed a 3% increase to 30.9 pence per share. Aviva has adopted 
a progressive  dividend  policy.  This  means  that,  under  ordinary 
circumstances, the Board of Directors would aim to at least maintain 
the  current  annual  ordinary  dividend  per  share,  while  seeking  to 
grow  the  dividend  per  share  over  time  based  on  the  Board  of 
Directors’ periodic assessment of the Group’s financial performance 
and future outlook. Moderating the rate of dividend per share growth 
will  enhance  our  flexibility  to  repay  debt  and  invest  in  business 
improvement.  

‘distributable  profits’  available. 

Under UK company law, we may only pay dividends if the Company 
has 
‘Distributable  profits’  are 
accumulated  realised  profits/(losses)  not  previously  distributed  or 
capitalised,  less  accumulated  unrealised  losses  not  previously 
written off based on IFRS. Even if distributable profits are available, 
we pay dividends only if the amount of our net assets is not less than 
the aggregate of our called-up share capital and non distributable 
reserves  and  the  payment  of  the  dividend  does  not  reduce  the 
amount of our net assets to less than that aggregate.  

As a holding company, the Company is dependent upon dividends 
and interest from our subsidiaries to pay cash dividends. Many of the 
Company’s  subsidiaries  are  subject  to  insurance  regulations  that 
restrict the amount of dividends that they can pay to us.  

Historically,  the  Company  has  declared  an  interim  and  a  final 
dividend for each year (with the final dividend being paid in the year 
following the year to which it relates). Subject to the restrictions set 
out above, the payment of interim dividends on ordinary shares is 
made  at  the  discretion  of  the  Board,  while  payment  of  any  final 
dividend requires the approval of the Company’s shareholders at a 
general  meeting.  Dividends  on  preference  shares  are  made  at  the 
discretion of the Board. 

The  Company  pays  cash  dividends  in  pounds  sterling  and  euros, 
although the articles of association permit payment of dividends on 
ordinary shares in any currency and in forms other than cash, such as 
ordinary shares.  

Interim dividends are paid in September, subject to declaration by 
the Board. A final dividend is typically proposed by the Company’s 
Board after the end of the relevant year and generally paid in May. 
The  following  table  shows  certain 
information  regarding  the 
dividends that we paid on ordinary shares. 

Year 

2014 

2015 

2016 

2017 

2018 

2019 

1  Euro dividend rate per share 

Interim 
dividend  
per share 
 (pence) 

Interim 
dividend  
per share  
(cents)1 

5.85 

6.75 

7.42 

8.40 

9.25 

9.50 

N/A 

N/A 

N/A 

9.50 

10.25 

10.62 

Final  
dividend  
per share 
(pence) 

12.25 

14.05 

15.88 

19.00 

20.75 

21.4 

Final  
dividend  
per share  
(cents)1 

N/A 

N/A 

18.71 

21.77 

24.12 

– 

Aviva plc Annual report and accounts 2019 
79 

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Other information 

Directors’ and Corporate Governance report 

  Continued 

Distributable reserves 
Under UK company law, dividends can only be paid if a company has 
distributable  reserves  sufficient  to  cover  the  dividend.  At  31 
December 2019, Aviva plc itself had distributable reserves of greater 
than  £3.9  billion.  In  UK  Life,  our  largest  operating  subsidiary, 
distributable  reserves,  which  could  be  paid  to  Aviva  plc  via  its 
intermediate  holding  company,  are  based  on  the  updated 
Companies  Act  2006  (Distributions  of 
Insurance  Companies) 
Regulations  2016  which  uses  an  adjusted  Solvency  II  Own  Funds 
measure in determining profits available for distribution. While the 
UK insurance regulatory laws applicable to UK Life and our other UK 
subsidiaries impose no statutory restrictions on an insurer’s ability to 
declare a dividend, the rules require maintenance of each insurance 
company’s solvency margin, which might impact their ability to pay 
dividends to the parent company. Our other life insurance, general 
insurance,  and  fund  management  subsidiaries’  ability  to  pay 
dividends  and  make  loans  to  the  parent  company  is  similarly 
restricted by local corporate or insurance laws and regulations. In all 
jurisdictions,  when  paying  dividends,  the  relevant  subsidiary  must 
take  into  account  its  capital  position  and  must  set  the  level  of 
dividend  to  maintain  sufficient  capital  to  meet  minimum  solvency 
requirements  and  any  additional  target  capital  expected  by  local 
regulators.  We  do  not  believe  that  the  legal  and  regulatory 
restrictions  constitute  a  material  limitation  on  the  ability  of  our 
businesses to meet their obligations or to pay dividends to the parent 
company, Aviva plc. 

Share class and listing 
All the Company’s shares in issue are fully paid up and the ordinary 
and  preference  shares  have  a  Premium  and  Standard  listing 
respectively on the London Stock Exchange.  

Details of the Company’s share capital and shares under option at 31 
December 2019 and shares issued during the year are given in notes 
33 to 36. The calculation of earnings per share is included in note 15. 

Share capital 
During the year, 18,776,934 ordinary shares were allotted to satisfy 
amounts under the Group’s employee share and incentive plans. At 
31 December 2019 the: 
•  issued  ordinary  share  capital  totalled  3,921,129,145  shares  of 

25 pence each (83% of total share capital) 

•  issued  preference  share  capital  totalled  200,000,000  shares  of 

£1 each (17% of total share capital) 

Further  details  on  the  ordinary  share  capital  of  the  Company  are 
shown in note 33. 

Rights and obligations attaching to the Company’s ordinary shares 
and preference shares 
Rights and obligations attaching to the Company’s shares together 
with  the  powers  of  the  Company’s  directors  are  set  out  in  the 
Company’s Articles of Association (the Articles), copies of which can 
be obtained from Companies House and the Company’s website at 
www.aviva.com/articles,  or  by  writing  to  the  Group  Company 
Secretary.  The  powers  of  the  Company’s  directors  are  subject  to 
relevant  legislation  and,  in  certain  circumstances  (including  in 
relation to the issue or buying back by the Company of its shares), are 
subject to authority being given to the directors by shareholders at a 
general  meeting.  At  the  2020  AGM,  shareholders  will  be  asked  to 
renew  the  directors’  authority  to  allot  new  securities.  Details  are 
contained in the Notice of 2020 Annual General Meeting (Notice of 
AGM). 

Restrictions on transfer of securities 
With  the  exception  of  restrictions  under  the  Company’s  employee 
share incentive plans, while the shares are subject to the plan rules, 
there  are  no  restrictions  on  the  voting  rights  attaching  to  the 
Company’s  ordinary  shares  or  the  transfer  of  securities  in  the 
Company. 

Where,  under  an  employee  share  incentive  plan  operated  by  the 
Company, participants are the beneficial owners of shares but not 
the registered owners, the voting rights are normally exercised at the 
discretion  of  the  participants.  No  person  holds  securities  in  the 
Company  carrying  special  rights  with  regard  to  control  of  the 
Company.  The  Company  is  not  aware  of  any  agreements  between 
holders of securities that may result in restrictions on the transfer of 
securities or voting rights. 

Significant agreements – change of control 
There are a number of agreements that take effect, alter or terminate 
upon a change of control of the Company following a takeover bid, 
such as commercial contracts and joint venture agreements. None 
are considered to be significant in terms of their potential impact on 
the business of the Group as a whole. All of the Company’s employee 
share  incentive  plans  contain  provisions  relating  to  a  change  of 
control. Outstanding awards and options would normally vest and 
become  exercisable  on  a  change  of  control,  subject  to  the 
satisfaction of any performance conditions and pro rata reduction as 
may be applicable under the rules of the employee share incentive 
plans. 

Authority to purchase own shares 
At the Company’s 2019 AGM, shareholders renewed the Company’s 
authorities to make market purchases of up to 391 million ordinary 
shares,  up  to  100  million  8¾%  preference  shares  and  up  to  100 
million 8⅜% preference shares. The authority was not used and no 
shares were purchased during 2019. At the 2020 AGM, shareholders 
will be asked to renew the authorities to buy Aviva shares for another 
year  and  the  resolution  will  once  again  propose  a  maximum 
aggregate  number  of  ordinary  shares  which  the  Company  can 
purchase  of  less  than  10%  of  the  issued  ordinary  share  capital. 
Details  are  contained 
in  the  Notice  of  AGM  available  at 
www.aviva.com/agm. The Company held no treasury shares during 
the year or up to the date of this report. 

Disclosure guidance and transparency rule 5 – major shareholders 
The  table  below  shows  the  holdings  of  major  shareholders  in  the 
Company’s  issued  ordinary  share  capital  in  accordance  with  the 
Disclosure Guidance and Transparency Rules (DTRs) notified to the 
Company  as  at  31  December  2019  and  4  March  2020.  Information 
provided to the Company under the DTRs is publicly available via the 
regulatory information services and on the Company’s website. 

Shareholding interest 

Shareholder 
BlackRock, Inc1 

Notified holdings  Nature of holding  Notified holdings  Nature of holding 

Above 5% 

Indirect 

Above 5% 

Indirect 

At 31 December 2019 

At 4 March 2020 

1  Holding includes holdings of subsidiaries. 

Directors 
The  directors  as  at  the  date  of  this  report,  together  with  their 
biographical details and details of Board appointments, resignations 
and retirements is shown earlier in the report. 

Aviva plc Annual report and accounts 2019 
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Governance 

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Other information 

Directors’ and Corporate Governance report 

  Continued 

The  rules  regarding  the  appointment  and  removal  of  directors  are 
contained in the Company’s Articles. Under the Articles, the Board 
can appoint additional directors or appoint a director to fill a casual 
vacancy. The new director must retire at the first AGM following their 
appointment and can only continue as a director if they are elected 
by shareholders at the AGM. 

At no time during the year did any director hold a material interest in 
any contract of significance with the Company or any of its subsidiary 
undertakings other than an indemnity provision between each director 
and the Company and employment contracts between each executive 
director  and  a  Group  company.  The  Company  has  purchased  and 
maintained  throughout  the  year  directors’  and  officers’  liability 
insurance in respect of itself, its directors and others. 

The Company has also executed deeds of indemnity for the benefit of 
each director of the Company, and each person who was a director of 
the Company during the year, in respect of liabilities that may attach to 
them in their capacity as directors of the Company or of associated 
companies. The Articles allow such indemnities to be granted. These 
indemnities are qualifying third-party indemnity provisions as defined 
by  section  234  of  the  Companies  Act  2006.  These  indemnities  are 
currently in force. Details of directors’ remuneration, service contracts, 
employment contracts and interests in the shares of the Company are 
set out in the Directors’ Remuneration report. 

The Company has also granted indemnities by way of a deed poll to 
the directors of the Group’s subsidiary companies, including former 
directors who retired during the year and directors appointed during 
the year, which is a ‘qualifying third party indemnity’ for the purposes 
of the applicable sections 309A to 309C of the Companies Act 1985. 
The  deed  poll  indemnity  was  in  force  throughout  the  year  and 
remains in force. 

Financial instruments 
Group companies use financial instruments to manage certain types 
of risks, including those relating to credit, foreign currency exchange, 
cash  flow,  liquidity,  interest  rates,  and  equity  and  property  prices. 
Details of the objectives and management of these instruments are 
contained in the ‘Risk and risk management’ section and in note 60 
on risk management. 

Political donations 
Aviva did not make any political donations during 2019. 

Disclosure of information to the auditor 
In  accordance  with  section  418  of  the  Companies  Act  2006,  the 
directors in office at the date of approval of this Annual report and 
accounts  confirm  that,  so  far  as  they  are  each  aware,  there  is  no 
relevant audit information of which the Company’s External Auditor, 
PricewaterhouseCoopers  (PwC),  is  unaware  and  each  director  has 
taken all steps that ought to have been taken as a director in order to 
make  themselves  aware  of  any  relevant  audit  information  and  to 
establish that PwC is aware of that information. 

Annual general meeting 
The 2020 AGM of the Company will be held on Tuesday 26 May 2020 
at  the  Queen  Elizabeth  II  Centre,  Broad  Sanctuary,  Westminster, 
London  SW1P  3EE  at  1.30pm.  The  Notice  of  AGM  convening  the 
meeting describes the business to be conducted thereat. Any proxy 
voting instruction, whether provided online, by post or via CREST or 
Proxymity voting, must be received by our Registrar, Computershare 
Investor Services PLC, by no later than 1.30pm on Thursday 21 May 
2020.  Further  details  can  be  found  in  the  shareholder  information 
section of the Notice of AGM. 

Articles of association 
Unless expressly stated to the contrary in the Articles, the Company’s 
Articles  may  only  be  amended  by  special  resolution  of  the 
shareholders.  The  Company’s  current  Articles  were  adopted  on  10 
May 2018.  

Going concern 
The  Group’s  business  activities,  together  with  the  factors  likely  to 
affect its future development, performance and position are set out 
in  the  Strategic  Report.  The  performance  review  includes  the  ‘Risk 
and risk management’ section. In addition, the ‘Financial statements’ 
sections  include  notes  on  the  Group’s  borrowings  (note  53);  its 
contingent  liabilities  and  other  risk  factors  (note  56);  its  capital 
management  (note  58);  management  of  its  risks  including  market, 
credit and liquidity risk (note 60); and derivative financial instruments 
(note 61).  

The  Group  has  considerable  financial  resources  together  with  a 
diversified  business  model,  with  a  spread  of  businesses  and 
geographical reach. The directors believe the Group is well placed to 
manage its business risks successfully.  

After  making  enquiries,  the  directors  have  a  reasonable  expectation 
that the Company and the Group as a whole have adequate resources 
to continue in operational existence for a period of at least 12 months 
from the date of approval of the financial statements. For this reason, 
they  continue  to  adopt,  and  to  consider  appropriate,  the  going 
concern basis in preparing the financial statements.  

Longer-term viability statement 
It  is  fundamental  to  the  Group’s  longer-term  strategy  that  the 
directors manage and monitor risk, taking into account all key risks 
the Group faces, including longer-term insurance risks, so that it can 
continue to meet its obligations to policyholders. The Group is also 
subject to extensive regulation and supervision including Solvency II 
from  1  January  2016,  as  a  result  of  being  designated  a  Global 
Systemically Important Insurer by the Financial Stability Board. 

Against this background, the directors have assessed the prospects 
of  the  Group  in  accordance  with  Provision  31  of  the  2018  UK 
Corporate Governance Code, with reference to the Group’s current 
position and prospects, its strategy, risk appetite, and the potential 
impact of the principal risks and how these are managed (as detailed 
in the ‘Risk and risk management’ section of the Strategic report as 
well as note 60 of the IFRS financial statements). 

The assessment of the Group’s prospects by the directors covers the 
three years to 2022 and is underpinned by management’s 2020-2022 
business  plan  which  includes  projections  of  the  Group’s  capital, 
liquidity and solvency. 

The Group’s stress and scenario testing considers the Group’s capacity 
to respond to a series of relevant financial, insurance (e.g., catastrophe) 
or  operational  shocks  should  future  circumstances  or  events  differ 
from  the  current  assumptions  in  the  business  plan.  The  Group 
addresses the impacts of contingent management actions designed to 
maintain or restore key capital, liquidity and solvency metrics to within 
the Group’s approved risk appetites over the planning period. 

Based on this assessment, the directors have a reasonable expectation 
that the Group will be able to continue in operation and meet its liabilities 
as they fall due over the three-year assessment period. 

Aviva plc Annual report and accounts 2019 
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Other information 

Directors’ and Corporate Governance report 

  Continued 

Fair, balanced and understandable 
To support the directors’ statement below that the Annual report and 
accounts, taken as a whole, is fair, balanced and understandable, the 
Board  considered  the  process  followed  to  draft  the  Annual  report 
and accounts: 
•  Each section of the Annual report and accounts is prepared by a 
member  of  management  with  appropriate  knowledge,  seniority 
and  experience.  Each  preparer  receives  guidance  on  the 
requirement  for  content  included  in  the  Annual  report  and 
accounts to be fair, balanced and understandable 

•  The overall co-ordination of the production of the Annual report 
and accounts is overseen by the Chief Accounting Officer to ensure 
consistency across the document 

•  An  extensive  verification  process  is  undertaken  to  ensure  factual 

accuracy 

•  Comprehensive reviews of drafts of the Annual report and accounts 
are  undertaken  by  members  of  the  Aviva  Leadership  team  and 
other members of senior management and, in relation to certain 
parts of the report external legal advisers and the External Auditor 
•  An  advanced  draft  is  considered  and  reviewed  by  the  Disclosure 

Committee 

The directors consider that the Annual report and accounts, taken as 
a  whole,  is  fair,  balanced  and  understandable  and  provides  the 
information necessary for shareholders to assess the Group’s and the 
Company’s position and performance, business model and strategy. 

Each  of  the  current  directors  whose  names  and  functions  are 
detailed in the ‘Our Board of Directors’ section and in the Directors’ 
and Corporate Governance report confirm that, to the best of their 
knowledge:  the  Group  financial  statements,  which  have  been 
prepared in accordance with IFRSs as adopted by the EU, give a true 
and fair view of the assets, liabilities, financial position and profit of 
the Group; and the Strategic report and the Directors’ and Corporate 
Governance report in this Annual report include a fair review of the 
development and performance of the business and the position of 
the  Group,  together  with  a  description  of  the  principal  risks  and 
uncertainties that it faces. 

Listing Rules requirements 
For  the  purposes  of  Listing  Rule  (LR)  9.8.4C  R,  the  information 
required to be disclosed by LR 9.8.4 R can be found in the following 
locations: 

•  The  final  draft  is  reviewed  by  the  Audit  Committee  prior  to 

consideration by the Board 

•  Board members receive drafts of the Annual report and accounts 
for their review and input. This includes the opportunity to discuss 
the  drafts  with  both  management  and  the  External  Auditor, 
challenging the disclosures where appropriate. 

Section in  
LR 9.8.4C R 

12 

13 

Topic 
Shareholder waivers of dividends 

Location in the Annual report and 
accounts 
IFRS Financial 
Statements – note 35 

Shareholder waivers of future dividends IFRS Financial 

Statements – note 35 

By order of the Board on 4 March 2020. 

Maurice Tulloch 
Chief Executive Officer 

Jason Windsor 
Chief Financial Officer 

Directors’ responsibilities 
The  directors  are  responsible  for  preparing  the  Annual  report  and 
accounts,  the  Directors’  Remuneration  report  and  the  financial 
statements in accordance with applicable law and regulations. 

Company law requires the directors to prepare financial statements 
for each financial year. Under that law the directors have prepared 
the Group and parent company financial statements in accordance 
with IFRS as adopted by the EU. Under company law the directors 
must not approve the financial statements unless they are satisfied 
that they give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the Group 
and Company and of the profit or loss for that period. In preparing 
these financial statements, the directors are required to: 
•  select suitable accounting policies and apply them consistently 
•  make  reasonable  and  prudent 

judgements  and  accounting 

estimates 

•  state  whether  applicable  IFRSs  as  adopted  by  the  EU  have  been 
followed,  subject  to  any  material  departures  disclosed  and 
explained in the financial statements 

•  prepare the financial statements on the going concern basis unless 
it  is  inappropriate  to  presume  that  the  Company  and  Group  will 
continue in business. 

The  directors  are  responsible  for  keeping  adequate  accounting 
records  that  are  sufficient  to  show  and  explain  the  Company’s 
transactions and disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the 
financial  position  of  the  Company  and  Group  and  enable  them  to 
ensure 
the  Directors’ 
Remuneration report comply with the Companies Act 2006 and, as 
regards  the  Group  financial  statements,  Article  4  of  the  IAS 
Regulation. They are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of 
the Company and Group and hence for taking reasonable steps for 
the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities. 

financial  statements  and 

that 

the 

The directors are responsible for making, and continuing to make, 
the  Company’s  Annual  report  and  accounts  available  on  the 
Company’s website. Legislation in the United Kingdom governing the 
preparation  and  dissemination  of  financial  statements  may  differ 
from legislation in other jurisdictions. 

Aviva plc Annual report and accounts 2019 
82 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Strategic report 

Governance 

IFRS financial statements 

Other information 

Directors’ Remuneration report 

Remuneration 
Committee report 

On  behalf  of  the  Remuneration  Committee  (the  Committee),  I  am 
pleased to present the Directors’ Remuneration report (DRR), for the 
year ended 31 December 2019. 

Company performance  
As  described  in  our  strategic  report,  2019  has  been  a  year  of 
significant change to our business and in our leadership team, and 
we began to build operating momentum. We made progress relative 
to our financial targets including a strong start in pursuit of the five 
key financial objectives that we are targeting for 2022. Our Solvency II 
return  on  equity1  (SII  RoE)  was  14.3%,  Group  adjusted  operating 
profit2 increased 6% to £3.2 billion and our capital position remains 
strong.  We  delivered  higher  sales  and  customer  flows  across  the 
Group  and  costs  have  begun  to  decline.  Despite  this  progress,  we 
recognise that our share price continues to underperform versus our 
peers and the broader market. 

The  Committee’s  primary  remit  is  to  ensure  that  executive  pay  is 
aligned  with  Aviva’s  performance 
in 
considering outcomes under the 2019 Annual Bonus and the 2017-19 
Long Term Incentive Plan (LTIP), the Committee has sought to ensure 
that they reflect Aviva’s overall progress over these timeframes. 

in  the  round.  As  such, 

2019 Annual Bonus 
financial  and  strategic 
The  Committee  carefully  considered 
performance  of  the  Group,  business  unit  and  individual  Executive 
Director (ED) performance during 2019.  

Details of this assessment are contained in this report. The formulaic 
outcome against the 2019 bonus scorecard prior to any adjustments 
was 101.1% (out of a maximum of 200%). 

As part of the annual bonus framework, further details of which are 
provided  on  page  86,  the  Committee  conducted  an  extensive 
analysis of the quality of earnings, noting recommendations by the 
Audit Committee. In addition, the Committee consulted with the Risk 
Committee, and noted the significant progress made to remediate 
risk  and  control  issues  during  2019.  Overall,  there  has  been  a  very 
positive  response  to  particular  risk  and  control  challenges. 
Nevertheless, this is a critical area for Aviva, and it was concluded that 
further work is required to fully embed the desired risk culture and to 
deliver  the  target  state  risk  and  control  environment  against  a 
backdrop of internal/external change. Accordingly, a 10% downward 
adjustment has been applied to the scorecard for risk and controls, 
which  represents  an  escalation  from  the  5%  applied  for  2018.  The 
Committee believes this provides a clear statement of the emphasis 
which is being placed on continual improvement across 2020 and is 
further reflected in our annual bonus targets for 2020. This resulted 
in an adjusted scorecard outcome of 91.1%. 

In assessing the individual performance of the EDs, the Committee 
noted the EDs contributions in establishing the strategic direction for 
the  Group, 
the  simplification  agenda,  building  an 
experienced  Aviva  Leadership  Team  (ALT)  and  turning  our  new 
strategy  into  clear  financial  targets  as  announced  at  the  Capital 
Markets Day in November 2019. 

leading 

As a result, annual bonuses for Maurice Tulloch and Jason Windsor 
were 95% and 101% of salary respectively. 

The Committee was satisfied that these outcomes fairly reflected the 
overall performance of the business during 2019, and that no further 
adjustments were required. 

2017-19 LTIP 
As a result of our three-year performance over the 2017-19 period, the 
2017  LTIP  vested  at  50%  of  maximum.  This  reflects  strong 
performance against the adjusted IFRS return on equity1 (IFRS RoE) 
performance condition. The relative Total Shareholder Return (TSR) 
condition lapsed. No discretion regarding the vesting outcome of the 
2017 LTIP was exercised by the Committee. 

Appointment of new Chief Financial Officer (CFO) 
As announced on 26 September 2019, the Board appointed Jason as 
our new Group CFO. The Committee gave careful consideration to 
the remuneration package for Jason, taking into account the terms 
of  our  Remuneration  Policy 
(the  Policy),  Jason’s  current 
remuneration arrangements, and shareholder expectations. 

Jason’s remuneration consists of: 
•  A salary of £675,000 per annum 
•  Our  standard  benefits  package  for  EDs,  including  private  family 
medical insurance, life insurance, and reasonable travel benefits 
•  Pension contribution of 14% of salary which is aligned with the rate 

available to the majority of our UK workforce 

•  A maximum annual bonus opportunity of 150% of salary, with one-
third of any bonus earned paid in cash after the year end, and two-
thirds deferred into shares which will vest in equal annual tranches 
over three years 

•  For 2020, Jason will be eligible for the grant of an award under the 

LTIP of 225% of basic salary 

•  Jason  is  also  subject  to  a  shareholding  requirement  of  200%  of 

salary, which will continue for two years post-cessation 

Jason’s salary is below that of Tom Stoddard prior to his departure, 
reflecting that Jason is new to the role. 

Departure of Andy Briggs and Tom Stoddard 
On 24 April and 30 June 2019, Andy and Tom respectively stepped 
down  from  the  Board.  The  Committee  carefully  considered  the 
treatment  to  be  applied  to  their  remuneration  arrangements  as  a 
result of their departure. 

Reflecting their performance during their tenure, the leadership and 
commitment demonstrated during the Group Chief Executive Officer 
(CEO) transition, the Committee, in its discretion, determined to treat 
both Andy and Tom as good leavers under the Annual Bonus Plan 
(ABP) and LTIP. Following his appointment at Phoenix Group, Andy’s 
LTIP awards have lapsed. Further details can be found on page 93. 

Both were eligible to receive an annual bonus in respect of 2019, pro-
rated to reflect the period prior to being placed on garden leave. The 
annual  bonus  was  calculated  in  the  same  manner  as  for  the 
continuing EDs.

1  This is an Alternative Performance Measure (APM) which provides useful information to supplement an understanding of our financial performance. Further information on APMs, including a reconciliation to the financial 

statements (where possible), can be found in the ‘Other Information’ section of the Annual report and accounts. 

2  Group adjusted operating profit is an Alternative Performance Measure (APM) which is used by the Group to supplement the required disclosures under IFRS. Please refer to note B in the ‘Accounting Policies’ section and to the 

‘Other Information’ section within the Annual report and accounts for further information. 

Aviva plc Annual report and accounts 2019 
83 

 
 
 
Strategic report 

Governance 

IFRS financial statements 

Other information 

Directors’ Remuneration report 

Continued 

Revised Corporate Governance Code 
The UK Corporate Governance Code (the Code) came into effect from  
1 January 2019. As outlined in last year’s report, several areas were 
already aligned with the new provisions with further enhancements 
made over the course of 2019. These included: 
•  Implementation  of  post-cessation  shareholding  guidelines: 
EDs  are  now  required  to  hold  shares  for  a  further  two  years 
following their departure from the Group. For 2020, a transitional 
arrangement applies where any leaver will be required to hold the 
lower of their current holding at  cessation or 50% of the current 
(within  employment)  guideline.  From  1  January  2021,  the  post-
cessation  guideline  will  be  the  same  level  as  the  current  (within 
employment)  guideline.  Reflecting  the  Committee’s  view  of  its 
importance, this has also been extended to the ALT. 

•  Pensions:  On  their  respective  appointments  the  pension 
provisions for both Maurice and Jason were set at 14% of salary in 
line with the rate available to the majority of our UK workforce. 
•  Addition of LTIP and ABP post-retirement activity restrictions: 
If  after  receiving  good  leaver  treatment  as  a  retiree  EDs  take  up 
employment  elsewhere,  these  restrictions  allow  awards  to  be 
reduced or recovered accordingly. 

Gender Pay Gap Report (GPGR) 
We  released  our  third  GPGR  in  January  2020,  along  with  details  of 
actions we are taking to drive change and close the gender pay gap. 
The report can be found at www.aviva.com/gpgr 

Shareholder consultation 
On behalf of the Committee, I sought the views of a number of our 
shareholders and key proxy voting agencies towards the end of 2019. 
Following the financial and strategic plans which were presented at 
the  Capital  Markets  Day  in  November,  we  wanted  to  consult  with 
shareholders  to  get  their  view  on  several  changes  to  the  incentive 
measures  to  ensure  continued  alignment  with  this  new  direction.  
I  am  pleased  to  say  that  the  overall  feedback  we  received  was 
positive,  and  I  would  like  to  thank  shareholders  for  their  time  and 
input. 

Remuneration in 2020 
Salary 
Maurice and Jason received salary increases of 1.5%, consistent with 
other Aviva employees in the UK 

Annual Bonus 
The current split of financial (70%) and non-financial (30%) metrics 
will  be  retained.  However,  we  have  refined  the  metrics  to  place 
greater emphasis on key areas of focus (capital generation, delivering 
great customer outcomes and a strong risk and control environment) 
in line with the Group’s strategy.  

On financial performance, there are two changes: 
•  Increased weighting on Operating Capital Generation (OCG)1 from 

25% to 30% of the total bonus scorecard 

•  Replace Operating Earnings Per Share (EPS)2,3 with Group adjusted 

Operating Profit3 with a reduced weighting 

•  A risk metric (15% weighting): Percentage of Risks Inside Tolerance. 
The metric will be focused on the High and Very High risks for the 
major  businesses  across  the  Group  and  is  aligned  to  the 
Operational Risk Appetite. It will build on the progress made during 
2019,  on  our  established  risk  management  framework  and  risk 
monitoring and will reinforce our focus on customer outcomes 

Separately,  the  Risk  and  Controls  modifier,  covering  a  range  of 
quantitative  and  qualitative  measures,  and  sitting  outside  the 
scorecard, will remain. The other two non-financial modifiers will be 
Employee Engagement and Customer Trust.  

2020 LTIP 
The Group’s three financial priorities are to improve our Return on 
Capital1,  deliver  a  progressive  dividend  and  further  deleverage  our 
debt  profile.  Achieving  these  will  require  management  to  focus  on 
Cash  Remittances1  to  the  Group,  OCG1,  Group  adjusted  Operating 
Profit3 and delivering improved customer outcomes.  

To  ensure  that  the  LTIP  aligns  with  these  business  goals,  SII  RoE1 
replace Operating EPS2,3 as one half of the framework. SII RoE1 is a 
fundamental  building  block  to  increasing  shareholder  return  over 
the long-run. SII RoE1 is important in measuring the productive use 
of our economic capital. A Solvency II cover ratio1 (SII cover ratio) will 
continue to act as an underpin to the financial metric.  

Relative  TSR  remains  an  important  metric  which  aligns  the  EDs  to 
shareholders and continues to be weighted at 50%. 

Awards will be 300% for the Group CEO and 225% for the CFO of basic 
salary. 

Committee changes during the year 
Claudia Arney and Glyn Barker stepped down from the Board and the 
Committee at the end of 2019 and I would like to thank them for their 
hard  work  and  commitment  during  their  tenures.  George  Culmer 
joined the Committee in January 2020 and brings significant financial 
services  and  accounting  experience  gained  from  a  long  and 
successful  career  in  banking  and  insurance. The  Committee  works 
hard  to  ensure  alignment  with  shareholder  interests,  and  over  the 
last year has dealt with a number of time critical matters, including 
changes to the Board. I want to thank all Committee members, past 
and  present,  for  their  dedication  and  active  participation  on  this 
Committee. 

2020 focus areas 
The  Committee  intends  to  perform  a  detailed  review  of  the 
remuneration framework for EDs and senior leadership team ahead 
of  the  next  vote  on  the  Policy  at  the  2021  Annual  General  Meeting 
(AGM).  We  look  forward  to  engaging  with  shareholders  during  the 
course  of  developing  the  Policy  to  get  their  views  and  inputs  on 
remuneration framework at Aviva.  

I look forward to meeting with shareholders at the 2020 AGM. 

Non-financial metrics will comprise: 
•  Two  customer  metrics 

(with  a  total  weighting  of  15%): 
Transactional  Net  Promoter  Score  (TNPS)  and  Relationship  Net 
Promotor Score (RNPS) 

Patricia Cross 
Chair of the Remuneration Committee 
4 March 2020 

1  This is an Alternative Performance Measure (APM) which provides useful information to supplement an understanding of our financial performance. Further information on APMs, including a reconciliation to the financial 

statements (where possible), can be found in the ‘Other Information’ section of the Annual report and accounts. 

2  This measure is derived from the Group adjusted operating profit Alternative Performance Measure (APM). Further details of this measure are included in the ‘Other Information’ section of the Annual report and accounts. 
3  Group adjusted operating profit is an APM which is used by the Group to supplement the required disclosures under IFRS. Please refer to note B in the ‘Accounting Policies’ section and to the ‘Other Information’ section within 

the Annual report and accounts for further information. 

Aviva plc Annual report and accounts 2019 
84 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Strategic report 

Governance 

IFRS financial statements 

Other information 

Directors’ Remuneration report 

Continued 

Annual report on 
remuneration  

This  section  of  the  report  sets  out  how  Aviva  has  implemented  its 
Policy for EDs during the course of 2019. This is in accordance with 
the  requirements  of  the  Large  &  Medium  Sized  Companies  and 
Groups (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008 (as amended). 

The full terms of reference for the Committee can be found on the 
Company’s  website  at  www.aviva.com/remuneration-committee 
and are also available from the Group General Counsel and Company 
Secretary. 

Committee membership 
The  members  of  the  Committee  are  shown  below.  There  were  no 
changes during 2019. 

Patricia Cross1 

Michael Mire 

Claudia Arney 

Glyn Barker 

1  Chair from 19 February 2014. 

Member Since 

01/12/2013 

14/05/2015 

01/06/2016 

10/05/2017 

Years on the 
Committee 

6 

4 

3 

2 

The  Committee  met  ten  times  during  2019,  of  which  four  were 
scheduled meetings and six were additional meetings outside of the 
normal timetable. Details of attendance at Committee meetings are 
shown on page 63. 

The Group Chairman attended all meetings of the Committee. The 
Group General Counsel and Company Secretary acted as secretary to 
the Committee. The Chair of the Committee reported to subsequent 
meetings  of  the  Board  on  the  Committee’s  work  and  the  Board 
received a copy of the agenda and the minutes of each Committee 
meeting. 

During  the  year,  the  Committee  received  assistance  in  considering 
executive  remuneration  from  a  number  of  senior  managers,  who 
attended certain meetings (or parts thereof) by invitation during the 
year, including: 
•  the Group CEO; 
•  the Group CFO; 
•  the Chief People Officer; 
•  the Group Reward and Performance Director; 
•  the Chief Accounting Officer; 
•  the Chief Audit Officer; 
•  the Group Chief Risk Officer; and  
•  the Remuneration Committee Chair of Aviva Investors 

No person was present during any discussion relating to their own 
remuneration. 

During  the  year,  the  Committee  received  advice  on  executive 
remuneration matters from Deloitte LLP. Deloitte LLP were approved 
as advisers to the Committee in 2012 following a competitive tender 
process. The Committee regularly reviews and satisfies itself that the 
advice received from Deloitte LLP is independent and objective. The 
Committee  notes  they  are  a  member  of  the  Remuneration 
Consultants  Group  and  adhere  to  its  Code  of  Conduct.  During  the 
year,  Deloitte  LLP  also  provided  advice  to  the  Group  on  taxation, 
financial  due  diligence,  risk,  compliance  and  other  consulting 
advisory  services  (including  technology  transformation  and  cyber). 
Tapestry Compliance Limited, appointed by the Company, provided 

advice on share incentive plan related matters, including on senior 
executive 
remuneration  matters  and  views  on  shareholder 
perspectives. 

During the year, Deloitte LLP were paid fees totalling £192,300 and 
Tapestry  Compliance  Limited  were  paid  fees  totalling  £62,730  for 
their advice to the Committee on these matters. Fees were charged 
on a time plus expenses basis. 

The  Committee  reflects  on  the  quality  of  the  advice  provided  and 
whether it properly addresses the issues under consideration as part 
of its normal deliberations. The Committee is satisfied that the advice 
received during the year was objective and independent. 

The Committee’s decisions are taken in the context of the Reward 
Governance Framework, which sets out the key policies, guidelines 
and internal controls and is summarised on the next page. 

Committee performance and effectiveness 
During  2019,  the  Committee  undertook  an  evaluation  of 
its 
effectiveness,  alongside  the  exercise  undertaken  by  the  Board. 
Further  details  on  how  this  has  been  carried  out  and  the  actions 
arising  are  contained  in  the  Directors  and  Corporate  Governance 
report. 

Committee activities during 2019 
Governance, regulatory issues and reporting policy 
•  Reviewed and approved the Committee’s Terms of Reference 
•  Reviewed  updates  from  external  advisers  on  the  regulatory 
environment and on benchmarking the company’s remuneration 
policies and practices against industry best practice  

•  Approved  our  Employment  Shareholding  Policy,  setting  out  our 
post-employment holding requirements in line with the 2018 Code 
•  Engaged with key investors on financial and non-financial metrics 

for 2020 ABP targets and 2020-2022 LTIP 

•  Reviewed  and  approved  the  Company’s  annual  remuneration 

regulatory reporting and disclosures 

•  Considered  and  agreed  the  remuneration  packages  for  the 
departing EDs, and approved associated regulatory disclosures 
•  Focused  on  the  alignment  of  the  Policy  with  an  appropriate  risk 

culture and to appropriate sustainability metrics 

•  Reviewed  and  approved  the  Reward  Governance  Framework 

Policies 

•  Approved  the  list  of  in  scope  staff  in  respect  of  the  different 

regulatory regimes to which the Company is subject 

Senior management objectives, bonus target setting and pay 
decisions 
•  Determined appropriate levels of discretion to be applied to EDs 
in 
and  senior  managers  remuneration  outcomes, 
relation  to  Ogden,  risk  and  controls  environment  and  events 
related to our preference shares 

including 

•  Reviewed  engagement  with  investors  on  2019  ABP  targets, 
including  customer  and  trust  metrics  as  strategic  progress 
measures 

•  Discussed and approved the ABP targets for 2019  
•  Reviewed and approved the proposed individual remuneration for 

each member of the ALT in relation to their performance  

•  Agreed  an  appropriate  approach  to  a  remuneration  package  for 

incoming and outgoing EDs and ALT members 

•  Reviewed  wider  workforce  pay  and  employment  conditions 

elsewhere in the Group 

•  Reviewed the Risk and Internal Audit 2019 Performance Opinion in 

relation to remuneration 

•  Discussed  and  approved  the  overall  maximum  bonus  pool 
available to senior managers for the 2019 performance year, taking 
into  account  metrics  on  culture  and  risk  as  well  as  on  financial 
performance 

Aviva plc Annual report and accounts 2019 
85 

 
 
 
 
 
Strategic report 

Governance 

IFRS financial statements 

Other information 

Directors’ Remuneration report 

Continued 

Share plan operation and performance testing 
•  Reviewed  performance  testing  of  all  existing  LTIP  awards,  and 

approved targets for the 2019 LTIP awards 

•  Approved vesting of the 2016 LTIP and noted the interim testing for 

the 2017, 2018 and 2019 awards 

•  Reviewed the proposed changes to future LTIP grants 
•  Approved  the  terms  of  the  Aviva  Savings  Related  Share  Option 
Scheme  2019  (SAYE)  and  the  Aviva  Ireland  Save  as  You  Earn 
Scheme, the Ireland Profit Share Scheme, and the invitation terms 
for eligible employees 

•  Reviewed  and  approved 

the  Aviva 

Investors  Long  Term 

Participation Plan and the Deferred Plan rules  

•  Reviewed  and  approved  any  application  of  malus/clawback 

provisions under incentive plans 

•  Approved amendments to share plans rules in line with the 2018 

Code 

2018 Corporate Governance Code 
In determining remuneration arrangements at Aviva, the Committee 
aims to ensure that they support the execution of our strategy and 
the delivery of sustainable long-term shareholder value. In doing so, 
the Committee takes into account the 2018 Code, wider workforce 
remuneration  and  emerging  best  practice 
in  relation  to  ED 
remuneration. 

Reward Governance Framework 

The  Committee  believes  that  our  remuneration  framework  is  clear 
and transparent and aligned with our culture. We operate a simple 
incentive framework of an annual bonus and LTIP. Award levels are 
capped with pay-out linked to performance against a limited number 
of  measures  that  are  aligned  to  our  strategy.  Stretching  but  fair 
targets are set. This ensures that potential reward outcomes are clear 
and  aligned  with  the  performance  achieved,  with  the  Committee 
having  the  discretion  to  adjust  outcomes  where  this  is  not 
considered to be the case.  

Pay levels are set taking into account internal and external reference 
points to ensure that pay is competitive while remaining equitable 
within the Company. A number of additional factors are in place to 
mitigate reputational and other risks, including malus and clawback 
provisions, unfettered discretion, a two-year holding period on LTIP 
awards,  and  both  within  and  post-employment  shareholding 
guidelines.  

Terms of reference, policies and guidelines 

Control and assurance 

Terms of Reference 

be delegated but which still retain Committee oversight 

Sets out the Committee’s scope and responsibilities, including authorities which may 

Remuneration Committee terms of reference 

Overarching Policy 

Subsidiary Board Remuneration Committee terms of reference 

Sets out the Subsidiary Remuneration Committee’s scope and responsibilities 

Global Remuneration Policy 

Approved by the Remuneration 

Committee, applies to all employees in 
entities within Aviva Group 

Directors’ Remuneration Policy 

Approved by the shareholders, 
applies to the Directors of Aviva plc 

Supporting Policies 

Identification of 
Remuneration 
Regulated Staff 

Variable Pay and Risk 
Adjustment 

(includes bonus, LTIP, buy-out, 
retention, recognition awards and 
funding) 

Malus and clawback 

Internal Guidelines 
and non-
Remuneration 
Committee 
approved policies 
(examples) 

New Hires  

Terminations 

Buyouts 

Retention plans 

Recognition Awards 

Global Mobility 

Remuneration 
Business 
Standard 

Reward 
Approvals 
Matrix 

Assurance 
framework to 
attest Reward 
operations are 
conducted 
within the 
Global 
Remuneration 
Policy, Directors’ 
Remuneration 
Policy and 
supporting 
policies 

Approval 
requirements 
to ensure 
Reward 
operations are 
conducted 
within the 
Global 
Remuneration 
Policy, 
Directors’ 
Remuneration 
Policy and 
supporting 
policies 

Key 

Element of the Reward Governance Framework managed 
as part of the business of the Committee 

Element  of  the  Reward  Governance  Framework  managed 
mainly under delegated authority from the Committee 

Aviva plc Annual report and accounts 2019 
86 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Strategic report 

Governance 

IFRS financial statements 

Other information 

Directors’ Remuneration report 

Continued 

Single total figures of remuneration for 2019 
The table below sets out the total remuneration for 2019 and 2018 for each of our EDs. Sir Adrian Montague remained on his Non-Executive 
Chairman remuneration arrangements while acting as Executive Chairman for the period 9 October 2018 to 4 March 2019. Given that he was 
not performing the role of Group CEO and did not receive a typical CEO remuneration package, he is not shown in this table, and is instead 
shown in table 9. Maurice was appointed Group CEO on 4 March 2019 and remuneration figures up to this date reflect his role as CEO of 
International Insurance. 

1  Total 2019 remuneration – Executive Directors (audited information) 

Basic Salary1  
Benefits2  
Annual Bonus3  
LTIP4  
Pension5  
Total 

Maurice Tulloch6 

Executive Directors 
Jason Windsor7  

Tom Stoddard8 

Former Executive Directors  
Andy Briggs9 

Total emoluments of  
Executive Directors10  

2019 
£000 

946 
443 
886 
588 
138 

2018 
£000 

706 
51 
598 
637 
198 

3,001 

2,190 

2019 
£000 

177 
10 
178 
82 
22 

469 

2018 
£000 

— 
— 
— 
— 
— 

— 

2019 
£000 

370 
47 
338 
559 
104 

2018 
£000 

728 
85 
616 
645 
204 

1,418 

2,278 

2019 
£000 

241 
19 
218 
— 
67 

545 

2018 
£000 

746 
44 
632 
662 
209 

2,293 

2019 
£000 

1,734 
519 
1,620 
1,229 
331 

5,433 

2018 
£000 

2,180 
180 
1,846 
1,944 
611 

6,761 

1  Basic salary received during the relevant year. 
2  The benefits disclosure includes the cost, where relevant, of private medical insurance, life insurance, accommodation, travel and car benefits. In the case of Maurice, Jason and Andy this also includes benefits resulting from the 
UK HMRC tax-advantaged SAYE plan, and for Andy only the UK HMRC tax-advantaged share incentive plan, the All Employee Share Ownership Plan (AESOP), in which they participate on the same basis as all eligible employees. 
All numbers disclosed include the tax charged on the benefits, where applicable. As disclosed on appointment and in last year’s report Maurice was provided with assistance with relocation from Canada to the UK, of an amount 
up to £250,000 exclusive of tax, payable against receipted costs incurred within a period of 24 months from date of appointment. During 2019, £139,000 of this allowance was used reflecting temporary accommodation, ongoing 
residential accommodation and flights between Canada and the UK. This is shown as £246,000 in the table above, grossed-up for tax. Other benefits include: Private medical insurance (£17,000), taxable travel and subsistence 
(£59,000,of which £50,000 is the grossed-up tax value of flights), accompanied travel (£32,000), car benefits (£40,000) and advisor fees (£40,000) in relation to tax assistance. Benefits for Tom and Andy include a small amount 
relating to the correction of an under deduction of NIC in relation to pension cash allowance. 

3  Bonus payable in respect of the financial year including any deferred element at the face value at the date of award. The deferred element is made under the ABP. 
4  With the exception of Jason, the value of the LTIP for 2019 relates to the 2017 award, which had a three-year performance period ending 31 December 2019. 50% of the award will vest in March 2020. An assumed share price of 
411.2 pence has been used to determine the value of the award based on the average share price over the final quarter of the 2019 financial year. The proportion of the value of the LTIP that is attributable to share price 
depreciation (the depreciation being the difference between the face value at the date of award and the vested value of the award) is 22.4% for Maurice and Tom. In a similar manner, the LTIP amounts shown in last year’s report 
in respect of the LTIPs awarded in 2016 were calculated with an assumed share price of 415.20 pence. The actual share price at vesting was 412.25 pence, and the table has been updated to reflect this change. The estimated 
value of the awards for the EDs was £1,958,000; the actual value was £1,944,000 (decrease of £14,000). Jason, prior to becoming an ED, was granted a Restricted Stock Unit (RSU) award. This award does not have performance 
conditions and in accordance with the regulations, a pro-rated amount is shown in respect of qualifying services during the year, using the share price at grant to determine the value of the award. Following confirmation of his 
role at Phoenix Group, Andy’s 2017 LTIP award has lapsed. Additional information on these awards can be found in table 18.  

5  Pension contributions consist of employer defined contribution benefits, excluding salary exchange contributions made by the employees, plus cash payments in lieu of pension. For Maurice, following his appointment as Group 
CEO on 4 March 2019 and for Jason the total was 12.34% of basic salary (pension contribution of 14% which is reduced for the effect of employers’ National Insurance contributions when paid as cash). For former EDs (and 
Maurice prior to his appointment as Group CEO) the aggregate total was 28% of basic salary. No ED has prospective entitlement to benefit in a defined benefit scheme. 

6  Maurice was appointed as Group CEO on 4 March 2019. Prior to his appointment he was CEO of International Insurance and his basic salary and benefits were set in Canadian dollars, which have been converted to sterling using 

an average exchange rate for 2019 of CAD 1.70 

7  Jason was appointed to the Board on 26 September 2019. For 2019, the values relate to the period while he was an ED  
8  Tom stepped down from the Board on 30 June 2019; values for 2019 relate to the period while he was an ED. Details of Tom’s leaving arrangements are set out on page 93. 
9  Andy stepped down from the Board on 24 April 2019; values for 2019 relate to the period while he was an ED. Details of Andy’s leaving arrangements are set out on page 93. 
10  Year on year decrease is primarily driven by changes in Board membership. 

Additional disclosures in respect of the single total figure of remuneration table 
Malus and clawback 
As part of the annual pay review process, the Committee has considered whether any recovery or withholding under the malus and clawback 
provisions of Aviva’s incentive plans is required by any current circumstances. No incidents concerning the EDs are currently subject to action 
under Aviva’s Malus and Clawback policy. 

Other items of remuneration 
The EDs have not received any items in the nature of remuneration other than those disclosed in table 1. 

Aviva plc Annual report and accounts 2019 
87 

 
 
 
 
 
 
20% 
Operating  
EPS1,2 

25% 
Cash remittances3 

25% 
OCG3 

20% 
RNPS 

10% 
Multiple Product 
Holdings (MPH) 

s
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s
a
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a
n
i
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u
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i
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t
S

Strategic report 

Governance 

IFRS financial statements 

Other information 

Directors’ Remuneration report 

Continued 

2019 annual bonus outcomes 
The chart below summarises how our annual bonus operates for 2019.  

Step I – Bonus scorecard 

Step II – Non-financial performance modifiers 

Employee 
engagement 

Customer 

Risk & Controls 

The bonus scorecard outcome as 
determined under step I may be modified by 
consideration of performance in these areas. 

Typically, any adjustments would be in the 
range of +/- 15%, but may be larger for major 
customer and/or risk & controls issues. 

Performance 
against financial 
measures subject 
to a quality of 
earnings 
assessment. 

Step III – Individual performance 
The bonus scorecard outcome coming out of step II may then be modified 
based on: 
• Individual contribution and achievements; 
• How the individual has assisted the Group achieve progress against its 

strategic objectives; 

• The leadership they have exhibited; and 
• How the individual has demonstrated Aviva’s values. 

Individual adjustments are not determined in a formulaic manner. The 
Committee reviews overall performance against each individual’s 
objectives and applies judgement as to whether any adjustment is 
warranted. In recent years adjustments have ranged from -17.5% to +22%. 

Performance is assessed against defined minimum, target 
and maximum targets.  

Discretion 
The Committee retains overarching discretion to adjust outcomes upwards or downwards in order to align remuneration for the overall performance of 
the Group and wider circumstances.

Step I – Bonus scorecard 
The table below sets out performance against financial and non-financial targets under the bonus scorecard. The overall scorecard outcome 
percentage applies to all of the EDs.  

2  2019 performance against bonus scorecard for Executive Directors’ bonuses 

Measure 

Financial measures (70% of total) 
Operating EPS1,2 
Cash remittances3 
OCG3 
Total financial measures 

Strategic measures (30% of total) 

RNPS 
MPH (% growth) 

Total strategic measures 

Scorecard outcome  

Weighting 

Minimum 

Target 

Maximum 

Actual 

Outcome 

20.0% 
25.0% 

25.0% 
70.0% 

54.0p 
£2,531m 

£1,535m 
— 

58.3p 
£2,736m 

£1,735m 
— 

62.6p 
£2,941m 

£1,935m 
— 

57.2p 
£2,597m 

£2,259m 
— 

20.0% 
10.0% 

30.0% 
100.0% 

3 
5% 

— 

8 
8% 

— 

11 
11% 

— 

6.5 
1.7% 

— 

17.6% 
16.5% 

50.0% 
84.1% 

17.0% 
0.0% 

17.0% 

101.1% 

1  This measure is derived from the Group adjusted operating profit Alternative Performance Measure APM. Further details of this measure are included in the ‘Other Information’ section of the Annual report and accounts. 
2  Group adjusted operating profit is an APM which is used by the Group to supplement the required disclosures under IFRS. Please refer to note B in the ‘Accounting Policies’ section and to the ‘Other Information’ section within 

the Annual report and accounts for further information. 

3  This is an Alternative Performance Measure (APM) which provides useful information to supplement an understanding of our financial performance. Further information on APMs, including a reconciliation to the financial 

statements (where possible), can be found in the ‘Other Information’ section of the Annual report and accounts. 

Aviva plc Annual report and accounts 2019 
88 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Strategic report 

Governance 

IFRS financial statements 

Other information 

Directors’ Remuneration report 

Continued 

Step II – Non-financial performance modifiers 
The Committee considered Group performance against the non-financial modifiers set out below, the outcome of which may result in an 
adjustment to the bonus scorecard outcome if considered appropriate. 

3  2019 non-financial modifiers relating to bonus scorecard 

Modifier 

Employee 
Employee engagement. 

Customer 
Performance  against  our  overall  focus  on  customer 
outcomes, including Brand Trust. 

Risk & Controls 
Aviva’s reward strategy includes specific risk and control 
objectives for senior management and EDs. The aim is to 
help  drive  and  reward  effective  risk  management  and  a 
robust control environment across the Group. 

The bonus scorecard outcome was revised to 91.1%. 

Assessment 
Engagement remains high at 73% but is slightly down on 2018 (76%) due to a 
period of uncertainty and change.  

Pride, motivation and advocacy remain strong and consistent. The proportion 
of employees recommending Aviva as a great place to work is at an all-time high. 
Significantly  more  colleagues  believe  that  Aviva  cares  for  their  health  and 
wellbeing (up 6 points to 80%) and there have also been solid uplifts in the view 
that Aviva is a place where people are free from judgement or discrimination. 
This  result  in  2019  (82%)  is  now  13  points  higher  than  in  2015  –  a  major 
improvement on Aviva’s culture of inclusion in a short space of time. There is 
also a strong link between improvements on this metric and those colleagues 
who feel they have greater freedom to make decisions in their job. 
Of  the  seven  core  businesses  measured,  five  were  either  at  or  above  the 
competitor benchmark.  

We are working hard to meet our strategic priority of delivering great customer 
outcomes  by  improving  service  and  product  simplicity  as  well  as  reducing 
complaints through root cause analysis work.  
The assessments performed by our Risk and Internal Audit functions looked at 
the  effectiveness  and  robustness  of  the  risk 
framework  and  control 
environment.  The  outputs  of  the  assessments  were  shared  with  the  Risk  and 
Audit  Committees  ahead  of  decisions  being  made  on  impacts  to  bonus. 
Notwithstanding  improvements  made  in  2019,  it  was  concluded  that  further 
work is required to embed a strong risk culture and deliver the target state risk 
and control environment against a backdrop of internal/external change. As a 
result, and to provide a clear statement of the focus on continual improvement 
across  2020  the  Committee  applied  a  downward  adjustment  of  10%  to  the 
bonus scorecard outcome in respect of this modifier. 

Aviva plc Annual report and accounts 2019 
89 

 
 
 
Strategic report 

Governance 

IFRS financial statements 

Other information 

Directors’ Remuneration report 

Continued 

Step III – Individual performance 
The Committee assessed EDs on their individual performance in the year. Details of each individual’s achievements are set out in the table 
below. 

Maurice Tulloch 

Jason Windsor 

Maurice was appointed Group CEO from 4 March 2019, previously his 
role was CEO International and Chairman Global General Insurance 
(GI).  Since  being  appointed  as  Group  CEO,  Maurice  has  provided 
strong  leadership  in  the  Group  and  at  the  PLC  Board,  with  some 
notable achievements: 
•  Establishment of the strategic direction for the Group to simplify 
the business and definition of new financial targets as announced 
at the Capital Markets Day in November 

•  Built  an  experienced  ALT,  promoting  talents  internally  and 
recruiting  seasoned  external  leaders,  with  a  number  of  new 
appointments, including new Group CFO, Group Chief Operating 
Officer, Group Chief People Officer, Group Chief Risk Officer, with 
role changes for CEO Europe, Global CEO General Insurance and 
CEO Investments, Savings & Retirement (IS&R)  

•  Rebuilt  relationships  with  investor  community  with  two  capital 

market days and a significant investor outreach program 

•  Maintained financial strength of the Group and achieved 6% Group 
adjusted operating profit1 growth and increased SII RoE2 to 14.3%  
•  Implemented  a  new  operational  model  to  make  Aviva  simpler, 
separating UK GI and Life management teams, aligning UK Digital 
to UK GI, and creating the new IS&R division 

•  Launched  a  new  project  to  reduce  costs  by  £300 million  net  by 

2022, with £72 million reduction achieved in 2019 

Jason  was  appointed  as  CFO  and  ED  of  the  Company  from  
26  September  2019,  after  becoming  interim  CFO  on  1  July  2019 
following  Tom’s  departure.  Jason’s  contribution  to  the  finance 
function and the wider Aviva Group was critical to many key deliveries 
including: 
•  Assisting  the  Group  CEO  in  defining  the  strategic  direction  and 
turning it into a coherent set of financial targets as announced at the 
Capital Markets Day in November 

•  Maintained financial strength of the Group with a SII cover ratio2,3 of 
206%  and  centre  liquidity4  of  £2.4 billion  despite  macroeconomic 
volatility, particularly low interest rates across Europe (most notably 
in France) and continued uncertainty around the decision for the UK 
to leave the European Union 

•  Increased  profile  of  the  Risk  &  Control  environment  with  clear 
accountability  and  engagement,  and  steps  taken  to  increase  the 
strength of our control environment 

•  Restructure  of  the  finance  function  to  make  it  simpler,  leaner  and 

more commercial 

•  Rationalisation  of  the  finance  change  programme  and  continued 

progress in the implementation of IFRS17 

Andy Briggs 

Tom Stoddard 

Andy was the CEO of Aviva UK Insurance until 30 April 2019. Over this 
period Andy provided strong leadership in the UK and continued to 
play an active leadership role at the PLC Board. Notable milestones 
in 2019 include: 
•  Setting  and  driving  ambitious  financial  targets  for  UK  Insurance 

during Q1 to contribute to the overall success of Aviva 

•  Continuing to define and implement growth opportunities across 

the UK Insurance portfolio  

•  Led the Group wide Customer Pillar work as a fundamental priority 

for the business 

•  Drove  ongoing  implementation  of  AvivaPlus  and  oversaw  post-
launch  review  process  on  potential  strategic  impact  on  existing 
customer propositions 

•  Continued  sponsorship  of  Aviva’s  Generations  community, 
focussing on supporting an intergenerational workplace, as well as 
acting as the Government’s Business Champion for Older Workers 

Tom  was  the  Group  CFO  until  30  June  2019.  Over  this  period  Tom 
played  a  critical  role  in  supporting  Maurice  in  his  transition  to  CEO. 
Notable achievements in 2019 include: 
•  Driving delivery of the overall financial objectives for the Group and 
delivered strong half year financial results as presented during the 
interim results 

•  Assisting incoming Group CEO in developing the strategic direction 

for Aviva 

•  Provided  an  orderly  handover  with  his  successor  to  ensure 

continuity in the finance function 

•  Coordinated IFRS17 implementation and the Finance & Innovation 
joint  costs  and  managed 
their 

to  minimise 

programme 
dependencies 

•  Continued sponsorship of the Aviva ‘Origins’ community, promoting 
race,  ethnicity,  religion  and  social  mobility  as  an  important 
dimension of diversity and inclusion 

The Committee carefully considered the individual performance of each ED. Details of the individual adjustments are reflected in table 4. 

1  Group adjusted operating profit is an Alternative Performance Measure (APM) which is used by the Group to supplement the required disclosures under IFRS. Please refer to note B in the ‘Accounting Policies’ section and to the 

‘Other Information’ section within the Annual report and accounts for further information. 

2  This is an Alternative Performance Measure (APM) which provides useful information to supplement an understanding of our financial performance. Further information on APMs, including a reconciliation to the financial 

statements (where possible), can be found in the ‘Other Information’ section of the Annual report and accounts. 

3  The estimated Solvency II position represents the shareholder view. Please refer to note 57 and the ‘Other Information’ section of the Annual report and accounts for more information. 
4  Stated as at end February 2020. 

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90 

 
 
 
 
Strategic report 

Governance 

IFRS financial statements 

Other information 

Directors’ Remuneration report 

Continued 

4  2019 bonus outcomes for Executive Directors 

Bonus scorecard (0% – 200%) 
– Non-financial modifiers 
– Individual adjustment 

Final Outcome 

Target opportunity 
Maximum opportunity for 20192 

Final bonus outcomes 
– % of salary4 
– % of maximum 

– £ amount 

Maurice Tulloch 

Jason Windsor 

Tom Stoddard 

Andy Briggs 

100.2%1 
(10.0%) 
5.0% 

95.2% 

101.1% 
(10.0%) 
10.0% 

101.1% 

101.1% 
(10.0%) 
0.0% 

91.1% 

101.1% 
(10.0%) 
0.0% 

91.1% 

100% of salary 
100% of salary 
192% of salary3  150% of salary 

100% of salary 

100% of salary 

150% of salary   150% of salary 

95.2% 

49.7% 
£886,3155 

100.6% 

67.0% 
£177,6986 

91.1% 

60.7% 
£337,9266 

91.1% 

60.7% 
£218,2186 

1  Pro-rated to reflect International and Group scorecards of 94.1% and 101.1% respectively. 
2  The Group CEO has a maximum bonus opportunity of two times target (i.e. 200% of salary) while other EDs have a maximum opportunity of one and a half times target (150% of salary). 
3  Maximum bonus opportunity is pro-rated for 2019 to reflect the time spent as CEO International and as Group CEO during the year. 
4  The bonus scorecard for EDs can range from 0 to 200%. When the final outcome is above 100%, the resulting final bonus outcome, as a % of salary, is on a ‘1% for 1%’ basis for the Group CEO and on a ‘2% for 1%’ basis for other 
EDs; e.g. a final outcome of 140% would result in a bonus of 140% of salary for the Group CEO and 120% of salary for other EDs. When below 100% scaling is ‘1% for 1%’, such that a final outcome of 80% would result in a bonus 
of 80% of salary for all EDs, including the Group CEO. 

5  Pro-rated for different salary as CEO International and as Group CEO during the year 
6  This outcome is pro-rated to reflect the time served on the Board 

Discretion 
The  Committee  is  conscious  of  the  provisions  of  the  2018  Code,  with  remuneration  committees  being  encouraged  to  review  incentive 
outcomes against individual and company performance, together with any wider circumstances, and to exercise independent judgement 
and discretion in relation to remuneration outcomes. Taking into account the impact of the outcome of the quality of earnings assessment 
and  the  non-financial  modifiers,  and  an  assessment  of  individual  performance,  the  Committee  is  of  the  view  that  these  outcomes 
appropriately reflect the overall performance of Aviva during the year and are aligned with the experience of shareholders over this period 
and no discretion regarding outcomes was therefore exercised by the Committee. 

2017 LTIP vesting in respect of performance period 2017-2019 
All references to adjusted IFRS RoE relate to the 2017 LTIP award only and represent RoE calculated as IFRS profit after tax and non-controlling 
interest  but  excluding  investment  variances,  economic  assumption  changes,  pension  scheme  income/charge  over  average  IFRS  equity 
(excluding pension scheme net surplus/deficit). The adjusted IFRS RoE1 and TSR2 outcome for the 2017 LTIP are detailed in the table below. 
50% of the award will vest in March 2020. No discretion regarding the vesting outcome of the 2017 LTIP was exercised by the Committee. 

5  2017 LTIP award – performance conditions (audited information) 

Adjusted IFRS RoE1 Performance 
Relative TSR2 Performance 

Weighting 

Threshold 
(20% vest) 

Maximum 
(100% vest) 

50% 
50% 

28.8% 

35.2% 
Median  Upper quintile and above 

Outcome 

42.9% 
10.3/14 

Vesting 
(% of 
maximum) 

100% 
0% 

1  2017 adjusted IFRS RoE performance outcome excludes the positive impact of the £300 million and £600 million share buy-backs (in 2017 and 2018 respectively). 
2  TSR is a measure of share price growth, calculated as the difference between the share price at the vesting date and the 90 day average for the period immediately preceding the start of the three year performance period. 

Quality of earnings assessment – 2019 remuneration decisions 
The Committee discussed those items that impacted the overall results in 2019 including to update e.g. foreign exchange, acquisitions and 
disposals, life assumption and modelling changes, prior year reserve development, and other items that are non-recurring in nature. This 
process provides the Committee with an understanding of the core profitability of the business taking these factors into account. 

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Governance 

IFRS financial statements 

Other information 

Directors’ Remuneration report 

Continued 

6  Awards granted during the year (audited information) 
Share and option awards granted to EDs during the year are set out below.  

Maurice Tulloch 

Jason Windsor3 

Former Directors4 

Tom Stoddard 

Andy Briggs 

Date of Award 

25 Mar 2019 
25 Mar 2019 
01 Oct 2019 

25 Mar 2019 
25 Mar 2019 
01 Oct 2019 

Award 
Type1 

LTIP 
ABP 
SAYE 

LTIP 
ABP 
SAYE 

25 Mar 2019 
25 Mar 2019 

25 Mar 2019 
25 Mar 2019 
14 Oct 2016 

LTIP5 
ABP 
LTIP5 
ABP 
AESOP 

Face Value 
(% of basic  
salary)2 

300% 
41% 
1.85% 

N/A 
N/A 
2.67% 

225% 
56% 

225% 
56% 
0.37% 

Face Value 
(£)2 

£2,925,000 
£398,759 
£18,000 

£310,000 
£136,025 
£18,000 

£1,650,060 
£410,677 

£1,691,775 
£421,063 
£2,750 

Threshold  
Performance 
(% of face 
value) 

Maximum 
Performance 
(% of face 
value) 

End of  
 performance period 

End of vesting/ 
holding period 

20% 
N/A 

N/A 
N/A 

20% 
N/A 

20% 
N/A 
N/A 

100% 

31 Dec 2021 

N/A 

N/A 

100% 

31 Dec 2021 

100% 

31 Dec 2021 

25 Mar 2024 
25 Mar 2022 
01 Dec 2022 

25 Mar 2022 
25 Mar 2022 
01 Dec 2022 

25 Mar 2024 
25 Mar 2022 

25 Mar 2024 
25 Mar 2022 
17 Oct 2022 

1  ABP and LTIP awards have been granted as share awards. The LTIP is a conditional right to receive shares based on a three-year performance period, with an additional two-year holding period. ABP represents the portion of the 
2018 bonus deferred into shares which vests in three equal tranches. Shares issued in lieu of dividends accrue on ABP and LTIP awards during the ABP deferral period and the LTIP performance period. SAYE awards are savings-
related options normally exercisable during the six-month period following the end of the relevant 3 or 5 year savings contract. AESOP includes partnership, matching and dividend share awards which vest after three years. 
Further details are provided in tables 16 and 18. 

2  Face value for the awards granted on 25 March 2019 has been calculated using the average of the middle-market closing price of an Aviva ordinary share on the three consecutive business days immediately preceding the main 
date of grant, of 421.00 pence. For SAYE the option price is fixed to a three day average closing middle-market price of an ordinary share of the Company, prior to invitation date, with a discount of 20% as permitted under the 
SAYE plan (284.00 pence). AESOP has been calculated using the average price achieved at purchase of the partnership shares throughout 2019 of 407.00 pence. 
3  Jason was not an ED at the time his 2019 LTIP and ABP awards were made. The 2019 LTIP award is a RSU award. This award does not have performance conditions. 
4  Andy stepped down from the Board on 24 April 2019 and Tom on 30 June 2019. 
5  LTIP awards for Tom and Andy have subsequently lapsed, in line with the leaving arrangements outlined on page 93. 

Operating EPS1,2 targets for awards made in 2019 
Operating EPS1,2 performance determines the vesting of 50% of the LTIP award. Three-year targets are set annually within the context of the 
Company’s strategic plan. The 2019 targets are provided below.  

7  2019 LTIP operating EPS1 targets (audited information) 

Achievement of Operating EPS1,2 targets over the three-year performance period 

Percentage of shares in award that vests based on achievement of Operating EPS1 targets 

Less than 4% p.a. 
4% p.a. 
Between 4% p.a. and 10.0% p.a. 
10% p.a. and above 

0% 
10% 
Pro-rata between 10% and 50% on a straight line basis 
50% 

Any vesting of the operating EPS1,2 element of the LTIP is subject to two gateway hurdles – SII RoE3 and SII shareholder cover ratio3,4. The 
SII RoE3 hurdle is 12% p.a. and the SII shareholder cover ratio3,4 is to meet or exceed the minimum of the stated working range (in 2019, this 
was 160% to 180%). 

1  This measure is derived from the Group adjusted operating profit Alternative Performance Measure (APM). Further details of this measure are included in the ‘Other Information’ section of the Annual report and accounts. 
2  Group adjusted operating profit is an APM which is used by the Group to supplement the required disclosures under IFRS. Please refer to note B in the ‘Accounting Policies’ section and to the ‘Other Information’ section within 

the Annual report and accounts for further information. 

3  This is an Alternative Performance Measure (APM) which provides useful information to supplement an understanding of our financial performance. Further information on APMs, including a reconciliation to the financial 

statements (where possible), can be found in the ‘Other Information’ section of the Annual report and accounts. 

4  The estimated Solvency II position represents the shareholder view. Please refer to note 58 and the ‘Other Information’ section of the Annual report and accounts for more information. 

Aviva plc Annual report and accounts 2019 
92 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Strategic report 

Governance 

IFRS financial statements 

Other information 

Directors’ Remuneration report 

Continued 

TSR targets for awards made in 2019 
Relative TSR performance determines the vesting of the other 50% of the LTIP award. For the 2019 grant, Aviva’s TSR performance will be 
assessed against that of the following companies: Aegon, Allianz, Assicurazioni Generali, AXA, CNP Assurances, Direct Line Group, Legal & 
General, Lloyds Banking Group, Old Mutual, Phoenix, Prudential, RSA, Standard Life Aberdeen and Zurich Insurance.  

The performance period for the TSR performance condition is the three years beginning 1 January 2019. For the purposes of measuring the 
TSR performance condition, the Company’s TSR and that of the comparator group will be based on the 90-day average TSR for the period 
immediately preceding the start and end of the performance period. The vesting schedule is set out in the table below. 

8  TSR vesting schedule for the 2019 LTIP award (audited information) 

TSR position over the three-year performance period 

Below median 
Median 
Between median and upper quintile 
Upper quintile and above 

Percentage of shares in award that vest based on achievement of TSR targets 

0% 
10% 
Pro-rata between 10% and 50% on a straight line basis 
50% 

Payments to past directors (audited information) 
Russell Walls retired from the Board with effect from 8 May 2013. 
•  Russell  was  appointed  as  a Non-Executive  Director  (NED) of  Aviva  Italia  Holdings  S.p.A  on  4  December  2014  and  on  30  April  2015  was 

appointed as Chair and subsequently stepped down on 26 September 2019 

•  The emoluments he received in respect of this directorship for the 2019 financial year was €67,500 

Payments for loss of office (audited information) 
We announced on 24 April 2019 that the Board and Andy Briggs had decided that Andy would step down as CEO UK Insurance and as a 
Director of the Company with immediate effect.  
•  Andy was placed on garden leave for six months with effect from 30 April 2019 to 23 October 2019. During this period, he continued to 

receive his salary and contractual benefits. For the period 25 April 2019 to 23 October 2019 these totalled £500,592 

•  Andy received a pro-rated bonus in respect of 2019, reflecting the portion of the year worked prior to going on garden leave. The bonus was 

determined on the normal timetable and can be found in the bonus section in table 4 

•  Reflecting his performance during his tenure, leadership and commitment demonstrated during the Group CEO transition, the Committee 

exercised discretion to treat Andy as a good leaver under the ABP and LTIP  
– Andy’s outstanding deferred share awards under ABP will continue to vest on the normal vesting dates. All outstanding awards will remain 

subject to malus and clawback 

– Andy’s 2019 LTIP award lapsed on his departure. Andy’s 2017 and 2018 LTIP awards were allowed to continue to vest, pro-rated for the 
time from the date of grant to his leave date and remained subject to performance vesting. Following confirmation of his new role at 
Phoenix Group, these awards have lapsed 

•  In line with the Policy, Andy was entitled to a capped contribution of £5,000 (excluding VAT) towards legal fees incurred in connection with 

his departure 

We announced on 5 June 2019 that the Board and Tom Stoddard had decided that Tom would step down as CFO and as a Director of the 
Company from 30 June 2019.  
•  Tom was placed on garden leave for six months with effect from 1 July 2019 to 31 December 2019. During this period, he continued to 

receive his salary and contractual benefits. For the period of his garden leave these totalled £531,336 

•  In line with his arrangements while a Director, Tom will receive tax support for the UK financial year 2019/20 and the US tax year 2019. The 

total value of this benefit is anticipated to be £9,000  

•  Tom received a pro-rated bonus in respect of 2019, reflecting the portion of the year worked prior to going on garden leave. The bonus was 

determined on the normal timetable and can be found in the bonus section in table 4 

•  Reflecting his performance during his tenure, leadership and commitment demonstrated during the Group CEO transition, the Committee 

exercised discretion to treat Tom as a good leaver under the ABP and LTIP 
– Tom’s outstanding deferred share awards under ABP will continue and will vest on the normal vesting dates 
– Tom’s 2017 and 2018 LTIP awards will to continue to vest, pro-rated for the time from the date of grant to his leave date and remain 

subject to performance vesting. His 2019 LTIP award has lapsed 

– All outstanding share awards will remain subject to malus and clawback 

•  In line with the Policy, Tom was entitled to a capped contribution of £5,000 (excluding VAT) towards legal fees incurred in connection with 

his departure 

Aviva plc Annual report and accounts 2019 
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Governance 

IFRS financial statements 

Other information 

Directors’ Remuneration report 

Continued 

9  Total 2019 remuneration for Non-Executive Directors (audited information) 
The table below sets out the total remuneration earned by each NED who served during 2019 for Group-related activities. 

Aviva plc total 

Subsidiaries fees 

Group total 

2019 
£000 

2018 
£000 

Chairman 
Sir Adrian Montague 
Non-Executive Directors 
Claudia Arney2 
Glyn Barker2 
Patricia Cross 
George Culmer3 
Patrick Flynn3 
Belén Romana García 
Michael Mire 

Former Non-Executive Directors4 
Michael Hawker 
Keith Williams 

2019 
£000 

550 

155 
177 
128 
29 
55 
139 
118 

34 
59 

Fees 

2018 
£000 

550 

155 
168 
128 
— 
— 
105 
118 

138 
150 

Total emoluments of NEDs 

1,444 

1,512 

2019 
£000 

88 

2 
2 
— 
2 
2 
15 
3 

— 
— 

114 

Benefits1 

2018 
£000 

88 

2 
3 
— 
— 
— 
10 
1 

— 
2 

2019 
£000 

638 

157 
179 
128 
31 
57 
154 
121 

34 
59 

2018 
£000 

638 

157 
171 
128 
— 
— 
115 
119 

138 
152 

— 

73 
— 
60 
— 
— 
44 
— 

— 
— 

177 

2019 
£000 

638 

230 
179 
188 
31 
57 
198 
121 

34 
59 

2018 
£000 

638 

235 
171 
188 
— 
— 
155 
119 

138 
152 

— 

78 
— 
60 
— 
— 
40 
— 

— 
— 

106 

1,558 

1,618 

178 

1,735 

1,796 

1  Benefits include the gross taxable value of expenses relating to accommodation, travel and other expenses incurred on Company business in accordance with our expense policy and may vary year-on-year dependent on the 

time required to be spent in the UK. 

2  Claudia Arney and Glyn Barker retired from the Board on 31 December 2019.  
3  Patrick Flynn was appointed to the Board on 16 July 2019 and George Culmer on 25 September 2019. 
4  Michael Hawker stepped down from the Board on 31 March 2019 and Keith Williams on 23 May 2019. 

The Aviva plc total amount paid to NEDs in 2019 was £1,558,000 which is within the limits set in the Company’s Articles of Association, as 
previously approved by shareholders. 

Subsidiary company board memberships  
During  the  year,  the  following  NEDs  were  appointed  as  directors  of  subsidiary  companies  to  support  and  further  enhance  the  flow  of 
information between material subsidiaries and the Group. The additional emoluments received in respect of these roles are detailed below: 
•  Claudia  Arney  received  an  additional  fee  of  £72,500  (2018:  £78,346)  in  respect  of  her  duties  as  Non-Executive  Chairman  and  Conduct 

Committee member of Aviva UK Digital Limited. Claudia subsequently stepped down on 31 December 2019. 

•  Patricia Cross received an additional fee of £60,000 (2018: £60,000) in respect of her duties as Senior Independent Director of Aviva Investors 

Holdings Limited 

•  Belén Romana García received an additional fee of €50,000 (2018: €44,712) in respect of her duties as a Board member of Aviva Italia Holding 

S.p.A., and as a committee member of the Audit and Risk Committees 

•  Sir Adrian Montague became a director of Aviva Group Holdings Ltd on 9 October 2018 and stepped down on 4 March 2019 as part of his 
transition back to his Non-Executive Chairman role. He also became a director of Aviva SA on 24 April 2019. He received no fees in respect 
of these appointments 

Percentage change in remuneration of the Group CEO 
The table below sets out the increase in the basic salary, bonus and benefits of the Group CEO and that of the wider workforce. The UK 
employee  workforce  was  chosen  as  a  suitable  comparator  group,  as  the  Group  CEO  and  CFO  are  based  in  the  UK  (albeit  with  global 
responsibilities), and pay changes across the Group vary widely depending on local market conditions. Given that both the Group CEO and 
his predecessor served for a part-year only in 2019, the Group CEO’s pay for each year has been annualised so as to provide a comparison. 
The reduction in salary reflects the differences in the incumbent’s package. The increase in benefits reflects relocation and taxable travel and 
subsistence. 

10  Percentage change in remuneration of Group CEO 

Group CEO1 
All UK-based employees2 

% change in basic salary 2018-2019 

% change in bonus 2018-2019 

% change in benefits 2018-2019 

(8.5)% 
3.8% 

4.7% 
(10.8)% 

269.4% 
27.2% 

1  Salary, annual bonus and benefit amounts for 2019 for the Group CEO and 2018 for the former Group CEO have been annualised up to reflect what they would have been over a full 12-month period to add comparison. The 

increase in benefits reflects relocation and taxable travel and subsistence. 

2   The increase in benefits for UK based employees has been driven by changes in pieces of tax legislation leading to a) some car parking provision now being a taxable benefit and b) an increase in company car benefit. Without 

these changes, benefits increased by 4.3%. 

Aviva plc Annual report and accounts 2019 
94 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Strategic report 

Governance 

IFRS financial statements 

Other information 

Directors’ Remuneration report 

Continued 

Historical TSR performance and Group CEO remuneration outcomes  
Table 11 compares the TSR performance of the Company over the past ten years against the TSR of the FTSE 100. This index has been chosen 
because it is a recognised equity market index of which Aviva is a member. In addition, median TSR performance for the LTIP comparator 
group has been shown. The companies which comprise the LTIP comparator group for TSR purposes are listed above table 8. 

11  Aviva plc ten-year TSR performance against the FTSE 100 and the median of the comparator group  

Aviva

FTSE 100

Comparator group median

)
0
0
1
o
t
d
e
s
a
b
e
r
(
R
S
T

250

200

150

100

50

0

2009

2010

2011

2012

2013

2014

2015

2016

2017

2018

2019

The  table  below  summarises  the  historical  Group  CEO  single  figure  for  total  remuneration,  and  annual  bonus  and  LTIP  outcomes  as  a 
percentage of maximum over this period. 

12  Historical Group CEO remuneration outcomes 

Group CEO 

2010 

2011 

2012 

Annual bonus payout (as a % of 

maximum opportunity) 

LTIP vesting (as a % of maximum 

opportunity) 

Group CEO single figure of 
remuneration (£000) 

Maurice Tulloch1 
Mark Wilson2 
Andrew Moss3 

Maurice Tulloch 

Mark Wilson 

Andrew Moss 

Maurice Tulloch 

Mark Wilson 

Andrew Moss 

— 

— 

— 

— 

74.3% 

81.0% 

— 

— 

— 

— 

72.3% 

81.7% 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

2013 

— 

2014 

— 

2015 

— 

2016 

— 

2017 

— 

2018 

— 

2019 

48.1% 

75.0% 

86.7% 

91.0% 

91.0% 

94% 

42.0% 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

53.0% 

41.3% 

36.9% 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

2,615 

2,600 

5,438 

4,523 

4,318 

1,836 

— 

— 

50.0% 

— 

— 

2,352 

2,748 

3,477 

554 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

1  Maurice was appointed Group CEO on 4 March 2019 
2  Mark joined the Board as an ED with effect from 1 December 2012 and became Group CEO on 1 January 2013. Mark stepped down as Group CEO and left the Board on 9 October 2018 
3  Andrew resigned from the Board with effect from 8 May 2012 and left the Company on 31 May 2012 

Sir Adrian Montague remained on his Non-Executive Chairman remuneration arrangements while acting as Executive Chairman for the period 
9 October 2018 to 4 March 2019. Given that he was not performing the role of Group CEO and did not receive a typical CEO remuneration 
package, he is not shown in this table. 

CEO Pay ratio reporting 
The table below sets out the ratio at median, 25th and 75th percentile of the total remuneration received by the Group CEO compared to the 
total remuneration received by our UK employees. Total remuneration reflects all remuneration received by an individual in respect of the 
relevant years, and includes salary, benefits, pension, and value received from incentive plans. 

Aviva plc Annual report and accounts 2019 
95 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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Governance 

IFRS financial statements 

Other information 

Directors’ Remuneration report 

Continued 

13  CEO Pay ratio table 

Year 

2019 

2018 

Method 

Option A 

Option A 

P25 (lower quartile) 

P50 (median)  

P75 (upper quartile) 

90:1 

76:1 

63:1 

53:1 

37:1 

32:1 

We would highlight the following in terms of the approach taken: 
•  In calculating the Group CEO data for 2019, we have aggregated the amount shown in the single figure table of £106,625 for Sir Adrian 
Montague in respect of his services as Executive Chairman from 1 January to 3 March 2019 (for which he received no additional payment), 
and the amount shown in the single figure table of £2.35 million for Maurice in respect of his services from 4 March to 31 December 2019. 
Similar to 2018, as 2019 was an atypical year for Aviva, we have provided an additional ratio below, calculated on a full-year basis using 
total target remuneration 

•  In 2018, the single figure for Mark Wilson was aggregated with the pro-rata fees for Sir Adrian Montague as Executive Chairman 
•  The P25, P50 and P75 employees were calculated based on full-time equivalent data as at 31 December of the relevant years 
•  Out of the three alternatives available for calculating the ratio, we chose to use Option A as it is considered to be the most accurate way of 
identifying employees at P25, P50 and P75, and is aligned with investor expectations. Under this approach we calculate total remuneration 
on a full-time equivalent basis for all of our UK employees and rank them accordingly 

The increase in the ratio reflects: 
•  2019 remuneration outcomes for the CEO include LTIP vesting, whereas there was no LTIP vesting for 2018 
•  Maurice Tulloch was CEO for approximately one month longer in 2019 than Mark Wilson was in 2018 
•  A slightly higher bonus outturn for Maurice Tulloch as a % of maximum (48% for period as CEO compared to 42% in 2018 for Mark Wilson) 
•  An increase in benefits partly reflecting relocation costs which run for 24 months from appointment 

Whilst the CEO pay ratio has increased, the salary and total remuneration for each quartile employee has also increased (median salary has 
increased 3.9% and median total compensation increased 4.5%). 

Table 14 below provides further information on the total remuneration figure for each quartile employee, and the salary component within 
this. 

14  Salary and total remuneration used in the CEO pay ratio calculations 

Year 

2019 

Pay element 

P25 (lower quartile) 

P50 (median) 

P75 (upper quartile) 

Salary 

Total remuneration 

£22,413 

£27,285 

£31,600 

£39,134 

£53,128 

£65,664 

In reviewing the employee pay data, the Committee is comfortable that the P25, P50 and P75 individuals identified appropriately reflect the 
employee pay profile at those quartiles, and that the overall picture presented by the ratios is consistent with our pay, reward and progression 
policies for UK employees. 

As referred to above, we recognise that both 2019 and 2018 are unusual years for Aviva resulting in a Group CEO pay ratio which is likely to be 
lower than we might typically expect. Shareholders may find it helpful to consider what the ratio might have been in a more normal year, 
recognising  that  the  ratio  may  well  vary  significantly  from  year-to-year.  Specifically,  we  have  considered  the  ratio  if  Maurice  had  been 
employed for the full year 2019 and had received an on-target annual bonus of 100% of salary (half of maximum) and LTIP vesting at 150% of 
salary (half of maximum). 

These circumstances would lead to a total single figure for the Group CEO of £3.98 million and the following Group CEO pay ratios. 

Year 

2019 (illustrative based on a notional ‘target’ package) 

P25 (lower quartile) 

P50 (median) 

P75 (upper quartile) 

146:1 

102:1 

61:1 

At Aviva, we consider that we are equally focused on our colleagues as we are on our customers. We work hard to recognise the individual 
needs of colleagues and in this context, we are proud of the reward, benefits and overall career packages that we offer our colleagues: 
•  In the UK, we have been an accredited Living Wage employer since April 2014 
•  We have a structured salary progression scheme for our frontline colleagues, providing incremental salary increases over the first few years 

in role as individuals develop and gain experience 

•  We conduct regular market reviews of our salary ranges in order to maintain competitiveness to market rates, and we move everyone who 

is below a band to at least the minimum of that range each year 

•  We have a comprehensive flexible benefits offering, providing colleagues with the opportunity to select the benefits that matter most to 

them including equal parental leave 

•  Our competitive pension scheme provides an employer contribution of 14% of salary (subject to the level of employee contribution). Above 

this level, we share employer National Insurance savings with our colleagues 

•  Our broader Wellbeing offering aims to promote health and wellness among our colleagues. Our priorities in 2019 were mental and financial 

wellbeing, our priorities for 2020 are mental wellbeing and menopause support 

•  UK colleagues are eligible to participate in our SAYE and AESOP offerings with similar plans operating for many of our overseas colleagues. 

We are proud of the participation rates in these plans, with over 60% participating in the SAYE and over 70% in the AESOP 

Aviva plc Annual report and accounts 2019 
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Governance 

IFRS financial statements 

Other information 

Directors’ Remuneration report 

Continued 

Relative importance of spend on pay 
Table 15 outlines Group adjusted operating profit1, dividends paid to shareholders and share buy-backs, compared to overall spend on pay 
in total. This measure of profit has been chosen as it is used for decision-making and the internal performance management of the Group’s 
operating segments. 

15  Relative importance of spend on pay 

Group adjusted operating profit1 
Dividends paid2 
Share buy-backs 
Total staff costs3 

Restated4 
2017 
£m 

2,975 
983 
300 
1,942 

Restated4 
2018 
£m 

3,004 
1,128 
600 
1,974 

2019 
£m 

3,184 
1,184 
— 
2,036 

% 
change between 
2018 & 2019 

6% 
5% 
(100)% 
3% 

1  Group adjusted operating profit is an Alternative Performance Measure (APM) which is used by the Group to supplement the required disclosures under IFRS. Please refer to accounting policy B in the ‘Accounting Policies’ section 

and to the ‘Other Information’ section within the Annual report and accounts for further information. 

2  The total cost of ordinary dividends paid to shareholders. 
3  Total staff costs from continuing operations includes wages and salaries, social security costs, post-retirement obligations, profit sharing and incentive plans, equity compensation plans and termination benefits. The average 

number of employees in continuing operations was 31,791 (2019) and 31,232 (2018). 

4  During 2019 the Group adjusted operating profit APM has been revised and now includes the amortisation and impairment of internally generated intangible assets to better reflect the operational nature of these assets (see 
note 1(b) of the Annual report and accounts). Group adjusted operating profit continues to exclude amortisation and impairment of intangible assets acquired in business combinations. Comparative amounts have been restated 
resulting in a reduction in the prior period Group adjusted operating profit of £112 million (2017: £93 million). There is no impact on profit before tax attributable to shareholders’ profit. 

Statement of directors’ shareholdings and share interests  
EDs share ownership requirements 
Under our Employment Shareholding Policy, the Company requires the Group CEO to build a shareholding in the Company equivalent to 
300% of basic salary and each ED to build a shareholding in the Company equivalent to 200% of basic salary. 
•  The EDs are required to retain 50% of the net shares released from ABP and LTIP awards until the shareholding requirement is met 
•  The shareholding requirement needs to be built up over a period not exceeding five-years 
•  Unvested share awards, including shares held in connection with bonus deferrals, are not taken into account in applying this test 
•  A post-cessation holding period of two years applies. There will be a transitional period until 31 December 2020, where any leaver will be 
required to hold 50% of the current (within employment) guideline. From 1 January 2021, the post-cessation guideline will be the same 
level as the current (within employment) guideline. The Committee will retain the discretion to waive part or all of the guideline where 
considered appropriate, for example in exceptional or compassionate circumstances 

16  Executive directors – share ownership requirement (audited information) 

Executive Directors  

Maurice Tulloch 
Jason Windsor 
Andy Briggs 
Tom Stoddard 

Unvested and  
subject to  
performance 
conditions2 

1,291,728 
— 
— 
453,626 

Shares held 

Unvested and  
subject to 
continued 
employment3 

290,810 
298,218 
351,730 
347,460 

Unvested and  
subject to 
continued 
employment4 

6,338 
6,338 
5,128 
— 

Options held 

Vested but 
not exercised 

— 
— 
— 
— 

Owned outright1 

471,522 
427,708 
431,289 
509,702 

Shareholding 
requirement 
(% of salary) 

Current 
shareholding5 
(% of salary) 

Requirement 
met 

300 
200 
200 
200 

202% 
265% 
235% 
285% 

No6 
Yes 
Yes 
Yes 

1  Directors’ beneficial holdings in the ordinary shares of the Company. This information includes holdings of any connected persons.  
2  Awards granted under the Aviva LTIPs which vest only if the performance conditions are achieved. 
3  Awards arising through the ABP. Under this plan, some of the earned bonuses are paid in the form of conditional shares and deferred for three years. The transfer of the shares to the director at the end of the period is not subject 
to the attainment of performance conditions but the shares can be forfeited if the ED leaves service before the end of the period. For Jason, this also includes RSU awards, granted under the LTIP prior to his appointment to the 
Board. Details of these awards can be found in table 18.  

4  Savings-related options (without performance conditions) over shares granted under the SAYE plan. 
5  Based  on  the  closing  middle-market  price  of  an  ordinary  share  of  the  Company  on  31  December  2019  of  418.7  pence.  The  closing  middle-market  price  of  an  ordinary  share  of  the  Company  during  the  year  ranged  from  

352.3 pence to 438.8 pence. 

6  Maurice is still within the timeframe required to meet his shareholding requirement, which increased upon his appointment to Group CEO.  

There were no changes to the EDs interests in Aviva shares during the period 1 January 2020 to 4 March 2020. 

17  Non-Executive Directors’ shareholdings1 (audited information) 

Sir Adrian Montague 
Claudia Arney 
Glyn Barker 
Patricia Cross 
George Culmer 
Patrick Flynn 
Belén Romana García 
Michael Mire 

1  This information includes holdings of any connected persons. 

There were no changes to the NEDs interests in Aviva shares during the period 1 January 2020 to 4 March 2020. 

1 January 2019 

31 December 2019 

58,553 
14,000 
22,700 
25,112 
— 
— 
4,475 
50,000 

58,553 
14,000 
47,700 
30,574 
31,276 
— 
10,223 
50,000 

Aviva plc Annual report and accounts 2019 
97 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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Governance 

IFRS financial statements 

Other information 

Directors’ Remuneration report 

Continued 

Share awards and share options 
Details of the EDs who were in office for any part of the 2019 financial year and hold or held outstanding share awards or options over ordinary 
shares of the Company pursuant to the Company’s share based incentive plans are set out in table 18. EDs are eligible to participate in the 
Company’s broad-based employee share plans on the same basis as other eligible employees. Details of awards and options granted to EDs 
under these plans are also included in tables 1, 6 and 16 (and SAYE options are included in table 18). More information around HMRC tax-
advantaged plans can also be found in note 34. 

18  LTIP, ABP and options over Aviva shares (audited information) 

At 1January 2019 
(number) 

Options/awards  
granted during year1 
(number) 

Options/awards 
exercised/vesting 
during year 
(number) 

Options/awards 
lapsing during year  
(number) 

At 31 December 2019 
(number) 

Market price at date  
awards granted2 
(number) 

SAYE exercise price 
(options) 
(pence) 

Market price at date 
awards 
vested/option 
exercised(pence) 

Normal 
 vesting date/  
exercise period5 

Maurice Tulloch 
LTIP3,4 
2016 
2017 
2018 
2019 
ABP 
2016 
2017 
2018 
2019 
SAYE6 
2019 
Jason Windsor5 
LTIP 
20165 
2017 
2018 
2019 
ABP 
2016 
2017 
2018 
2019 
SAYE8 
2019 
Andy Briggs6 
LTIP3,4 
2016 
2017 
2018 
2019 
ABP 
2016 
2017 
2018 
2019 
SAYE8 
2016 
Tom Stoddard7 
LTIP3,4 
2016 
2017 
2018 
2019 
ABP 
2016 
2017 
2018 
2019 

320,972 
302,532 
325,892 
— 

92,510 
116,530 
135,185 
— 

5,128 

313,144 
295,153 
317,857 
— 

120,618 
118,061 
131,851 
— 

309,278 
286,091 
310,863 
— 

63,144 
85,564 
110,529 
— 

— 
— 
— 
694,774 

— 
— 
— 
94,717 

181,8939 
— 
— 
— 

74,2739 
— 
— 
— 

— 

6,338 

— 

206,185 
77,358 
83,333 
— 

50,721 
18,721 
33,333 
32,310 

— 
— 
— 
73,634 

— 
— 
— 
— 

121,2619 
— 
— 
— 

59,6609 
10,4359 
11,7579 
— 

— 

6,338 

— 

154,639 
— 
— 
— 

— 
— 
— 
— 

— 

103,093 
— 
— 
— 

— 
— 
— 
— 

— 

160,486 
302,532 
325,892 
401,846 

— 
286,091 
310,863 
694,774 

— 
85,564 
110,529 
94,717 

456.70 
523.00 
542.60 
409.00 

456.70 
523.00 
494.10 
409.00 

— 
— 
— 
— 

— 
— 
— 
— 

409.90 
— 
— 
— 

409.90 
— 
— 
— 

Mar-19 
Mar-20 
Mar-21 
Mar-22 

Mar-19 
Mar-20 
Mar-21 
Mar-22 

6,338 

— 

284.00 

—  Dec-22 – May-23 

— 
77,358 
83,333 
73,634 

— 
9,361 
22,222 
32,310 

6,338 

— 
— 
— 
— 

456.70 
523.00 
494.10 
409.00 

456.70 
523.00 
494.10 
409.00 

— 
— 
— 
— 

— 
— 
— 
— 

409.90 
— 
— 
— 

409.90 
— 
— 
— 

Mar-19 
Mar-20 
Mar-21 
Mar-22 

Mar-19 
Mar-20 
Mar-21 
Mar-22 

— 

284.00 

—  Dec-22 – May-23 

456.70 
523.00 
542.60 
409.00 

456.70 
523.00 
494.10 
409.00 

— 
— 
— 
— 

— 
— 
— 
— 

409.90 
— 
— 
— 

409.90 
— 
— 
— 

Mar-19 
Mar-20 
Mar-21 
Mar-22 

Mar-19 
Mar-20 
Mar-21 
Mar-22 

— 
— 
— 
401,846 

— 
— 
— 
100,015 

188,7709 
— 
— 
— 

108,8149 
— 
— 
— 

— 
— 
— 
— 

— 
116,530 
135,185 
100,015 

— 

— 

5,128 

— 

— 

351.00 

—  Dec-19 – May-20 

— 
— 
— 
391,938 

— 
— 
— 
97,548 

184,1679 
— 
— 
— 

141,8769 
— 
— 
— 

156,572 
23,160 
136,224 
391,938 

— 
— 
— 
— 

— 
271,993 
181,633 
— 

— 
118,061 
131,851 
97,548 

456.70 
523.00 
542.60 
409.00 

456.70 
523.00 
494.10 
409.00 

— 
— 
— 
— 

— 
— 
— 
— 

409.90 
— 
— 
— 

409.90 
— 
— 
— 

Mar-19 
Mar-20 
Mar-21 
Mar-22 

Mar-19 
Mar-20 
Mar-21 
Mar-22 

1  The aggregate net value of share awards granted to the EDs in the period was £8.0 million (2018: £11.1 million). The net value has been calculated by reference to the closing middle-market price of an ordinary share of the 

Company at the date of grant. 

2  The actual price used to calculate the ABP and LTIP awards is based on a three-day average closing middle-market price of an ordinary share of the Company, prior to grant date. These were in 2016: 485 pence, 2017: 530 pence, 

2018: 504 pence and 2019: 421 pence. 

3   For the 2016 and 2017 LTIP grant, the TSR comparator group consisted of the following companies: Aegon, Allianz, Assicurazioni Generali, Axa, CNP Assurances, Direct Line Group, Legal & General, MetLife, NN Group, Old Mutual, 
Prudential, RSA Insurance Group, Standard Life and Zurich Insurance Group. For the 2018 and 2019 LTIP, the comparator group is: Aegon, Allianz, Assicurazioni Generali, Axa, CNP Assurances, Direct Line Group, Legal & General, 
Lloyds Banking Group, Old Mutual, Phoenix, Prudential, RSA, Standard Life Aberdeen, Zurich Insurance Group. 

4   The performance periods for these awards begin at the commencement of the financial year in which the award is granted and run for a three-year period. 
5  LTIP awards for Jason comprise RSUs and were granted prior to his appointment to the Board. The transfer of the shares at the end of the period is not subject to the attainment of performance conditions but the shares can 

be forfeited if he leaves service before the end of the period. 

6  Andy stepped down from the Board on 24 April 2019. Following confirmation of Andy joining Phoenix Group, the 2017, 2018 and 2019 LTIP awards lapsed in full. 
7  Tom stepped down from the Board on 30 June 2019. The 2017 and 2018 LTIP awards have been time pro-rated to reflect the number of days worked from the date of grant to the final date of service, and the 2019 LTIP award 

lapsed in full. 

8  Any unexercised options will lapse at the end of the exercise period. Options are not subject to performance conditions. The option price was fixed by reference to a three day average closing middle-market price of an ordinary 
share of the Company, prior to invitation date, with a discount of 20% as permitted under the SAYE plan. Options granted under the SAYE are normally exercisable during the six-month period following the end of the relevant 
(3 or 5 year) savings contract. 

9   The shares comprised in these vested awards include shares issued in lieu of dividends accrued during the deferral period.  

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Continued 

Dilution 
Awards  granted  under  Aviva  employee  share  plans  are  generally  met  by  issuing  new  shares  as  agreed  by  the  Board.  Shares  are  held  in 
employee trusts, details of which are set out in note 35. 

The  Company  monitors  the  number  of  shares  issued  under  the  Aviva  employee  share  plans  and  their  impact  on  dilution  limits.  The 
Company’s usage of shares compared to the relevant dilution limits set by the Investment Association in respect of all share plans (10% in 
any  rolling  ten-year  period)  and  executive  share  plans  (5%  in  any  rolling  ten-year  period)  was  3.58%  and  1.89%  respectively  on  
31 December 2019. 

Governance Regulatory Remuneration Code 
Aviva  Investors  and  two  small  ‘firms’  (as  defined  by  the  FCA)  within  the  UK  Insurance  business  are  subject  to  the  Capital  Requirements 
Directive  IV  (CRD  IV)  and  the  FCA  Remuneration  Code  (SYSC  19A).  Additionally,  Aviva  Investors  UK  Funds  Services  Ltd  is  subject  to  the 
Alternative Investment Fund Management Directive (AIFMD), the Undertakings for Collective Investments in Transferrable Securities (UCITS 
V) directive and the Markets in Financial Instruments Directive II (MiFID II). Remuneration Code requirements include an annual disclosure. 
For AIFMD and UCITS V the disclosure is part of the Financial Statements and/or Annual accounts of the Alternative Investment Funds or 
UCITS V. For CRD IV requirements the most recent Aviva Investors disclosure can be found in Section 5 of the Pillar 3 Disclosure available at 
www.aviva.com/pillar3 and a link to the disclosure for the UK Insurance firms can be found at www.aviva.com/remuneration-committee.  

Solvency II remuneration 
Remuneration Requirements (PRA PS22/16 & SS10/16) apply to the Aviva Group. Our remuneration structures have been designed in a way 
so that they are compliant with these requirements for all senior managers across the Group, not just those identified as being specifically 
covered by the requirements of the regulation. Such employees at Aviva are termed ‘Covered Employees’. We are required to complete a 
Remuneration Policy Statement, which outlines how we have complied with each of the requirements, this document was approved by the 
Group Remuneration Committee and submitted to the Prudential Regulatory Authority (PRA). 

The  Solvency  II  reporting  requirements  for  the  year  ended  31  December  2019  necessitate  firms  to  produce  the  Solvency  and  Financial 
Condition Report (SFCR) which contains remuneration information and is publicly available. Aviva’s reward principles and arrangements are 
designed  to  incentivise  and  reward  employees  for  achieving  stated  business  goals  in  a  manner  that  is  consistent  with  the  Company’s 
approach to sound and effective risk management. 

Statement of voting at AGM 
The result of the shareholder vote at the Company’s 2019 AGM in respect of the 2018 Directors’ Remuneration report is set out in table 19. 
The Committee was pleased with the level of support received from shareholders for the resolution. 

19  Results of votes at 2019 AGM 

Directors’ Remuneration Policy1 
Directors’ Remuneration Report 

1  Voting on Remuneration Policy at 2018 AGM. 

Percentage of votes cast 

Number of votes cast 

For 

97.13% 
97.61% 

Against 

2.87% 
2.39% 

For 

Against 

Votes withheld 

2,809,661,298 
2,574,643,176 

83,164,398 
63,055,053 

3,970,718 
2,660,993 

Approach to NED fees for 2020 
NED fees are reviewed annually and were last increased with effect from 1 April 2014. The only change to the current fee levels is to the basic 
Board membership fee, as set out in the table below.  

20  Non-Executive Directors’ fees 

Role 

Chairman of the Company1 
Board membership fee 
Additional fees are paid as follows: 
Senior Independent Director 
Committee Chair (inclusive of committee membership fee): 
•  Audit 
•  Governance 
•  Remuneration 
•  Risk 
Committee membership: 
•  Audit 
•  Governance 
•  Nomination 
•  Remuneration 
•  Risk 

1 

Inclusive of Board membership fee and any committee membership fees, and committee chair of the Nomination Committee. 

Fee from  
1 January 2020 

Fee from  
1 January 2019 

£550,000 
£75,000 

£550,000 
£70,000 

£35,000 

£35,000 

£45,000 
£35,000 
£35,000 
£45,000 

£15,000 
£12,500 
£7,500 
£12,500 
£15,000 

£45,000 
£35,000 
£35,000 
£45,000 

£15,000 
£12,500 
£7,500 
£12,500 
£15,000 

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Continued 

21  Implementation of Policy in 2020 
The implementation of the Policy will be consistent with that outlined in table 22. 

2020 

2021 

2022 

2023 

2024 

2025 

Key Element 

Phasing 
Salary1  

Bonus6 

2/3rds deferred into shares vesting in 
three equal tranches over three years 

1/3rd 
paid in 
cash 

Released 
after 1 year 

Released 
after 2 years 

Released 
after 3 years 

Implementation in 2020 
•  Group CEO – £989,625 per annum 
•  CFO – £685,125 per annum 
•  One-year  performance  assessed  against  financial  and  non-

financial performance measures 

•  As outlined in the Chair’s letter, the annual bonus metrics have 

been updated to reflect key strategic priorities: 

Financial measures (70% of total): 
•  15% – Group adjusted operating profit2 
•  25% – Cash remittances3 
•  30% – OCG3 

Non-financial strategic measures (30% of total): 
•  7.5% – RNPS 
•  7.5% – TNPS 
•  15% – Risks Inside Tolerance  
•  A  quality  of  earnings  assessment  will  be  undertaken  by  the 
Committee  to  provide  assurance  that  bonus  payouts 
appropriately 
the 
shareholder experience 

reflect  underlying  performance  and 

•  Performance  against  a  number  of  other  non-financial 
modifiers will be considered when determining bonus payouts 
(employee engagement, customer trust and risk)  

•  Personal  performance  during  the  year  will  be  taken  into 

LTIP 

2-year holding period 

Award released 

account 

•  Group CEO – 300% of salary 
•  CFO – 225% of salary 

As outlined in the Chair’s letter, for 2020 LTIP awards, Operating 
EPS2,4 will be replaced with SII RoE3: 
•  50% SII RoE3 subject to a SII shareholder cover ratio3 
•  50% relative TSR against a comparator group5 

For the 2020 awards, the SII shareholder cover ratio3 is to meet or 
exceed  the  minimum  of  the  stated  working  range  (currently 
160% to 180%). 

TSR Ranking 

Below median 
Median 
Between median and  

upper quintile 

50% TSR target 

Vesting level 

0% 
10% 
Pro rata between 10% and 50% 

on a straight line basis 

SII RoE2 % 

Below 11% 
11 % 
Between 11% and 13% 

50% SII RoE2 target 

Vesting level 

0% 
10% 
10-50% (straight line) 

Above 13% 

50% 

Upper quintile and above 

50% 

1  Salary will be effective from 1 April 2020. 
2  Group adjusted operating profit is an Alternative Performance Measure (APM) which is used by the Group to supplement the required disclosures under IFRS. Please refer to note B in the ‘Accounting Policies’ section and to the 

‘Other Information’ section within the Annual report and accounts for further information. 

3  This is an Alternative Performance Measure (APM) which provides useful information to supplement an understanding of our financial performance. Further information on APMs, including a reconciliation to the financial 

statements (where possible), can be found in the ‘Other Information’ section of the Annual report and accounts. 

4  This measure is derived from the Group adjusted operating profit APM. Further details of this measure are included in the ‘Other Information’ section of the Annual report and accounts. 
5  2020 LTIP Comparator Group: Aegon, Allianz, Assicurazioni Generali, Axa, Direct Line Group, Intact, Legal & General, Lloyds Banking Group, M&G, Phoenix, RSA, Standard Life Aberdeen, Zurich Insurance Group. 
6  The target ranges are considered by the Board to be commercially sensitive and will be disclosed in the 2020 DRR. 

Approval by the Board 
This Directors’ Remuneration report was reviewed and approved by the Board on 4 March 2020. 

Patricia Cross 
Chair, Remuneration Committee 

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Continued 

Directors’ Remuneration Policy 

Our Remuneration Policy was approved by shareholders at our AGM on 10 May 2018 and will apply for a period of up to three years. The full 
and  definitive  Policy  is  therefore  set  out  in  our  2018  Annual  report  and  accounts,  which  can  be  found  on  our  website  at 
https://www.aviva.com/reports/ 

The following section reproduces the Policy for convenience, although the original Policy referred to above remains our formally approved 
Policy and should be consulted where this is required. In addition, we have taken the opportunity to update the scenario charts to reflect 
2020 remuneration arrangements for our EDs, as well as appointment end dates for NEDs. 

Alignment of Group strategy with executive remuneration 
The  Committee  considers  that  alignment  between  Group  strategy  and  the  remuneration  of  its  EDs  is  critical.  Our  Remuneration  Policy 
provides market competitive remuneration, and incentivises EDs to achieve both the annual business plan and the longer-term strategic 
objectives  of  the  Group.  Significant  levels  of  deferral  and  an  aggregate  shareholding  requirement  align  EDs’  interests  with  those  of 
shareholders and aid retention of key personnel. As well as rewarding the achievement of objectives, variable remuneration can be zero 
if performance thresholds are not met. 

Table 22 below provides an overview of the Policy for EDs. For an overview of the Policy for NEDs, see table 24. 

22  Key aspects of the Remuneration Policy for Executive Directors  

Element 

Basic salary 

Purpose 
To provide core market related pay to attract and retain the required level 
of talent. 

Operation 
Annual review, with changes normally taking effect from – 1 April each year. 
The review is informed by: 
•  Individual and business performance  
•  Levels of increase for the broader employee population 
•  Relevant pay data including market practice among relevant FTSE listed 
companies of comparable size to Aviva in terms of market capitalisation, 
large European and global insurers, and UK financial services companies 

increase  awarded 

Maximum opportunity 
There is no maximum increase within the Policy. However, 
basic  salary  increases  take  account  of  the  average  basic 
the  broader  employee 
to 
salary 
population.  Different  levels  of  increase  may  be  agreed  in 
certain  circumstances  at  the  Committee’s  discretion,  such 
as: 
•  An increase in job scope and responsibility 
•  Development of the individual in the role 
•  A significant increase in the size, value or complexity of the 

Group 

Assessment of performance 
Any  movement 
performance of the individual and the Group. 

in  basic  salary  takes  account  of  the 

Annual bonus 

Purpose 
To reward EDs for achievement against the Company’s strategic objectives 
and for demonstrating the Aviva values and behaviours. 

Maximum opportunity 
200% of basic salary for Group CEO 
150% of basic salary for other EDs 

Deferral provides alignment with shareholder interests and aids retention 
of key personnel.  

Operation 
Awards are based on performance in the year. Targets are set annually and 
pay-out  levels  are  determined  by  the  Committee  based  on  performance 
against those targets and a quality of earnings assessment and risk review. 

Form & timing of payment 
•  One-third of any bonus is payable in cash at the end of the year 
•  Two-thirds  of  any  bonus  awarded  is  deferred  into  shares  which  vest  in 

three equal annual tranches 

Additional shares are awarded at vesting in lieu of dividends paid on the 
deferred shares. 

Malus and clawback 
Cash  and  deferred  awards  are  subject  to  malus  and  clawback.  Details  of 
when these may be applied are set out in the notes below. 

Outcome at threshold and on target 
Performance 
is  assessed  against  multiple  metrics. 
Threshold performance against a single metric would result 
in a bonus payment of no more than 25% of basic salary. 

100% of basic salary is payable for on target performance.  

Assessment of performance 
Performance 
is  assessed  against  a  range  of  relevant 
financial, employee, customer and risk targets designed to 
incentivise  the  achievement  of  our  strategy,  as  well  as 
individual strategic objectives as set by the Committee.  

Although  financial  performance  is  the  major  factor  in 
considering  overall  expenditure  on  bonuses,  performance 
against non-financial measures including progress towards 
our strategic priorities and behaviours in line with our values 
will also be taken into consideration. 

Discretion 
The  Committee  has  discretion  to  amend  vesting  levels  to 
prevent  unreasonable  outcomes,  which  it  may  use  taking 
into account a range of factors, including the management 
of risk and good governance and, in all cases, the experience 
of shareholders. 

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Element 

Long-term 
incentive plan 

Purpose 
To  reward  EDs  for  achievement  against  the  Company’s  longer-term 
objectives; to align EDs’ interests with those of shareholders and to aid the 
retention of key personnel and to encourage focus on long-term growth in 
enterprise value. 

Operation 
Shares are awarded annually which vest dependent on the achievement of 
performance conditions. Vesting is subject to an assessment of quality of 
earnings, the stewardship of capital and risk review. 

Performance period 
Three years. Additional shares are awarded at vesting in lieu of dividends on 
any shares which vest. 

Additional holding period 
Two years. 

Malus and clawback 
Awards are subject to malus and clawback. Details of when these may be 
applied are set out in the notes below. 

Pension 

Purpose 
To give a market competitive level of provision for post retirement income. 

Benefits 

Operation 
EDs  are  eligible  to  participate  in  a  defined  contribution  plan  up  to  the 
annual limit.  

Any amounts above annual or lifetime limits are paid in cash. 

Purpose 
To provide EDs with a suitable but reasonable package of benefits as part of a 
competitive remuneration package. This involves both core executive benefits, 
and the opportunity to participate in flexible benefits programmes offered by the 
Company (via salary sacrifice). 

This enables us to attract and retain the right level of talent necessary to 
deliver the Company’s strategy. 

Operation 
Benefits are provided on a market related basis. The Company reserves the 
right to deliver benefits to EDs depending on their individual circumstances, 
which  may  include  a  cash  car  allowance,  life  insurance,  private  medical 
insurance and access to a company car and driver for business use. In the 
case  of  non-UK  executives,  the  Committee  may  consider  additional 
allowances in line with standard relevant market practice. 

EDs are eligible to participate in the Company’s broad based employee share 
plans on the same basis as other eligible employees. 

Maximum opportunity 
350% of basic salary. 

Performance measures 
Awards will vest based on a combination of financial, strategic 
and  TSR  performance  metrics.  For  the  2020  awards  the 
measures and weightings will be: 
•  50% SII RoE1 
•  50% TSR against a comparator group 

The financial metric combined with TSR will be a minimum 
of  80%  of  the  total  LTIP  award.  If,  in  subsequent  years, 
shareholders  indicate  support  for  strategic  measures,  the 
Policy will allow for up to 20% of the LTIP to be awarded on 
the  basis  of  strategic  measures  and  this  will  be  fully 
disclosed in the DRR. 

Vesting at threshold 
20% of award for each performance measure. 

Discretion 
The  Committee  has  discretion  to  amend  vesting  levels  to 
prevent  unreasonable  outcomes,  which  it  may  use  taking 
into account a range of factors, including the management 
of risk and good governance and, in all cases, the experience 
of shareholders. 

Maximum opportunity 
If suitable employee contributions are made, the Company 
contributes:  
•  20% of basic salary for new ED appointments 
•  28% of basic salary for existing EDs (into pension or paid 

as cash as applicable) 

Maximum opportunity 
Set  at  a  level  which  the  Committee  considers  appropriate 
against comparable roles in companies of a similar size and 
complexity to provide a reasonable level of benefit. 

Costs  would  normally  be  limited  to  providing  a  cash  car 
allowance,  private  medical  insurance,  life  insurance,  and 
reasonable  travel  benefits  (including  the  tax  cost  where 
applicable). In addition, there may be one-off or exceptional 
items on a case by case basis, which would be disclosed in 
the DRR. 

Relocation and 
mobility 

Purpose 
To assist with mobility across the Group to ensure the appropriate talent is 
available to execute strategy locally. 

Operation 
Employees who are relocated or reassigned from one location to another 
receive  relevant  benefits  to  assist  them  and  their  dependants  in  moving 
home and settling in-to the new location. 

Maximum opportunity 
Dependent  on  location  and  family  size,  benefits  are  market 
related  and  time  bound.  They  are  not  compensated  for 
performing  the  role  but  to  defray  costs  of  a  relocation  or 
residence outside the home country. 

The  Committee  would  reward  no  more  than  it  judged 
reasonably  necessary, 
light  of  all  applicable 
in  the 
circumstances. 

Shareholding 
requirements 

Purpose 
To align EDs’ interests with those of shareholders. 

Operation 
A requirement to build a shareholding in the Company equivalent to 300% 
of basic salary for the Group CEO and 200% of basic salary for other EDs.  

This shareholding is normally to be built up over a period not exceeding 5 years 
(subject to the Committee’s discretion where personal circumstances dictate). 

1  This is an Alternative Performance Measure (APM) which provides useful information to supplement an understanding of our financial performance. Further information on APMs, including a reconciliation to the financial 

statements (where possible), can be found in the ‘Other Information’ section of the Annual report and accounts. 

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Continued 

Notes to the table: 
Performance measures 
For the annual bonus, performance measures are chosen to align to some of the Group’s KPIs and include financial, strategic, risk, employee 
and customer measures. Achievement against individual strategic objectives is also taken into account. 

LTIP performance measures are chosen to provide an indication of both absolute and relative return generated for shareholders. In terms of 
target setting, a number of reference points are taken into account each year including, but not limited to, the Group’s business plan and 
external  market  expectations  of  the  Company.  Maximum  payouts  require  performance  that  significantly  exceeds  expected  performance 
under both the annual bonus and the LTIP.  

Quality of Earnings assessments 
Throughout the year, the Committee engages in a regular quality of earnings assessment. A quality of earnings assessment sign-off is the final 
step in determining annual bonus scorecard outcomes, and in making decisions on LTIP vesting. This sign-off is undertaken before decisions 
are made on the modifiers for risk, customer and employee engagement under the annual bonus, and before vesting is determined against 
financial metrics under the LTIP.  

As a minimum, at any Committee meeting where LTIP vesting or annual bonus scorecard decisions are considered, the Chief Accounting 
Officer prepares a report to the Committee on the quality of earnings reflected in the results being assessed, against performance targets. 
Extensive  information  from  the  audited  accounts  is  used  to  explain  the  vesting  and  scorecard  outcomes  –  ranging  from  movements  in 
reserves, capital management decisions, consistency of accounting treatment and period to period comparability. The Chief Accounting 
Officer attends the Committee meeting to answer any questions that any member of the Committee may choose to ask. Any vesting decision 
or confirmation of awards is made after this process has been undertaken. 

Malus and Clawback 
The circumstances when malus (the forfeiture or reduction of unvested shares awarded under the ABP and LTIP) and clawback (the recovery 
of  cash  and  share  awards  after  release)  may  apply  include  (but  are  not  limited  to)  where  the  Committee  considers  that  the  employee 
concerned has been involved in or partially/wholly responsible for: 
•  A materially adverse misstatement of the Company’s financial statements, or a misleading representation of performance; 
•  A significant failure of risk management and/or controls; 
•  A scenario or event which causes material reputational damage to the Company; 
•  Misconduct which, in the opinion of the Committee, ought to result in the complete or partial lapse of an award; 
•  Conduct which resulted in significant loss(es); 
•  Failure to meet appropriate standards of fitness and propriety; 
•  Any other circumstance required by local regulatory obligations. 

The clawback period runs for two years from the date of payment in the case of the cash element of any annual bonus award. 

For deferred bonus elements and LTIP awards, the overall malus and clawback period is five years from the date of grant. 

Discretions 
The discretions the Committee has in relation to the operation of the ABP and LTIP are set out in the plan rules. These include (but are not 
limited to) the ability to set additional conditions (and the discretion to change or waive those conditions). In relation to the LTIP and in 
accordance with its terms, the Committee has discretion in relation to vesting and to waive or change a performance condition if anything 
happens which causes the Committee reasonably to consider it appropriate to do so. Such discretions would only be applied in exceptional 
circumstances,  to  ensure  that  awards  properly  reflect  underlying  business  performance.  Any  use  of  the  discretions  and  how  they  were 
exercised will be disclosed, where relevant, in the DRR and, where appropriate, be subject to consultation with Aviva’s shareholders. 

Change in control 
In the event of a change in control, unless a new award is granted in exchange for an existing award, or if there is a significant corporate event 
like a demerger, awards under the LTIP would normally vest to the extent that the performance conditions have been satisfied as at the date 
of  the  change  in  control,  and  unless  the  Committee  decides  otherwise,  would  be  pro-rated  to  reflect  the  time  between  the  start  of  the 
performance period and the change in control event. Awards under the ABP would normally vest on the date of the change in control and 
may vest if there is a significant corporate event. 

Consistency of executive Policy across the Group 
The Policy for our EDs is designed as part of the remuneration philosophy and principles that underpin remuneration for the wider Group. 
Remuneration arrangements for employees below the EDs take account of the seniority and nature of the role, individual performance and 
local market practice. The components and levels of remuneration for different employees may therefore differ from the Policy for EDs. Any 
such elements are reviewed against market practice and approved in line with internal guidelines and frameworks. 

Differentiation in reward outcomes based on performance and behaviour that is consistent with the Aviva values is a feature of how Aviva 
operates  its  annual  bonus  plan  for  its  senior  leaders  and  managers  globally.  A  disciplined  approach  is  taken  to  moderation  across  the 
Company in order to recognise and reward the key contributors. The allocation of LTIP awards also involves strong differentiation, with 
expected contribution and ability to collaborate effectively in implementation of the strategy driving award levels. 

Legacy payments 
The Committee reserves the right to make any remuneration payments and payments for loss of office (including exercising any discretions 
available to it in connection with such payments) notwithstanding that they are not in line with the Policy set out above, where the terms of 
the payment were agreed (i) before May 2014 (the date the Company’s first Policy came into effect), (ii) before the Policy set out above came 
into effect, provided that the terms of the payment were consistent with the Policy in force at the time they were agreed, or (iii) at a time when 
the relevant individual was not a director of the Company and, in the opinion of the Committee, the payment was not in consideration for 

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Continued 

the individual becoming a director of the Company. For these purposes, ‘payments’ includes the Committee satisfying awards of variable 
remuneration and, in relation to an award over shares, the terms of the payment are ‘agreed’ at the time the award is granted. 

Approach to recruitment remuneration 
On hiring a new ED, the Committee would align the proposed remuneration package with the Policy in place for EDs at the time of the 
appointment. 

In determining the actual remuneration for a new ED, the Committee would consider the package in totality, taking into account elements 
such as the skills and experience of the individual, local market benchmarks, remuneration practice, and the existing remuneration of other 
senior executives. The Committee would ensure any arrangements agreed would be in the best interests of Aviva and its shareholders. It 
would seek not to pay more than necessary to secure the right candidate. 

Where considered appropriate the Committee may make awards on hiring an external candidate to ‘buyout’ remuneration arrangements 
forfeited on leaving a previous employer. In doing so, the Committee would take account of relevant factors including any performance 
conditions attached to these awards, the form in which it was paid (e.g. cash or shares) and the timeframe of awards. Buyout awards would 
be awarded on a ‘like for like’ basis compared to remuneration being forfeited, and would be capped to reflect the value being forfeited. The 
Committee considers that a buyout award is a significant investment in human capital by Aviva, and any buyout decision will involve careful 
consideration of the contribution that is expected from the individual.  

The maximum level of variable pay which could be awarded to a new ED, excluding any buyouts, would be in line with the Policy set out 
above and would therefore be no more than 550% of basic salary for the Group CEO (200% of basic salary annual bonus opportunity and 
350% of basic salary as the face value of a LTIP grant) and 500% of basic salary for other EDs (150% of basic salary annual bonus opportunity 
and 350% of basic salary as the face value of a LTIP grant). 

All other elements of remuneration will also be in line with the Policy set out above. 

Should the Company have any prior commitments outside of this Policy in respect of an employee promoted internally to an ED position, 
the Committee may continue to honour these for a period of time. Where an ED is appointed from within the organisation, the normal policy 
of the Company is that any legacy arrangements would be honoured in line with the original terms and conditions. Similarly, if an ED is 
appointed following Aviva’s acquisition of, or merger with, another company, legacy terms and conditions may be honoured. 

On appointing a new NED, the Committee would align the remuneration package with the Policy for NEDs, outlined in table 24, including fees 
and travel benefits. 

Illustration of the Policy  
The charts below illustrate how much EDs could earn under different performance scenarios in one financial year: 
•  Minimum – basic salary, pension or cash in lieu of pension and benefits, no bonus and no vesting of the LTIP 
•  Target – basic salary, pension or cash in lieu of pension, benefits, and: 

– A bonus of 100% and an LTIP of 300% of basic salary (with notional LTIP vesting at 50% of maximum) for the Group CEO; and 
– A bonus of 100% and an LTIP of 225% of basic salary (with notional LTIP vesting at 50% of maximum) for the CFO. 

•  Maximum – basic salary, pension or cash in lieu of pension, benefits, and: 

– A bonus of 200% and an LTIP of 300% of basic salary (with notional LTIP vesting at maximum) for the Group CEO; and 
– A bonus of 150% and an LTIP of 225% of basic salary (with notional LTIP vesting at maximum) for the CFO. 

•  Maximum with share price increase – indicative maximum remuneration, assuming a notional LTIP vesting at maximum and share price 

appreciation of 50% on the LTIP. 

Maurice Tulloch 
Potential earnings by pay element 

Jason Windsor 
Potential earnings by pay element 

£m 

8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
0

£3.8 

39% 

26% 

35% 

£1.3 

100% 

£6.2 

48% 

32% 

20% 

2020
Minimum

2020
Target

2020
Maximum

£7.7 
58% 

25% 

17% 

2020
Maximum
with 50%
share price
appreciation

£2.3 
34% 
30% 
36% 

£0.8 
100% 

£3.4 

46% 

30% 

24% 

£4.1 

56% 

25% 
19% 

2020
Minimum

2020
Target

2020
Maximum

2020
Maximum
with 50%
share price
appreciation

Fixed

Annual Bonus

LTIP

Fixed

Annual Bonus

LTIP

Notes to the charts 
Fixed pay consists of basic salary, pension as described in table 22, and estimated value of benefits provided under the Remuneration Policy, excluding any one offs. Actual figures may vary in future years. 
The value of the deferred element of the annual bonus assumes a constant share price and does not include additional shares awarded in lieu of dividends that may have been accrued during the vesting period. 
The value of the LTIP assumes a constant share price (with the exception of the maximum with share price increase scenario) and does not include additional shares awarded in lieu of dividends that may have been accrued during 
the vesting period.  
The LTIP is as proposed to be awarded in 2020.  

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IFRS financial statements 

Other information 

Directors’ Remuneration report 

Continued 

Employment contracts and letters of appointment 
ED employment contracts and NED letters of appointment are available for inspection at the Company’s registered office during normal 
hours of business, and at the place of the Company’s 2020 AGM on 26 May from 1.15pm until the close of the meeting. 

The key employment terms and conditions of the current EDs, and those who served during the year, as stipulated in their employment 
contracts, are set out in the table below. 

23  Executive Directors’ key conditions of employment 

Provision 

Notice period 
By the ED 
By the Company 

Policy 

6 months. 
12 months, rolling. No notice or payment in lieu of notice to be paid where the Company terminates for 
cause. 

Termination Payment 

Pay in lieu of notice up to a maximum of 12 months’ basic salary.  

Remuneration and Benefits 

Any payment is subject to phasing and mitigation requirements. An ED would be expected to mitigate the 
loss  of  office  by  seeking  alternative  employment.  Any  payments  in  lieu  of  notice  would  be  reduced, 
potentially to zero, by any salary received from such employment. 
The operation of the annual bonus and LTIP is at the Company’s discretion. 

Expenses 

Reimbursement of expenses reasonably incurred in accordance with their duties. 

Holiday entitlement 

30 working days plus public holidays. 

Private medical insurance 

Other benefits 

Sickness 

Non-compete 

Contract dates 

Private medical insurance is provided for the ED and their family. The ED can choose to opt out of this 
benefit or take a lower level of cover. However, no payments are made in lieu of reduced or no cover. 
Other  benefits  include  participation  in  the  Company’s  staff  pension  scheme,  life  insurance  and,  where 
applicable, access to a Company car and driver for business related use. 
100% of salary for the first 52 weeks and up to £150,000 per annum for a further 5 years. 

During employment and for six months after leaving (less any period of garden leave) without the prior 
written consent of the Company. 

Director 
Maurice Tulloch 
Jason Windsor  

Date current contract commenced 
4 March 2019 
26 September 2019 

Policy on payment for loss of office 
There are no pre-determined ED special provisions for compensation for loss of office. The Committee has the ability to exercise its discretion 
on the final amount actually paid. Any compensation would be based on basic salary, pension entitlement and other contractual benefits 
during the notice period, or a payment made in lieu of notice, depending on whether the notice is worked. 

Where  notice  of  termination  of  a  contract  is  given,  payments  to  the  ED  would  continue  for  the  period  worked  during  the  notice  period. 
Alternatively, the contract may be terminated and phased monthly payments made in lieu of notice for, or for the balance of, the 12 months’ 
notice period. During this period, EDs would be expected to mitigate their loss by seeking alternative employment. Payments in lieu of notice 
would  be  reduced  by  the  salary  received  from  any  alternative  employment,  potentially  to  zero.  The  Company  would  typically  make  a 
reasonable contribution towards an ED’s legal fees in connection with advice on the terms of their departure. 

There is no automatic entitlement to an annual bonus for the year in which loss of office occurs. The Committee may determine that an ED 
may  receive  a  pro-rata  bonus  in  respect  of  the  period  of  employment  during  the  year  loss  of  office  occurs  based  on  an  assessment  of 
performance. Where an ED leaves the Company by reason of death, disability or ill health, or any other reason determined by the Committee, 
there may be a payment of a pro rata bonus for the relevant year at the discretion of the Committee. 

The treatment of leavers under the ABP and LTIP is determined by the rules of the relevant plans. Good leaver status under these plans would 
be granted in the event of, for example, the death of an ED. Good leaver status for other leaving reasons is at the discretion of the Committee, 
taking into account the circumstances of the individual’s departure, but would typically include planned retirement, or their departure on ill 
health grounds. In circumstances where good leaver status has been granted, awards may still be subject to malus and clawback in the event 
that inappropriate conduct of the ED is subsequently discovered post departure. If good leaver status is not granted, all outstanding awards 
will lapse. 

In the case of LTIPs, where the Committee determines EDs to be good leavers, vesting is normally based on the extent to which performance 
conditions have been met at the end of the relevant performance period, and the proportion of the award that vests is pro-rated for the time 
from the date of grant to final date of service (unless the Committee decides otherwise). Any decision not to apply this would only be made 
in exceptional circumstances, and would be fully disclosed. It is not the practice to allow such treatment. 

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Other information 

Directors’ Remuneration report 

Continued 

Consideration of wider employee pay and shareholder views  
When determining the Policy and arrangements for our EDs, the Committee considers: 
•  Pay and employment conditions elsewhere in the Group to ensure that pay structures are suitably aligned and that levels of remuneration 
remain appropriate. The Committee reviews levels of basic salary increases for other employees and executives based in their respective 
locations. It reviews changes in overall bonus pool funding and long-term incentive grants. The Committee considers feedback on pay 
matters from sources including the employee opinion survey and employee forums. The Committee also takes into account information 
provided by the people function and external advisers and the Committee Chair has in place a programme of consultation and meetings 
with employee forums including the Evolution Council and Your Forum to discuss remuneration. 

•  In  its  ongoing  dialogue  with  shareholders,  the  Committee  seeks  shareholder  views  and  takes  them  into  account  when  any  significant 

changes are being proposed to remuneration arrangements and when formulating and implementing the Policy. 

Non-Executive Directors 
The table below, sets out details of our Policy for NEDs. 

24  Key aspects of the Policy for Non-Executive Directors 

Maximum opportunity 
The  Company’s  Articles  of  Association  provide  that  the  total 
aggregate remuneration paid to the Chairman of the Company 
and NEDs will be determined by the Board within the limits set 
by  shareholders  and  detailed  in  the  Company’s  Articles  of 
Association. 

Element 

Chairman and NEDs’ fees 

Purpose 
To  attract  individuals  with  the  required  range  of  skills  and 
experience to serve as a Chairman or as a NED. 

Operation 
NEDs  receive  a  basic  annual  fee  in  respect  of  their  Board 
duties.  Further  fees  are  paid  for  membership  and,  where 
appropriate, chairing Board committees. 
The Chairman receives a fixed annual fee. Fees are reviewed 
annually taking into account market data and trends and the 
scope of specific Board duties. NEDs are able to use up to 100 
percent of their post-tax base fees to acquire shares in Aviva 
plc. 

The Chairman and NEDs do not participate in any incentive 
or performance plans or pension arrangements and do not 
receive an expense allowance. 

NEDs are reimbursed for reasonable expenses, and any tax 
arising on those expenses is settled directly by Aviva. To the 
extent that these are deemed taxable benefits, they will be 
included in the DRR, as required. 

Chairman’s Travel Benefits  Purpose 

NED Travel and 
Accommodation 

To provide the Chairman with suitable travel arrangements 
for him to discharge his duties effectively. 

Purpose 
To  reimburse  NEDs  for  appropriate  business  travel  and 
accommodation, including attending Board and committee 
meetings. 

The  Chairman  has  access  to  a  company  car  and  driver  for 
business use. Where these are deemed a taxable benefit, the tax 
is paid by the Company. 

Operation 
Reasonable  costs  of  travel  and  accommodation  for  business 
purposes  are  reimbursed  to  NEDs.  On  the  limited  occasions 
when it is appropriate for a NED’s spouse or partner to attend, 
such as to a business event, the Company will meet these costs. 
The Company will meet any tax liabilities that may arise on such 
expenses. 

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Other information 

Directors’ Remuneration report 

Continued 

The NEDs, including the Chairman of the Company, have letters of appointment which set out their duties and responsibilities. The key terms 
of the appointments are set out in table below. 

25  Non-Executive Directors’ key terms of appointment 

Provision 

Period  

Termination 

Fees 

Expenses 

Policy 

In line with the requirement of the Code, all NEDs, including the Chairman, are subject to annual  
re-election by shareholders at each AGM. 

By the director or the Company at their discretion without compensation upon giving one month’s 
written notice for NEDs and three months written notice for the Chairman of the Company. 

As set out in table 20. 

Reimbursement of travel and other expenses reasonably incurred in the performance of their duties. 

Time commitment 

Each director must be able to devote sufficient time to the role in order to discharge his or her 
responsibilities effectively. 

Director 

Nomination 

Audit 

Governance 

Remuneration 

Risk 

Committee appointments 

Appointment date1 

Appointment end date2 

Sir Adrian Montague 

Amanda Blanc 

Patricia Cross 

George Culmer 

Patrick Flynn 

Belén Romana García 

Michael Mire 

C 
✓ 
✓ 
✓ 
✓ 
✓ 
✓ 

✓ 
✓ 
C 
✓ 

C 

✓ 
✓ 

C 

✓ 

14 January 2013 

2 January 2020 

1 December 2013 

25 September 2019 

16 July 2019 

26 June 2015 

12 September 2013 

✓ 

✓ 
✓ 
C 
✓ 

AGM 2020 

AGM 2020 

AGM 2020 

AGM 2020 

AGM 2020 

AGM 2020 

AGM 2020 

Key 
C  Chair of Committee 
✓  Committee  
1  The dates shown above reflect the date the individual was appointed to the Aviva plc Board. 
2  Appointment end dates are in accordance with letters of appointment. 

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IFRS financial statements 

Other information 

IFRS financial statements 

In this section 
Independent auditors’ report to the members of Aviva plc 
Accounting policies 

Consolidated financial statements 
Consolidated income statement 
Consolidated statement of comprehensive income 
Reconciliation of Group adjusted operating profit to profit 
for the year 
Consolidated statement of changes in equity 
Consolidated statement of financial position 
Consolidated statement of cash flows 

Notes to the consolidated financial statements 
1 
2 
3 

Changes to comparative amounts 
Exchange rates 
Subsidiaries, joint ventures and associates – 
acquisitions 
Subsidiaries, joint ventures and associates – 
disposals and held for sale 
Segmental information 
Details of income 
Details of expenses 
Finance costs 
Life business investment variances and economic 
assumption changes 
Non-life business: short-term fluctuations in return 
on investments 
Employee information 
Directors 
Auditors’ remuneration 
Tax 
Earnings per share 
Dividends and appropriations 
Goodwill 
Acquired value of in-force business (AVIF) and 
intangible assets 
Interests in, and loans to, joint ventures 
Interests in, and loans to, associates 
Property and equipment 
Investment property 
Lease assets and liabilities 
Fair value methodology 
Loans 
Securitised mortgages and related assets 
Interest in structured entities 
Financial investments 
Receivables 
Deferred acquisition costs 

4 

5 
6 
7 
8 
9 

10 

11 
12 
13 
14 
15 
16 
17 
18 

19 
20 
21 
22 
23 
24 
25 
26 
27 
28 
29 
30 

31 

32 
33 
34 
35 
36 
37 
38 
39 
40 
41 
42 
43 
44 
45 
46 
47 
48 

49 
50 
51 
52 
53 
54 
55 
56 
57 
58 
59 
60 
61 
62 

63 
64 
65 
66 

186 

Pension surpluses, other assets, prepayments and 
accrued income 
186 
Assets held to cover linked liabilities 
187 
Ordinary share capital 
188 
Group’s share plans 
190 
Treasury shares 
190 
Preference share capital 
191 
Direct capital instrument and tier 1 notes 
192 
Merger reserve 
192 
Currency translation and other reserves 
193 
Retained earnings 
193 
Non-controlling interests 
193 
Contract liabilities and associated reinsurance 
Insurance liabilities 
195 
Insurance liabilities methodology and assumptions  200 
204 
Liability for investment contracts 
206 
Financial guarantees and options 
208 
Reinsurance assets 
210 
Effect of changes in assumptions and estimates 
during the year 
Unallocated divisible surplus 
Tax assets and liabilities 
Pension deficits and other provisions 
Pension obligations 
Borrowings 
Payables and other financial liabilities 
Other liabilities 
Contingent liabilities and other risk factors 
Capital commitments 
Group capital management 
Statement of cash flows 
Risk management 
Derivative financial instruments and hedging 
Financial assets and liabilities subject to offsetting, 
enforceable master netting arrangements and 
similar agreements 
Related party transactions 
Organisational structure 
Related undertakings 
Subsequent events 

211 
212 
213 
214 
220 
223 
224 
224 
225 
225 
227 
228 
241 
243 

245 
246 
248 
263 

Financial statements of the Company 
Income statement 
Statement of comprehensive income 
Statement of changes in equity 
Statement of financial position 
Statement of cash flows 
Notes to the Company’s financial statements 

264 
264 
265 
266 
267 
268 

109 
117 

132 
133 
134 

136 
137 
138 

139 
141 
141 

141 

143 
148 
149 
150 
151 

153 

155 
155 
156 
157 
159 
160 
161 
163 

164 
166 
167 
168 
168 
170 
177 
178 
179 
181 
184 
185 

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Other information 

Independent auditors’ report to the members of Aviva plc 

Report on the audit of the financial statements  
Opinion 
In our opinion, Aviva plc’s Group financial statements and Company financial statements (the ‘financial statements’): 
•  give  a  true  and  fair  view  of  the  state  of  the  Group’s  and  of  the  Company’s  affairs  as  at  31  December  2019  and  of  the  Group’s  and  the 

Company’s profit and cash flows for the year then ended; 

•  have been properly prepared in accordance with International Financial Reporting Standards (‘IFRS’) as adopted by the European Union; 

and 

•  have been prepared in accordance with the requirements of the Companies Act 2006 and, as regards the Group financial statements, Article 

4 of the IAS Regulation. 

We have audited the financial statements, included within the Annual report and accounts (the “Annual Report”), which comprise:  
•  the Consolidated and Company statements of financial position as at 31 December 2019;  
•  the Consolidated and Company income statements and statements of comprehensive income for the year then ended; 
•  the Reconciliation of Group adjusted operating profit to profit for the year then ended; 
•  the Consolidated and Company statements of cash flows for the year then ended; 
•  the Consolidated and Company statements of changes in equity for the year then ended;  
•  the principal accounting policies adopted in the preparation of the financial statements; and 
•  the notes to the financial statements, which include other explanatory information. 

Our opinion is consistent with our reporting to the Audit Committee. 

Basis for opinion 
We conducted our audit in accordance with International Standards on Auditing (UK) (‘ISAs (UK)’) and applicable law. Our responsibilities 
under ISAs (UK) are further described in the Auditors’ responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements section of our report. We believe 
that the audit evidence we have obtained is sufficient and appropriate to provide a basis for our opinion. 

Independence 
We remained independent of the Group in accordance with the ethical requirements that are relevant to our audit of the financial statements 
in the UK, which includes the FRC’s Ethical Standard, as applicable to listed public interest entities, and we have fulfilled our other ethical 
responsibilities in accordance with these requirements. 

To the best of our knowledge and belief, we declare that non-audit services prohibited by the FRC’s Ethical Standard were not provided to 
the Group or the Company. 

Other than those disclosed in note 13 to the financial statements, we have provided no non-audit services to the Group or the Company in 
the period from 1 January 2019 to 31 December 2019. 

Our audit approach 
Overview 
•  Overall group materiality: £158.0 million (2018: £156 million), based on 5% of Group adjusted operating profit before tax attributable to 

shareholders’ profits. 

•  Overall Company materiality: £47.8 million (2018: £105.0 million), based on 5% of Profit for the year before tax. 
•  Based on the output of our risk assessment, along with our understanding of the Aviva Group structure, we performed full scope audits 

over the following components; UK Life, UK General Insurance, Canada and France Life. 

•  We identified a further two components, Aviva Investors and Italy Life, where specific account balances were considered to be significant 

in size in relation to the Group, and scoped our audit to include detailed testing of those account balances. 

•  We completed review procedures over other components not subject to full scope audits. 
•  We also performed audit procedures over the head office operations and the consolidation process, as well as over certain other group 
activities,  including  specific  account  balances  in  the  Aviva  Employment  Services,  Aviva  Central  Services  and  Aviva  Group  Holdings 
components. 

•  Our risk assessment analysis identified the following as areas of focus for the audit of the financial statements: 

–  Valuation of life insurance contract liabilities; 
–  Valuation of non-life insurance contract liabilities; 
–  Valuation of hard to value investments; and 
–  Valuation of specific UK Life provisions. 

•  Significant  changes  in  our  approach:  In  our  2019  report  the  following  changes  to  the  key  audit  matters  identified  have  been  made, 

compared with our 2018 report: 
–  The  key  audit  matter  regarding  the  valuation  of  a  specific  UK  Life  provision  has  been  updated  to  include  an  additional  provision 

identified at UK Life during the period; and 

–  We no longer consider the implementation of a new actuarial modelling system at UK Life to be a key audit matter as its implementation 

was a one-off event in the prior year. 

The scope of our audit  
As part of designing our audit, we determined materiality and assessed the risks of material misstatement in the financial statements. In 
particular, we looked at where the directors made subjective judgements, for example in respect of significant accounting estimates that 
involved making assumptions and considering future events that are inherently uncertain.  

1  The  maintenance  and  integrity  of  the  Aviva  plc  website  is  the  responsibility  of  the  directors;  the  work  carried  out  by  the  auditors  does  not  involve  consideration  of  these  matters  and,  accordingly  the  auditors  accept  no 

responsibility for any changes that may have occurred to the full annual financial statements since they were initially presented on the website. 

2  Legislation in the United Kingdom governing the preparation and dissemination of financial statements may differ from legislation in other jurisdictions. 

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Other information 

Independent auditors’ report to the members of Aviva plc 

Continued 

Capability of the audit in detecting irregularities, including fraud 
Based on our understanding of the Group, Company and their industries, we identified that the principal risks of non-compliance with laws 
and regulations related to breaches of UK and European regulatory principles, such as those governed by the Prudential Regulation Authority 
and the Financial Conduct Authority, and we considered the extent to which non-compliance might have a material effect on the financial 
statements of the Group and Company. We also considered those laws and regulations that have a direct impact on the financial statements 
of the Group and Company such as the Companies Act 2006, the Listing Rules, the Prudential Regulation Authority’s regulations, the Pensions 
Regulator legislation, UK tax legislation and equivalent local laws and regulations applicable to in-scope components.  

We have also evaluated management’s incentives and opportunities for fraudulent manipulation of the financial statements (including the 
risk of override of controls) and determined that the principal risks are related to management bias in accounting estimates and judgmental 
areas of the financial statements as shown in our “Key Audit Matters”.  

Audit procedures performed by the engagement team included: 
•  Discussions with the Board, management, internal audit, senior management involved in the Risk and Compliance functions and the Group 
and Company’s legal function, including consideration of known or suspected instances of non-compliance with laws and regulation and 
fraud; 

•  Evaluation and testing of the operating effectiveness of management’s controls designed to prevent and detect irregularities; 
•  Assessment of matters reported on the Group and Company’s whistleblowing helpline and fraud register and the results of management’s 

investigation of such matters; 

•  Reading key correspondence with the Prudential Regulation Authority and the Financial Conduct Authority, including those in relation to 

compliance with laws and regulations; 

•  Reviewing relevant meeting minutes including those of the Board of Directors and Audit Committee; 
•  Making enquiries of the Group Investigations team who are responsible for independently investigating suspected or alleged fraudulent 

activity across the group, utilising activities including, but not limited to, whistle blowing hotlines and data analytics; 

•  Identifying and testing journal entries based on risk criteria;  
•  Designing audit procedures to incorporate unpredictability around the nature, timing or extent of our testing; and 
•  Testing transactions entered into outside of the normal course of the Group and Company’s business specifically in respect of acquisitions 

and disposals. 

There are inherent limitations in the audit procedures described above and, the further removed non-compliance with laws and regulations 
is from the events and transactions reflected in the financial statements, the less likely we would become aware of it. Also, the risk of not 
detecting  a  material  misstatement  due  to  fraud  is  higher  than  the  risk  of  not  detecting  one  resulting  from  error,  as  fraud  may  involve 
deliberate concealment by, for example, forgery or intentional misrepresentations, or through collusion. 

Key audit matters 
Key audit matters are those matters that, in the auditors’ professional judgement, were of most significance in the audit of the financial 
statements of the current period and include the most significant assessed risks of material misstatement (whether or not due to fraud) 
identified by the auditors, including those which had the greatest effect on: the overall audit strategy; the allocation of resources in the audit; 
and directing the efforts of the engagement team. These matters, and any comments we make on the results of our procedures thereon, were 
addressed in the context of our audit of the financial statements as a whole, and in forming our opinion thereon, and we do not provide a 
separate opinion on these matters. This is not a complete list of all risks identified by our audit. 

Key audit matter 

How our audit addressed the key audit matter 

Valuation of life insurance contract liabilities (Group) 
Refer to the Audit Committee report, Accounting policy (L) Insurance and participating investment contract liabilities – Long-term business provisions and note 43 Insurance liabilities (b) Long-term business liabilities. 

For  UK  Life  insurance  contract  liabilities,  the  Directors’ 
valuation of the provisions for the settlement of future claims, 
involves  complex  and  subjective  judgements  about  future 
events, both internal and external to the business, for which 
small changes in assumptions can result in material impacts 
to the valuation of these liabilities. 

The work to address the valuation of the life insurance contract liabilities 
included the following procedures: 
•  We  understood  the  governance  process  in  place  to  determine  the 
insurance contract liabilities, including testing the associated financial 
reporting control framework; 

•  We tested the design and operating effectiveness of controls over the 

accuracy and completeness of the data used; 

•  Using our actuarial specialist team members, we applied our industry 
knowledge and experience and we compared the methodology, models 
and assumptions used against recognised actuarial practices; 

•  We  tested  the  key  judgements  over  the  preparation  of  the  liabilities, 
including  manually  calculated  components.  We  focused  on  the 
consistency in treatment and methodology period-on-period and with 
reference to recognised actuarial practice; 

•  We tested key controls which support the calculation of the liabilities; 
•  We  used  the  results  of  an  independent  PwC  annual  benchmarking 
survey  of  assumptions  to  further  challenge  the  assumption  setting 
process by comparing certain assumptions used relative to the Group’s 
industry peers; and 

•  We assessed the disclosures in the financial statements. 

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IFRS financial statements 

Other information 

Independent auditors’ report to the members of Aviva plc 

Continued 

Key audit matter 

How our audit addressed the key audit matter 

As part of our consideration of the entire set of assumptions, we focused 
particularly  on  annuitant  mortality,  credit  default  and  expense 
assumptions  for  the  UK  Life  component  given  their  significance  to  the 
Group’s result and the level of judgement involved. These aspects of our 
work have been considered in more detail below.  

Based on the work performed and the evidence obtained, we consider 
the  methodology  and  assumptions  used  to  value  the  life  insurance 
contract liabilities to be appropriate. 

Annuitant mortality assumptions (Group) 
Refer to the Audit Committee report, Accounting policy (L) Insurance and participating investment contract liabilities – Long-term business provisions and note 44 Insurance liabilities methodology and assumptions (a) Long-term business. 

In  respect  of  the  annuitant  mortality  assumptions,  we  performed  the 
following: 
•  We  tested  the  methodology  used  by  management  to  derive  the 
assumptions with reference to relevant rules and actuarial guidance and 
by  applying  our  industry  knowledge  and  experience.  This  included 
evaluating management’s choice of, and fitting to, the CMI or equivalent 
base  tables  and  the  adoption  of  the  CMI  2018  model  and  dataset  for 
improvements, together with associated parameters and the margin for 
prudence; 

•  We assessed the results of the experience investigations carried out by 
UK  Life  management  for  the  annuity  business  to  determine  whether 
they provided support for the assumptions used by management; and 
•  We  compared  the  mortality  assumptions  selected  by  UK  Life  against 

those used by their peers. 

Based on the work performed and the evidence obtained, we consider the 
assumptions used for annuitant mortality to be appropriate. 

Annuitant  mortality  assumptions  at  UK  Life  require  a  high 
degree of judgement due to the number of factors which may 
influence  mortality  experience.  The  differing  factors  which 
affect the assumptions are underlying mortality experience (in 
the portfolio), industry and management views on the future 
rate  of  mortality  improvements  and  external  factors  arising 
from developments in the annuity market. 

There  are  two  main  components  to  the  annuitant  mortality 
assumptions: 
•  Mortality base assumption: this component is typically less 
subjective  as  it  is  derived  using  external  Continuous 
Mortality 
Investigation  (CMI)  tables  or  an  equivalent, 
adjusted  for  internal  experience.  However,  judgement  is 
required  in  choosing  the  appropriate  table  and  fitting 
internal experience to this table. 

•  Rate  of  mortality  improvements:  this  component  is  more 
subjective  given  the  lack  of  data  and  the  uncertainty  over 
how life expectancy will change in the future.  

Management have adopted the most recent CMI 2018 model 
in  setting  this  assumption  with  specific 
and  dataset 
parameters  for  the  long  term  rate  of  improvement  and 
tapering at older ages and adjustments to reflect the profile of 
their portfolio. This reflects their views on the rate of mortality 
improvement. 

In addition, a margin for prudence is applied to the annuitant 
mortality assumptions. 

Credit default assumptions for illiquid assets, specifically: commercial mortgages and equity release mortgages (Group) 
Refer to the Audit Committee report, Accounting policy (L) Insurance and participating investment contract liabilities – Long-term business provisions and note 44 Insurance liabilities methodology and assumptions (a) Long-term 
business. 

UK Life has substantial holdings in illiquid asset classes with 
significant  credit  risk,  notably  commercial  mortgages  and 
equity release mortgages.  

Management use an active approach to setting the associated 
credit  default  assumptions  on  these  illiquid  assets.  A  long 
term  deduction  for  credit  default  is  made  from  the  current 
market yields and a supplementary allowance is also held to 
cover the risk of higher short term default rates along with a 
margin for prudence. 

In respect of the credit default assumptions, we performed the following: 
•  We  tested  the  methodology  and  credit  risk  pricing  models  used  by 
management  for  commercial  and  equity  release  mortgages  to  derive 
the assumptions with reference to relevant rules and actuarial guidance, 
including  the  adoption  of  an  appropriate  prudence  margin  and  by 
applying our industry knowledge and experience; and 

•  We validated significant assumptions used by management by ensuring 
consistency with the assumptions used for the valuation of the assets, 
and  against  market  observable  data  (to  the  extent  available  and 
relevant) and our experience of market practices  

Based on the work performed and the evidence obtained, we consider the 
assumptions  used  for  credit  default  risk  on  commercial  mortgages  and 
equity release mortgages to be appropriate. 

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IFRS financial statements 

Other information 

Independent auditors’ report to the members of Aviva plc 

Continued 

Key audit matter 

How our audit addressed the key audit matter 

Expense assumptions (Group) 
Refer to the Audit Committee report, Accounting policy (L) Insurance and participating investment contract liabilities – Long-term business provisions and note 44 Insurance liabilities methodology and assumptions (a) Long-term business. 

Future  maintenance  expenses  and  expense 
inflation 
assumptions  are  used  in  the  measurement  of  life  insurance 
contract  liabilities  at  UK  Life.  The  assumptions  reflect  the 
expected future expenses that will be required to maintain the 
in-force  policies  at  the  balance  sheet  date,  including  an 
allowance  for  project  costs  and  a  margin  for  prudence.  The 
assumptions used require significant judgement. 

In respect of the expense assumptions, we performed the following: 
•  We  tested  the  methodology  used  by  management  to  derive  the 
assumptions with reference to relevant rules and actuarial guidance and 
by  applying  our  industry  knowledge  and  experience.  This  included 
testing the split of expenses between acquisition and maintenance by 
agreeing a sample to supporting evidence; 

•  We validated significant assumptions used by management, including 
the  margin  for  prudence  and  the  rate  of  inflation  against  past 
experience,  market  observable  data  (to  the  extent  available  and 
relevant) and our experience of market practices; and 

•  We  tested  that  the  assumptions  appropriately  reflect  the  expected 
future expenses for maintaining policies in force at the balance sheet 
date, which includes consideration of the allowance for project costs. 

Based on the work performed and the evidence obtained, we consider the 
expense assumptions to be appropriate. 

Valuation of non-life insurance contract liabilities (Group) 
Refer to the Audit Committee report, Accounting policy (L) Insurance and participating investment contract liabilities – General insurance and health provisions and note 43 Insurance liabilities methodology and assumptions (c) General 
insurance and health. 

The  estimation  of  non-life  insurance  contract  liabilities 
involves a significant degree of judgement. The liabilities are 
based on the estimated ultimate cost of all claims incurred but 
not  settled  at  31  December  2019,  whether  reported  or  not, 
together with the related claims handling costs. 

A range of methods, including stochastic projections, may be 
used  to  determine  these  provisions.  Underlying  these 
methods  are  a  number  of  explicit  or  implicit  assumptions 
relating  to  the  expected  settlement  amount  and  settlement 
patterns of claims. This includes assumptions relating to the 
settlement  of  personal 
injury  lump  sum  compensation 
amounts. 

Given their size in relation to the consolidated Group and the 
complexity of the judgements involved, our work focused on 
the  actuarial  liabilities  in  the  UK  General  Insurance  and 
Canada General Insurance components. 

In the UK General Insurance and Canada components, we assessed the 
calculation of the non-life insurance liabilities by performing the following 
procedures:  
•  We  understood  and  tested  the  governance  process  in  place  to 
determine  the  insurance  contract  liabilities,  including  testing  the 
associated financial reporting control framework; 

•  We tested the underlying data to source documentation on a sample basis; 
•  Using our actuarial specialist team members, we applied our industry 
knowledge and experience and we compared the methodology, models 
and assumptions used against recognised actuarial practices; 

•  Using  our  actuarial  specialist  team  members,  we 

independently 
estimated  the  reserves  on  selected  classes  of  business,  particularly 
focusing on the largest and most uncertain reserves. For these classes we 
compared our estimated reserves to those booked by management, and 
sought to understand any significant differences; 

•  For  the  remaining  classes  we  evaluated  the  methodology  and 
assumptions applied, or performed a diagnostic check to identify and 
investigate any anomalies; and 

•  We assessed the disclosures in the financial statements. 

Based  on  the  work  performed  and  evidence  obtained,  we  consider  the 
methodology  and  assumptions  used  to  value  the  non-life  insurance 
contract liabilities to be appropriate. 

Valuation for hard to value investments (Group) 
Refer to Audit Committee report, Accounting policies (F) and (T) and note 24 Fair Value methodology, note 26 Securitised mortgages and related assets and note 28 Financial Investments. 

The valuation of the investment portfolio involves judgement 
and  continues  to  be  an  area  of  inherent  risk.  The  risk  is  not 
uniform  for  all  investment  types  and  is  greatest  for  the 
following,  where  the  investments  are  hard  to  value  because 
quoted prices are not readily available: 
•  Commercial mortgage loans (UK Life); 
•  Equity release and UK securitised mortgage loans (UK Life); 
•  Collateralised loan obligations and non-recourse loans (UK 

Life); and 

•  Structured bond-type investments (France Life). 

We assessed the Directors’ approach to valuation for these hard to value 
investments by performing the following procedures: 
•  We  agreed  data  inputs  used  in  the  valuation  models  to  underlying 

documentation on a sample basis; 

•  We evaluated the methodology and assumptions used by management, 
including  yield  curves,  discounted  cash  flows,  property  growth  rates, 
longevity and liquidity premiums as relevant to each asset class;  

•  We  tested  the  operation  of  data  integrity  and  change  management 
controls for the valuation models, which we baseline every three years;  
•  Using our valuation experts, we performed independent valuations for 
a  sample  of  collateralised  loans,  non-recourse  loans  and  structured 
bonds; and 

•  We assessed the disclosures in the financial statements. 

Based on the work performed and the evidence obtained, we consider the 
methodology and assumptions used by management to value hard to value 
assets to be appropriate. 

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IFRS financial statements 

Other information 

Independent auditors’ report to the members of Aviva plc 

Continued 

Key audit matter 

How our audit addressed the key audit matter 

Valuation of specific UK Life provisions (Group) 
Refer to Audit Committee report, Accounting policies (AA) and note 51 Pension deficits and other provisions (b) Movements on restructuring and other provisions. 

The  valuation  of  product  governance  provisions  involves 
significant  judgement.  Given  the  historic  nature  of  these 
provisions, information to calculate redress amounts can be 
limited. 

There were two material provisions held at the year end at UK 
Life. 

The  first  provision  relates  to  advised  sales  by  Friends 
Provident.  The  valuation  of  this  provision  involves  a  high 
degree of judgement due to the time elapsed since the advice 
was  given.  The  estimate  of  the  provision  could  change 
substantially  over  time  as  specific  case 
investigations 
continue and new information is obtained. 

The  second  provision  relates  to  past  communications  to  a 
specific  sub-set  of  pension  policyholders  on  a  product  sold 
between  1985  and  1989  by  an  entity  acquired  by  the  Group 
through  the  purchase  of  Friends  Life.  Specifically,  these 
policyholders  may  not  have  been  adequately  informed  of 
switching options into with-profit funds that were available to 
them. The valuation of the provision involves a high degree of 
judgement  and  estimation  uncertainty  due 
the 
dependence on decisions made by customers. 

to 

We assessed management's approach to valuation for these provisions by 
performing the following procedures: 
•  We  understood  management's  approach  to 

identifying  product 

governance provisions; 

•  We  assessed  these  product  governance  provisions  against  the  IAS  37 

recognition criteria; 

•  We  evaluated  the  methodology  and  key  assumptions  used  by 
management,  including  the  populations  of  policies  affected  and  the 
redress factor applied; 

•  We  reviewed  material  assumptions,  tested  a  sample  of  customer 
calculations used to determine the assumptions and agreed inputs in 
these calculations to supporting documentation; and 

•  We assessed the adequacy of the disclosure in the financial statements. 

In respect of the first provision, we also assessed management's approach 
to valuation of the provision by performing the following procedure:  
•  We assessed the expertise and independence of management's experts. 

In  respect  of  the  second  provision,  we  also  assessed  management's 
approach  to  valuation  of  the  provision  by  performing  the  following 
procedure: 
•  We used auditors’ experts to assess certain key assumptions to confirm 

whether they were based on regulatory expectations. 

Based on the work performed and the evidence obtained, we consider the 
valuation of the provisions to be appropriate. 

We determined that there were no key audit matters applicable to the Company to communicate in our report. 

How we tailored the audit scope 
We tailored the scope of our audit to ensure that we performed enough work to be able to give an opinion on the financial statements as a 
whole, taking into account the structure of the Group and the Company, the financial reporting process and controls, and the industries in 
which they operate. 

Using the outputs of our risk assessment, along with our understanding of Aviva, we scoped our audit based on the significance of the results 
and financial position of individual components relative to the Group result and financial position. In doing so, we also considered qualitative 
factors and ensured we obtained sufficient coverage across all financial statement line items in the consolidated financial statements. Our 
scoping provided us with audit coverage of 86% for IFRS profit before tax (2018: 94%) and 79% of Group adjusted operating profit before tax 
attributable to shareholders’ profits (2018: 80%). We also obtained audit coverage of 83% for Gross Written Premiums (2018: 83%) and 83% 
for Total Assets (2018: 82%). 

The Group’s primary reporting format aggregates individual operating segments into market reporting lines with supplementary information 
being given by business activity. The IFRS 8 operating segments or ‘markets’ of the Group are United Kingdom (Life and General Insurance), 
France, Poland, ‘Italy, Ireland, Spain and Other’, Canada, Asia, Aviva Investors and ‘Other group activities’. Individual components that are 
used in our risk assessment are a more granular subset of the Group’s operating segments. In establishing the overall approach to the Group 
audit, we determined the type of work that needed to be performed at each of the components by us, as the Group audit team, or auditors 
of the components within PwC UK or from other PwC network firms operating under our instruction.  

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Other information 

Independent auditors’ report to the members of Aviva plc 

Continued 

As the Group audit team, we determined the level of involvement required at those components to be able to conclude whether sufficient 
and appropriate audit evidence had been obtained as a basis for our opinion on the consolidated financial statements as a whole. In our role 
as  Group  auditors,  we  exercised  oversight  of  the  work  performed  by  auditors  of  the  components  including  performing  the  following 
procedures:  
•  Maintained an active dialogue with reporting component audit teams throughout the year, including holding a workshop for those teams 

in London during the planning phase of the audit; 

•  Visited all in-scope components and undertook a detailed review of audit working papers; 
•  Attended meetings with local management; and 
•  Attended Audit Committee meetings for certain in-scope components. 

Materiality 
The scope of our audit was influenced by our application of materiality. We set certain quantitative thresholds for materiality. These, together 
with qualitative considerations, helped us to determine the scope of our audit and the nature, timing and extent of our audit procedures on 
the individual financial statement line items and disclosures and in evaluating the effect of misstatements, both individually and in aggregate 
on the financial statements as a whole.  

Based on our professional judgement, we determined materiality for the financial statements as a whole as follows: 

Overall materiality 

How we determined it 

Rationale for benchmark applied 

Group financial statements 

Company financial statements 

£158.0 million (2018: £156.0 million). 

£47.8 million (2018: £105.0 million). 

5% of Profit for the year before tax. 

In determining our materiality, we considered 
financial  metrics  which  we  believed  to  be 
relevant, and concluded, consistent with the 
prior year that profit before tax was the most 
relevant benchmark as the Company is profit-
financial 
orientated  and  users  of 
statements  will  be 
this 
benchmark. 

the 
focused  on 

5%  of  Group  adjusted  operating  profit 
before  tax  attributable  to  shareholders’ 
profits. 

In  determining  our  materiality,  we 
considered 
financial  metrics  which  we 
believed  to  be  relevant,  and  concluded, 
consistent  with  the  prior  year  that  Group 
adjusted  operating  profit  before 
tax 
attributable to shareholders’ profit was the 
most relevant benchmark.  
Group adjusted operating profit presents a 
longer-term assessment of the performance 
of the entity which is more in line with the 
operations and time horizons of an insurer 
where  insurance  contracts  and  customer 
relationships span over multiple years. 
We draw attention to Accounting policy (B), 
which describes amendments made to the 
definition  of  this  metric  during  the  period. 
The  benchmark  we  have  used  has  been 
updated for these amendments. 

For each component in the scope of our Group audit, we allocated a materiality that is less than our overall Group materiality. The range of 
materiality allocated across components was between £20 million and £145 million. Certain components were audited to a local statutory 
audit materiality that was also less than our overall Group materiality. 

We agreed with the Audit Committee that we would report to them misstatements identified during our audit above £7 million (Group audit) 
(2018:  £7  million)  and  £2.4  million  (Company  audit)  (2018:  £5.2 million)  as  well  as  misstatements  below  those  amounts  that,  in  our  view, 
warranted reporting for qualitative reasons. 

Going concern 
In accordance with ISAs (UK) we report as follows: 

Reporting obligation 

Outcome 

We are required to report if we have anything material to add or 
draw  attention  to  in  respect  of  the  directors’  statement  in  the 
financial  statements  about  whether  the  directors  considered  it 
appropriate  to  adopt  the  going  concern  basis  of  accounting  in 
preparing the financial statements and the directors’ identification 
of  any  material  uncertainties  to  the  Group’s  and  the  Company’s 
ability  to  continue  as  a  going  concern  over  a  period  of  at  least 
twelve  months  from  the  date  of  approval  of  the  financial 
statements. 

We  are  required  to  report  if  the  directors’  statement  relating  to 
Going  Concern  in  accordance  with  Listing  Rule  9.8.6R(3)  is 
materially inconsistent with our knowledge obtained in the audit. 

We  have  nothing  material  to  add  or  to  draw  attention  to.  However, 
because  not  all  future  events  or  conditions  can  be  predicted,  this 
statement is not a guarantee as to the Group’s and Company’s ability 
to continue as a going concern. For example, the terms of the United 
Kingdom’s withdrawal from the European Union are not clear, and it is 
difficult to evaluate all of the potential implications on the Group and 
Company’s business, customers, suppliers and the wider economy.  

We have nothing to report. 

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Governance 

IFRS financial statements 

Other information 

Independent auditors’ report to the members of Aviva plc 

Continued 

Reporting on other information 
The other information comprises all of the information in the Annual Report other than the financial statements and our auditors’ report 
thereon. The directors are responsible for the other information. Our opinion on the financial statements does not cover the other information 
and, accordingly, we do not express an audit opinion or, except to the extent otherwise explicitly stated in this report, any form of assurance 
thereon. 

In connection with our audit of the financial statements, our responsibility is to read the other information and, in doing so, consider whether 
the other information is materially inconsistent with the financial statements or our knowledge obtained in the audit, or otherwise appears 
to be materially misstated. If we identify an apparent material inconsistency or material misstatement, we are required to perform procedures 
to conclude whether there is a material misstatement of the financial statements or a material misstatement of the other information. If, 
based on the work we have performed, we conclude that there is a material misstatement of this other information, we are required to report 
that fact. We have nothing to report based on these responsibilities. 

With respect to the Strategic Report and Directors’ and Corporate Governance Report, we also considered whether the disclosures required 
by the UK Companies Act 2006 have been included. 

Based on the responsibilities described above and our work undertaken in the course of the audit, the Companies Act 2006, (CA06), ISAs (UK) 
and the Listing Rules of the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) require us also to report certain opinions and matters as described below 
(required by ISAs (UK) unless otherwise stated). 

Strategic report and Directors’ and corporate governance report 
In our opinion, based on the work undertaken in the course of the audit, the information given in the Strategic report and Directors’ and 
Corporate Governance Report for the year ended 31 December 2019 is consistent with the financial statements and has been prepared in 
accordance with applicable legal requirements. (CA06) 

In light of the knowledge and understanding of the Group and Company and their environment obtained in the course of the audit, we did 
not identify any material misstatements in the Strategic report and Directors’ and Corporate Governance Report. (CA06) 

The directors’ assessment of the prospects of the Group and of the principal risks that would threaten the solvency or liquidity of the 
Group 
We have nothing material to add or draw attention to regarding: 
•  The directors’ confirmation on page 65 of the Annual Report that they have carried out a robust assessment of the principal risks facing the 

Group, including those that would threaten its business model, future performance, solvency or liquidity; 

•  The disclosures in the Annual Report that describe those risks and explain how they are being managed or mitigated; and 
•  The directors’ explanation on page 81 of the Annual Report as to how they have assessed the prospects of the Group, over what period they 
have done so and why they consider that period to be appropriate, and their statement as to whether they have a reasonable expectation 
that the Group will be able to continue in operation and meet its liabilities as they fall due over the period of their assessment, including 
any related disclosures drawing attention to any necessary qualifications or assumptions. 

We have nothing to report having performed a review of the directors’ statement that they have carried out a robust assessment of the 
principal risks facing the Group and statement in relation to the longer-term viability of the Group. Our review was substantially less in scope 
than an audit and only consisted of making inquiries and considering the directors’ process supporting their statements; checking that the 
statements are in alignment with the relevant provisions of the UK Corporate Governance Code (the ‘Code’); and considering whether the 
statements are consistent with the knowledge and understanding of the Group and Company and their environment obtained in the course 
of the audit. (Listing Rules) 

Other Code Provisions 
We have nothing to report in respect of our responsibility to report when: 
•  The  statement  given  by  the  directors,  on  page  82,  that  they  consider  the  Annual  report  taken  as  a  whole  to  be  fair,  balanced  and 
understandable,  and  provides  the  information  necessary  for  the  members  to  assess  the  Group’s  and  the  Company’s  position  and 
performance, business model and strategy is materially inconsistent with our knowledge of the Group and the Company obtained in the 
course of performing our audit; 

•  The  section  of  the  Annual  report  on  page  73  describing  the  work  of  the  Audit  Committee  does  not  appropriately  address  matters 

communicated by us to the Audit Committee; and 

•  The  directors’ statement relating to the Company’s compliance with the Code does not properly disclose a departure from a relevant 

provision of the Code specified, under the Listing Rules, for review by the auditors. 

Directors’ Remuneration 
In our opinion, the part of the Directors’ Remuneration Report to be audited has been properly prepared in accordance with the Companies 
Act 2006. (CA06) 

Responsibilities for the financial statements and the audit 
Responsibilities of the directors for the financial statements 
As explained more fully in the Directors’ Responsibilities Statement set out on page 82, the directors are responsible for the preparation of 
the financial statements in accordance with the applicable framework and for being satisfied that they give a true and fair view. The directors 
are also responsible for such internal control as they determine is necessary to enable the preparation of financial statements that are free 
from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error. 

In preparing the financial statements, the directors are responsible for assessing the Group’s and the Company’s ability to continue as a going 
concern, disclosing as applicable, matters related to going concern and using the going concern basis of accounting unless the directors 
either intend to liquidate the Group or the Company or to cease operations, or have no realistic alternative but to do so. 

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IFRS financial statements 

Other information 

Independent auditors’ report to the members of Aviva plc 

Continued 

Auditors’ responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements 
Our objectives are to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements as a whole are free from material misstatement, 
whether due to fraud or error, and to issue an auditors’ report that includes our opinion. Reasonable assurance is a high level of assurance, 
but  is  not  a  guarantee  that  an  audit  conducted  in  accordance  with  ISAs  (UK)  will  always  detect  a  material  misstatement  when  it  exists. 
Misstatements can arise from fraud or error and are considered material if, individually or in the aggregate, they could reasonably be expected 
to influence the economic decisions of users taken on the basis of these financial statements.  

A  further  description  of  our  responsibilities  for  the  audit  of  the  financial  statements 
www.frc.org.uk/auditorsresponsibilities. This description forms part of our auditors’ report. 

is  located  on  the  FRC’s  website  at: 

Use of this report 
This report, including the opinions, has been prepared for and only for the Company’s members as a body in accordance with Chapter 3 of 
Part 16 of the Companies Act 2006 and for no other purpose. We do not, in giving these opinions, accept or assume responsibility for any 
other purpose or to any other person to whom this report is shown or into whose hands it may come save where expressly agreed by our 
prior consent in writing. 

Other required reporting 
Companies Act 2006 exception reporting 
Under the Companies Act 2006 we are required to report to you if, in our opinion: 
•  we have not received all the information and explanations we require for our audit; or 
•  adequate accounting records have not been kept by the Company, or returns adequate for our audit have not been received from branches 

not visited by us; or 

•  certain disclosures of directors’ remuneration specified by law are not made; or 
•  the  Company  financial  statements  and  the  part  of  the  Directors’  Remuneration  Report  to  be  audited  are  not  in  agreement  with  the 

accounting records and returns.  

We have no exceptions to report arising from this responsibility. 

Appointment 
Following the recommendation of the audit committee, we were appointed by the members on 3 May 2012 to audit the financial statements 
for the year ended 31 December 2012 and subsequent financial periods. The period of total uninterrupted engagement is 8 years, covering 
the years ended 31 December 2012 to 31 December 2019. 

Andrew Kail (Senior Statutory Auditor) 
for and on behalf of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP 
Chartered Accountants and Statutory Auditors 
London 
4 March 2020 

1  The  maintenance  and  integrity  of  the  Aviva  plc  website  is  the  responsibility  of  the  directors;  the  work  carried  out  by  the  auditors  does  not  involve  consideration  of  these  matters  and,  accordingly  the  auditors  accept  no 

responsibility for any changes that may have occurred to the full annual financial statements since they were initially presented on the website. 

2  Legislation in the United Kingdom governing the preparation and dissemination of financial statements may differ from legislation in other jurisdictions. 

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Governance 

IFRS financial statements 

Other information 

Accounting policies 

Aviva  plc  (the  ‘Company’),  a  public  limited  company  incorporated 
and  domiciled  in  the  United  Kingdom  (UK),  together  with  its 
subsidiaries  (collectively,  the 
‘Aviva’)  transacts  life 
assurance and long-term savings business, fund management and 
most  classes  of  general  insurance  and  health  business  through  its 
subsidiaries,  joint  ventures,  associates  and  branches  in  the  UK, 
Ireland, continental Europe, Canada and Asia.  

‘Group’  or 

The  principal  accounting  policies  adopted  in  the  preparation  of 
these  financial  statements  are  set  out  below.  These  policies  have 
been  consistently  applied  to  all  years  presented,  unless  otherwise 
stated. 

(A) Basis of preparation 
The  consolidated  financial  statements  and  those  of  the  Company 
have  been  prepared  and  approved  by  the  Directors  in  accordance 
with International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) as endorsed 
by the European Union (EU), and those parts of the Companies Act 
2006  applicable  to  those  reporting  under  IFRS.  The  consolidated 
financial  statements  have  been  prepared  under  the  historical  cost 
convention,  as  modified  by  the  revaluation  of  land  and  buildings, 
investment property, available-for-sale financial assets, and financial 
assets  and  financial  liabilities  (including  derivative  instruments)  at 
fair value through profit or loss. 

In accordance with IFRS 4 Insurance Contracts, the Group has applied 
existing  accounting  practices  for 
insurance  and  participating 
investment  contracts,  modified  as  appropriate  to  comply  with  the 
IFRS framework and applicable standards. Further details are given 
in accounting policy L.  

Items  included  in  the  financial  statements  of  each  of  the  Group’s 
entities  are  measured  in  the  currency  of  the  primary  economic 
environment in which that entity operates (the functional currency). 
The consolidated financial statements are stated in pounds sterling, 
which  is  the  Company’s  functional  and  presentational  currency. 
Unless  otherwise  noted,  the  amounts  shown  in  these  financial 
statements  are  in  millions  of  pounds  sterling  (£m).  The  separate 
financial statements of the Company are on pages 264 to 273. 

Comparative figures have been restated for adjustments as detailed 
in note 1. 

New standards, interpretations and amendments to published 
standards that have been adopted by the Group and/or the 
Company 
The  Group  and/or  the  Company  has  adopted  the  following 
amendments  to  standards  which  became  effective  for  the  annual 
reporting period beginning on 1 January 2019:  

(i) 

IFRS 16, Leases 
In  January  2016,  the  IASB  published  IFRS  16  Leases.  This 
standard  replaces  IAS  17  Leases  and  applies  to  annual 
reporting  periods  beginning  on  or  after  1  January  2019.  The 
standard has been endorsed by the EU.  

The  adoption  of  IFRS  16  has  resulted  in  an  update  to  the 
Group’s stated accounting policy for leases. The standard has 
introduced  a  definition  of  a  lease  with  a  single  lessee 
accounting  model,  eliminating  the  previous  classification  of 
either  operating  or  finance  leases.  Lessees  are  required  to 
recognise  lease  assets  and  liabilities  on  the  statement  of 
financial  position  for  all  leases,  with  the  exception  of  short-
term and low-value leases. Further information can be found in 
accounting policy Z. 

The  Group  has  chosen  to  adopt  the  modified  retrospective 
approach  on  transition  permitted  by  IFRS  16.  This  approach 
does not require prior period comparatives to be restated, and 
the impact of adoption of the standard on retained earnings is 
shown  as  an  adjustment  to  opening  retained  earnings.  On 

transition,  and  where  applicable,  the  Group  has  applied  the 
following practical expedients: 
•  Applied  a  single  discount  rate  to  a  portfolio  of  leases  with 

reasonably similar characteristics; 

•  Relied  on  existing  assessments  on  whether  leases  are 
onerous  as  an  alternative  to  performing  an  impairment 
review.  Where  such  leases  existed,  the  onerous  lease 
provision held at 31 December 2018 was offset against the 
initial right-of-use asset at the date of initial application as 
permitted by IFRS 16; 

•  Excluded  initial  direct  costs  for  the  measurement  of  the 

right-of-use asset at the date of initial application; and 

•  Used  hindsight  in  determining  the  lease  term  where  the 
contract contains options to extend or terminate the lease. 

The  Group  has  reviewed  existing  service  and  outsourcing 
contracts  to  determine  whether  they  are  either  a  lease  or 
contain a lease at the date of initial application. This has not 
resulted in any additional contracts being recognised as leases 
in the statement of financial position. 

Application  of  the  modified  retrospective  approach  on 
transition  has  resulted  in  a  reduction  of  retained  earnings  of 
£110 million at 1 January 2019. This reflects the fact that the 
right-of-use  assets  and  lease  liabilities  amortise  to  nil  at 
different rates over the lease term. A higher initial amortisation 
of the right-of-use asset compared to the lease liability results 
in the asset value being lower than the lease liability during the 
lease  term,  with  the  difference  between  the  two  generally 
converging  to  nil  as  the  lease  term  ends.  There  have  been 
corresponding  increases  in  the  value  of  assets  (£434  million) 
and  liabilities  (£544  million),  representing  the  right-of-use 
assets  and  liabilities,  net  of  any  tax  impacts,  not  previously 
recognised  on  the  balance  sheet  in  accordance  with  IAS  17. 
There has been no material impact on profit before tax.  

The  weighted  average  discount  rate  applied  to  the  lease 
liabilities recognised at 1 January 2019 was 2.95%. 

Future contractual aggregate minimum lease payments under 
non-cancellable operating leases, as disclosed in note 56 of the 
Group’s 2018 annual report and accounts, were £728 million at 
31  December  2018.  Lease  liabilities  in  respect  of  operating 
leases  brought  on  to  the  balance  sheet  at  1  January  2019 
following  the  adoption  of  IFRS  16  were  £544  million.  The 
balance shown at 1 January 2019 represents a present value of 
lease payments, whereas the figure disclosed at 31 December 
2018 
is  the  aggregated  undiscounted  payments.  Other 
differences  between  the  commitments  disclosed  and  the 
opening IFRS 16 lease liabilities recognised relate primarily to 
amounts paid under service contracts that were included as a 
commitment in prior periods, but do not meet the definition of 
a lease under IFRS 16. 

Lessor  accounting  remains  similar  to  the  previous  approach 
set out in IAS 17. The Group’s lessor accounting policies have 
not changed as a result of the introduction of IFRS 16. 

Leased property classified as investment property is held at fair 
value  and  measured  in  accordance  with  IAS  40  Investment 
Property. This is consistent with the approach adopted under 
IAS 17. 

The  introduction  of  IFRS  16  has  had  no  impact  on  the 
Company’s financial statements. 

The  following  amendments  to  existing  standards  and 
IFRIC 
interpretations  have  been  issued  and  endorsed  by  the  EU,  are 
effective from 1 January 2019 or earlier, and do not have an impact 
on the Group’s consolidated financial statements. 

Aviva plc Annual report and accounts 2019 
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IFRS financial statements 

Other information 

Accounting policies 

Continued  

 (ii) 

IFRIC 23, Uncertainty over Income Tax Treatments 
In  June  2017,  the  IASB  published  IFRIC  23  Uncertainty  over 
Income  Tax  Treatments.  The  standard  is  effective  for  annual 
reporting beginning on or after 1 January 2019. 

(iii)  Amendments to IAS 19 – Plan Amendment, Curtailment or 

Settlement 
In  February  2018,  the  IASB  published  Plan  Amendment, 
Curtailment  or  Settlement  (Amendments  to 
IAS  19).  The 
amendments are effective for annual reporting beginning on or 
after 1 January 2019. 

(ii) 

(iv)  Amendments to IAS 28: Long-term Interests in Associates and 

Joint Ventures 
In  October  2017,  the  IASB  published  Long-term  Interests  in 
Associates  and  Joint  Ventures  (Amendments  to  IAS  28).  The 
amendments are effective for annual reporting beginning on or 
after 1 January 2019. 

(v) 

Annual Improvements to IFRS Standards 2015-2017 Cycle 
These  improvements  consist  of  amendments  to  four  IFRSs 
IFRS  11  Joint 
including 
Arrangements, IAS 12 Income taxes and IAS 23 Borrowing Costs. 
The amendments are effective for annual reporting beginning 
on or after 1 January 2019. 

IFRS  3  Business  Combinations, 

Standards, interpretations and amendments to published 
standards that are not yet effective and have not been adopted 
early by the Group 
The following new standards and amendments to existing standards 
have been issued, are not yet effective for the Group and have not 
been adopted early by the Group: 

(i) 

for 

covering 

IFRS 17, Insurance Contracts 
In May 2017, the IASB published IFRS 17 Insurance Contracts, a 
comprehensive  new  accounting  standard 
insurance 
contracts 
and  measurement, 
recognition 
presentation  and  disclosure.  Once  effective,  IFRS  17  will 
replace IFRS 4 that was issued in 2005. IFRS 17 applies to all 
types  of  insurance  contracts  as  well  as  to  certain  financial 
instruments  with  discretionary  participation  features. 
In 
contrast to the requirements in IFRS 4, which are largely based 
on grandfathering of previous local accounting policies, IFRS 
17  provides  a  comprehensive  and  consistent  approach  to 
insurance contracts. The core of IFRS 17 is the general model, 
supplemented by a specific adaption for contracts with direct 
participation  features  (the  variable  fee  approach)  and  a 
simplified  approach  (the  premium  allocation  approach) 
mainly for short-duration contracts.  

The main features of the new accounting model for insurance 
contracts are, as follows: the measurement of the present value 
of future cash flows incorporating an explicit risk adjustment 
and remeasured at each reporting period (the fulfilment cash 
flows); a contractual service margin that is equal and opposite 
to any day one gain in the fulfilment cash flows of a group of 
contracts,  representing  the  unearned  profit  of  the  insurance 
contracts  to  be  recognised  in  profit  or  loss  over  the  service 
insurance 
period  (coverage  period);  the  presentation  of 
revenue  and  insurance  service  expenses  in  the  statement  of 
comprehensive  income  based  on  the  concept  of  insurance 
services provided during the period; and extensive disclosures 
to  provide  information  on  the  recognised  amounts  from 
insurance contracts and the nature and extent of risks arising 
from these contracts. 

The impact of the adoption of IFRS 17 significantly impacts the 
measurement and presentation of the contracts in scope of the 
standard.  Following  the  publication  of  an  Exposure  Draft  of 
proposed amendments to IFRS 17 in June 2019, it is expected 

that  the  standard  will  apply  to  annual  reporting  periods 
beginning on or after 1 January 2022 at the earliest. The final 
standard is due to be published mid-2020 and remains subject 
to  endorsement  by  the  EU  and  the  UK.  We  note  the  UK’s 
endorsement  procedure,  following  departure  from  the  EU, 
remains under development through the transition period to 
the end of December 2020. 

that  addressed 

IFRS 9, Financial Instruments 
In September 2016, the IASB published amendments to IFRS 4 
Insurance  Contracts 
the  accounting 
consequences of the application of IFRS 9 to insurers prior to 
implementing  IFRS  17.  The  amendments  introduced  two 
options  for  insurers:  the  deferral  approach  and  the  overlay 
approach. The deferral approach provides an entity, if eligible, 
with a temporary exemption from applying IFRS 9. The overlay 
approach  allows  an  entity  to  remove  from  profit  or  loss  the 
effects of some of the accounting mismatches that may occur 
before  the  new  insurance  contracts  standard  is  applied.  The 
Group  has  met  the  eligibility  requirements  of  the  deferral 
approach as set out below and has opted to apply this deferral 
from 1 January 2018. The Group has however been required to 
apply the additional disclosure requirements of IFRS 9 which 
are set out in note 54 and note 60. 

Eligibility for the deferral approach was based on an assessment 
of the Group’s liabilities as at 31 December 2015, in accordance 
with the date specified in the amendments to IFRS 4. At this date 
the Group’s liabilities connected with insurance exceeded 90% 
of  the  carrying  amount  of  the  Group’s  total  liabilities.  The 
Group’s  total  liabilities  were  £369,642  million  and  liabilities 
connected with insurance in the statement of financial position 
at  this  date  primarily  included  insurance  and  participating 
investment  contracts  within  the  scope  of  IFRS  4  (£218,604 
million),  non-participating 
liabilities 
(£103,125 million), unallocated divisible surplus (£8,811 million), 
borrowings  (£8,770  million),  and  certain  amounts  within 
payables and other financial liabilities which arise in the course 
of writing insurance business (£10,285 million). 

investment  contract 

In November 2018 the IASB recommended an amendment to 
IFRS  17  to  defer  the  effective  date  to  1  January  2022.  At  the 
same time, they recommended an extension to the fixed expiry 
date for the temporary exemption for insurers from applying 
IFRS 9 until 1 January 2022. These amendments are subject to 
IASB’s  due  process  and  were  included  in  an  exposure  draft 
published in July 2019, with final amendments expected to be 
published in mid-2020. 

The  impact  of  the  adoption  of  IFRS  9  on  the  Group’s 
consolidated  financial  statements  will  be  dependent  on  the 
interaction with the new insurance contracts standard, IFRS 17. 
As  such,  it  is  not  possible  to  fully  assess  the  effect  of  the 
adoption of IFRS 9. IFRS 9 has been endorsed by the EU. 

IFRS  9  incorporates  new  classification  and  measurement 
requirements  for  financial  assets,  the  introduction  of  an 
expected credit loss impairment model which will replace the 
incurred  loss  model  of  IAS  39,  and  new  hedge  accounting 
requirements.  Under  IFRS  9,  all  financial  assets  will  be 
measured  at  either  amortised  cost  or  fair  value.  The  basis  of 
classification  will  depend  on  the  business  model  and  the 
contractual  cash  flow  characteristics  of  the  financial  assets. 
The standard retains most of IAS 39’s requirements for financial 
liabilities  except  for  those  designated  at  fair  value  through 
profit  or  loss  whereby  that  part  of  the  fair  value  changes 
attributable  to  own  credit  is  to  be  recognised  in  other 
comprehensive income instead of the income statement. The 
hedge accounting requirements are more closely aligned with 

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IFRS financial statements 

Other information 

Accounting policies 

Continued  

risk management practices and follow a more principle based 
approach.  

The Company is not eligible to apply the deferral approach and 
has  adopted  IFRS  9  from  1  January  2018. IFRS  9  information 
relating to entities within the Group which have applied IFRS 
from  1  January  2018  can  be  found  in  the  entities’  publicly 
available individual financial statements. 

The following new standards and amendments to existing standards 
have been issued, are not yet effective and are not expected to have 
a  significant 
financial 
statements: 

impact  on  the  Group’s  consolidated 

(iii)    Amendments to References to the Conceptual Framework in 

IFRS Standards 
Published  by  the  IASB  in  March  2018.  The  amendments  are 
effective for annual reporting beginning on or after 1 January 
2020 and were endorsed by the EU on 29 November 2019. 

(iv)  Amendment to IFRS 3 Business Combinations 

Published by the IASB in October 2018. The amendments are 
effective for annual reporting beginning on or after 1 January 
2020 and have not yet been endorsed by the EU. 

(v) 

(vi) 

Amendment to IAS 1 and IAS 8: Definition of material 
Published by the IASB in October 2018. The amendments are 
effective for annual reporting beginning on or after 1 January 
2020 and were endorsed by the EU on 29 November 2019. 

Interest Rate Benchmark Reform: Amendments to IFRS 9, IAS 39 
and IFRS 7 
Published by the IASB in October 2019. The amendments are 
effective for annual reporting beginning on or after 1 January 
2020 and were endorsed by the EU on 15 January 2020. 

(B) Group adjusted operating profit 
The long-term nature of much of the Group’s operations means that, 
internal  performance 
for  management’s  decision-making  and 
management  of  our  operating  segments,  the  Group  focuses  on 
Group  adjusted  operating  profit,  a  non-GAAP  alternative 
performance measure (APM) which is not bound by IFRS. The APM 
incorporates the expected return on investments which supports its 
long-term and non-long-term businesses.  

Group adjusted operating profit for long-term business is based on 
expected  investment  returns  on  financial  investments  backing 
shareholder and policyholder funds over the reporting period, with 
allowance for the corresponding expected movements in liabilities. 
Variances between actual and expected investment returns, and the 
impact  of  changes  in  economic  assumptions  on  liabilities,  are 
disclosed  separately  outside  Group  adjusted  operating  profit.  For 
non-long-term  business,  the  total  investment  income,  including 
realised and unrealised gains, is analysed between that calculated 
using  a  longer-term  return  and  short-term  fluctuations  from  that 
level. The exclusion of short-term realised and unrealised investment 
gains  and  losses  from  the  Group  adjusted  operating  profit  APM 
reflects the long-term nature of much of our business and presents 
separately the operating profit APM which is used in managing the 
performance  of  our  operating  segments  from  the  impact  of 
economic 
factors.  Further  details  of  this  analysis  and  the 
assumptions used are given in notes 9 and 10. 

Group  adjusted  operating  profit  excludes  impairment  of  goodwill, 
associates  and  joint  ventures;  amortisation  and  impairment  of 
intangibles  acquired  in  business  combinations;  amortisation  and 
impairment of acquired value of in-force business; and the profit or 
loss on disposal and remeasurement of subsidiaries, joint ventures 
and  associates.  These  items  principally  relate  to  mergers  and 
acquisition activity which we view as strategic in nature, hence they 
are excluded from the operating profit APM as this is principally used 
to  manage  the  performance  of  our  operating  segments  when 
reporting  to  the  Group’s  chief  operating  decision  maker.  For  2019, 
the  Group  adjusted  operating  profit  APM  has  been  amended  and 
now  excludes  only  the  amortisation  and  impairment  of  intangible 
assets acquired in business combinations. Group adjusted operating 
profit  now  includes  amortisation  and  impairment  of  internally 
generated intangible assets to provide more relevant information by 
better  reflecting  their  operational  nature.  These  assets  include 
advisor platforms, digital distribution channels and claims and policy 
administration  systems  which  are  used  to  support  operational 
activities. The 2018 comparative figures have been restated (see note 
1(b)).  

In addition, integration and restructuring costs are now included in 
Group  adjusted  operating  profit.  There  is  no  impact  on  2018 
comparative figures. 

Group adjusted operating profit also excludes other items, which are 
those items that, in the Directors’ view, are required to be separately 
disclosed  by  virtue  of  their  nature  or  incidence  to  enable  a  full 
understanding of the Group’s financial performance. Details of these 
items, including an explanation of the rationale for their exclusion, 
are provided in the Alternative Performance Measures section within 
‘Other information’.  

The  Group  adjusted  operating  profit  APM  should  be  viewed  as 
complementary to IFRS GAAP measures. It is important to consider 
Group  adjusted  operating  profit  and  profit  before  tax  together  to 
understand the performance of the business in the period.  

(C) Critical accounting policies and the use of 
estimates 
Critical accounting policies 
The preparation of financial statements requires the Group to select 
accounting policies and make estimates and assumptions that affect 
items reported in the consolidated income statement, consolidated 
statement of financial position, other primary statements and notes 
to the consolidated financial statements.  

The Audit Committee reviews the reasonableness of judgements and 
assumptions  applied  and  the  appropriateness  of  significant 
accounting  policies.  The  significant  issues  considered  by  the 
Committee  in  the  year  are  included  within  the  Audit  Committee 
Report on page 72. 

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Governance 

IFRS financial statements 

Other information 

Accounting policies 

Continued  

The  following  accounting  policies  are  those  that  have  the  most 
significant  impact  on  the  amounts  recognised  in  the  financial 
statements,  with 
involving  estimation 
summarised thereafter. 

judgements 

those 

Item 

Critical accounting judgement 

Accounting policy 

Consolidation 

Insurance and 
participating 
investment 
contract  
liabilities 

Financial 
investments 

Assessment of whether the Group controls 
the underlying entities including 
consideration of its decision making 
authority and rights to the variable returns 
from the entity.  
As part of this assessment Aviva applies a 
corridor approach to consolidation 
thresholds, where the Group’s percentage 
ownership in certain investment vehicles 
fluctuates daily. 

Assessment of the significance of 
insurance risk transferred to the Group in 
determining whether a contract should be 
accounted for as insurance or investment 
contract. 
Insurance contracts are defined as those 
containing significant insurance risk if, and 
only if, an insured event could cause an 
insurer to make significant additional 
payments in any scenario, excluding 
scenarios that lack commercial substance, 
at the inception of the contract. 

Classification of investments including the 
application of the fair value option. 
The Group classifies its investments as 
either FVTPL or AFS. The classification 
depends on the purpose for which the 
investments were acquired and is 
determined by local management at initial 
recognition. 

D 

G 

T 

All estimates are based on management’s knowledge of current facts 
and circumstances, assumptions based on that knowledge and their 
predictions  of  future  events  and  actions.  Actual  results  may  differ 
from those estimates, possibly significantly. 

The  table  below  sets  out  those  items  considered  particularly 
susceptible  to  changes  in  estimates  and  assumptions,  that  have  a 
significant risk of resulting in a material adjustment to the carrying 
amounts of assets and liabilities within the next financial year, and 
the relevant accounting policy and note disclosures. 

Item 

Critical accounting estimates 

Accounting 
policy 

Note 

investment 
property 

Valuation of two 
specific UK Life 
provisions  

include broker quotes and models 
using both observable and 
unobservable market inputs. The 
valuation techniques involve 
judgement with regard to the 
valuation models used and the inputs 
to these models can lead to a range 
of plausible valuations for financial 
investments.  

UK Life hold provisions relating to 
two historical product governance 
issues. The amount of the provision is 
determined based on the Group’s 
estimation of the expenditure 
required to settle the obligation at 
the statement of financial position 
date. The valuation of the provisions 
involves a high degree of judgement 
and estimation uncertainty due to 
either the time that has elapsed since 
the customer contracts were 
incepted or due to the dependence 
on decisions made by customers. 

AA 

51(b) 

During  the  year  management  reassessed  the  critical  estimates 
previously  provided  and,  based  on  their  assessment  of  qualitative 
and  quantitative  risk  factors,  resolved  that  amortisation  and 
impairment of acquired value of in-force business (AVIF) and deferred 
acquisition  costs  (DAC)  were  no  longer  critical  estimates  in  the 
context of the Group results. 

(D) Consolidation principles 
Subsidiaries 
Subsidiaries are those entities over which the Group has control. The 
Group  controls  an  investee,  if  and  only  if,  the  Group  has  all  of  the 
following: 
•  power over the investee, 
•  exposure, or rights, to variable returns from its involvement with 

the investee, and 

•  the ability to use its power over the investee to affect its returns. 

The  Group  considers  all  relevant  facts  and  circumstances  in 
assessing  whether  it  has  power  over  an  investee,  including:  the 
purpose  and  design  of  an  investee,  relevant  activities,  substantive 
and protective rights, and voting rights and potential voting rights.  

Accounting 
policy 

L 

Note 

44(a)  

The Group reassesses whether or not it controls an investee if facts 
and circumstances indicate that there are changes to one or more of 
the three elements of control. 

Item 

Critical accounting estimates 

Measurement of 
insurance and 
participating 
investment 
contract 
liabilities 

Principal assumptions used in the 
calculation of life insurance and 
participating investment contract 
liabilities include those in respect of 
annuitant mortality, expenses, 
valuation interest rates and credit 
default allowances on corporate 
bonds and other non-sovereign credit 
assets.  
Principal assumptions used in the 
calculation of general insurance and 
health liabilities include the discount 
rates used in determining our latent 
claim and structured settlements 
liabilities, and the assumption that 
past claims experience can be used 
as a basis to project future claims 
(estimated using a range of standard 
actuarial claims projection 
techniques). 

44(b) 

Investment vehicles 
In  several  countries,  the  Group  has  invested  in  a  number  of 
specialised  investment  vehicles  such  as  Open-ended  Investment 
Companies (OEICs) and unit trusts. These invest mainly in equities, 
bonds,  cash  and  cash  equivalents,  and  properties,  and  distribute 
most  of  their  income.  In  determining  whether  the  Group  controls 
such vehicles, primary considerations include whether the Group is 
acting  as  a  principal  or  an  agent  (including  an  assessment  of  the 
substantive removal rights of third parties) and the variability in the 
returns associated with the Group’s aggregate economic interest in 
the fund (direct interest and expected management fees) relative to 
the total variability of returns. 

Additionally, the Group’s percentage ownership in these vehicles can 
fluctuate on a daily basis according to the level of participation of the 
Group and third-parties. To avoid transitory or minor changes in fund 
holdings (which do not reflect the wider facts and circumstances of 
the  Group’s  involvement)  resulting  in  binary  changes  in  the 
consolidation conclusions, the Group takes into account the trend of 

Fair value of 
financial 
instruments and 

Where quoted market prices are not 
available, valuation techniques are 
used to value financial instruments 
and investment property. These 

F,T,U 

24(g) 

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IFRS financial statements 

Other information 

Accounting policies 

Continued  

ownership over a period of time. This is performed in line with the 
following principles: 
•  Where the entity is managed by a Group asset manager, and the 
Group’s ownership holding in the entity exceeds 40 per cent, the 
Group is judged to have control over the entity; 

•  Where the entity is managed by a Group asset manager, and the 
Group’s ownership holding in the entity is between 30 per cent and 
40  per  cent,  the  facts  and  circumstances  of  the  Group’s 
involvement in the entity are considered, in forming a judgement 
as to whether the Group has control over the entity. Considerations 
include the rights held by other parties, the Group’s rights to fees 
from  the  entity,  the  variability  in  the  returns  associated  with  the 
Group’s aggregate economic interest in the fund and the nature of 
the  Group’s  exposure  to  variability  compared  with  that  of  other 
investors; 

•  Where the entity is managed by a Group asset manager, and the 
Group’s ownership holding in the entity is less than 30 per cent, the 
Group is judged to not have control over the entity. 

Where  the  Group  is  deemed  to  control  such  vehicles,  they  are 
consolidated,  with  the  interests  of  parties  other  than  Aviva  being 
classified as liabilities. These appear as ‘Net asset value attributable 
to unitholders’ in the consolidated statement of financial position.  

Where  the  Group  does  not  control  such  vehicles,  and  these 
investments are held by its insurance or investment funds, they are 
carried at fair value through profit or loss within financial investments 
in  the  consolidated  statement  of  financial  position,  in  accordance 
with IAS 39 Financial Instruments: Recognition and Measurement. 

As part of their investment strategy, long-term business policyholder 
funds  have  invested  in  a  number  of  property  limited  partnerships 
(PLPs), either directly or via property unit trusts (PUTs), through a mix 
of  capital  and  loans.  The  PLPs  are  managed  by  general  partners 
(GPs), in which the long-term business shareholder companies hold 
equity stakes and which themselves hold nominal stakes in the PLPs. 
The PUTs are managed by a Group subsidiary. 

Accounting  for  the  PUTs  and  PLPs  as  subsidiaries,  joint  ventures, 
associates  or  other  financial  investments  depends  on  whether  the 
Group is deemed to have control or joint control over the PUTs and 
PLPs’  shareholdings  in  the  GPs  and  the  terms  of  each  partnership 
agreement are considered along with other factors that determine 
control,  as  outlined  above.  Where  the  Group  exerts  control  over  a 
PUT or a PLP, it has been treated as a subsidiary and its results, assets 
and  liabilities  have  been  consolidated.  Where  the  partnership  is 
managed by an agreement such that there is joint control between 
the  parties,  notwithstanding  that  the  Group’s  partnership  share  in 
the PLP (including its indirect stake via the relevant PUT and GP) may 
be  lower  or  higher  than  50%,  such  PUTs  and  PLPs  have  been 
classified  as  joint  ventures  (see  below).  Where  the  Group  has 
significant influence over the PUT or PLP, as defined in the following 
section, the PUT or PLP is classified as an associate. Where the Group 
holds non-controlling interests in PLPs, with no significant influence 
or  control  over  their  associated  GPs,  the  relevant  investments  are 
carried  at  fair  value  through  profit  or 
loss  within  financial 
investments. 

Consolidation procedure 
Subsidiaries  are  consolidated  from  the  date  the  Group  obtains 
control and are excluded from consolidation from the date the Group 
loses  control.  All 
transactions,  balances  and 
unrealised  surpluses  and  deficits  on  transactions  between  Group 
companies have been eliminated. Accounting policies of subsidiaries 
are aligned on acquisition to ensure consistency with Group policies.  

intercompany 

The Group is required to use the acquisition method of accounting 
for business combinations. Under this method, the Group recognises 
identifiable assets, liabilities and contingent liabilities at fair value, 
and any non-controlling interest in the acquiree. For each business 

combination,  the  Group  has  the  option  to  measure  the  non-
controlling  interest  in  the  acquiree  either  at  fair  value  or  at  the 
proportionate  share  of  the  acquiree’s  identifiable  net  assets.  The 
excess of the consideration transferred over the fair value of the net 
assets  of  the  subsidiary  acquired  is  recorded  as  goodwill  (see 
accounting policy O below). Acquisition-related costs are expensed 
as incurred.  

Transactions with non-controlling interests that lead to changes in 
the ownership interests in a subsidiary but do not result in a loss of 
control are treated as equity transactions.  

Merger accounting and the merger reserve 
Prior to 1 January 2004, the date of first time adoption of IFRS, certain 
significant  business  combinations  were  accounted  for  using  the 
‘pooling  of  interests  method’  (or  merger  accounting),  which  treats 
the  merged  groups  as  if  they  had  been  combined  throughout  the 
current  and  comparative  accounting  periods.  Merger  accounting 
principles for these combinations gave rise to a merger reserve in the 
consolidated  statement  of  financial  position,  being  the  difference 
between  the  nominal  value  of  new  shares  issued  by  the  Parent 
Company for the acquisition of the shares of the subsidiary and the 
subsidiary’s  own  share  capital  and  share  premium  account.  These 
transactions  have  not  been  restated,  as  permitted  by  the  IFRS  1 
transitional arrangements.  

The merger reserve is also used where more than 90% of the shares 
in a subsidiary are acquired and the consideration includes the issue 
of  new  shares  by  the  Company,  thereby  attracting  merger  relief 
under  the  Companies  Act  1985  and,  from  1  October  2009,  the 
Companies Act 2006. 

Associates and joint ventures  
Associates  are  entities  over  which  the  Group  has  significant 
influence.  Significant  influence  is  the  power  to  participate  in  the 
financial  and  operating  policy  decisions  of  the  investee,  but  is  not 
control or joint control. Generally, it is presumed that the Group has 
significant influence if it has between 20% and 50% of voting rights. 
Joint ventures are joint arrangements whereby the Group and other 
parties that have joint control of the arrangement have rights to the 
net  assets  of  the  joint  venture.  Joint  control  is  the  contractually 
agreed sharing of control of an arrangement, which exists only when 
decisions about the relevant activities require unanimous consent of 
the parties sharing control. In a number of these, the Group’s share 
of  the  underlying  assets  and  liabilities  may  be  greater  or  less  than 
50%  but  the  terms  of  the  relevant  agreements  make  it  clear  that 
control is not exercised. Such jointly controlled entities are referred 
to as joint ventures in these financial statements. 

Gains on transactions between the Group and its associates and joint 
ventures are eliminated to the extent of the Group’s interest in the 
associates and joint ventures. Losses are also eliminated, unless the 
transaction  provides  evidence  of  an  impairment  of  the  asset 
transferred between entities. 

Other than investments in investment vehicles which are carried at 
fair value through profit or loss, investments in associates and joint 
ventures are accounted for using the equity method of accounting. 
Under this method, the cost of the investment in a given associate or 
joint venture, together with the Group’s share of that entity’s post-
acquisition changes to shareholders’ funds, is included as an asset in 
the  consolidated  statement  of  financial  position.  As  explained  in 
accounting  policy  O,  the  cost  includes  goodwill  recognised  on 
acquisition.  The  Group’s  share  of  their  post-acquisition  profit  or 
losses is recognised in the income statement and its share of post-
acquisition movements in reserves is recognised in reserves. Equity 
accounting is discontinued when the Group no longer has significant 
influence or joint control over the investment. 

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If the Group’s share of losses in an associate or joint venture equals 
or  exceeds  its  interest  in  the  undertaking,  the  Group  does  not 
recognise further losses unless it has incurred obligations or made 
payments on behalf of the entity. 

The Company’s investments 
In  the  Company’s  statement  of  financial  position,  subsidiaries, 
associates  and  joint  ventures  are  stated  at  cost  less  impairment. 
Investments are reviewed annually to test whether any indicators of 
impairment exist. Where there is objective evidence of such an asset 
being impaired the investment is impaired to its recoverable value 
and any unrealised loss is recorded in the income statement. 

(E) Foreign currency translation 
Income statements and cash flows of foreign entities are translated 
into the Group’s presentation currency at average exchange rates for 
the year while their statements of financial position are translated at 
the year-end exchange rates. Exchange differences arising from the 
translation of the net investment in foreign subsidiaries, associates 
joint  ventures,  and  of  borrowings  and  other  currency 
and 
instruments  designated  as  hedges  of  such 
investments,  are 
recognised  in  other  comprehensive  income  and  taken  to  the 
currency translation reserve within equity. On disposal of a foreign 
entity, such exchange differences are transferred out of this reserve 
and are recognised in the income statement as part of the gain or 
loss on sale. The cumulative translation differences were deemed to 
be zero at the transition date to IFRS. 

Foreign  currency  transactions  are  accounted  for  at  the  exchange 
rates  prevailing  at  the  date  of  the  transactions.  Gains  and  losses 
resulting  from  the  settlement  of  such  transactions,  and  from  the 
translation of monetary assets and liabilities denominated in foreign 
currencies, are recognised in the income statement. 

Translation  differences  on  debt  securities  and  other  monetary 
financial assets measured at fair value and designated as held at fair 
value  through  profit  or  loss  (FVTPL)  (see  accounting  policy  T)  are 
included  in  foreign  exchange  gains  and  losses  in  the  income 
statement. For monetary financial assets designated as available for 
sale  (AFS),  translation  differences  are  calculated  as  if  they  were 
carried  at  amortised  cost  and  so  are  recognised  in  the  income 
statement, while foreign exchange differences arising from fair value 
gains and losses are recognised in other comprehensive income and 
investment  valuation  reserve  within  equity. 
included 
Translation  differences  on  non-monetary  items,  such  as  equities 
which are designated as FVTPL, are reported as part of the fair value 
gain or loss, whereas such differences on AFS equities are included 
in the investment valuation reserve. 

in  the 

(F) Fair value measurement 
Fair value is the price that would be received to sell an asset or paid 
to  transfer  a  liability  in  an  orderly  transaction  between  market 
participants  at  the  measurement  date,  regardless  of  whether  that 
price  is  directly  observable  or  estimated  using  another  valuation 
technique.  This  presumes  that  the  transaction  takes  place  in  the 
principal  (or  most  advantageous)  market  under  current  market 
conditions. Fair value is a market-based measure and in the absence 
of observable market prices in an active market, it is measured using 
the  assumptions  that  market  participants  would  use  when  pricing 
the asset or liability. 

The  fair  value  of  a  non-financial  asset  is  determined  based  on  its 
highest and best use from a market participant’s perspective. When 
using  this  approach,  the  Group  takes  into  account  the  asset’s  use 
that  is  physically  possible,  legally  permissible  and  financially 
feasible. 

The best evidence of the fair value of a financial instrument at initial 
recognition is normally the transaction price i.e. the fair value of the 

in 

instrument 

transactions 

consideration  given  or  received.  In  certain  circumstances,  the  fair 
value at initial recognition may differ from the transaction price. If the 
fair value is evidenced by comparison with other observable current 
market 
(i.e.  without 
the  same 
modification or repackaging), or is based on a valuation technique 
whose variables include only data from observable markets, then the 
difference  between  the  fair  value  at  initial  recognition  and  the 
transaction  price  is  recognised  as  a  gain  or  loss  in  the  income 
statement. When unobservable market data has a significant impact 
on the valuation of financial instruments, the difference between the 
fair  value  at  initial  recognition  and  the  transaction  price  is  not 
recognised immediately in the income statement, but deferred and 
recognised in the income statement on an appropriate basis over the 
life  of  the  instrument  but  no  later  than  when  the  valuation  is 
supported  wholly  by  observable  market  data  or  the  transaction  is 
closed out or otherwise matured. 

If an asset or a liability measured at fair value has a bid price and an 
ask  price,  the  price  within  the  bid-ask  spread  that  is  most 
representative of fair value in the circumstances is used to measure 
fair value. 

(G) Product classification 
Insurance  contracts  are  defined  as  those  containing  significant 
insurance risk if, and only if, an insured event could cause an insurer 
to make significant additional payments in any scenario, excluding 
scenarios  that  lack  commercial  substance,  at  the  inception  of  the 
contract. Such contracts remain insurance contracts until all rights 
and  obligations  are  extinguished  or  expire.  Contracts  can  be 
reclassified  as  insurance  contracts  after  inception  if  insurance  risk 
becomes significant. Any contracts not considered to be insurance 
contracts  under  IFRS  are  classified  as  investment  contracts.  Some 
insurance  and 
investment  contracts  contain  a  discretionary 
participation  feature,  which  is  a  contractual  right  to  receive 
additional benefits as a supplement to guaranteed benefits. These 
are referred to as participating contracts. 

in  accounting  policy  A, 

As  noted 
insurance  contracts  and 
participating  investment  contracts  in  general  continue  to  be 
measured and accounted for under existing accounting practices at 
the later of the date of transition to IFRS (‘grandfathered’) or the date 
of  the  acquisition  of  the  entity,  in  accordance  with  IFRS  4.  IFRS 
accounting 
in  UK  companies  was 
grandfathered  at  the  date  of  transition  to  IFRS  and  determined  in 
accordance with the Statement of Recommended Practice issued by 
the  Association  of  British  Insurers  (subsequently  withdrawn  by  the 
ABI in 2015). 

insurance  contracts 

for 

In  certain  businesses,  the  accounting  policies  or  accounting 
estimates  have  been  changed,  as  permitted  by  IFRS  4  and  IAS  8 
respectively, to remeasure designated insurance liabilities to reflect 
current  market  interest  rates  and  changes  to  regulatory  capital 
requirements.  When  accounting  policies  or  accounting  estimates 
have  been  changed,  and  adjustments  to  the  measurement  basis 
have  occurred,  the  financial  statements  of  that  year  will  have 
disclosed  the  impacts  accordingly.  One  such  example  is  our 
adoption of Financial Reporting Standard 27 Life Assurance (FRS 27) 
which was issued by the UK’s Accounting Standards Board (ASB) in 
December 2004 (subsequently withdrawn by the ASB in 2015). 

(H) Premiums earned 
Premiums  on  long-term  insurance  contracts  and  participating 
investment  contracts  are  recognised  as  income  when  receivable, 
except  for  investment-linked  premiums  which  are  accounted  for 
when  the  corresponding  liabilities  are  recognised.  For  single 
premium business, this is the date from which the policy is effective. 
For  regular  premium  contracts,  receivables  are  recognised  at  the 
date when payments are due. Premiums are shown before deduction 
of  commission  and  before  any  sales-based  taxes  or  duties.  Where 

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policies lapse due to non-receipt of premiums, then all the related 
premium  income  accrued  but  not  received  from  the  date  they  are 
deemed to have lapsed is offset against premiums. 

recognised on an accruals basis, and is recognised on a straight line 
basis unless there is compelling evidence that benefits do not accrue 
evenly over the period of the lease. 

General  insurance  and  health  premiums  written  reflect  business 
incepted  during  the  year,  and  exclude  any  sales-based  taxes  or 
duties. Unearned premiums are those proportions of the premiums 
written in a year that relate to periods of risk after the statement of 
financial position date. Unearned premiums are calculated on either 
a  daily  or  monthly  pro  rata  basis.  Premiums  collected  by 
intermediaries,  but  not  yet  received,  are  assessed  based  on 
estimates from underwriting or past experience, and are included in 
premiums written. 

Deposits  collected  under 
investment  contracts  without  a 
discretionary participation feature (non-participating contracts) are 
not accounted for through the income statement, except for the fee 
income (covered in accounting policy I) and the investment income 
attributable  to  those  contracts,  but  are  accounted  for  directly 
through the statement of financial position as an adjustment to the 
investment contract liability.  

(I) Other investment contract fee revenue 
Investment  contract  policyholders  are  charged  fees  for  policy 
investment  management,  surrenders  or  other 
administration, 
contract services. The fees may be for fixed amounts or vary with the 
amounts  being  managed,  and  will  generally  be  charged  as  an 
adjustment to the policyholder’s balance. Fees related to investment 
management  services  are  recognised  as  revenue  over  time,  as 
performance obligations are satisfied. In most cases this revenue is 
recognised in the same period in which the fees are charged to the 
policyholder. Fees that are related to services to be provided in future 
periods  are  deferred  and  recognised  when  the  performance 
obligation  is  fulfilled.  Variable  consideration,  such  as  performance 
fees  and  commission  subject  to  clawback  arrangements,  is  not 
recognised as revenue until it is reasonably certain that no significant 
reversal of amounts recognised would occur. 

Initiation and other ‘front-end’ fees (fees that are assessed against 
the  policyholder  balance  as  consideration  for  origination  of  the 
contract)  are  charged  on  some  non-participating  investment  and 
investment  fund  management  contracts.  Where  the  investment 
contract is recorded at amortised cost, these fees are deferred and 
recognised over the expected term of the policy by an adjustment to 
the effective yield. Where the investment contract is measured at fair 
value, the front-end fees that relate to the provision of investment 
management  services  are  deferred  and  recognised  as  the  services 
are provided. Origination fees are recognised immediately where the 
sale of fund interests represent a separate performance obligation. 

(J) Other fee and commission income 
Other  fee  and  commission  income  consists  primarily  of  fund 
management fees, distribution fees from mutual funds, commissions 
on reinsurance ceded, commission revenue from the sale of mutual 
fund shares and transfer agent fees for shareholder record keeping. 
Reinsurance commissions receivable are deferred in the same way 
as acquisition costs, as described in accounting policy X. All other fee 
and commission income is recognised over time as the services are 
provided. 

income  consists  of  dividends, 

(K) Net investment income 
Investment 
interest  and  rents 
receivable  for  the  year,  movements  in  amortised  cost  on  debt 
securities, realised gains and losses, and unrealised gains and losses 
on FVTPL investments (as defined in accounting policy T). Dividends 
on equity securities are recorded as revenue on the ex-dividend date. 
Interest income is recognised as it accrues, taking into account the 
effective  yield  on  the  investment.  It  includes  the  interest  rate 
differential on forward foreign exchange contracts. Rental income is 

A gain or loss on a financial investment is only realised on disposal or 
transfer, and is the difference between the proceeds received, net of 
transaction  costs,  and  its  original  cost  or  amortised  cost,  as 
appropriate. 

Unrealised gains and losses, arising on investments which have not 
been derecognised as a result of disposal or transfer, represent the 
difference  between  the  carrying  value  at  the  year  end  and  the 
carrying value at the previous year end or purchase value during the 
year, less the reversal of previously recognised unrealised gains and 
losses in respect of disposals made during the year. Realised gains or 
losses on investment property represent the difference between the 
net disposal proceeds and the carrying amount of the property. 

(L) Insurance and participating investment contract 
liabilities 
Claims 
Long-term business claims reflect the cost of all claims arising during 
the  year,  including  claims  handling  costs,  as  well  as  policyholder 
bonuses accrued in anticipation of bonus declarations. 

General  insurance  and  health  claims  incurred  include  all  losses 
occurring during the year, whether reported or not, related handling 
costs, a reduction for the value of salvage and other recoveries, and 
any adjustments to claims outstanding from previous years. 

Claims handling costs include internal and external costs incurred in 
connection with the negotiation and settlement of claims. Internal 
costs include all direct expenses of the claims department and any 
part of the general administrative costs directly attributable to the 
claims function. 

Long-term business provisions 
Under  current  IFRS  requirements,  insurance  and  participating 
investment  contract  liabilities  are  measured  using  accounting 
policies  consistent  with  those  adopted  previously  under  existing 
accounting practices, with the exception of liabilities remeasured to 
reflect current market interest rates to be consistent with the value 
of the backing assets, and those relating to UK with-profits and non-
profit contracts. 

The long-term business provisions are calculated separately for each 
life  operation,  based  either  on  local  regulatory  requirements  or 
existing local GAAP (at the later of the date of transition to IFRS or the 
date  of  the  acquisition  of  the  entity);  and  actuarial  principles 
consistent with those applied in each local market. Each calculation 
represents  a  determination  within  a  range  of  possible  outcomes, 
where  the  assumptions  used  in  the  calculations  depend  on  the 
circumstances  prevailing  in  each  life  operation.  The  principal 
assumptions  are  disclosed  in  note  43(a).  For  the  UK  with-profits 
funds,  FRS  27  required  liabilities  to  be  calculated  on  the  realistic 
basis adjusted to remove the shareholders’ share of future bonuses. 
FRS 27 was grandfathered from UK regulatory requirements prior to 
the adoption of Solvency II. For UK non-profit insurance contracts, 
the  liabilities  are  calculated  using  the  gross  premium  valuation 
method.  This  method  uses  the  amount  of  contractual  premiums 
payable and includes explicit assumptions for interest and discount 
rates,  mortality  and  morbidity,  persistency  and  future  expenses. 
These  assumptions  are  set  on  a  prudent  basis  and  can  vary  by 
contract  type  and  reflect  current  and  expected  future  experience. 
These estimates depend upon the outcome of future events and may 
need to be revised as circumstances change. The liabilities are based 
on the UK regulatory requirements prior to the adoption of Solvency 
II,  adjusted  to  remove  certain  regulatory  reserves  and  margins  in 
assumptions, notably for annuity business. 

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long-term 

Unallocated divisible surplus 
In  certain  participating 
investment 
business, the nature of the policy benefits is such that the division 
between  shareholder  reserves  and  policyholder 
is 
uncertain.  Amounts  whose  allocation  to  either  policyholders  or 
shareholders  has  not  been  determined  by  the  end  of  the  financial 
year are held within liabilities as an unallocated divisible surplus. 

insurance  and 

liabilities 

If  the  aggregate  carrying  value  of 
liabilities  for  a  particular 
participating  business  fund  is  in  excess  of  the  aggregate  carrying 
value  of  its  assets,  then  the  difference  is  held  as  a  negative 
unallocated divisible surplus balance, subject to recoverability from 
margins  in  that  fund’s  participating  business.  Any  excess  of  this 
difference over the recoverable amount is charged to net income in 
the reporting period. 

Embedded derivatives  
Embedded  derivatives  that  meet  the  definition  of  an  insurance 
contract or correspond to options to surrender insurance contracts 
for a set amount (or based on a fixed amount and an interest rate) 
are  not  separately  measured.  All  other  embedded  derivatives  are 
separated  and  measured  at  fair  value  if  they  are  not  considered 
closely  related  to  the  host  insurance  contract  or  do  not  meet  the 
definition of an insurance contract. Fair value reflects own credit risk 
to the extent the embedded derivative is not fully collateralised.  

Liability adequacy 
At  each  reporting  date,  an  assessment  is  made  of  whether  the 
recognised  long-term  business  provisions  are  adequate,  using 
current estimates of future cash flows. If that assessment shows that 
the  carrying  amount  of  the  liabilities  (less  related  assets)  is 
insufficient in light of the estimated future cash flows, the deficiency 
is  recognised  in  the  income  statement  by  setting  up  an  additional 
provision in the statement of financial position. 

General insurance and health provisions 
Outstanding claims provisions 
General  insurance  and  health  outstanding  claims  provisions  are 
based on the estimated ultimate cost of all claims incurred but not 
settled at the statement of financial position date, whether reported 
or not, together with related claims handling costs. Significant delays 
are experienced in the notification and settlement of certain types of 
general insurance claims, particularly in respect of liability business, 
including environmental and pollution exposures, the ultimate cost 
of which cannot be known with certainty at the statement of financial 
position date. As such, booked claim provisions for general insurance 
and health insurance are based on the best estimate of the cost of 
future  claim  payments  plus  an  explicit  allowance  for  risk  and 
uncertainty. Any estimate represents a determination within a range 
of possible outcomes. Further details of estimation techniques are 
given in note 43(b). 

Provisions for latent claims and claims that are settled on an annuity 
type  basis  such  as  structured  settlements  are  discounted,  in  the 
relevant  currency  at  the  reporting  date,  having  regard  to  the 
expected  settlement  dates  of  the  claims  and  the  nature  of  the 
liabilities.  The  discount  rate  is  set  at  the  start  of  the  accounting 
period  with  any  change  in  rates  between  the  start  and  end  of  the 
accounting  period  being  reflected  below  operating  profit  as  an 
economic assumption change. The range of discount rates used is 
described in note 43(b). Outstanding claims provisions are valued net 
of  an  allowance  for  expected  future  recoveries. Recoveries  include 
non-insurance assets that have been acquired by exercising rights to 
salvage  and  subrogation  under  the  terms  of  insurance  contracts. 
Where  material,  anticipated  recoveries  are  disclosed  under 
receivables and not deducted from outstanding claims provisions. 

Provision for unearned premiums  
The proportion of written premiums, gross of commission payable to 
intermediaries, attributable to subsequent periods is deferred as a 
provision  for  unearned  premiums.  The  change  in  this  provision  is 
taken  to  the  income  statement  as  recognition  of  revenue  over  the 
period of risk. 

Liability adequacy  
At  each  reporting  date,  the  Group  reviews  its  unexpired  risks  and 
carries out a liability adequacy test for any overall excess of expected 
claims  and  deferred  acquisition  costs  over  unearned  premiums, 
using the current estimates of future cash flows under its contracts 
after taking account of the investment return expected to arise on 
assets relating to the relevant general business provisions. If these 
estimates show that the carrying amount of its insurance liabilities 
(less related deferred acquisition costs) is insufficient in light of the 
estimated  future  cash  flows,  the  deficiency  is  recognised  in  the 
income  statement  by  setting  up  a  provision  in  the  statement  of 
financial position. 

is  subject  to  various  periodic 

Other assessments and levies 
The  Group 
insurance-related 
assessments  or  guarantee  fund  levies.  Related  provisions  are 
established where there is a present obligation (legal or constructive) 
as  a  result  of  a  past  event.  Such  amounts  are  not  included  in 
insurance  liabilities  but  are  included  under  ‘Pension  deficits  and 
other provisions’ in the statement of financial position. 

(M) Non-participating investment contract liabilities 
Claims 
For non-participating investment contracts with an account balance, 
claims reflect the excess of amounts paid over the account balance 
released. 

Contract liabilities 
Deposits collected under non-participating investment contracts are 
not  accounted  for  through  the  income  statement,  except  for  the 
investment 
income  attributable  to  those  contracts,  but  are 
accounted for directly through the statement of financial position as 
an adjustment to the investment contract liability. 

The majority of the Group’s contracts classified as non-participating 
investment contracts are unit-linked contracts and are measured at 
for  non-linked  non-participating 
fair  value.  Certain 
contracts are measured at amortised cost. 

liabilities 

The liability’s fair value is determined using a valuation technique to 
provide a reliable estimate of the amount for which the liability could 
be transferred in an orderly transaction between market participants 
at  the  measurement  date,  subject  to  a  minimum  equal  to  the 
surrender  value.  For  unit-linked  contracts,  the  fair  value  liability  is 
equal to the current unit fund value, including any unfunded units. In 
addition,  if  required,  non-unit  reserves  are  held  based  on  a 
discounted  cash  flow  analysis.  For  non-linked  contracts,  the  fair 
value  liability  is  based  on  a  discounted  cash  flow  analysis,  with 
allowance for risk calibrated to match the market price for risk. 

Amortised  cost  is  calculated  as  the  fair  value  of  consideration 
received  at  the  date  of  initial  recognition,  less  the  net  effect  of 
payments such as transaction costs and front-end fees, plus or minus 
the  cumulative  amortisation  (using  the  effective  interest  rate 
method)  of  any  difference  between  that  initial  amount  and  the 
maturity value, and less any write-down for surrender payments. The 
effective  interest  rate  is  the  one  that  equates  the  discounted  cash 
payments  to  the  initial  amount.  At  each  reporting  date,  the 
amortised  cost  liability  is  determined  as  the  value  of  future  best 
estimate cash flows discounted at the effective interest rate. 

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(N) Reinsurance 
The Group assumes and cedes reinsurance in the normal course of 
business, with retention limits varying by line of business. Premiums 
on  reinsurance  assumed  are  recognised  as  revenue  in  the  same 
manner as they would be if the reinsurance were considered direct 
business,  taking  into  account  the  product  classification  of  the 
reinsured business. The cost of reinsurance related to long-duration 
contracts is accounted for over the life of the underlying reinsured 
policies, using assumptions consistent with those used to account 
for these policies. 

Where  general 
liabilities  are  discounted,  any 
corresponding  reinsurance  assets  are  also  discounted  using 
consistent assumptions. 

insurance 

Gains or losses on buying retroactive reinsurance are recognised in 
the income statement immediately at the date of purchase and are 
not  amortised.  Premiums  ceded  and  claims  reimbursed  are 
presented  on  a  gross  basis  in  the  consolidated  income  statement 
and statement of financial position as appropriate. 

Reinsurance  assets  primarily  include  balances  due  from  both 
insurance  and  reinsurance  companies  for  ceded  insurance  and 
investment contract liabilities. This includes balances in respect of 
investment contracts which are legally reinsurance contracts but do 
not  meet  the  definition  of  a  reinsurance  contract  under  IFRS. 
Amounts  recoverable  from  reinsurers  are  estimated  in  a  manner 
consistent  with  the  underlying  contract  liabilities,  outstanding 
claims  provisions  or  settled  claims  associated  with  the  reinsured 
policies and in accordance with the relevant reinsurance contract. 

Reinsurance  of  non-participating 
investment  contracts  and 
reinsurance  contracts  that  principally  transfer  financial  risk  are 
accounted for directly through the statement of financial position. A 
deposit asset or liability is recognised, based on the consideration 
paid or received less any explicitly identified premiums or fees to be 
retained  by  the  reinsured.  These  deposit  assets  or  liabilities  are 
shown  within  reinsurance  assets  in  the  consolidated  statement  of 
financial position. 

If  a  reinsurance  asset  is  impaired,  the  Group  reduces  the  carrying 
amount  accordingly  and  recognises  that  impairment  loss  in  the 
income  statement.  A  reinsurance  asset  is  impaired  if  there  is 
objective evidence, as a result of an event that occurred after initial 
recognition of the reinsurance asset, that the Group may not receive 
all amounts due to it under the terms of the contract, and the event 
has a reliably measurable impact on the amounts that the Group will 
receive from the reinsurer. 

(O) Goodwill, AVIF and intangible assets 
Goodwill 
Goodwill represents the excess of the cost of an acquisition over the 
fair  value  of  the  Group’s  share  of  the  net  assets  of  the  acquired 
subsidiary,  associate  or  joint  venture  at  the  date  of  acquisition. 
Goodwill arising on the Group’s investments in subsidiaries is shown 
as  a  separate  asset,  while  that  on  associates  and  joint  ventures  is 
included within the carrying value of those investments. 

Goodwill  on  acquisitions  prior  to  1  January  2004  (the  date  of 
transition  to  IFRS)  is  carried  at  its  book  value  (original  cost  less 
cumulative  amortisation)  on  that  date, 
impairment 
subsequently incurred. Goodwill arising before 1 January 1998 was 
eliminated against reserves and has not been reinstated. 

less  any 

Where negative goodwill arises on an acquisition, this is recognised 
immediately in the consolidated income statement. 

Acquired value of in-force business (AVIF) 
The  present  value  of  future  profits  on  a  portfolio  of  long-term 
insurance  and  investment  contracts,  acquired  either  directly  or 
through the purchase of a subsidiary, is recognised as an asset.  

If  the  AVIF  results  from  the  acquisition  of  an  investment  in  a  joint 
venture or an associate, it is held within the carrying amount of that 
investment. In all cases, the AVIF is amortised over the useful lifetime 
of the related contracts in the portfolio on a systematic basis. The 
rate  of  amortisation  is  chosen  by  considering  the  profile  of  the 
additional  value  of  in-force  business  acquired  and  the  expected 
depletion in its value. 

Non-participating investment contract AVIF is reviewed for evidence 
of impairment, consistent with reviews conducted for other finite life 
intangible  assets.  Insurance  and  participating  investment  contract 
AVIF is reviewed for impairment at each reporting date as part of the 
liability adequacy requirements of IFRS 4 (see accounting policy L). 
AVIF is reviewed for evidence of impairment and impairment tested 
at product portfolio level by reference to a projection of future profits 
arising from the portfolio.  

Intangible assets 
Intangible assets consist primarily of contractual relationships such 
as access to distribution networks, customer lists and software. The 
economic  lives  of  these  are  determined  by  considering  relevant 
factors  such  as  usage  of  the  asset,  typical  product  life  cycles, 
potential  obsolescence,  maintenance  costs,  the  stability  of  the 
industry,  competitive  position  and  the  period  of  control  over  the 
assets.  Finite  life  intangibles  are  amortised  over  their  useful  lives, 
which range from three to 30 years, using the straight-line method. 

The  amortisation  charge  for  the  year  is  included  in  the  income 
statement  under  ‘Other  expenses’.  For  intangibles  with  finite  lives, 
impairment  charges  will  be  recognised  in  the  income  statement 
where  evidence  of  such  impairment  is  observed.  Intangibles  with 
indefinite  lives  are  subject  to  regular  impairment  testing,  as 
described below. 

impairment  testing,  goodwill  and 

Impairment testing 
For 
intangible  assets  with 
indefinite useful lives have been allocated to cash-generating units. 
The carrying amount of goodwill and intangible assets with indefinite 
useful lives is reviewed at least annually or when circumstances or 
events indicate there may be uncertainty over this value. Goodwill 
and indefinite life intangibles are written down for impairment where 
the recoverable amount is insufficient to support its carrying value. 
Further  details  on  goodwill  allocation  and  impairment  testing  are 
given  in  note  17.  Any  impairments  are  charged  as  expenses  in  the 
income statement. 

(P) Property and equipment 
Owner-occupied  properties  are  carried  at  their  revalued  amounts, 
and movements are recognised in other comprehensive income and 
taken to a separate reserve within equity. When such properties are 
sold, the accumulated revaluation surpluses are transferred from this 
reserve to retained earnings. These properties are depreciated down 
to their estimated residual values over their useful lives.  

This  excludes  owner-occupied  properties  held  under 
lease 
arrangements,  which  are  measured  at  amortised  cost.  Refer  to 
accounting policy Z for further information. 

All  other  items  classed  as  property  and  equipment  within  the 
statement  of  financial  position  are  carried  at  historical  cost  less 
accumulated depreciation.  

Investment  properties  under  construction  are  included  within 
property and equipment until completion, and are stated at cost less 
any  provision  for  impairment  in  their  values  until  construction  is 
completed or fair value becomes reliably measurable. 

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Depreciation is calculated on a straight-line basis to write down the 
cost  of  other  assets  to  their  residual  values  over  their  estimated 
useful lives as follows: 
•  Properties under construction 
•  Owner-occupied properties, and 
related mechanical and electrical 
equipment 
•  Motor vehicles 

No depreciation 
25 years 

Three  years,  or  lease  term  (up 
to useful life) if longer 
Three to five years 
Three to five years 

•  Computer equipment 
•  Other assets 

The assets’ residual values, useful lives and method of depreciation 
are reviewed regularly, and at least at each financial year end, and 
adjusted  if  appropriate.  Where  the  carrying  amount  of  an  asset  is 
greater  than  its  estimated  recoverable  amount,  it  is  written  down 
immediately to its recoverable amount. Gains and losses on disposal 
of  property  and  equipment  are  determined  by  reference  to  their 
carrying amount. 

Borrowing  costs  directly  attributable  to  the  acquisition  and 
construction  of  property  and  equipment  are  capitalised.  All  repair 
and maintenance costs are charged to the income statement during 
the  financial  period  in  which  they  are  incurred.  The  cost  of  major 
renovations is included in the carrying amount of the asset when it is 
probable that future economic benefits in excess of the most recently 
assessed standard of performance of the existing asset will flow to 
the  Group  and  the  renovation  replaces  an  identifiable  part  of  the 
asset. Major renovations are depreciated over the remaining useful 
life of the related asset. 

(Q) Investment property 
Investment  property  is  held  for  long-term  rental  yields  and  is  not 
occupied by the Group. Completed investment property is stated at 
its fair value, as assessed by qualified external valuers or by qualified 
staff of the Group. Changes in fair values are recorded in the income 
statement in net investment income. 

As  described  in  accounting  policy  P  above,  investment  properties 
under  construction  are  included  within  property  and  equipment, 
and  are  stated  at  cost  less  any  impairment  in  their  values  until 
construction is completed or fair value becomes reliably measurable. 

(R) Impairment of non-financial assets 
Property and equipment and other non-financial assets are reviewed 
for impairment losses whenever events or changes in circumstances 
indicate  that  the  carrying  amount  may  not  be  recoverable.  An 
impairment  loss  is  recognised  in  the  income  statement  for  the 
amount  by  which  the  carrying  amount  of  the  asset  exceeds  its 
recoverable amount, which is the higher of an asset’s fair value less 
costs  of  disposal  and  value  in  use.  For  the  purposes  of  assessing 
impairment, assets are grouped at the lowest level for which there 
are  separately  identifiable  cash  flows.  Non-financial  assets,  except 
goodwill which have suffered an impairment, are reviewed annually 
for possible reversal of the impairment. 

(S) Derecognition and offset of financial assets and 
financial liabilities 
A financial asset (or, where applicable, a part of a financial asset or 
part of a group of similar financial assets) is derecognised where: 
•  The rights to receive cash flows from the asset have expired; 
•  The Group retains the right to receive cash flows from the asset, but 
has  assumed  an  obligation  to  pay  them  in  full  without  material 
delay to a third party under a ‘pass-through’ arrangement; or 

•  The Group has transferred its rights to receive cash flows from the 
asset  and  has  either  transferred  substantially  all  the  risks  and 
rewards  of  the  asset,  or  has  neither  transferred  nor  retained 

substantially  all  the  risks  and  rewards  of  the  asset,  but  has 
transferred control of the asset. 

A  financial  liability  is  derecognised  when  the  obligation  under  the 
liability is discharged or cancelled or expires.  

Financial assets and liabilities are offset and the net amount reported 
in  the  statement  of  financial  position  when  there  is  a  currently 
enforceable legal right to set off the recognised amounts and there is 
the ability and intention to settle on a net basis, or realise the asset 
and settle the liability simultaneously. 

(T) Financial investments 
The  Group  classifies  its  investments  as  either  FVTPL  or  AFS.  The 
classification  depends  on  the  purpose  for  which  the  investments 
were  acquired,  and  is  determined  by  local  management  at  initial 
recognition. The FVTPL category has two subcategories – those that 
meet  the  definition  as  being  held  for  trading  and  those  the  Group 
chooses to designate as FVTPL (referred to in this accounting policy 
as ‘other than trading’) upon initial recognition. 

In general, the other than trading category is used as, in most cases, 
the Group’s investment or risk management strategy is to manage its 
financial investments on a fair value basis. Debt securities and equity 
securities, which the Group acquires with the intention to resell in the 
short  term,  are  classified  as  trading,  as  are  non-hedge  derivatives 
(see accounting policy U below). The AFS category is used where the 
relevant long-term business liability (including shareholders’ funds) 
is  passively  managed,  as  well  as  in  certain  fund  management  and 
non-insurance operations. 

Purchases and sales of investments are recognised on the trade date, 
which  is  the  date  that  the  Group  commits  to  purchase  or  sell  the 
assets,  at  their  fair  values.  Debt  securities  are  initially  recorded  at 
their  fair  value,  which 
is  taken  to  be  amortised  cost,  with 
income  statement. 
amortisation  credited  or  charged  to  the 
Investments  classified  as  trading,  other  than  trading  and  AFS,  are 
subsequently carried at fair value. Changes in the fair value of trading 
and  other  than  trading  investments  are  included  in  the  income 
statement in the period in which they arise. 

Changes in the fair value of securities classified as AFS are recognised 
in  other  comprehensive  income  and  recorded  in  a  separate 
investment  valuation  reserve  within  equity.  When  securities 
classified  as  AFS  are  sold  or  impaired,  the  accumulated  fair  value 
adjustments are transferred out of the investment valuation reserve 
to the income statement with a corresponding movement through 
other comprehensive income. 

Impairment 
The  Group  reviews  the  carrying  value  of  its  AFS  investments  on  a 
regular  basis.  If  the  carrying  value  of  an  AFS  investment  is  greater 
than the recoverable amount, the carrying value is reduced through 
a charge to the income statement in the period of impairment. The 
following policies are used to determine the level of any impairment, 
some of which involve considerable judgement. 

AFS debt securities 
An AFS debt security is impaired if there is objective evidence that a 
loss event has occurred which has impaired the expected cash flows, 
i.e. where all amounts due according to the contractual terms of the 
security  are  not  considered  collectible.  An  impairment  charge, 
measured  as  the  difference  between  the  security’s  fair  value  and 
amortised cost, is recognised when the issuer is known to be either 
in default or in financial difficulty. Determining when an issuer is in 
financial difficulty requires the use of judgement, and we consider a 
number of factors including industry risk factors, financial condition, 
liquidity position and near-term prospects of the issuer, credit rating 
declines  and  a  breach  of  contract.  A  decline  in  fair  value  below 

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amortised  cost  due  to  changes  in  risk-free  interest  rates  does  not 
necessarily represent objective evidence of a loss event. 

For securities identified as being impaired, the cumulative unrealised 
loss previously recognised within the investment valuation reserve is 
transferred  to  realised  losses  for  the  year,  with  a  corresponding 
movement  through  other  comprehensive  income.  Any  subsequent 
increase  in  fair  value  of  these  impaired  securities  is  recognised  in 
other  comprehensive  income  and  recorded  in  the  investment 
valuation reserve unless this increase represents a decrease in the 
impairment loss that can be objectively related to an event occurring 
after the impairment loss was recognised in the income statement. 
In such an event, the reversal of the impairment loss is recognised as 
a gain in the income statement. 

AFS equity securities  
An  AFS  equity  security  is  considered  impaired  if  there  is  objective 
evidence  that  the  cost  may  not  be  recovered.  In  addition  to 
qualitative impairment criteria, such evidence includes a significant 
or prolonged decline in fair value below cost. Unless there is evidence 
to  the  contrary,  an  equity  security  is  considered  impaired  if  the 
decline in fair value relative to cost has been either at least 20% for a 
continuous  six-month  period  or  more  than  40%  at  the  end  of  the 
reporting  period,  or  been  in  an  unrealised  loss  position  for  a 
continuous  period  of  more  than  12  months  at  the  end  of  the 
reporting  period.  We  also  review  our  largest  equity  holdings  for 
evidence  of  impairment,  as  well  as  individual  equity  holdings  in 
industry  sectors  known  to  be  in  difficulty.  Where  there  is  objective 
evidence  that  impairment  exists,  the  security  is  written  down 
regardless of the size of the unrealised loss. 

For securities identified as being impaired, the cumulative unrealised 
loss previously recognised within the investment valuation reserve is 
transferred  to  realised  losses  for  the  year  with  a  corresponding 
movement  through  other  comprehensive  income.  Any  subsequent 
increase  in  fair  value  of  these  impaired  securities  is  recognised  in 
other  comprehensive  income  and  recorded  in  the  investment 
valuation reserve. 

Reversals of impairments on any of these assets are only recognised 
where the decrease in the impairment can be objectively related to 
an event occurring after the write-down (such as an improvement in 
the debtor’s credit rating), and are not recognised in respect of equity 
instruments. 

(U) Derivative financial instruments and hedging 
Derivative financial instruments include foreign exchange contracts, 
interest rate futures, currency and interest rate swaps, currency and 
interest  rate  options  (both  written  and  purchased)  and  other 
financial instruments that derive their value mainly from underlying 
interest  rates,  foreign  exchange  rates,  credit  or  equity  indices, 
commodity values or equity instruments.  

All  derivatives  are  initially  recognised  in  the  statement  of  financial 
position at their fair value, which usually represents their cost. They 
are subsequently remeasured at their fair value, with the method of 
recognising movements in this value depending on whether they are 
designated as hedging instruments and, if so, the nature of the item 
being hedged. Fair values are obtained from quoted market prices 
or, if these are not available, by using valuation techniques such as 
discounted  cash  flow  models  or  option  pricing  models.  All 
derivatives are carried as assets when the fair values are positive and 
as  liabilities  when  the  fair  values  are  negative.  Premiums  paid  for 
derivatives  are  recorded  as  an  asset  on  the  statement  of  financial 
position at the date of purchase, representing their fair value at that 
date. 

Derivative  contracts  may  be  traded  on  an  exchange  or  over-the-
counter  (OTC).  Exchange-traded  derivatives  are  standardised  and 
include  certain  futures  and  option  contracts.  OTC  derivative 

contracts  are  individually  negotiated  between  contracting  parties 
and include forwards, swaps, caps and floors. Derivatives are subject 
to various risks including market, liquidity and credit risk, similar to 
those  related  to  the  underlying  financial  instruments.  Many  OTC 
transactions  are  contracted  and  documented  under  International 
Swaps  and  Derivatives  Association  master  agreements  or  their 
equivalent, which are designed to provide legally enforceable set-off 
in the event of default, reducing the Group’s exposure to credit risk. 

The  notional  or  contractual  amounts  associated  with  derivative 
financial instruments are not recorded as assets or liabilities on the 
statement of financial position as they do not represent the fair value 
of these transactions. These amounts are disclosed in note 60(b). 

The Group has collateral agreements in place between the individual 
Group  entities  and  relevant  counterparties.  Accounting  policy  W 
covers  collateral,  both  received  and  pledged,  in  respect  of  these 
derivatives. 

Interest rate and currency swaps 
Interest rate swaps are contractual agreements between two parties 
to exchange fixed rate and floating rate interest by means of periodic 
payments,  calculated  on  a  specified  notional  amount  and  defined 
interest rates. Most interest rate swap payments are netted against 
each other, with the difference between the fixed and floating rate 
interest  payments  paid  by  one  party.  Currency  swaps,  in  their 
simplest form, are contractual agreements that involve the exchange 
of both periodic and final amounts in two different currencies. Both 
types of swap contracts may include the net exchange of principal. 
Exposure to gain or loss on these contracts will increase or decrease 
over their respective lives as a function of maturity dates, interest and 
foreign exchange rates, and the timing of payments. 

Interest rate futures, forwards and options contracts 
Interest rate futures are exchange-traded instruments and represent 
commitments  to  purchase  or  sell  a  designated  security  or  money 
market instrument at a specified future date and price. Interest rate 
forward agreements are OTC contracts in which two parties agree on 
an interest rate and other terms that will become a reference point in 
determining, in concert with an agreed notional principal amount, a 
net payment to be made by one party to the other, depending upon 
what  rate  prevails  at  a  future  point  in  time.  Interest  rate  options, 
which consist primarily of caps and floors, are interest rate protection 
instruments that involve the potential obligation of the seller to pay 
the buyer an interest rate differential in exchange for a premium paid 
by  the  buyer.  This  differential  represents  the  difference  between 
current  rate  and  an  agreed  rate  applied  to  a  notional  amount. 
Exposure to gain or loss on all interest rate contracts will increase or 
decrease over their respective lives as interest rates fluctuate. Certain 
contracts,  known  as  swaptions,  contain  features  which  can  act  as 
swaps or options. 

Foreign exchange contracts 
Foreign exchange contracts, which include spot, forward and futures 
contracts,  represent  agreements  to  exchange  the  currency  of  one 
country for the currency of another country at an agreed price and 
settlement  date.  Foreign  exchange  option  contracts  are  similar  to 
interest  rate  option  contracts,  except  that  they  are  based  on 
currencies, rather than interest rates. 

Hedge accounting 
Hedge accounting is applied to certain transactions which meet the 
criteria set out in IAS 39, in order to mitigate the Group’s exposure to 
risk. At the inception of the transaction, the Group documents the 
relationship between the hedging instrument and the hedged item, 
as  well  as  the  risk  management  objective  and  the  strategy  for 
undertaking  the  hedge  transaction.  The  Group  also  documents  its 
assessment of whether the hedge is expected to be, and has been, 

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highly  effective  in  offsetting  the  risk  in  the  hedged  item,  both  at 
inception and on an ongoing basis. 

Changes in the fair value of hedging instruments that are designated 
and qualify as a hedge of a net investment in a foreign operation (net 
investment hedges) or a hedge of a future cash flow attributable to a 
recognised asset or liability, a highly probable forecast transaction or 
a firm commitment (cash flow hedges), and that prove to be highly 
effective  in  relation  to  the  hedged  risk,  are  recognised  in  other 
comprehensive income and a separate reserve within equity. Gains 
and losses accumulated in this reserve are included in the income 
statement on disposal of the relevant investment or occurrence of 
the cash flow as appropriate.  

Changes in the fair value of hedging instruments that are designated 
and  qualify  as  a  hedge  of  the  fair  value  of  a  recognised  asset  or 
liability (fair value hedges) are recognised in the income statement. 
The gain or loss on the hedged item that is attributable to the hedged 
risk is recognised in the income statement. This applies even if the 
hedged item is an available for sale financial asset or is measured at 
amortised cost. If a hedging relationship no longer meets the criteria 
for  hedge  accounting,  the  cumulative  adjustment  made  to  the 
carrying  amount  of  the  hedged  item  is  amortised  to  the  income 
statement,  based  on  a  recalculated  effective  interest  rate  over  the 
residual period to maturity. In cases where the hedged item has been 
derecognised, the cumulative adjustment is released to the income 
statement immediately.  

The Group does not currently apply the specific hedge accounting 
rules  to  its  derivative  transactions  which  are  treated  as  derivatives 
held for trading. The fair value gains and losses on these derivatives 
are recognised immediately in net investment income. 

(V) Loans 
Loans with fixed maturities, including policyholder loans, mortgage 
loans on investment property, securitised mortgages and collateral 
loans, are recognised when cash is advanced to borrowers. Certain 
loans are carried at their unpaid principal balances and adjusted for 
amortisation of premium or discount, non-refundable loan fees and 
related direct costs. These amounts are deferred and amortised over 
the life of the loan as an adjustment to loan yield using the effective 
interest rate method. 

However,  for  the  majority  of  mortgage  loans,  the  Group  has  taken 
advantage  of  the  fair  value  option  under  IAS  39  to  present  the 
mortgages,  associated  borrowings  and  derivative 
financial 
instruments at fair value, since they are managed as a portfolio on a 
fair  value  basis.  This  presentation  provides  more  relevant 
information  and  eliminates  any  accounting  mismatch  that  would 
otherwise  arise  from  using  different  measurement  bases  for  these 
three items. The fair values of these mortgages are estimated using 
discounted cash flow models, based on a risk-adjusted discount rate 
which  reflects  the  risks  associated  with  these  products.  They  are 
revalued  at  each  period  end,  with  movements  in  their  fair  values 
being taken to the income statement. 

At each reporting date, we review loans carried at amortised cost for 
objective evidence that they are impaired and uncollectable, either 
at the level of an individual security or collectively within a group of 
loans with similar credit risk characteristics. To the extent that a loan 
is  uncollectable,  it  is  written  down  as  impaired  to  its  recoverable 
amount, measured as the present value of expected future cash flows 
discounted at the original effective interest rate of the loan, taking 
into  account  the  fair  value  of  the  underlying  collateral  through  an 
impairment  provision  account.  Subsequent  recoveries  in  excess  of 
the  loan’s  written-down  carrying  value  are  credited  to  the  income 
statement. 

The Company classifies and measures loans at either amortised cost, 
fair value through other comprehensive income, or fair value through 

profit  or  loss  based  on  the  outcome  of  an  assessment  of  the 
Company’s  business  model  for  managing  financial  assets  and  the 
extent to which the financial assets’ contractual cash flows are solely 
payment of principal and interest. 

The  Company  calculates  expected  credit  losses  for  all  financial 
assets  held  at  either  amortised  cost  or  fair  value  through  other 
comprehensive  income.  Expected  credit  losses  are  calculated  on 
either a 12-month or lifetime basis depending on the extent to which 
credit risk has increased significantly since initial recognition. 

(W) Collateral 
The Group receives and pledges collateral in the form of cash or non-
cash  assets  in  respect  of  stock  lending  transactions,  certain 
derivative contracts and loans, in order to reduce the credit risk of 
these  transactions.  Collateral  is  also  pledged  as  security  for  bank 
letters of credit. The amount and type of collateral required depends 
on an assessment of the credit risk of the counterparty. 

Collateral  received  in  the  form  of  cash,  which  is  not  legally 
segregated  from  the  Group,  is  recognised  as  an  asset  in  the 
statement of financial position with a corresponding liability for the 
repayment in financial liabilities (see note 61). However, where the 
Group has a currently enforceable legal right of set-off and the ability 
and  intent  to  net  settle,  the  collateral  liability  and  associated 
derivative  balances  are  shown  net.  Non-cash  collateral  received  is 
not  recognised  in  the  statement  of  financial  position  unless  the 
transfer  of  the  collateral  meets  the  derecognition  criteria  from  the 
perspective of the transferor. Such collateral is typically recognised 
when  the  Group  either  (a)  sells  or  repledges  these  assets  in  the 
absence  of  default,  at  which  point  the  obligation  to  return  this 
collateral is recognised as a liability; or (b) the counterparty to the 
arrangement  defaults,  at  which  point  the  collateral  is  seized  and 
recognised as an asset. 

Collateral  pledged  in  the  form  of  cash,  which  is  legally  segregated 
from  the  Group,  is  derecognised  from  the  statement  of  financial 
position  with  a  corresponding  receivable  recognised  for  its  return. 
Non-cash collateral pledged is not derecognised from the statement 
of  financial  position  unless  the  Group  defaults  on  its  obligations 
under  the  relevant  agreement,  and  therefore  continues  to  be 
recognised  in  the  statement  of  financial  position  within  the 
appropriate asset classification. 

(X) Deferred acquisition costs and other assets 
Costs relating to the acquisition of new business for insurance and 
participating investment contracts are deferred in line with existing 
local accounting practices, to the extent that they are expected to be 
recovered out of future margins in revenues on these contracts. For 
participating  contracts  written  in  the  UK,  acquisition  costs  are 
generally not deferred as the liability for these contracts is calculated 
on  a  realistic  basis  which  was  grandfathered  from  UK  regulatory 
requirements  prior  to  the  adoption  of  Solvency  II  (see  accounting 
policy  L).  For  non-participating  investment  and  investment  fund 
management  contracts,  incremental  acquisition  costs  and  sales 
enhancements  that  are  directly  attributable  to  securing  an 
investment management service are also deferred. 

Long-term  business  deferred  acquisition  costs  are  amortised 
systematically  over  a  period  no  longer  than  that  in  which  they  are 
expected  to  be  recoverable  out  of  these  future  margins.  Deferred 
acquisition  costs  for  non-participating  investment  and  investment 
fund management contracts are amortised over the period in which 
the  service  is  provided.  General  insurance  and  health  deferred 
acquisition costs are amortised over the period in which the related 
revenues  are  earned.  The  reinsurers’  share  of  deferred  acquisition 
costs is amortised in the same manner as the underlying asset. 

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IFRS financial statements 

Other information 

Accounting policies 

Continued  

Deferred  acquisition  costs  are  reviewed  by  category  of  business  at 
the end of each reporting period and are written-off where they are 
no longer considered to be recoverable. 

Where such business is reinsured, an appropriate proportion of the 
reinsurer. 
deferred  acquisition  costs 
Recoverability  is  assessed  net  of  reinsurance,  and  may  result  in 
deferred acquisition costs being written-off if any liability recognised 
for the reinsurer’s share is insufficient. 

is  attributed 

the 

to 

Other receivables and payables are initially recognised at cost, being 
fair value. Subsequent to initial measurement they are measured at 
amortised cost. 

(Y) Statement of cash flows 
Cash and cash equivalents 
Cash  and  cash  equivalents  consist  of  cash  at  bank  and  in  hand, 
deposits held at call with banks, treasury bills and other short-term 
highly  liquid  investments  that  are  readily  convertible  to  known 
amounts  of  cash  and  which  are  subject  to  an  insignificant  risk  of 
change  in  value.  Such  investments  are  those  with  less  than  three 
months’  maturity  from  the  date  of  acquisition,  or  which  are 
redeemable on demand with only an insignificant change in their fair 
values. 

For  the  purposes  of  the  statement  of  cash  flows,  cash  and  cash 
equivalents  also  include  bank  overdrafts,  which  are  included  in 
payables and other financial liabilities on the statement of financial 
position. 

Operating cash flows 
Purchases  and  sales  of  investment  property,  loans  and  financial 
investments  are  included  within  operating  cash  flows  as  the 
purchases  are  funded  from  cash  flows  associated  with  the 
origination of insurance and investment contracts, net of payments 
of related benefits and claims. 

(Z) Leases 
Where the Group is the lessee, a lease liability equal to the present 
value of outstanding lease payments and a corresponding right-of-
use asset equal to cost are initially recognised. The right-of-use asset 
is subsequently measured at amortised cost and depreciated on a 
straight-line basis over the length of the lease term. Depreciation on 
lease  assets  and  interest  on  lease  liabilities  is  recognised  in  the 
income statement. 

The Group has made use of the election available under IFRS 16 to 
not  recognise  any  amounts  on  the  balance  sheet  associated  with 
leases  that  are  either  deemed  to  be  short  term,  or  where  the 
underlying asset is of low value. A short-term lease in this context is 
defined as any arrangement which has a lease term of 12 months or 
less.  Lease  payments  associated  with  such  arrangements  are 
recognised in the income statement as an expense on a straight-line 
basis. The Group’s total short term and low value lease portfolio is 
not material. 

Where the Group is the lessor, leases are classified as finance leases 
if the risks and rewards of ownership are substantially transferred to 
the  lessee  and  operating  leases  if  they  are  not  substantially 
transferred. Lease income from operating leases is recognised in the 
income statement on a straight-line basis over the lease term. When 
assets are subject to finance leases, the  present value of the lease 
payments,  together  with  any  unguaranteed  residual  value,  is 
recognised  as  a  receivable.  The  Group  has  not  entered  into  any 
material finance lease arrangements as lessor.  

Comparative figures 
Prior  period  comparatives  have  not  been  restated  to  reflect  the 
adoption of IFRS 16. The accounting policy relating to leases applied 
to comparatives is set out below. 

Leases,  where  a  significant  portion  of  the  risks  and  rewards  of 
ownership is retained by the lessor, are classified as operating leases. 
Where  the  Group  is  the  lessee,  payments  made  under  operating 
leases (net of any incentives received from the lessor) are charged to 
the income statement on a straight-line basis over the term of the 
relevant leases. 

Where the Group is the lessor, lease income from operating leases is 
recognised in the income statement on a straight-line basis over the 
lease term. 

Where assets are subject to finance leases, the present value of the 
lease payments, together with any unguaranteed residual value, is 
recognised  as  a  receivable.  The  Group  has  not  entered  into  any 
material finance lease arrangements either as lessor or lessee.  

(AA) Provisions and contingent liabilities 
Provisions  are  recognised  when  the  Group  has  a  present  legal  or 
constructive obligation as a result of past events, it is more probable 
than not that an outflow of resources embodying economic benefits 
will be required to settle the obligation, and a reliable estimate of the 
amount  of  the  obligation  can  be  made.  Restructuring  provisions 
include  lease  termination  penalties  and  employee  termination 
payments. They comprise only the direct expenditures arising from 
the restructuring, which are those that are necessarily entailed by the 
restructuring; and not associated with the ongoing activities of the 
entity. The amount recorded as a provision is the best estimate of the 
expenditure required to settle the present obligation at the balance 
sheet date. Where the effect of the time value of money is material, 
the  provision  is  the  present  value  of  the  expected  expenditure. 
Provisions are not recognised for future operating losses. 

Where the Group expects a provision to be reimbursed, for example 
under an insurance contract, the reimbursement is recognised as a 
separate asset but only when the reimbursement is virtually certain. 

The  Group  recognises  a  provision  for  onerous  contracts  when  the 
expected  benefits  to  be  derived  from  a  contract  are  less  than  the 
unavoidable  costs  of  meeting  the  obligations  under  the  contract. 
Contingent  liabilities  are  disclosed  if  there  is  a  possible  future 
obligation as a result of a past event, or if there is a present obligation 
as a result of a past event but either a payment is not probable or the 
amount cannot be reasonably estimated.  

(AB) Employee benefits  
Pension obligations 
The Group operates a number of pension schemes, whose members 
receive benefits on either a defined benefit or defined contribution 
basis.  Under  a  defined  contribution  plan,  the  Group’s  legal  or 
constructive  obligation  is  limited  to  the  amount  it  agrees  to 
contribute  to  a  fund  and  there  is  no  obligation  to  pay  further 
contributions  if  the  fund  does  not  hold  sufficient  assets  to  pay 
benefits. A defined benefit pension plan is a pension plan that is not 
a  defined  contribution  plan  and  typically  defines  the  amount  of 
pension benefit that an employee will receive on retirement.  

The defined benefit obligation is calculated by independent actuaries 
using  the  projected  unit  credit  method.  The  pension  obligation  is 
measured as the present value of the estimated future cash outflows, 
using  a  discount  rate  based  on  market  yields  for  high-quality 
corporate bonds that are denominated in the currency in which the 
benefits will be paid and that have terms to maturity approximating 
to the terms of the related pension liability. The resultant net surplus 
or  deficit  recognised  as  an  asset  or  liability  on  the  statement  of 
financial position is the present value of the defined benefit obligation 
at the end of the reporting period less the fair value of plan assets.  

Plan assets exclude unpaid contributions due from Group entities to 
the schemes, and any non-transferrable financial instruments issued 
by a Group entity and held by the schemes. If the fair value of plan 

Aviva plc Annual report and accounts 2019 
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IFRS financial statements 

Other information 

Accounting policies 

Continued  

assets exceeds the present value of the defined benefit obligation, the 
resultant asset is limited to the asset ceiling defined as present value 
of economic benefits available in the form of future refunds from the 
plan or reductions in contributions to the plan. In order to calculate 
the present value of economic benefits, consideration is given to any 
minimum funding requirements that apply to any plan in the Group.  

(AC) Income taxes 
The current tax expense is based on the taxable profits for the year, 
after  any  adjustments  in  respect  of  prior  years.  Tax,  including  tax 
relief for losses if applicable, is allocated over profits before taxation 
and  amounts  charged  or  credited  to  components  of  other 
comprehensive income and equity, as appropriate. 

Remeasurements of defined benefit plans comprise actuarial gains 
and  losses  arising  from  experience  adjustments  and  changes  in 
actuarial  assumptions,  the  return  on  plan  assets  (excluding  net 
interest)  and  the  effect  of  the  asset  ceiling  (if  any).  The  Group 
recognises  remeasurements  immediately  in  other  comprehensive 
income  and  does  not  reclassify  them  to  the  income  statement  in 
subsequent periods.  

Service  costs  comprising  current  service  costs,  past  service  costs, 
gains and losses on curtailments and net interest expense/income 
are charged or credited to the income statement.  

Past service costs are recognised at the earlier of the date the plan 
amendment  or  curtailment  occurs  or  when  related  restructuring 
costs are recognised.  

The Group determines the net interest expense/income on the net 
defined benefit liability/asset for the period by applying the discount 
rate used to measure the defined benefit obligation at the beginning 
of  the  year  to  the  net  defined  benefit  liability/asset.  Net  interest 
expense is charged to finance costs, whereas, net interest income is 
credited to investment income. 

For  defined  contribution  plans,  the  Group  pays  contributions  to 
publicly  or  privately  administered  pension  plans.  Once  the 
contributions have been paid, the Group, as employer, has no further 
payment obligations. The Group’s contributions are charged to the 
income statement in the year to which they relate and are included 
in staff costs. 

Equity compensation plans 
The Group offers share award and option plans over the Company’s 
ordinary shares for certain employees, including a Save As You Earn 
plan  (SAYE  plan),  details  of  which  are  given  in  the  Directors’ 
Remuneration Report and in note 33. 

The  Group  accounts 
for  options  and  awards  under  equity 
compensation  plans,  which  were  granted  after  7  November  2002, 
until  such  time  as  they  are  fully  vested,  using  the  fair  value  based 
method of accounting (the ‘fair value method’). Under this method, 
the cost of providing equity compensation plans is based on the fair 
value of the share awards or option plans at date of grant, which is 
recognised  in  the  income  statement  over  the  expected  vesting 
period  of  the  related  employees  and  credited  to  the  equity 
compensation  reserve,  part  of  shareholders’  funds.  In  certain 
jurisdictions, awards must be settled in cash instead of shares, and 
the credit is taken to liabilities rather than reserves. The fair value of 
these cash-settled awards is recalculated each year, with the income 
statement charge and liability being adjusted accordingly. 

Shares purchased by employee share trusts to fund these awards are 
shown  as  deduction  from  shareholders’  equity  at  their  weighted 
average cost. 

When  the  options  are  exercised  and  new  shares  are  issued,  the 
proceeds received, net of any transaction costs, are credited to share 
capital  (par  value)  and  the  balance  to  share  premium.  Where  the 
shares  are  already  held  by  employee  trusts,  the  net  proceeds  are 
credited against the cost of these shares, with the difference between 
cost and proceeds being taken to retained earnings. In both cases, 
the  relevant  amount  in  the  equity  compensation  reserve  is  then 
credited to retained earnings. 

Provision  is  made  for  deferred  tax  liabilities,  or  credit  taken  for 
deferred  tax  assets,  using  the  liability  method,  on  all  material 
temporary differences between the tax bases of assets and liabilities 
and their carrying amounts in the consolidated financial statements. 

The  rates  enacted  or  substantively  enacted  at  the  statement  of 
financial position date are used to value the deferred tax assets and 
liabilities. 

Deferred tax assets are recognised to the extent that it is probable 
that  future  taxable  profit  will  be  available  against  which  the 
temporary differences can be utilised. Where there is a history of tax 
losses, deferred tax assets are only recognised in excess of deferred 
tax liabilities if there is convincing evidence that future profits will be 
available. 

Deferred tax is provided on any temporary differences arising from 
investments  in  subsidiaries,  associates  and  joint  ventures,  except 
where the timing of the reversal of the temporary difference can be 
controlled and it is probable that the difference will not reverse in the 
foreseeable future. 

Deferred taxes are not provided in respect of temporary differences 
arising  from  the  initial  recognition  of  goodwill,  or  from  the  initial 
recognition  of  an  asset  or  liability  in  a  transaction  which  is  not  a 
business  combination  and  affects  neither  accounting  profit  nor 
taxable profit or loss at the time of the transaction. 

Current  and  deferred  tax  relating  to  items  recognised  in  other 
comprehensive income and directly in equity are similarly recognised 
in  other  comprehensive  income  and  directly  in  equity  respectively. 
Deferred tax related to fair value re-measurement of available for sale 
investments,  pensions  and  other  post-retirement  obligations  and 
other amounts charged or credited directly to other comprehensive 
income  is  recognised  in  the  statement  of  financial  position  as  a 
deferred tax asset or liability. Current tax on interest paid on the direct 
capital instrument and tier 1 notes is credited directly in equity. 

relevant 

tax  authority.  Provisions 

Current  and  deferred  tax  includes  amounts  provided  in  respect  of 
uncertain tax positions, where management expects it is more likely 
than  not  that  an  economic  outflow  will  occur  as  a  result  of 
examination  by  a 
reflect 
management’s best estimate of the ultimate liability based on their 
interpretation  of  tax  law,  precedent  and  guidance,  informed  by 
external tax advice as necessary. The final amounts of tax due may 
ultimately  differ  from  management’s  best  estimate  at  the  balance 
sheet  date.  Changes  in  facts  and  circumstances  underlying  these 
provisions  are  reassessed  at  each  balance  sheet  date,  and  the 
provisions are re-measured as required to reflect current information. 

In addition to paying tax on shareholders’ profits (‘shareholder tax’), 
the Group’s life businesses in the UK, Ireland and Singapore pay tax 
on policyholders’ investment returns (‘policyholder tax’) on certain 
products at policyholder tax rates. The incremental tax borne by the 
Group represents income tax on policyholder’s investment return. In 
jurisdictions where policyholder tax is applicable, the total tax charge 
in the income statement is allocated between shareholder tax and 
policyholder tax. The shareholder tax is calculated by applying the 
corporate tax rate to the shareholder profit. The difference between 
the total tax charge and shareholder tax is allocated to policyholder 
tax. This calculation methodology is consistent with the legislation 
relating to the calculation of tax on shareholder profits. The Group 
has decided to show separately the amounts of policyholder tax to 
provide a meaningful measure of the tax the Group pays on its profit. 

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Governance 

IFRS financial statements 

Other information 

Accounting policies 

Continued  

In the pro forma reconciliations, the Group adjusted operating profit 
has been calculated after charging policyholder tax. 

of ordinary shares in issue during the year, excluding the weighted 
average number of treasury shares. 

Earnings  per  share  has  also  been  calculated  on  Group  adjusted 
operating  profit  attributable  to  ordinary  shareholders,  net  of  tax, 
non-controlling  interests,  preference  dividends,  the  direct  capital 
instrument (the DCI) and tier one notes as the directors believe this 
figure provides a better indication of operating performance. Details 
are given in note 15. 

For the diluted earnings per share, the weighted average number of 
ordinary  shares  in  issue  is  adjusted  to  assume  conversion  of  all 
dilutive potential ordinary shares, such as convertible debt and share 
options granted to employees.  

Potential or contingent share issuances are treated as dilutive when 
their conversion to shares would decrease net earnings per share. 

(AH) Operations held for sale 
Assets and liabilities held for disposal as part of operations which are 
held for sale are shown separately in the consolidated statement of 
financial position. Operations held for sale are recorded at the lower 
of their carrying amount and their fair value less the estimated selling 
costs.

(AD) Borrowings 
Borrowings  are  classified  as  being  for  either  core  structural  or 
operational  purposes.  They  are  recognised  initially  at  their  issue 
proceeds  less  transaction  costs  incurred.  Subsequently,  most 
borrowings are stated at amortised cost, and any difference between 
net proceeds and the redemption value is recognised in the income 
statement  over  the  period  of  the  borrowings  using  the  effective 
interest rate method. All borrowing costs are expensed as they are 
incurred  except  where  they  are  directly  attributable  to  the 
acquisition or construction of property and equipment as described 
in accounting policy P. 

Where  loan  notes  have  been  issued  in  connection  with  certain 
securitised mortgage loans, the Group has taken advantage of the 
fair value option under IAS 39 to present the mortgages, associated 
liabilities and derivative financial instruments at fair value, since they 
are managed as a portfolio on a fair value basis. This presentation 
provides more relevant information and eliminates any accounting 
mismatch  which  would  otherwise  arise  from  using  different 
measurement bases for these three items. 

(AE) Share capital and treasury shares 
Equity instruments 
An equity instrument is a contract that evidences a residual interest 
in the assets of an entity after deducting all its liabilities. Accordingly, 
a financial instrument is treated as equity if: 
(i)  there  is  no  contractual  obligation  to  deliver  cash  or  other 
financial  assets  or  to  exchange  financial  assets  or  liabilities  on 
terms that may be unfavourable; and 

(ii)  the instrument is a non-derivative that contains no contractual 
obligation to deliver a variable number of shares or is a derivative 
that will be settled only by the Group exchanging a fixed amount 
of  cash  or  other  assets  for  a  fixed  number  of  the  Group’s  own 
equity instruments. 

Share issue costs 
Incremental external costs directly attributable to the issue of new 
shares  are  shown  in  equity  as  a  deduction,  net  of  tax,  from  the 
proceeds of the issue and disclosed where material. 

Dividends 
Interim dividends on ordinary shares are recognised in equity in the 
period  in  which  they  are  paid.  Final  dividends  on  these  shares  are 
recognised  when  they  have  been  approved  by  shareholders. 
Dividends on preference shares are recognised in the period in which 
they are declared and appropriately approved. 

Treasury shares 
Where  the  Company  or  its  subsidiaries  purchase  the  Company’s 
share  capital  or  obtain  rights  to  purchase  its  share  capital,  the 
consideration paid (including any attributable transaction costs net 
of income taxes) is shown as a deduction from total shareholders’ 
equity. Gains and losses on own shares are charged or credited to the 
treasury share account in equity. 

(AF) Fiduciary activities 
Assets  and  income  arising  from  fiduciary  activities,  together  with 
related  undertakings  to  return  such  assets  to  customers,  are 
excluded  from  these  financial  statements  where  the  Group  has  no 
contractual rights in the assets and acts in a fiduciary capacity such 
as nominee, trustee or agent. 

(AG) Earnings per share 
Basic  earnings  per  share  is  calculated  by  dividing  net  income 
available to ordinary shareholders by the weighted average number 

Aviva plc Annual report and accounts 2019 
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Governance 

IFRS financial statements 

Other information 

Consolidated financial statements  

Consolidated income statement 
For the year ended 31 December 2019 

Income 
Gross written premiums 
Premiums ceded to reinsurers 

Premiums written net of reinsurance 
Net change in provision for unearned premiums 

Net earned premiums 
Fee and commission income 
Net investment income/(expense) 
Share of profit after tax of joint ventures and associates 
(Loss)/profit on the disposal and remeasurement of subsidiaries, joint ventures and associates 

Expenses 
Claims and benefits paid, net of recoveries from reinsurers 
Change in insurance liabilities, net of reinsurance 
Change in investment contract provisions 
Change in unallocated divisible surplus 
Fee and commission expense 
Other expenses 
Finance costs 

Profit before tax 

Tax attributable to policyholders’ returns 

Profit before tax attributable to shareholders’ profits 
Tax (expense)/credit 
Less: tax attributable to policyholders’ returns 
Tax attributable to shareholders’ profits 

Profit for the year 

Attributable to: 
Equity holders of Aviva plc 
Non-controlling interests 

Profit for the year 

Earnings per share 
Basic (pence per share) 
Diluted (pence per share) 

Note 

6 

H 
I & J 

K 

4(a) 

7 

42(b) 

49 

8 

14(d) 

AC & 14 
14(d) 

14(d) 

41 

AG & 15 

2019  
£m 

Restated1  
2018  
£m 

31,243  
(3,563) 

27,680  
(209) 

27,471  
2,141  
40,577  
85  
(22) 

28,659  
(2,326) 

26,333  
(81) 

26,252  
2,178  
(10,912) 
112  
102  

70,252  

17,732  

(23,096) 
(5,702) 
(24,095) 
(3,985) 
(5,536) 
(3,329) 
(576) 

(23,142) 
6,246  
5,321  
3,237  
(3,326) 
(3,843) 
(573) 

(66,319) 

(16,080) 

3,933  

(559) 

3,374  

(1,270) 
559  
(711) 

2,663  

2,548  
115  

2,663  

63.8  
63.1  

1,652  

477  

2,129  

35  
(477) 
(442) 

1,687  

1,568  
119  

1,687  

38.2  
37.8  

1  Following a review of the Group’s presentation of consolidated investment funds, comparative amounts have been restated from those previously reported. The restatement has had no impact on the profit for the year or equity. 

See note 1(a) for further information. 

The accounting policies (identified alphabetically) on pages 117 to 131 and notes (identified numerically) on pages 139 to 263 are an integral 
part of the financial statements. 

Aviva plc Annual report and accounts 2019 
132 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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Governance 

IFRS financial statements 

Other information 

Consolidated financial statements 

Continued  

Consolidated statement of comprehensive income 
For the year ended 31 December 2019  

Profit for the year 

Other comprehensive income: 
Items that may be reclassified subsequently to income statement 
Investments classified as available for sale 

Fair value gains 
Fair value gains transferred to profit on disposals 

Share of other comprehensive income/(loss) of joint ventures and associates 
Foreign exchange rate movements 
Aggregate tax effect – shareholder tax on items that may be reclassified subsequently to income statement 

Items that will not be reclassified to income statement 

Owner-occupied properties – fair value gains 
Remeasurements of pension schemes 
Aggregate tax effect – shareholder tax on items that will not be reclassified subsequently to income statement 

Total other comprehensive income, net of tax 

Total comprehensive income for the year 

Attributable to: 
Equity holders of Aviva plc 
Non-controlling interests 

Note 

2019  
£m 

2018  
£m 

2,663  

1,687  

39 

39 

39 

39, 41 

14(b) 

39 

40 

14(b) 

39  
(19) 
22  
(219) 
6  

3  
(867) 
103  

(932) 

57  
(78) 
(10) 
5  
8  

1  
(279) 
43  

(253) 

1,731  

1,434  

1,655  
76  

1,731  

1,310  
124  

1,434  

The accounting policies (identified alphabetically) on pages 117 to 131 and notes (identified numerically) on pages 139 to 263 are an integral 
part of the financial statements. 

Aviva plc Annual report and accounts 2019 
133 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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Governance 

IFRS financial statements 

Other information 

Consolidated financial statements 

Continued  

Reconciliation of Group adjusted operating profit to profit for the year  
For the year ended 31 December 2019 

Group adjusted operating profit before tax attributable to shareholders’ profits 
Life business 
General insurance and health 
Fund management 
Other: 

Other operations 
Corporate centre 
Group debt costs and other interest 

Note 

2019  
£m 

3,000  
644  
92  

(114) 
(183) 
(255) 

Restated1  
2018  
£m 

2,976  
651  
143  

(270) 
(216) 
(280) 

Group adjusted operating profit before tax attributable to shareholders’ profits 

3,184  

3,004  

Adjusted for the following: 
Life business: Investment variances and economic assumption changes 
Non-life business: Short-term fluctuation in return on investments 
General insurance and health business: Economic assumption changes 
Impairment of goodwill, joint ventures, associates and other amounts expensed 
Amortisation and impairment of intangibles acquired in business combinations 
Amortisation and impairment of acquired value of in-force business 
(Loss)/profit on the disposal and remeasurement of subsidiaries, joint ventures and associates 
Other2  

Adjusting items before tax 

Profit before tax attributable to shareholders’ profits 
Tax on group adjusted operating profit 
Tax on other activities 

Profit for the year 

9 

10(a) 

10(a) 

17(a), 20 

18 

18 

4(a) 

15(a)(i) 

15(a)(i) 

654  
167  
(54) 
(15) 
(87) 
(406) 
(22) 
(47) 

190  

3,374  
(668) 
(43) 
(711) 

2,663  

(197) 
(476) 
1  
(13) 
(97) 
(426) 
102  
231  

(875) 

2,129  
(625) 
183  
(442) 

1,687  

1  During 2019 the Group adjusted operating profit APM has been revised and now includes the amortisation and impairment of internally generated intangible assets to better reflect the operational nature of these assets (see 
note 1(b)). Group adjusted operating profit continues to exclude amortisation and impairment of intangible assets acquired in business combinations. Comparative amounts have been restated resulting in a reduction in the 
prior period Group adjusted operating profit of £112 million. There is no impact on profit before tax attributable to shareholders’ profit. 

2  Other in 2019 relates to a charge of £45 million in relation to a change in the discount rate used for estimating lump sum payments in settlement of bodily injury claims (see note 44(b)) and a charge of £2 million relating to 
negative goodwill which arose on the acquisition of Friends First (see note 3). Other in 2018 includes a movement in the discount rate used for estimating lump sum payments in the settlement of bodily injury claims which 
resulted in a gain of £190 million, a provision release of £78 million relating to the sale of Aviva USA in 2013, a gain of £36 million relating to negative goodwill on the acquisition of Friends First, a charge of £63 million relating to 
the UK defined benefit pension scheme as a result of the requirements to equalise members’ benefits of the effects of Guaranteed Minimum Pension and a charge of £10 million relating to goodwill payments to preference 
shareholders, which was announced on 30 April 2018, and associated administration costs. 

The accounting policies (identified alphabetically) on pages 117 to 131 and notes (identified numerically) on pages 139 to 263 are an integral 
part of the financial statements. 

Aviva plc Annual report and accounts 2019 
134 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Strategic report 

Governance 

IFRS financial statements 

Other information 

Consolidated financial statements 

Continued  

Reconciliation of Group adjusted operating profit to profit for the year continued  
Group adjusted operating profit can be further analysed into the following segments (details of segments can be found in note 5):  

For the year ended 31 December 2019 

United Kingdom 
Canada 
France 
Poland 
Italy, Ireland and Other 
Asia 
Aviva Investors 
Other Group activities 

Corporate Centre 
Group debt costs and other interest 

Total  

For the year ended 31 December 2018 restated2  

United Kingdom 
Canada 
France 
Poland 
Italy, Ireland, Spain and Other 
Asia 
Aviva Investors 
Other Group activities 

Corporate Centre 
Group debt costs and other interest 

Total 

Long-term 
business  
£m 

General 
insurance and 
health  
£m 

Fund 
management 
£m 

1,820  
— 
425  
171  
258  
299  
— 
27  

3,000  

285  
191  
94  
20  
69  
(8) 
— 
(7) 

644  

— 
— 
— 
— 
— 
(4) 
96  
— 

92  

Long-term 
business  
£m 

General 
insurance and 
health  
£m 

Fund 
management 
£m 

1,848  
— 
436  
170  
225  
300  
1  
(4) 

2,976  

421  
26  
109  
20  
90  
(16) 
— 
1  

651  

— 
— 
— 
— 
— 
(4) 
147  
— 

143  

Other1  
£m 

— 
— 
(46) 
3  
(13) 
(12) 
— 
(46) 

(114) 

Other1  
£m 

— 
1  
(35) 
8  
(15) 
(19) 
— 
(210) 

(270) 

Total  
£m 

2,105  
191  
473  
194  
314  
275  
96  
(26) 

3,622  

(183) 
(255) 

3,184  

Total  
£m 

2,269  
27  
510  
198  
300  
261  
148  
(213) 

3,500  

(216) 
(280) 

3,004  

1  Other Group activities within Other includes net expenses of £15 million (2018 restated: £180 million) in relation to the Group’s UK digital business. 
2  During 2019 the Group adjusted operating profit APM has been revised and now includes the amortisation and impairment of internally generated intangible assets to better reflect the operational nature of these assets (see 
note 1(b)). Group adjusted operating profit continues to exclude amortisation and impairment of intangible assets acquired in business combinations. Comparative amounts have been restated resulting in a reduction in the 
prior period Group adjusted operating profit of £112 million. There is no impact on profit before tax attributable to shareholders’ profit. 

The accounting policies (identified alphabetically) on pages 117 to 131 and notes (identified numerically) on pages 139 to 263 are an integral 
part of the financial statements. 

Aviva plc Annual report and accounts 2019 
135 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Strategic report 

Governance 

IFRS financial statements 

Other information 

Consolidated financial statements 

Continued  

Consolidated statement of changes in equity 
For the year ended 31 December 2019 

Ordinary 
share 
capital 
Note 33  
£m 

Preference 
share 
capital 
Note 36  
£m 

Capital 
 reserves1  
Note  
33b, 38  
£m 

Treasury 
shares 
Note 35 
£m 

Currency 
translation 
reserve 
Note 39 
£m 

Other 
reserves 
Note 39 
£m 

Retained 
earnings 
Note 40 
£m 

Total 
equity 
excluding 
non-
controlling 
interests 
£m 

DCI and 
tier 1 
notes  
Note 37  
£m 

Non-
controlling 
interests 
Note 41 
£m 

Total 
equity  
£m 

Balance at 1 January 
Adjustment at 1 January for adoption of IFRS 162  
Balance at 1 January restated2  
Profit for the year 
Other comprehensive income 
Total comprehensive income for the year 
Dividends and appropriations 
Non-controlling interests share of dividends declared in the 

year  

Reclassification of tier 1 notes to financial liabilities3  
Reserves credit for equity compensation plans  
Shares issued under equity compensation plans  
Treasury shares held by subsidiary companies 
Forfeited dividend income 
Changes in non-controlling interests in subsidiaries  
Change in equity accounted option 
Shares purchased in buy-back 
Transfer to profit on disposal of subsidiaries, joint ventures 

and associates 

Capital contributions from non-controlling interests  
Aggregate tax effect – shareholder tax  

975  
— 

975  
— 
— 
— 
— 

— 
— 
— 
5  
— 
— 
— 
— 
— 

— 
— 
— 

200   10,232  
— 

— 

200   10,232  
— 
— 
— 
— 

— 
— 
— 
— 

(15)  1,122  
— 

— 

(279)  4,523  
(110) 

— 

(15)  1,122  
— 
(308) 
(308) 
— 

— 
— 
— 
— 

(279)  4,413  
—  2,548  
178  
(763) 
178   1,785  
—  (1,244) 

731   17,489  
(110) 

— 

731   17,379  
—  2,548  
— 
(893) 
—  1,655  
—  (1,244) 

966   18,455  
(110) 

— 

966   18,345  
115   2,663  
(39) 
(932) 
76   1,731  
—  (1,244) 

— 
— 
— 
— 
— 
— 
— 
— 
— 

— 
— 
— 

— 
— 
— 
25  
— 
— 
— 
— 
— 

— 
— 
— 

— 
— 
— 
(5) 
13  
— 
— 
— 
— 

— 
— 
— 

— 
— 
— 
— 
— 
— 
— 
— 
— 

— 
— 
— 

— 
— 
62  
(62) 
— 
— 
— 
— 
— 

— 
— 
— 

— 
21  
— 
55  
— 
4  
— 
22  
— 

— 
— 
9  

— 
(231) 
— 
— 
— 
— 
— 
— 
— 

— 
— 
— 

— 
(210) 
62  
18  
13  
4  
— 
22  
— 

— 
— 
9  

(63) 
— 
— 
— 
— 
— 
(2) 
— 
— 

— 
— 
— 

(63) 
(210) 
62  
18  
13  
4  
(2) 
22  
— 

— 
— 
9  

Balance at 31 December 

980  

200   10,257  

(7) 

814  

(101)  5,065  

500   17,708  

977   18,685  

1   Capital reserves consist of share premium of £1,239 million, a capital redemption reserve of £44 million and a merger reserve of £8,974 million.  
2   The Group adopted IFRS 16 Leases from 1 January 2019. In line with the transition options available, prior period comparatives have not been restated and the impact of the adoption has been shown as an adjustment to opening 

retained earnings. See accounting policy A for further information. 

3  On 17 October 2019, notification was given that the Group would redeem the 6.875% £210 million tier 1 notes. At that date, the instrument was reclassified as a financial liability of £210 million, representing its fair value at that 
date. On 21 November 2019, the instrument was redeemed in full at a cost of £210 million. The difference between its carrying amount of £231 million and fair value of £210 million has been charged to retained earnings. See 
note 37 for further details. 

For the year ended 31 December 2018  

Ordinary 
share 
capital  
Note 33  
£m 

Preference 
share 
capital  
Note 36  
£m 

Capital  
reserves1  
Note  
33b, 38  
£m 

Treasury 
shares 
Note 35  
£m 

Currency 
translation 
reserve 
Note 39  
£m 

Other 
reserves 
Note 39  
£m 

Retained 
earnings 
Note 40  
£m 

DCI and tier 
1 notes 
Note 37  
£m 

Total 
equity 
excluding 
non-
controlling 
interests 
£m 

Non-
controlling 
interests 
Note 41  
£m 

Total 
equity  
£m 

Balance at 1 January 
Profit for the year 
Other comprehensive income 
Total comprehensive income for the year 
Dividends and appropriations 
Non-controlling interests share of dividends declared  

in the year  

Reclassification of tier 1 notes to financial liabilities 
Reserves credit for equity compensation plans  
Shares issued under equity compensation plans  
Treasury shares held by subsidiary companies 
Forfeited dividend income 
Changes in non-controlling interests in subsidiaries  
Change in equity accounted option 
Shares purchased in buy-back2  
Transfer to profit on disposal of subsidiaries, joint ventures 

and associates 

Capital contributions from non-controlling interests  
Aggregate tax effect – shareholder tax  

1,003  
— 
— 
— 
— 

200   10,195  
— 
— 
— 
— 

— 
— 
— 
— 

(14)  1,141  
— 
— 
28  
— 
28  
— 
— 
— 

(274)  4,918  
1,568  
— 
(50) 
(236) 
(50)  1,332  
(1,189) 
— 

731   17,900  
1,568  
(258) 
1,310  
(1,189) 

— 
— 
— 
— 

1,235   19,135  
119   1,687  
(253) 
124   1,434  
(1,189) 

— 

5  

— 
— 
— 
2  
— 
— 
— 
— 
(30) 

— 
— 
— 

— 
— 
— 
— 
— 
— 
— 
— 
— 

— 
— 
— 

— 
— 
— 
7  
— 
— 
— 
— 
30  

— 
— 
— 

— 
— 
— 
(1) 
— 
— 
— 
— 
— 

— 
— 
— 

— 
— 
— 
— 
— 
— 
(7) 
— 
— 

(40) 
— 
— 

— 
— 
64  
(55) 
— 
— 
— 
— 
— 

36  
— 
— 

— 
— 
— 
49  
— 
4  
1  
— 
(600) 

— 
— 
8  

— 
— 
— 
— 
— 
— 
— 
— 
— 

— 
— 
— 

— 
— 
64  
2  
— 
4  
(6) 
— 
(600) 

(4) 
— 
8  

(90) 
— 
— 
— 
— 
— 
(306) 
— 
— 

— 
3  
— 

(90) 
— 
64  
2  
— 
4  
(312) 
— 
(600) 

(4) 
3  
8  

Balance at 31 December 

975  

200   10,232  

(15)  1,122  

(279)  4,523  

731   17,489  

966   18,455  

1   Capital reserves consist of share premium of £1,214 million, a capital redemption reserve of £44 million and a merger reserve of £8,974 million. 
2  On 1 May 2018, the Group announced a share buy-back of ordinary shares for an aggregate purchase price of up to £600 million. On completion in 2018 of this buy-back, £600 million of shares had been purchased and shares 

with a nominal value of £30 million have been cancelled, giving rise to an additional capital redemption reserve of an equivalent amount. See note 33 for further details of the shares purchased in buy-back. 

The accounting policies (identified alphabetically) on pages 117 to 131 and notes (identified numerically) on pages 139 to 263 are an integral 
part of the financial statements. 

Aviva plc Annual report and accounts 2019 
136 

 
 
 
 
 
 
Strategic report 

Governance 

IFRS financial statements 

Other information 

Consolidated financial statements 

Continued  

Consolidated statement of financial position  
As at 31 December 2019 

Assets 
Goodwill 
Acquired value of in-force business and intangible assets 
Interests in, and loans to, joint ventures  
Interests in, and loans to, associates 
Property and equipment 
Investment property 
Loans 
Financial investments 
Reinsurance assets 
Deferred tax assets  
Current tax assets 
Receivables  
Deferred acquisition costs 
Pension surpluses and other assets 
Prepayments and accrued income  
Cash and cash equivalents 
Assets of operations classified as held for sale 

Total assets 

Equity 
Capital 

Ordinary share capital 
Preference share capital 

Capital reserves 

Share premium 
Capital redemption reserve 
Merger reserve 

Treasury shares 
Currency translation reserve 
Other reserves 
Retained earnings 

Equity attributable to shareholders of Aviva plc 
Direct capital instrument and tier 1 notes 

Equity excluding non-controlling interests 
Non-controlling interests 

Total equity 

Liabilities 
Gross insurance liabilities 
Gross liabilities for investment contracts 
Unallocated divisible surplus 
Net asset value attributable to unitholders 
Pension deficits and other provisions 
Deferred tax liabilities 
Current tax liabilities 
Borrowings 
Payables and other financial liabilities 
Other liabilities 
Liabilities of operations classified as held for sale 

Total liabilities 

Total equity and liabilities 

Note 

O & 17 

O & 18 

D & 19 

D & 20 

P & 21 

Q & 22 

V & 25 

S, T, U & 28 

N & 47 

AC & 50 

29 

X & 30 

X & 31 

X & 31(b) 

Y & 59(d) 

AH & 4(b) 

AE 

33 

36 

33(b) 

33(b) 

D & 38 

35 

39 

39 

40 

37 

41 

2019  
£m 

Restated1  
2018  
£m 

Restated1  
1 January 2018 
£m 

1,855  
2,800  
1,227  
304  
889  
11,203  
38,579  
343,418  
12,356  
151  
132  
8,995  
3,156  
2,799  
3,143  
19,524  
9,512  

1,872  
3,201  
1,214  
304  
548  
11,482  
36,184  
319,825  
11,755  
185  
76  
8,639  
2,965  
3,341  
3,149  
15,926  
8,855  

1,876  
3,455  
1,221  
421  
509  
10,797  
37,227  
331,690  
13,492  
144  
94  
8,151  
2,906  
3,468  
3,117  
13,377  
10,871  

460,043  

429,521  

442,816  

980  
200  
1,180  

1,239  
44  
8,974  
10,257  
(7) 
814  
(101) 
5,065  

17,208  
500  

17,708  
977  

18,685  

975  
200  
1,175  

1,214  
44  
8,974  
10,232  
(15) 
1,122  
(279) 
4,523  

16,758  
731  

17,489  
966  

1,003  
200  
1,203  

1,207  
14  
8,974  
10,195  
(14) 
1,141  
(274) 
4,918  

17,169  
731  

17,900  
1,235  

18,455  

19,135  

144,077  
202,468  
5,949  
16,338  
1,399  
1,885  
254  
9,420  
17,681  
3,074  
8,521  

148,650  
203,986  
9,082  
18,176  
1,429  
2,377  
290  
10,286  
16,676  
2,856  
9,873  

441,358  

411,066  

423,681  

460,043  

429,521  

442,816  

L & 43 

M & 45 

L & 49 

D 

AA, AB & 51 

AC & 50 

AD & 53 

S & 54 

55 

AH & 4(b) 

149,338  
222,127  
9,597  
16,610  
1,565  
2,155  
569  
9,039  
18,138  
3,094  
9,126  

1  Following a review of the Group’s presentation of consolidated investment funds, comparative amounts have been restated from those previously reported. The restatement has had no impact on the profit for the year or equity. 

See note 1(a) for further information. 

Approved by the Board on 4 March 2020 

Jason Windsor 
Chief Financial Officer 

Company number: 2468686 

The accounting policies (identified alphabetically) on pages 117 to 131 and notes (identified numerically) on pages 139 to 263 are an integral 
part of the financial statements. 

Aviva plc Annual report and accounts 2019 
137 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Strategic report 

Governance 

IFRS financial statements 

Other information 

Consolidated financial statements 

Continued  

Consolidated statement of cash flows 
For the year ended 31 December 2019 

The  cash  flows  presented  in  this  statement  cover  all  the  Group’s  activities  and  include  flows  from  both  policyholder  and  shareholder 
activities. All cash and cash equivalents are available for use by the Group. 

Cash flows from operating activities2  
Cash generated from operating activities 
Tax paid 

Total net cash from operating activities 

Cash flows from investing activities 
Acquisitions of, and additions to, subsidiaries, joint ventures and associates, net of cash acquired 
Disposals of subsidiaries, joint ventures and associates, net of cash transferred 
Purchases of property and equipment 
Proceeds on sale of property and equipment 
Purchases of intangible assets 

Total net cash (used in)/from investing activities 

Cash flows from financing activities 
Proceeds from issue of ordinary shares 
Shares purchased in buy-back 
Treasury shares purchased for employee trusts 
New borrowings drawn down, net of expenses 
Repayment of borrowings3  
Net repayment of borrowings 
Interest paid on borrowings 
Preference dividends paid 
Ordinary dividends paid 
Forfeited dividend income 
Coupon payments on direct capital instrument and tier 1 notes 
Capital contributions from non-controlling interests of subsidiaries 
Dividends paid to non-controlling interests of subsidiaries 
Other4  

Total net cash used in financing activities 

Total net increase in cash and cash equivalents 
Cash and cash equivalents at 1 January 
Effect of exchange rate changes on cash and cash equivalents 

Cash and cash equivalents at 31 December 

2019  
£m 

6,517  
(549) 

5,968  

(19) 
12  
(84) 
4  
(63) 

(150) 

27  
— 
(9) 
580  
(927) 
(347) 
(553) 
(17) 
(1,184) 
4  
(43) 
— 
(63) 
(5) 

(2,190) 

3,628  
16,051  
(245) 

19,434  

Restated1  
2018  
£m 

5,848  
(447) 

5,401  

192  
381  
(87) 
15  
(64) 

437  

8  
(600) 
(4) 
3,148  
(4,181) 
(1,033) 
(551) 
(17) 
(1,128) 
4  
(44) 
3  
(90) 
(13) 

(3,465) 

2,373  
13,617  
61  

16,051  

Note 

59(a) 

59(b) 

59(c) 

21 

33 

53(e) 

16 

16 

16 

41 

41 

59(d) 

1  Following a review of the Group’s presentation of consolidated investment funds, comparative amounts have been restated from those previously reported. The restatement has had no impact on the profit for the year or equity. 

See note 1(a) for further information. 

2  Cash flows from operating activities include interest received of £5,834 million (2018 restated: £5,758 million) and dividends received of £5,614 million (2018 restated: £4,880 million). 
3  2019 includes the redemption of 6.875% £210 million tier 1 notes. 2018 includes the redemption of €500 million 6.875% subordinated notes and $575 million 7.875% undated subordinated notes in full at first call dates and the 

maturity of €350 million 0.100% senior notes. 

4  2019 includes a £5 million (2018: £3 million) donation of forfeited dividend income to a charitable foundation. 2018 also includes £10 million related to goodwill payments to preference shareholders, which was announced on 30 

April 2018, and associated administration costs (see note 36). 

The accounting policies (identified alphabetically) on pages 117 to 131 and notes (identified numerically) on pages 139 to 263 are an integral 
part of the financial statements. 

Aviva plc Annual report and accounts 2019 
138 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Strategic report 

Governance 

IFRS financial statements 

Other information 

Notes to the consolidated financial statements  

1 – Changes to comparative amounts 
(a)  Presentation of consolidated investment funds 
Following a review of the Group’s presentation of consolidated investment funds, corrections to previous reported values on the consolidated 
statement of financial position and consolidated income statement have been identified (with corresponding impacts on the consolidated 
statement of cash flows) and comparative amounts have been restated. There has been no impact on profit for the period or equity for any 
of the periods presented. The nature of the restatements are as follows: 
•  Fixed maturity securities, loans, derivatives and receivables held indirectly through certain majority-owned fund investments in the UK and 
France, which in 2018 were presented as cash and cash equivalents, are now presented as financial investments, loans, receivables and 
payables and other financial liabilities which reflect the classification of the underlying holdings; 

•  Corrections  to  the  calculation  of  minority  ownership  of  certain  fund  investments  have  resulted  in  a  restatement  of  net  asset  value 
attributable to unitholders and an adjustment to de-consolidate two investment funds where the Group was incorrectly deemed to have 
been the controlling entity in 2018;  

•  Corrections to the calculation of minority ownership have resulted in a restatement of the investment income attributable to minority 
shareholders recorded in fee and commission expense, net investment expense and fee and commission income for the period ending  
31 December 2018; and 

•  Accrued interest on certain fixed maturity securities held indirectly through certain majority-owned funds, which in 2018 was presented 
within  financial  investments,  is  now  presented  in  prepayments  and  accrued  income  (consistent  with  accrued  interest  on  the  Group’s 
directly held fixed maturity securities). 

The impact of the changes above on the following captions in the income statement for the prior period presented is shown below: 

Fee and commission income 
Net investment expense 
Fee and commission expense 

31 December 2018 

Effect of 
changes  
£m 

(2) 
(65) 
67 

Restated  
£m 

2,178 
(10,912) 
(3,326) 

As reported  
£m 

2,180 
(10,847) 
(3,393) 

The impact of the changes above on the statement of financial position for the prior periods presented is shown below: 

Assets 
Loans 
Financial investments 
Receivables 
Prepayments and accrued income 
Cash and cash equivalents 
Other 

Total assets 

Liabilities 
Net asset value attributable to unit holders 
Payables and other financial liabilities 
Other liabilities 
Other 

Total liabilities 

Total equity 

31 December 2018 

Effect of 
changes  
£m 

Restated  
£m 

As reported  
£m 

  1 January 2018 

Effect of 
changes  
£m 

Restated  
£m 

7,399 
22,240 
(240) 
202 
(30,558) 
— 

36,184 
319,825 
8,639 
3,149 
15,926 
45,798 

27,857 
311,082 
8,285 
2,860 
43,347 
49,254 

9,370 
20,608 
(134) 
257 
(29,970) 
— 

37,227 
331,690 
8,151 
3,117 
13,377 
49,254 

As reported  
£m 

28,785 
297,585 
8,879 
2,947 
46,484 
45,798 

430,478 

(957)  429,521 

442,685 

131 

442,816 

18,125 
16,882 
3,043 
373,973 

412,023 

18,455 

(1,787) 
799 
31 
— 

16,338 
17,681 
3,074 
373,973 

18,327 
16,459 
2,791 
385,973 

(151) 
217 
65 
— 

18,176 
16,676 
2,856 
385,973 

(957)  411,066 

423,550 

131 

423,681 

— 

18,455 

19,135 

— 

19,135 

Aviva plc Annual report and accounts 2019 
139 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Strategic report 

Governance 

IFRS financial statements 

Other information 

Notes to the consolidated financial statements 

 Continued  

1 – Changes to comparative amounts continued 
(a)  Presentation of consolidated investment funds continued 
The impact of the changes above on the following captions in the statement of cash flows for the prior period presented is shown below: 

Cash generated from operating activities 

Total net cash from operating activities 

Total net increase in cash and cash equivalents 
Cash and cash equivalents at 1 January1 
Effect of exchange rate changes on cash and cash equivalents 
Cash and cash equivalents at 31 December1 

31 December 2018 

Effect of 
changes  
£m 

(557) 

(557) 

(557) 
(29,970) 
(31) 

Restated  
£m 

5,848 

5,401 

2,373 
13,617 
61 

As reported  
£m 

6,405 

5,958 

2,930 
43,587 
92 

46,609 

(30,558) 

16,051 

1  Cash and cash equivalents shown in the statement of cash flows above include cash and cash equivalents of operations classified as held for sale and bank overdrafts. 

The  above  items  have  also  resulted  in  a  number  of  corresponding  reclassifications  in  the  Group’s  fair  value  hierarchy  level  disclosures 
included in note 24. The primary changes reflect: 
•  The inclusion of fixed maturity securities in level 2 and loans in amortised cost (the assets were previously classified as cash and cash 

equivalents and therefore not included in the fair value hierarchy); and 

•  A reduction in financial investments reflecting the de-consolidation of two investment funds where the Group was incorrectly deemed to 

have been the controlling entity. 

Additionally, following the review, £33,050 million of fixed maturity securities previously included within level 1 have been reclassified to level 
2 at 31 December 2018. 

(b)  Amendment to Group adjusted operating profit 
For 2019, the Group adjusted operating profit APM has been amended and now includes amortisation and impairment of internally generated 
intangible assets to provide more relevant information by better reflecting their operational nature. These assets include advisor platforms, 
digital distribution channels and claims and policy administration systems which are used to support operational activities. Group adjusted 
operating profit continues to exclude amortisation and impairment of intangible assets acquired in business combinations as these items 
principally relate to merger and acquisition activity which we view as strategic in nature. The effect of this change is to move £112 million 
relating to amortisation of internally generated intangible assets into Group adjusted operating profit for 2018. The 2018 comparative figures 
have been restated in the Reconciliation of Group adjusted operating profit to profit for the year and the Segmental income statement (see 
note 5). The relevant EPS metrics (operating EPS and diluted operating EPS) for 2018 have also been restated (see note 15). There is no impact 
from this change on profit before tax attributable to shareholders’ profit.

Aviva plc Annual report and accounts 2019 
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IFRS financial statements 

Other information 

Notes to the consolidated financial statements 

 Continued  

2 – Exchange rates 
The Group’s principal overseas operations during the year were located within the eurozone, Canada and Poland. The results and cash flows 
of these operations have been translated into sterling at the average rates for the year, and the assets and liabilities have been translated at 
the year end rates as follows: 

Eurozone 
Average rate (€1 equals) 
Year end rate (€1 equals) 
Canada 
Average rate ($CAD1 equals) 
Year end rate ($CAD1 equals) 
Poland 
Average rate (PLN1 equals) 
Year end rate (PLN1 equals) 

2019 

2018 

£0.88 
£0.85 

£0.59 
£0.58 

£0.20 
£0.20 

£0.88 
£0.90 

£0.58 
£0.57 

£0.21 
£0.21 

3 – Subsidiaries, joint ventures and associates – acquisitions 
The Group completed minor acquisitions in Canada, the UK and France in 2019. The aggregate consideration paid in these transactions was 
£20 million. With the exception of the acquisition of an associate in Canada, the acquired entities are all consolidated subsidiaries. During 
2019, an adjustment of £2 million was made to the acquisition balance sheet of Friends Life Assurance Company DAC (Friends First), which 
became a wholly owned subsidiary on 1 June 2018. This resulted in a corresponding decrease in the negative goodwill previously recognised. 

4 – Subsidiaries, joint ventures and associates – disposals and held for sale 
This note provides details of the disposals of subsidiaries, joint ventures and associates that the Group has made during the year, together 
with details of businesses held for sale at the year end. 

(a)  Summary 
The profit on the disposal and remeasurement of subsidiaries, joint ventures and associates comprises: 

Disposals 
Held for sale remeasurements 
Remeasurements due to change in control status 

Total (loss)/profit on disposal and remeasurements 

2019  
£m 

6  
(28) 
— 

(22) 

2018  
£m 

113  
(13) 
2  

102  

The loss on the disposal and remeasurement of subsidiaries, joint ventures and associates during the year of £22 million (2018: £102 million 
gain)  consists  of  £6  million  of  gains  relating  to  small  disposals  and  a  £28  million  remeasurement  loss  relating  to  Friends  Provident 
International Limited (FPI), see note 4(b) for further details. In 2018, the profit on disposal of £113 million primarily related to the disposals of 
Avipop Assicurazioni S.p.A. (Italy Avipop) and three businesses in Spain and the remeasurement loss of £13 million was related to FPI. 

Aviva plc Annual report and accounts 2019 
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IFRS financial statements 

Other information 

Notes to the consolidated financial statements 

 Continued  

4 – Subsidiaries, joint ventures and associates – disposals and held for sale continued 
(b)  Assets and liabilities of operations classified as held for sale 
The assets and liabilities of operations classified as held for sale as at 31 December 2019 are as follows: 

Assets 
Acquired value of in-force business and intangible assets 
Interests in, and loans to, joint ventures and associates 
Property and equipment 
Loans 
Financial investments 
Reinsurance assets 
Other assets 
Cash and cash equivalents 

Total assets 

Liabilities 
Gross insurance liabilities 
Gross liabilities for investment contracts 
External borrowings 
Other liabilities 

Total liabilities 

Net assets 

2019  
£m 

2018  
£m 

526  
8  
8  
1  
7,824  
75  
290  
780  

9,512  

687  
8,324  
28  
87  

9,126  

386  

660  
— 
5  
— 
7,251  
45  
206  
688  

8,855  

121  
8,341  
— 
59  

8,521  

334  

Assets  and  liabilities  of  operations  classified  as  held  for  sale  as  at  31  December  2019  relate  primarily  to  the  expected  disposal  of  the 
international operations of FPI and also include Group’s operations in Hong Kong. See below for further details. Assets and liabilities of 
operations classified as held for sale during 2018 relate entirely to FPI. 

(i)  FPI 
On 19 July 2017, Aviva announced the sale of FPI to RL360 Holding Company Limited, a subsidiary of International Financial Group Limited, 
for a total consideration of £340 million, and FPI has been reported as held for sale by the Group since 31 December 2017. The conditions 
defined in IFRS 5 for a subsidiary to be classified as held for sale include the presumption that the sale will be completed within 12 months 
of the date of reclassification. However, if events or circumstances extend the period to complete the sale beyond 12 months, a held for sale 
classification continues to be appropriate if certain conditions are met.  

The transaction remains subject to regulatory approvals. The delays to receiving these approvals have been beyond the control of the Group 
and both the Group and RL360 have continued to cooperate with the regulatory approval process throughout. The Group remains committed 
to completing the transaction and now expects it to complete in 2020. As such, the subsidiary continues to be classified as held for sale and 
has been remeasured at fair value less costs to sell of £334 million, based on the agreed price. This resulted in a total loss on remeasurement 
of £28 million in 2019 (2018: £13 million) (see note 18). The business remains a consolidated subsidiary of Aviva at the balance sheet date. 

(ii)  Hong Kong joint venture 
On 20 November 2019, Aviva announced the sale of its entire 40% shareholding in its Hong Kong joint venture (Blue) to Hillhouse AV Holdings 
Limited for 450 million HKD (approximately £44 million). In addition to the investment in the joint venture, Aviva retained control of certain 
activities under the previous sale agreement reached in 2018, which remain fully consolidated at the balance sheet date, and which form part 
of the sale agreement to Hillhouse AV Holding Limited. No remeasurement loss has been recognised on reclassification to held for sale. 

(c)  Significant restrictions  
In certain jurisdictions the ability of subsidiaries to transfer funds to the Group in the form of cash dividends or to repay loans and advances 
is subject to local corporate or insurance laws and regulations and solvency requirements. There are no protective rights of non-controlling 
interests which significantly restrict the Group’s ability to access or use the assets and settle the liabilities of the Group. 

Aviva plc Annual report and accounts 2019 
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Other information 

Notes to the consolidated financial statements 

 Continued  

5 – Segmental information  
The Group’s results can be segmented either by activity or by geography. Our primary reporting format is along market reporting lines, with 
supplementary  information  being  given  by  business  activity.  This  note  provides  segmental  information  on  the  consolidated  income 
statement. In November 2019 the Group announced the creation of new divisions. From 2020 UK Life will focus on three product lines – 
annuities and equity release, protection and health and heritage. The Investments, Savings and Retirement division, will bring together Aviva 
Investors and the modern UK Savings and Retirement business that is currently reported in UK Life. The global General Insurance division 
will report the results of the UK, Canada and our European and Asian general insurance businesses. Europe Life and Asia Life will no longer 
include the results of the European and Asian general insurance businesses. The following segments represent how the business has been 
managed in 2019 and are consistent with the segments presented in 2018. 

(a)  Operating segments 
United Kingdom 
The United Kingdom comprises two operating segments – Life and General Insurance. The principal activities of our UK Life operations are 
life insurance, long-term health and accident insurance, savings, pensions and annuity business. UK General Insurance provides insurance 
cover to individuals and businesses, for risks associated mainly with motor vehicles, property and liability (such as employers’ liability and 
professional indemnity liability) and medical expenses.  

Canada 
The principal activity of our operation in Canada is general insurance. In particular it provides personal and commercial lines insurance 
products principally distributed through insurance brokers.  

France 
The principal activities of our operations in France are long-term business and general insurance. The long-term business offers a range of 
long-term insurance and savings products, primarily for individuals, with a focus on the unit-linked market. The general insurance business 
predominantly sells personal and small commercial lines insurance products through agents and a direct insurer.  

Poland 
Activities in Poland comprise long-term business and general insurance and includes our long-term business in Lithuania. 

Italy, Ireland and Other 
These countries are not individually significant at a Group level, so have been aggregated into a single reporting segment in line with IFRS 8 
Operating Segments. The principal activities of our operations in Italy and Ireland are long-term business and general insurance. Our ‘Other’ 
operations  include  our  life  operations  in  Turkey.  This  segment  also  includes  Friends  First,  which  was  acquired  on  1  June  2018.  The 
comparative results include our operations within Spain up to the date of disposal (Caja Murcia Vida and Caja Granada Vida on 11 July 2018 
and Pelayo Vida on 1 October 2018), the principal activity of which was the sale of accident and health insurance and a selection of savings 
products. The comparative results also include Avipop, part of our operations in Italy, up to the date of disposal on 29 March 2018. 

Asia 
Our activities in Asia principally comprise our long-term business operations in China, India, Singapore, Hong Kong (see note 4(b)), Vietnam, 
Indonesia, and FPI (see note 4(b)). This segment also includes general insurance and health operations in Singapore and health operations 
in Indonesia.  

Aviva Investors 
Aviva Investors operates in most of the markets in which the Group operates, in particular the UK, France, North America and Asia Pacific. 
Aviva  Investors  manages  policyholders’  and  shareholders’  invested  funds,  provides  investment  management  services  for  institutional 
pension  fund  mandates  and  manages  a  range  of  retail  investment  products.  These  include  investment  funds,  unit  trusts,  open-ended 
investment companies and individual savings accounts.  

Other Group activities 
Investment return on centrally held assets and head office expenses, such as Group treasury and finance functions, together with certain 
taxes  and  financing  costs  arising  on  central  borrowings  are  included  in  ‘Other  Group  activities’.  The  results  of  our  internal  reinsurance 
operations and the Group’s interest in Wealthify are also included in this segment, as are the elimination entries for certain inter-segment 
transactions and group consolidation adjustments.  

Aviva plc Annual report and accounts 2019 
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IFRS financial statements 

Other information 

Notes to the consolidated financial statements 

 Continued  

5 – Segmental information continued  
Measurement basis 
The accounting policies of the segments are the same as those for the Group as a whole. Any transactions between the business segments 
are subject to normal commercial terms and market conditions. The Group evaluates performance of operating segments on the basis of:  
(i)  profit or loss from operations before tax attributable to shareholders 
(ii)  profit or loss from operations before tax attributable to shareholders, adjusted for items outside the segment management’s control, 

including investment market performance and fiscal policy changes. 

(a) (i) Segmental income statement for the year ended 31 December 2019 

Gross written premiums 
Premiums ceded to reinsurers 
Internal reinsurance revenue 

Premiums written net of reinsurance 
Net change in provision for unearned premiums 

Net earned premiums 
Fee and commission income 

Net investment income 
Inter-segment revenue 
Share of profit of joint ventures and associates 
Profit/(loss) on the disposal and remeasurement of 

subsidiaries, joint ventures and associates 

United Kingdom 

Life  
£m 

GI  
£m 

Canada  
£m 

France  
£m 

Poland  
£m 

Europe 

Italy, 
Ireland and 
Other  
£m 

Asia  
£m 

Aviva 
Investors 
£m 

Other 
Group 
activities2  

£m 

Total  
£m 

8,596  
(2,271) 
— 

6,325  
(2) 

6,323  
951  

7,274  
27,070  
— 
20  

4,624  
(406) 
— 

4,218  
(57) 

4,161  
113  

4,274  
254  
— 
— 

3,204  
(143) 
— 

3,061  
(99) 

2,962  
24  

2,986  
171  
— 
— 

6,883  
(86) 
— 

6,797  
(28) 

6,769  
305  

7,074  
6,267  
— 
48  

643  
(12) 
— 

631  
2  

633  
99  

732  
155  
— 
— 

5,761  
(264) 
— 

5,497  
(9) 

5,488  
123  

5,611  
4,352  
— 
12  

1,532  
(381) 
1  

1,152  
(16) 

1,136  
205  

1,341  
967  
— 
33  

— 
— 
— 

— 
— 

— 
320  

320  
61  
247  
— 

—  31,243  
(3,563) 
— 
— 
(1) 

(1)  27,680  
(209) 
— 

(1)  27,471  
1   2,141  

—  29,612  
1,280   40,577  
247  
85  

— 
(28) 

— 

— 

6  

— 

— 

— 

(28) 

— 

— 

(22) 

Segmental income1  
Claims and benefits paid, net of recoveries from reinsurers 
Change in insurance liabilities, net of reinsurance 
Change in investment contract provisions 
Change in unallocated divisible surplus 
Fee and commission expense 
Other expenses 
Inter-segment expenses 
Finance costs 

34,364  

4,528  

3,163   13,389  

887  

9,975  

2,313  

628  

1,252   70,499  

(9,569) 
(3,428) 
(16,411) 
162  
(669) 
(1,332) 
(218) 
(159) 

(2,614) 
(53) 
— 
— 
(1,265) 
(298) 
(6) 
(4) 

(1,938) 
(16) 
— 
— 
(823) 
(162) 
(6) 
(7) 

(4,751) 
(1,112) 
(4,041) 
(2,010) 
(816) 
(246) 
(2) 
(1) 

(380) 
(49) 
1  
(4) 
(156) 
(95) 
(5) 
(1) 

(2,820) 
(1,062) 
(3,365) 
(1,764) 
(352) 
(230) 
(10) 
(6) 

(1,003) 
(32) 
(216) 
(369) 
(257) 
(283) 
— 
(8) 

— 
— 
(63) 
— 
(27) 
(447) 
— 
— 

(21) (23,096) 
50  
(5,702) 
—  (24,095) 
(3,985) 
— 
(1,171)  (5,536) 
(236)  (3,329) 
(247) 
(576) 

— 
(390) 

Segmental expenses 

(31,624) 

(4,240) 

(2,952)  (12,979) 

(689) 

(9,609) 

(2,168) 

(537) 

(1,768) (66,566) 

Profit/(loss) before tax 
Tax attributable to policyholders’ returns 

2,740  
(487) 

288  
— 

211  
— 

410  
— 

198  
— 

366  
(14) 

145  
(58) 

91  
— 

(516)  3,933  
(559) 

— 

Profit/(loss) before tax attributable to shareholders’ 

profits 

2,253  

288  

211  

410  

198  

352  

Adjusting items: 
Reclassification of corporate costs and unallocated interest 
Life business: Investment variances and economic 

assumption changes 

Non-life business: Short-term fluctuation in return on 

investments 

General insurance and health business: Economic 

assumption changes 

Impairment of goodwill, joint ventures, associates and other 

amounts expensed 

Amortisation and impairment of intangibles acquired in 

business combinations 

Amortisation and impairment of AVIF 
(Profit)/loss on the disposal and remeasurement of 

subsidiaries, joint ventures and associates 

Other3  

Group adjusted operating profit/(loss) before tax 

attributable to shareholders’ profits 

— 

(695) 

(8) 

— 

33  

— 

46  

84  

— 

— 

— 

54  
243  

— 
— 

(102) 

(64) 

(95) 

27  

— 

— 
— 

— 
45  

2  

2  

13  
— 

(6) 
— 

24  

— 

2  
2  

— 
— 

— 

(4) 

(5) 

— 

— 

5  
— 

— 
— 

— 

(42) 

(33) 

— 

— 

2  
33  

— 
2  

87  

— 

10  

— 

— 

13  

11  
126  

28  
— 

91  

(516)  3,374  

5  

(76) 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 
— 

— 
— 

(7) 

(654) 

132  

(167) 

1  

— 

— 
2  

— 
— 

54  

15  

87  
406  

22  
47  

1,855  

250  

191  

473  

194  

314  

275  

96  

(464)  3,184  

1  Total reported income, excluding inter-segment revenue, includes £39,041 million from the United Kingdom (Aviva plc’s country of domicile). Income is attributed on the basis of geographical origin which does not differ materially 

from revenue by geographical destination, as most risks are located in the countries where the contracts were written. 

2  Other Group activities include internal reinsurance and net expenses of £15 million in relation to the UK digital business. The reduction of £165 million from 2018 reflects the alignment of the UK digital business with the UK Life 

and UK GI businesses during the year. 

3   Other includes a charge of £45 million in relation to a change in the discount rate used for estimating lump sum payments in settlement of bodily injury claims (see note 44(b)) and a charge of £2 million relating to the negative 

goodwill that arose on acquisition of Friends First (see note 3). 

Aviva plc Annual report and accounts 2019 
144 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Strategic report 

Governance 

IFRS financial statements 

Other information 

Notes to the consolidated financial statements 

 Continued  

5 – Segmental information continued  
(a) (ii) Segmental income statement for the year ended 31 December 2018 – restated1,2 

Gross written premiums 
Premiums ceded to reinsurers 
Internal reinsurance revenue 

Premiums written net of reinsurance 
Net change in provision for unearned premiums 

Net earned premiums 
Fee and commission income 

Net investment (expense)/income 
Inter-segment revenue 
Share of profit of joint ventures and associates 
Profit/(loss) on the disposal and remeasurement of subsidiaries, 

joint ventures and associates 

Segmental income3  
Claims and benefits paid, net of recoveries from reinsurers 
Change in insurance liabilities, net of reinsurance 
Change in investment contract provisions 
Change in unallocated divisible surplus 
Fee and commission expense 
Other expenses 
Inter-segment expenses 
Finance costs 

Segmental expenses 

Profit/(loss) before tax 
Tax attributable to policyholders’ returns 

Profit/(loss) before tax attributable to shareholders’ profits 

Adjusting items: 
Reclassification of corporate costs and unallocated interest 
Life business: Investment variances and economic assumption 

changes 

Non-life business: Short-term fluctuation in return on investments 
General insurance and health business: Economic assumption 

changes 

Impairment of goodwill, joint ventures, associates and other 

amounts expensed 

Amortisation and impairment of intangibles acquired in business 

combinations 

Amortisation and impairment of AVIF 
(Profit)/loss on the disposal and remeasurement of subsidiaries, 

joint ventures and associates 

Other6  

Group adjusted operating profit/(loss) before tax attributable to 

United Kingdom 

Life  
£m 

GI  
£m 

Canada  
£m 

France  
£m 

Poland  
£m 

7,302  
(1,666) 
— 

5,636  
14  

5,650  
939  

6,589  
(6,771) 
— 
144  

4,504  
(317) 
6  

4,193  
(87) 

4,106  
122  

4,228  
16  
— 
— 

3,047  
(119) 
— 

2,928  
27  

2,955  
24  

2,979  
51  
— 
1  

5,584  
(77) 
— 

5,507  
(38) 

5,469  
313  

5,782  
(2,302) 
— 
9  

616  
(12) 
— 

604  
7  

611  
94  

705  
(73) 
— 
— 

Europe 

Italy, 
Ireland, 
Spain and 
Other  
£m 

6,504  
(113) 
(2) 

6,389  
9  

6,398  
113  

6,511  
(1,111) 
— 
10  

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

89  

(38)  4,244  

3,031  

3,489  

632  

5,499  

(10,184) 
6,184  
7,540  
270  
(738) 
(1,663) 
(232) 
(172) 

(2,731) 
351  
— 
— 
(1,225) 
(220) 
(5) 
(1) 

(1,989) 
(133) 
— 
— 
(791) 
(182) 
(6) 
(5) 

(4,659) 
557  
27  
1,754  
(484) 
(256) 
(1) 
(1) 

(356) 
148  
— 
12  
(146) 
(106) 
(6) 
— 

(2,595) 
(872) 
(2,249) 
1,063  
(343) 
(188) 
(7) 
(5) 

1,005  

(3,831) 

(3,106) 

(3,063) 

(454) 

(5,196) 

967  
469  

1,436  

413  
— 

413  

(75) 
— 

(75) 

426  
— 

426  

178  
— 

178  

303  
1  

304  

— 

(16) 

115  
— 

— 
172  

— 

— 

50  
285  

4  

— 

— 
— 

— 
— 

— 
(190) 

31  

— 
45  

— 

— 

26  
— 

— 
— 

48  

(6) 
44  

(5) 

— 

1  
2  

— 
— 

— 

10  
2  

— 

2  

6  
— 

— 
— 

(1) 

57  
57  

— 

— 

2  
6  

(89) 
(36) 

Asia  
£m 

Aviva  
Investors4  
£m 

Other 
Group  
activities5  
£m 

Total  
£m 

1,102  
(20) 
(7) 

1,075  
(13) 

1,062  
202  

1,264  
(286) 
— 
14  

(5) 

987  

(570) 
(40) 
42  
138  
(199) 
(272) 
— 
(3) 

(904) 

83  
7  

90  

— 

21  
— 

— 

3  

12  
130  

5  
— 

— 
— 
— 

— 
— 

— 
368  

368  
37  
259  
— 

27  

691  

— 
— 
(39) 
— 
(33) 
(449) 
— 
— 

(521) 

170  
— 

170  

—  28,659  
(2,326) 
(2) 
— 
3  

1   26,333  
(81) 
— 

1   26,252  
2,178  
3  

4   28,430  
(473)  (10,912) 
259  
112  

— 
(66) 

(9) 

102  

(544)  17,991  

(58)  (23,142) 
6,246  
51  
5,321  
— 
3,237  
— 
(3,326) 
633  
(3,843) 
(507) 
(259) 
(2) 
(573) 
(386) 

(269)  (16,339) 

(813)  1,652  
477  

— 

(813)  2,129  

5  

(67) 

— 

— 
— 

— 

— 

— 
— 

(27) 
— 

— 
156  

197  
476  

— 

8  

— 
3  

9  
(5) 

(1) 

13  

97  
426  

(102) 
(231) 

shareholders’ profits 

1,886  

383  

27  

510  

198  

300  

261  

148  

(709)  3,004  

1  Following a review of the Group’s presentation of consolidated investment funds, comparative amounts have been restated from those previously reported. The restatement has had no impact on the profit for the year or equity. 
As a result of the review, there have been reclassifications between operating segments to ensure a consistent presentation of investment fund consolidation entries in the Other Group Activities segment. These consolidation 
adjustment reclassifications relate to UK property funds (£66 million reclassified to Other Group Activities, which predominately includes net investment expense (£78 million), other expenses (£24 million credit) and finance 
costs (£15 million)). This segmental restatement has had no impact on the consolidated income statement. See note 1(a) for further information. 

2   During 2019 the Group adjusted operating profit APM has been revised and now includes the amortisation and impairment of internally generated intangible assets to better reflect the operational nature of these assets (see 
note 1(b)). Group adjusted operating profit continues to exclude amortisation and impairment of intangible assets acquired in business combinations. Comparative amounts have been restated resulting in a reduction in the 
prior period Group adjusted operating profit of £112 million. There is no impact on profit before tax attributable to shareholders’ profit. 

3  Total reported income, excluding inter-segment revenue, includes £4,412 million from the United Kingdom (Aviva plc’s country of domicile). Income is attributed on the basis of geographical origin which does not differ materially 

from revenue by geographical destination, as most risks are located in the countries where the contracts were written. 
4   Aviva Investors adjusted operating profit includes £1 million profit relating to the Aviva Investors Pensions Limited business. 
5  Other Group activities include internal reinsurance and net expenses of £180 million (restated) in relation to the UK digital business. 
6  Other includes a movement in the discount rate used for estimating lump sum payments in settlement of bodily injury claims which resulted in a gain of £190 million, a provision release of £78 million relating to the sale of Aviva 
USA in 2013, a gain of £36 million relating to negative goodwill on the acquisition of Friends First, a charge of £63 million relating to the UK defined benefit pension scheme as a result of the requirement to equalise members’ 
benefits for the effects of Guaranteed Minimum Pension and a charge of £10 million relating to the goodwill payments to preference shareholders, which was announced on 30 April 2018, and associated administration costs. 

Aviva plc Annual report and accounts 2019 
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Strategic report 

Governance 

IFRS financial statements 

Other information 

Notes to the consolidated financial statements 

 Continued  

5 – Segmental information continued  
(b) Further analysis by products and services 
The Group’s results can be further analysed by products and services which comprise long-term business, general insurance and health, fund 
management and other activities.  

Long-term business 
Our long-term business comprises life insurance, long-term health and accident insurance, savings, pensions and annuity business written 
by our life insurance subsidiaries, including managed pension fund business. Long-term business also includes our share of the other life and 
related business written in our associates and joint ventures, as well as lifetime mortgage business written in the UK. 

General insurance and health 
Our general insurance and health business provides insurance cover to individuals and to small and medium-sized businesses, for risks 
associated mainly with motor vehicles, property and liability, such as employers’ liability and professional indemnity liability, and medical 
expenses.  

Fund management  
Our  fund  management  business  invests  policyholders’  and  shareholders’  funds  and  provides  investment  management  services  for 
institutional pension fund mandates. It manages a range of retail investment products, including investment funds, unit trusts, open-ended 
investment companies and individual savings accounts. Clients include Aviva Group businesses and third-party financial institutions, pension 
funds, public sector organisations, investment professionals and private investors.  

Other 
‘Other’ includes service companies, head office expenses, such as Group treasury and finance functions, and certain financing costs and taxes 
not allocated to business segments and elimination entries for certain inter-segment transactions and group consolidation adjustments. 

(b) (i) Segmental income statement – products and services for the year ended 31 December 2019 

Gross written premiums1  
Premiums ceded to reinsurers 

Premiums written net of reinsurance 
Net change in provision for unearned premiums 

Net earned premiums 
Fee and commission income 

Net investment income/(expense) 
Inter-segment revenue 
Share of profit of joint ventures and associates 
(Loss)/profit on the disposal and remeasurement of subsidiaries, joint ventures and associates 

Segmental income 

Claims and benefits paid, net of recoveries from reinsurers 
Change in insurance liabilities, net of reinsurance 
Change in investment contract provisions 
Change in unallocated divisible surplus 
Fee and commission expense 
Other expenses 
Inter-segment expenses 
Finance costs 

Segmental expenses 
Profit/(loss) before tax 
Tax attributable to policyholders’ returns 

Profit/(loss) before tax attributable to shareholders’ profits 
Adjusting items 

Group adjusted operating profit/(loss) before tax attributable to shareholders’ profits 

Long-term 
business  
£m 

General 
insurance and  
health2  
£m 

Fund 
management 
£m 

20,335  
(2,879) 

17,456  
— 

17,456  
1,490  

18,946  
38,722  
— 
113  
(28) 

10,908  
(684) 

10,224  
(209) 

10,015  
126  

10,141  
622  
— 
— 
6  

57,753  

10,769  

(16,612) 
(5,566) 
(24,095) 
(3,985) 
(1,546) 
(1,850) 
(237) 
(170) 

(6,484) 
(136) 
— 
— 
(2,672) 
(649) 
(13) 
(10) 

(54,061) 

(9,964) 

3,692  
(559) 

3,133  
(133) 

3,000  

805  
— 

805  
(161) 

644  

— 
— 

— 
— 

— 
319  

319  
(1) 
250  
— 
— 

568  

— 
— 
— 
— 
(27) 
(453) 
— 
— 

(480) 

88  
— 

88  
4  

92  

Other3  
£m 

Total  
£m 

— 
— 

— 
— 

— 
206  

206  
1,234  
— 
(28) 
— 

31,243  
(3,563) 

27,680  
(209) 

27,471  
2,141  

29,612  
40,577  
250  
85  
(22) 

1,412  

70,502  

— 
— 
— 
— 
(1,291) 
(377) 
— 
(396) 

(23,096) 
(5,702) 
(24,095) 
(3,985) 
(5,536) 
(3,329) 
(250) 
(576) 

(2,064) 

(66,569) 

(652) 
— 

(652) 
100  

(552) 

3,933  
(559) 

3,374  
(190) 

3,184  

1  Gross written premiums include inward reinsurance premiums assumed from other companies amounting to £62 million, which all relates to property and liability insurance. 
2  General insurance and health business segment includes gross written premiums of £944 million relating to health business. The remaining business relates to property and liability insurance. 
3   Other includes net expenses of £15 million in relation to the UK digital business. The reduction of £165 million from 2018 reflects the alignment of the UK digital business with the UK long-term and general insurance businesses 

during the year. 

Aviva plc Annual report and accounts 2019 
146 

 
 
 
 
 
Strategic report 

Governance 

IFRS financial statements 

Other information 

Notes to the consolidated financial statements 

 Continued  

5 – Segmental information continued  
(b) (ii) Segmental income statement – products and services for the year ended 31 December 2018 – restated1, 2 

Gross written premiums3  
Premiums ceded to reinsurers 

Premiums written net of reinsurance 
Net change in provision for unearned premiums 

Net earned premiums 
Fee and commission income 

Net investment (expense)/income 
Inter-segment revenue 
Share of profit of joint ventures and associates 
Profit/(loss) on the disposal and remeasurement of subsidiaries, joint ventures and associates 

Segmental income 

Claims and benefits paid, net of recoveries from reinsurers 
Change in insurance liabilities, net of reinsurance 
Change in investment contract provisions 
Change in unallocated divisible surplus 
Fee and commission expense 
Other expenses 
Inter-segment expenses 
Finance costs 

Segmental expenses 

Profit/(loss) before tax 
Tax attributable to policyholders’ returns 

Profit/(loss) before tax attributable to shareholders’ profits 
Adjusting items 

Group adjusted operating profit/(loss) before tax attributable to shareholders’ profits 

Long-term 
business  
£m 

18,140  
(1,775) 

16,365  
— 

16,365  
1,496  

17,861  
(10,453) 
— 
178  
84  

7,670  

(16,540) 
6,044  
5,321  
3,237  
(1,245) 
(2,128) 
(249) 
(179) 

(5,739) 

1,931  
477  

2,408  
568  

2,976  

General 
insurance and  
health4  
£m 

Fund 
management 
£m 

Other5  
£m 

Total  
£m 

10,519  
(551) 

9,968  
(81) 

9,887  
138  

10,025  
63  
— 
— 
— 

10,088  

(6,602) 
202  
— 
— 
(2,592) 
(596) 
(12) 
(6) 

(9,606) 

482  
— 

482  
169  

651  

— 
— 

— 
— 

— 
365  

365  
(1) 
263  
— 
27  

654  

— 
— 
— 
— 
(31) 
(461) 
— 
— 

(492) 

162  
— 

162  
(19) 

143  

— 
— 

— 
— 

— 
179  

179  
(521) 
— 
(66) 
(9) 

(417) 

— 
— 
— 
— 
542  
(658) 
(2) 
(388) 

(506) 

(923) 
— 

(923) 
157  

(766) 

28,659  
(2,326) 

26,333  
(81) 

26,252  
2,178  

28,430  
(10,912) 
263  
112  
102  

17,995  

(23,142) 
6,246  
5,321  
3,237  
(3,326) 
(3,843) 
(263) 
(573) 

(16,343) 

1,652  
477  

2,129  
875  

3,004  

1  Following a review of the Group’s presentation of consolidated investment funds, comparative amounts have been restated from those previously reported. The restatement has had no impact on the profit for the year or equity. 
As a result of the review, there have been reclassifications between operating segments to ensure a consistent presentation of investment fund consolidation entries in the Other segment. These consolidation adjustment 
reclassifications relate to property funds (£66 million reclassified from Long-term business to Other, which predominately includes net investment expense (£78 million), other expenses (£24 million credit) and finance costs  
(£15 million)). This segmental restatement has had no impact on the consolidated income statement. See note 1(a) for further information. 

2   During 2019 the Group adjusted operating profit APM has been revised and now includes the amortisation and impairment of internally generated intangible assets to better reflect the operational nature of these assets (see 
note 1(b)). Group adjusted operating profit continues to exclude amortisation and impairment of intangible assets acquired in business combinations. Comparative amounts have been restated resulting in a reduction in the 
prior period Group adjusted operating profit of £112 million. There is no impact on profit before tax attributable to shareholders’ profit. 

3  Gross written premiums include inward reinsurance premiums assumed from other companies amounting to £56 million which all relates to property and liability insurance. 
4  General insurance and health business segment includes gross written premiums of £879 million relating to health business. The remaining business relates to property and liability insurance. 
5   Other includes net expenses of £180 million (restated) in relation to the UK digital business. 

Aviva plc Annual report and accounts 2019 
147 

 
 
 
 
 
Strategic report 

Governance 

IFRS financial statements 

Other information 

Notes to the consolidated financial statements 

 Continued  

6 – Details of income 
This note gives further detail on the items appearing in the income section of the income statement.  

Gross written premiums 
Long-term: 

Insurance contracts 
Participating investment contracts 

General insurance and health 

Less: premiums ceded to reinsurers 
Gross change in provision for unearned premiums (note 43(c)(v)) 
Reinsurers’ share of change in provision for unearned premiums (note 47(c)(iii)) 
Net change in provision for unearned premiums 

Net earned premiums 

Fee and commission income 
Fee income from investment contract business 
Fund management fee income  
Other fee income 
Reinsurance commissions receivable 
Other commission income  
Net change in deferred revenue  

Total revenue 

Net investment income 
Interest and similar income 

From financial instruments designated as trading and other than trading 
From AFS investments and financial instruments at amortised cost 

Dividend income 
Other income from investments designated as trading 

Realised gains/(losses) on disposals  
Unrealised gains and losses (see accounting policy K) 

Gains/(losses) arising in the year 
(Losses)/gains recognised now realised 

Other income from investments designated as other than trading  

Realised gains on disposals 
Unrealised gains and losses (see accounting policy K) 

Gains/(losses) arising in the year 
Losses recognised now realised 

Realised gains on AFS investments 

Gains recognised in prior periods as unrealised in equity  

Net income from investment properties 

Rent 
Expenses relating to these properties 
Realised gains on disposal 
Fair value gains on investment properties (note 22) 

Foreign exchange (losses)/gains on investments other than trading 
Other investment expenses 

Net investment income/(expense) 

Share of profit after tax of joint ventures (note 19(a)(i)) 
Share of profit after tax of associates (note 20(a)(i)) 
Share of profit after tax of joint ventures and associates 
(Loss)/profit on disposal and remeasurement of subsidiaries, joint ventures and associates (note 4(a)) 

Total income 

2019  
£m 

Restated1  
2018  
£m 

12,906  
7,429  
10,908  

31,243  
(3,563) 
(231) 
22  
(209) 

27,471  

1,064  
439  
451  
32  
175  
(20) 

2,141  

11,064  
7,076  
10,519  

28,659  
(2,326) 
(98) 
17  
(81) 

26,252  

1,059  
527  
403  
26  
164  
(1) 

2,178  

29,612  

28,430  

5,950  
49  
5,999  
5,614  

5,716  
54  
5,770  
4,881  

1,388  

(803) 

1,866  
(1,388) 
478  
1,866  

(1,887) 
803  
(1,084) 
(1,887) 

9,130  

8,044  

27,050  
(9,130) 
17,920  
27,050  

(20,757) 
(8,044) 
(28,801) 
(20,757) 

19  

78  

555  
(158) 
58  
93  
548  
(454) 
(65) 

583  
(121) 
69  
307  
838  
192  
(27) 

40,577  

(10,912) 

18  
67  
85  
(22) 

91  
21  
112  
102  

70,252  

17,732  

1  Following a review of the Group’s presentation of consolidated investment funds, comparative amounts have been restated from those previously reported. The restatement has had no impact on the profit for the year or equity. 

See note 1(a) for further information. 

Aviva plc Annual report and accounts 2019 
148 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Strategic report 

Governance 

IFRS financial statements 

Other information 

Notes to the consolidated financial statements 

 Continued  

7 – Details of expenses 
This note gives further detail on the items appearing in the expenses section of the income statement. 

Claims and benefits paid 
Claims and benefits paid to policyholders on long-term business 

Insurance contracts 
Participating investment contracts 
Non-participating investment contracts 

Claims and benefits paid to policyholders on general insurance and health business 

Less: Claim recoveries from reinsurers 

Insurance contracts 
Participating investment contracts 

Claims and benefits paid, net of recoveries from reinsurers 

Change in insurance liabilities 

Change in insurance liabilities (note 42(b)) 
Change in reinsurance asset for insurance provisions (note 42(b)) 

Change in insurance liabilities, net of reinsurance 

Change in investment contract provisions 
Investment expense/(income) allocated to investment contracts 
Other changes in provisions 

Participating investment contracts (note 45(c)(i)) 
Non-participating investment contracts  

Change in reinsurance asset for investment contract provisions 

Change in investment contract provisions 

Change in unallocated divisible surplus (note 49) 

Fee and commission expense  
Acquisition costs 

Commission expenses for insurance and participating investment contracts 
Change in deferred acquisition costs for insurance and participating investment contracts 
Deferrable costs for non-participating investment contracts 
Other acquisition costs  
Change in deferred acquisition costs for non-participating investment contracts 

Investment expense/(income) attributable to unitholders 
Reinsurance commissions and other fee and commission expense 

Other expenses  
Other operating expenses  
Staff costs (note 11(b)) 
Central costs and sharesave schemes 
Depreciation 
Impairment of goodwill on subsidiaries (note 17(a))  
Amortisation of acquired value of in-force business on insurance/investment contracts (note 18) 
Amortisation of intangible assets (note 18) 
Impairment of intangible assets (note 18) 
Other expenses (see below) 

Impairments 

Net impairment on loans 
Net impairment on receivables and other financial assets 
Other net foreign exchange losses 

Other expenses 

Finance costs (note 8) 

Total expenses 

2019  
£m 

Restated1  
2018  
£m 

13,017  
5,333  
7  
6,765  

25,122  

12,163  
6,117  
8  
6,913  

25,201  

(2,029) 
3  

(1,984) 
(75) 

23,096  

23,142  

6,824  
(1,122) 

5,702  

(6,415) 
169  

(6,246) 

14,972  

(6,128) 

7,365  
1,767  
(9) 

24,095  

3,985  

540  
272  
(5) 

(5,321) 

(3,237) 

2,829  
(163) 
39  
1,048  
(83) 
1,355  
511  

5,536  

1,161  
183  
98  
6  
406  
212  
13  
1,345  

4  
10  
(109) 

3,329  

576  

2,678  
(183) 
32  
996  
84  
(771) 
490  

3,326  

1,172  
216  
40  
13  
426  
209  
— 
1,729  

1  
9  
28 

3,843  

573  

66,319  

16,080  

1  Following a review of the Group’s presentation of consolidated investment funds, comparative amounts have been restated from those previously reported. The restatement has had no impact on the profit for the year or equity. 

See note 1(a) for further information. 

Other expenses were £1,345 million (2018: £1,729 million) which included costs relating to property, IT and a charge of £2 million relating to 
negative goodwill on the acquisition of Friends First. Other expenses in 2018 included a provision release of £78 million relating to the sale of 
Aviva USA in 2013, a gain of £36 million relating to negative goodwill on the acquisition of Friends First, a charge of £63 million relating to the 
UK defined benefit pension scheme as a result of the requirement to equalise members’ benefits for the effects of Guaranteed Minimum 
Pension (see note 52(b)) and a charge of £10 million relating to goodwill payments to preference shareholders, which was announced on 30 
April 2018, and associated administration costs. 

Change in insurance liabilities includes a charge of £45 million (2018: gain of £190 million) relating to the movement in the discount rate used 
for estimating lump sum payments in settlement of bodily injury claims (see note 44(b)). 

Aviva plc Annual report and accounts 2019 
149 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Strategic report 

Governance 

IFRS financial statements 

Other information 

Notes to the consolidated financial statements 

 Continued  

8 – Finance costs 
This note analyses the interest costs on our borrowings (which are described in note 53) and similar charges. Finance costs comprise: 

Interest expense on core structural borrowings 

Subordinated debt  
Long term senior debt  
Commercial paper 

Interest expense on operational borrowings 
Amounts owed to financial institutions 
Securitised mortgage loan notes at fair value 

Interest on collateral received 
Net finance charge on pension schemes (note 52(b)(i)) 
Interest on lease liabilities 
Other similar charges 

Total finance costs 

2019 
 £m 

336  
16  
(1) 

351  

21  
77  

98  

10  
23  
14  
80  

2018  
£m 

364  
6  
(2) 

368  

20  
95  

115  

8  
22  
— 
60  

576  

573  

Aviva plc Annual report and accounts 2019 
150 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Strategic report 

Governance 

IFRS financial statements 

Other information 

Notes to the consolidated financial statements 

 Continued  

9 – Life business investment variances and economic assumption changes 
(a)  Definitions  
Group  adjusted  operating  profit  for  life  business  is  based  on  expected  long-term  investment  returns  on  financial  investments  backing 
shareholder  funds  over  the  period,  with  consistent  allowance  for  the  corresponding  expected  movements  in  liabilities.  Group  adjusted 
operating profit includes the effect of variance in experience for operating items, such as mortality, persistency and expenses, and the effect 
of changes in operating assumptions. Changes due to economic items, such as market value movements and interest rate changes, which 
give rise to variances between actual and expected investment returns, and the impact of changes in economic assumptions on liabilities, 
are disclosed separately outside Group adjusted operating profit, in investment variances and economic assumption changes. 

(b)  Methodology 
The  expected  investment  returns  and  corresponding  expected  movements  in  life  business  liabilities  are  calculated  separately  for  each 
principal life business unit. 

The expected return on investments for both policyholders’ and shareholders’ funds is based on opening economic assumptions applied to 
the expected funds under management over the reporting period. Expected investment return assumptions are derived actively, based on 
market yields on risk-free fixed interest assets at the end of each financial year. The same margins are applied on a consistent basis across 
the Group to gross risk-free yields, to obtain investment return assumptions for equity and property. Expected funds under management are 
equal to the opening value of funds under management, adjusted for sales and purchases during the period arising from expected operating 
experience.  

The actual investment return is affected by differences between the actual and expected funds under management and changes in asset mix, 
as  well  as  movements  in  interest  rates.  To  the  extent  that  these  differences  arise  from  the  operating  experience  of  the  life  business,  or 
management decisions to change asset mix, the effect is included in the Group adjusted operating profit. The residual difference between 
actual and expected investment return is included in investment variances, outside Group adjusted operating profit but included in profit 
before tax attributable to shareholders’ profits. 

The movement in liabilities included in Group adjusted operating profit reflects both the change in liabilities due to the expected return on 
investments and the impact of experience variances and assumption changes for non-economic items. This would include movements in 
liabilities due to changes in the discount rate arising from discretionary management decisions that impact on product profitability over the 
lifetime of products. 

The effect of differences between actual and expected economic experience on liabilities, and changes to economic assumptions used to 
value liabilities, are taken outside Group adjusted operating profit. For many types of life business, including unit-linked and with-profits 
funds, movements in asset values are offset by corresponding changes in liabilities, limiting the net impact on profit. The profit impact of 
economic volatility on other life business depends on the degree of matching of assets and liabilities, and exposure to financial options and 
guarantees. 

(c)  Assumptions 
The expected rate of investment return is determined using consistent assumptions at the start of the period between operations, having 
regard to local economic and market forecasts of investment return and asset classification under IFRS. 

The principal assumptions underlying the calculation of the expected investment return for equity and property are: 

United Kingdom 
Eurozone 

2019 

4.9% 
4.3% 

Equity 

2018 
4.8% 
4.4% 

2019 
3.4% 
2.8% 

Property 

2018 
3.3% 
2.9% 

The expected return on equity and property has been calculated by reference to the ten-year mid-price swap rate for an AA rated bank in the 
relevant currency plus a risk premium. The use of risk premium reflects management’s long-term expectations of asset return in excess of the 
swap yield from investing in different asset classes. The asset risk premiums are set out in the table below: 

All territories 

Equity risk premium 
Property risk premium 

The ten-year mid-price swap rates at the start of the period are set out in the table below: 

Territories 

United Kingdom 
Eurozone 

2019 

3.5% 
2.0% 

2018 

3.5% 
2.0% 

2019 

1.4% 
0.8% 

2018 

1.3% 
0.9% 

For fixed interest securities classified as fair value through profit or loss, the expected investment returns are based on average prospective 
yields for the actual assets held less an adjustment for credit risk (assessed on a best estimate basis). This includes an adjustment for credit 
risk on all eurozone sovereign debt. Where such securities are classified as available for sale, the expected investment return comprises the 
expected interest or dividend payments and amortisation of the premium or discount at purchase. 

Aviva plc Annual report and accounts 2019 
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Strategic report 

Governance 

IFRS financial statements 

Other information 

Notes to the consolidated financial statements 

 Continued  

9 – Life business investment variances and economic assumption changes continued 
(d)  Investment variances and economic assumption changes 
The investment variances and economic assumption changes excluded from the life adjusted operating profit are as follows: 

Life business 

Investment variances and economic assumptions 

2019  
£m 

654  

2018  
£m 

(197) 

Investment variances and economic assumption changes were £654 million (2018: £197 million negative). This is primarily due to the UK where 
there was a positive variance as a result of a reduction in yields, a narrowing of fixed income spreads and a consequent impact from economic 
assumption changes, including an alignment of methodology across the UK, partially offset by the impact of increases in equities. The impact 
of yields and equities reflects the fact that we hedge on an economic rather than on an IFRS basis. 

The Group continues to keep under review the allowance in our assumptions for future property prices and rental income in relation to our 
commercial and equity release mortgages, for the possible adverse impact including but not limited to the ultimate arrangements regarding 
the  UK’s  exit  from  the  European  Union.  At  31  December  2019  this  allowance  has  been  determined  in  line  with  previous  periods  and  is 
estimated at £440 million (2018: £395 million). As more clarity is provided on the terms of the UK’s exit from the European Union, the Group 
will look to establish core property assumptions without an explicit allowance for Brexit uncertainty. 

The variance in 2018 was primarily due to negative variances in the UK and Italy. In the UK, these variances were mainly due to an increase in 
yields, the widening of corporate bond spreads and an increase in the allowance for the possible adverse impact of the decision for the UK 
to leave the European Union, partially offset by the beneficial impact of our equity hedges. The negative variance in Italy was primarily driven 
by a widening of sovereign credit spreads and a fall in equity markets. 

Aviva plc Annual report and accounts 2019 
152 

 
Strategic report 

Governance 

IFRS financial statements 

Other information 

Notes to the consolidated financial statements 

 Continued  

10 – Non-life business: short-term fluctuations in return on investments 
(a)  Definitions 
Group adjusted operating profit for non-life business is based on an expected long-term investment return over the period. Any variance 
between the total investment return (including realised and unrealised gains) and the expected return over the period is disclosed separately 
outside Group adjusted operating profit, in short-term fluctuations.  

The short-term fluctuations in investment return and economic assumption changes attributable to the non-life business result and reported 
outside Group adjusted operating profit were as follows: 

Non-life business 

Short-term fluctuations in investment return (see (d) below) 
Economic assumption changes (see (e) below) 

2019  
£m 

167  
(54) 

113  

2018  
£m 

(476) 
1  

(475) 

(b)  Methodology 
The long-term investment return is calculated separately for each principal non-life market. In respect of equities and investment properties, 
the return is calculated by multiplying the opening market value of the investments, adjusted for sales and purchases during the year, by the 
long-term rate of investment return.  

The long-term rate of investment return is determined using consistent assumptions between operations, having regard to local economic 
and market forecasts of investment return. The allocated  long-term return for other investments (including debt securities) is the actual 
income receivable for the year. Actual income and long-term investment return both contain the amortisation of the discounts/premium 
arising on the acquisition of fixed income securities. For other operations, the long-term return reflects assets backing non-life business held 
in Group centre investments. 

Market value movements which give rise to variances between actual and long-term investment returns are disclosed separately in short-
term fluctuations outside Group adjusted operating profit. 

The impact of realised and unrealised gains and losses on Group centre investments, including the centre hedging programme which is 
designed to economically protect the total Group’s capital against adverse equity and foreign exchange movements, is included in short-
term fluctuations on other operations. 

(c)  Assumptions 
The principal assumptions underlying the calculation of the long-term investment return are: 

United Kingdom 
Eurozone 
Canada 

Long-term rates 
 of return Equities 

Long-term rates of return 
Investment properties  

2019 
% 

4.9 
4.3 
6.0 

2018 
% 

4.8 
4.4 
5.9 

2019  
% 

3.4 
2.8 
4.5 

2018 
% 

3.3 
2.9 
4.4 

The long-term rates of return on equities and investment properties have been calculated by reference to the ten-year mid-price swap rate 
for an AA rated bank in the relevant currency plus a risk premium. The underlying reference rates and risk premiums for the United Kingdom 
and Eurozone are shown in note 9. 

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Other information 

Notes to the consolidated financial statements 

 Continued  

10 – Non-life business: short-term fluctuations in return on investments continued 
(d)  Analysis of investment return 
The total investment income on our non-life business, including short-term fluctuations, are as follows: 

Non-life business 

Analysis of investment income: 
Net investment income/(expenses) 
Foreign exchange gains/(losses) and other charges 

Analysed between: 
Long-term investment return, reported within Group adjusted operating profit 
Short-term fluctuation in investment return, reported outside Group adjusted operating profit 
General insurance and health 
Other operations1  

2019  
£m 

511  
55  

566  

2018  
£m 

(88) 
(8) 

(96) 

399  

380  

296  
(129) 
167  

566  

(315) 
(161) 
(476) 

(96) 

1  Other operations represents short-term fluctuations on assets backing non-life business in Group centre investments, including the centre hedging programme.  

The short-term fluctuations during 2019 of £167 million favourable is primarily due to strong market conditions across all our major markets. 
This resulted in significant gains on equities plus gains on fixed income securities driven by interest rates falling and a narrowing of credit 
spreads. These gains are partly offset by losses on hedges held by the Group, including the Group centre hedging programme, and other 
adverse movements on centre holdings. 

The  adverse  short-term  fluctuations  during  2018  were  mainly  due  to  adverse  market  conditions  across  most  of  our  major  markets.  This 
resulted in losses on fixed interest income securities driven by interest rate increases and widening credit spreads plus significant falls in 
equities and other adverse market movements on Group centre holdings. 

(e)  Economic assumption changes 
In the general insurance and health business, there is a negative impact of £54 million (2018: £1 million positive) primarily as a result of a 
decrease in interest rates used to discount claims reserves for both periodic payment orders and latent claims. 

As explained in accounting policy L, provisions for latent claims are discounted, using rates based on the relevant swap curve, in the relevant 
currency at the reporting date, having regard to the duration of the expected settlement of the claims. The discount rate is set at the start of 
the accounting period, with any change in rates between the start and end of the accounting period being reflected below Group adjusted 
operating profit as an economic assumption change. The range of discount rates used is disclosed in note 44. 

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IFRS financial statements 

Other information 

Notes to the consolidated financial statements 

 Continued  

11 – Employee information 
This note shows where our staff are employed throughout the world, excluding staff employed by our joint ventures and associates, and 
analyses the total staff costs.  

(a)  Employee numbers 
The number of persons employed by the Group, including directors under a service contract, was: 

At 31 December 

Average for the year1  

United Kingdom 
Canada 
France 
Poland 
Italy, Ireland, Spain and Other 
Asia 
Aviva Investors 
Other Group activities 

Total employee numbers 

2019  
Number 

15,335  
4,264  
3,911  
1,648  
1,969  
1,876  
1,495  
683  

2018  
Number 

15,746  
4,334  
3,928  
1,708  
1,950  
1,832  
1,471  
734  

2019  
Number 

15,863  
4,338  
3,925  
1,696  
1,933  
1,842  
1,485  
709  

31,181  

31,703  

31,791  

1  Average employee numbers have been calculated using a monthly average that takes into account recruitment, leavers, transfers, acquisitions and disposals of businesses during the year. 

(b)  Staff costs 

Wages and salaries  
Social security costs  
Post-retirement obligations 

Defined benefit schemes (note 52(d)) 
Defined contribution schemes (note 52(d)) 

Profit sharing and incentive plans 
Equity compensation plans (note 34(d)) 
Termination benefits 

Total staff costs 

Staff costs are charged within: 

Acquisition costs  
Claims handling expenses 
Central costs and sharesave schemes 
Other operating expenses (note 7) 

Total staff costs 

2018  
Number 

15,414  
4,330  
3,911  
1,716  
1,864  
1,817  
1,460  
720  

31,232  

2018 
 £m 

1,260  
233  

23  
163  
221  
64  
10  

2019 
 £m 

1,321  
239  

22  
164  
193  
62  
35  

2,036  

1,974  

2019  
£m 

611  
197  
67  
1,161  

2,036  

2018  
£m 

565  
161  
76  
1,172  

1,974  

12 – Directors  
Information concerning individual directors’ emoluments, interests and transactions is given in the Directors’ Remuneration Report in the 
‘Corporate governance’ section of this report. For the purposes of the disclosure required by Schedule 5 to the Companies Act 2006, the total 
aggregate emoluments of the directors in respect of 2019 was £7 million (2018: £10 million). Employer contributions to pensions for executive 
directors for qualifying periods were £18,813 (2018: £165,373). The aggregate net value of share awards granted to the directors in the period 
was £8.0 million (2018: £11.1 million). The net value has been calculated by reference to the closing middle market price of an ordinary share 
at the date of grant. During the year, no share options were exercised by directors (2018: no share options). 

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IFRS financial statements 

Other information 

Notes to the consolidated financial statements 

 Continued  

13 – Auditors’ remuneration  
This note shows the total remuneration payable by the Group, excluding VAT and any overseas equivalent thereof, to our auditors. 

Fees payable to PwC LLP and its associates for the statutory audit of the Aviva Group and Company financial statements 
Fees payable to PwC LLP and its associates for other services 

Audit of Group subsidiaries 
Additional fees related to the prior year audit of Group subsidiaries 

Total audit fees 
Audit related assurance 
Other assurance services 

Total audit and assurance fees 

Tax compliance services 
Tax advisory services 
Services relating to corporate finance transactions 
Other non-audit services not covered above 

Fees payable to PwC LLP and its associates for services to Group companies  

Fees payable to BDO LLP and its associates for the statutory audit of Group subsidiaries in Poland 

Fees payable to Mazars LLP and its associates for the statutory audit of Group subsidiaries in Italy 

Fees payable to PwC LLP, BDO LLP, Mazars LLP and their associates for services to Group companies 

Fees payable to PwC LLP and its associates for Group occupational pensions scheme audits 

2019  
£m 

1.8 

13.7 
0.8 

16.3 
4.9 
0.7 

21.9 

— 
— 
— 
0.1 

22.0 

0.4 

0.3 

22.7 

0.3 

2018  
£m 

1.9 

13.4 
0.4 

15.7 
4.7 
0.9 

21.3 

— 
— 
— 
1.0 

22.3 

0.2 

— 

22.5 

0.3 

Fees payable for the audit of the Group’s subsidiaries include fees for the statutory audit of the subsidiaries, both inside and outside the UK, 
and for the work performed by the principal auditors in respect of the subsidiaries for the purpose of the consolidated financial statements 
of the Group. 

Audit related assurance comprises services in relation to statutory and regulatory filings. These include fees for the audit of the Group’s 
Solvency II regulatory returns for 2019, services for the audit of other regulatory returns of the Group’s subsidiaries and review of interim 
financial information under the Listing Rules of the UK Listing Authority. Total audit fees (excluding additional fees relating to the prior year 
audits of Group subsidiaries) and audit-related assurance fees were £20.4 million (2018: £20.0 million). 

Other assurance services in 2019 of £0.7 million (2018: £0.9 million) mainly include fees relating to providing an annual Audit and Assurance 
Faculty (AAF) report for Aviva Investors to give internal and external clients and their auditors comfort over the operating effectiveness of 
internal controls and review of the information security business protection standard and associated controls. 

Details of the Group’s process for safeguarding and supporting the independence and objectivity of the external auditors are given in the 
Audit Committee report.

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IFRS financial statements 

Other information 

Notes to the consolidated financial statements 

 Continued  

14 – Tax 
This note analyses the tax charge for the year and explains the factors that affect it. 

(a)  Tax charged/(credited) to the income statement 
(i)  The total tax charge/(credit) comprises: 

Current tax 
For the period 
Prior period adjustments 

Total current tax 

Deferred tax 
Origination and reversal of temporary differences 
Changes in tax rates or tax laws 
Write back of deferred tax assets 

Total deferred tax 

Total tax charged/(credited) to income statement 

2019  
£m 

1,062  
(179) 

883  

402  
(6) 
(9)  

387  

1,270  

2018  
£m 

559 
(49) 

510 

(531) 
(13) 
(1) 

(545) 

(35) 

(ii)  The Group, as a proxy for policyholders in the UK, Ireland and Singapore, is required to record taxes on investment income and gains 
each year. Accordingly, the tax benefit or expense attributable to UK, Ireland and Singapore life insurance policyholder returns is included in 
the tax charge. The tax charge attributable to policyholder returns included in the charge above is £559 million (2018: credit of £477 million). 

(iii)  The tax charge/(credit) above, comprising current and deferred tax, can be analysed as follows: 

UK tax 
Overseas tax 

2019  
£m 

851  
419  

1,270  

2018  
£m 

(236) 
201 

(35) 

(iv)  Unrecognised tax losses and temporary differences of previous years were used to reduce the current tax expense and deferred tax charge 
by £nil and £11 million (2018: £nil and £nil), respectively. 

(v)  Deferred tax charged/(credited) to the income statement represents movements on the following items: 

2019  
£m 

(1,185) 
4  
1,554 
21 
4 
4 
(63) 
48 

387 

2018  
£m 

907 
3 
(1,453) 
2 
7 
(7) 
(64) 
60 

(545) 

2019  
£m 

(49) 
(10) 
(59) 

(56) 
1  
5  
(50) 

(109) 

2018  
£m 

(59) 
(1) 
(60) 

16  
— 
(7) 
9  

(51) 

Long-term business technical provisions and other insurance items 
Deferred acquisition costs 
Unrealised gains/(losses) on investments 
Pensions and other post-retirement obligations 
Unused losses and tax credits 
Subsidiaries, associates and joint ventures 
Intangibles and additional value of in-force long-term business 
Provisions and other temporary differences 

Total deferred tax charged/(credited) to income statement 

(b)  Tax credited to other comprehensive income 
(i)  The total tax credit comprises: 

Current tax 

In respect of pensions and other post-retirement obligations 
In respect of foreign exchange movements 

Deferred tax 

In respect of pensions and other post-retirement obligations 
In respect of fair value gains on owner-occupied properties 
In respect of unrealised gains/(losses) on investments 

Total tax credited to other comprehensive income 

(ii)  There is no tax charge/(credit) attributable to policyholders’ return included above in either 2019 or 2018. 

Aviva plc Annual report and accounts 2019 
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IFRS financial statements 

Other information 

Notes to the consolidated financial statements 

 Continued  

14 – Tax continued 
(c)  Tax credited to equity 
Tax credited directly to equity in the year in respect of coupon payments on the direct capital instrument and tier 1 notes amounted to 
£9 million (2018: £8 million).  

(d)  Tax reconciliation 
The tax on the Group’s profit before tax differs from the theoretical amount that would arise using the tax rate of the home country of the 
Company as follows: 

Total profit before tax 

Tax calculated at standard UK corporation tax rate of 19.00% (2018: 19.00%) 
Reconciling items 

Different basis of tax – policyholders 
Adjustment to tax charge in respect of prior periods 
Non-assessable income and items not taxed at the full statutory rate 
Non-taxable profit on sale of subsidiaries and associates 
Disallowable expenses 
Different local basis of tax on overseas profits  
Change in future local statutory tax rates 
Movement in deferred tax not recognised 
Tax effect of profit from joint ventures and associates 
Other 

Total tax charged/(credited) to income statement 

Shareholder 
£m 

Policyholder 
£m 

2019  
£m 

Shareholder 
£m 

Policyholder 
£m 

3,374  

641  

— 
5  
(51) 
(1) 
41  
98  
(6) 
(4) 
(8) 
(4) 

711  

559  

106  

454  
— 
— 
— 
— 
(1) 
— 
— 
— 
— 

559  

3,933  

747  

2,129  

405  

454  
5  
(51) 
(1) 
41  
97  
(6) 
(4) 
(8) 
(4) 

— 
(16) 
(4) 
(59) 
50  
71  
— 
(3) 
(6) 
4  

1,270  

442  

(477) 

(91) 

(385) 
— 
— 
— 
— 
(1) 
— 
— 
— 
— 

(477) 

2018 
 £m 

1,652  

314  

(385) 
(16) 
(4) 
(59) 
50  
70  
— 
(3) 
(6) 
4  

(35) 

The tax charge/(credit) attributable to policyholder returns is removed from the Group’s total profit before tax in arriving at the Group’s profit 
before tax attributable to shareholders’ profits. As the net of tax profits attributable to with-profits and unit-linked policyholders is zero, the 
Group’s pre-tax profit attributable to policyholders is an amount equal and opposite to the tax charge/(credit) attributable to policyholders 
included in the total tax charge.  

Finance Act 2016 introduced legislation reducing the UK corporation tax rate from 1 April 2020 to 17%. In addition, in France the rate of 
corporation tax was reduced from 34.43% to 32.02% from 1 January 2019, to 27.37% from 1 January 2021 and 25.83% from 1 January 2022. 
These reduced rates were used in the calculation of the Group’s deferred tax assets and liabilities as at 31 December 2018.  

During 2019 changes were made in France to alter the reduction in corporation tax rates, delaying the reduction to 32.02% to 1 January 2020 
and  amending  the  rate  to  take  effect  from  1  January  2021  to  28.41%.  These  revised  rates  have  been  used  in  the  calculation  of  France’s 
deferred tax assets and liabilities as at 31 December 2019. 

During 2019, the UK Government indicated that it would reverse the reduction in corporation tax rate to 17% due from 1 April 2020. As of the 
31 December 2019, this measure had not been substantively enacted and therefore no impact is reflected in the calculation of the UK’s 
deferred tax assets and liabilities as at 31 December 2019. Were this measure to be introduced, it would increase the Group’s deferred tax 
liability by approximately £73 million. 

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IFRS financial statements 

Other information 

Notes to the consolidated financial statements 

 Continued  

15 – Earnings per share 
This note shows how to calculate earnings per share on profit attributable to ordinary shareholders, based both on the present shares in 
issue (the basic earnings per share) and the potential future shares in issue, including conversion of share options granted to employees (the 
diluted earnings per share). We have also shown the same calculations based on our Group adjusted operating profit as we believe this gives 
an  important  indication  of  operating  performance.  Consideration  of  both  these  measures  gives  a  full  picture  of  the  performance  of  the 
business in the period. 

(a)  Basic earnings per share 
(i)  The profit attributable to ordinary shareholders is: 

Profit before tax attributable to shareholders’ profits 
Tax attributable to shareholders’ profit 

Profit for the year 
Amount attributable to non-controlling interests 
Cumulative preference dividends for the year 
Coupon payments in respect of the direct capital instrument (DCI) and tier 1 notes  

(net of tax) 

Profit attributable to ordinary shareholders 

2019 
 £m 

Total  
£m 

3,374  
(711) 

2,663  
(115) 
(17) 

Adjusting 
items 
 £m 

190  
(43) 

147  
(17) 
— 

Group  
adjusted 
operating  
profit 
 £m 

3,004  
(625) 

2,379  
(100) 
(17) 

Adjusting 
 items  
£m 

(875) 
183  

(692) 
(19) 
— 

Restated1  
2018  
£m 

Total 
 £m 

2,129  
(442) 

1,687  
(119) 
(17) 

— 

(34) 

(36) 

— 

(36) 

130  

2,497  

2,226  

(711) 

1,515  

Group 
adjusted 
operating 
profit  
£m 

3,184  
(668) 

2,516  
(98) 
(17) 

(34) 

2,367  

1  During 2019 the Group adjusted operating profit APM has been revised and now includes the amortisation and impairment of internally generated intangible assets to better reflect the operational nature of these assets (see 
note 1(b)). Group adjusted operating profit continues to exclude amortisation and impairment of intangible assets acquired in business combinations. Comparative amounts have been restated resulting in a reduction in the 
prior period Group adjusted operating profit of £112 million. There is no impact on profit before tax attributable to shareholders’ profit.  

(ii)  Basic earnings per share is calculated as follows: 

Group adjusted operating profit attributable to ordinary shareholders  
Adjusting items: 

Life business: Investment variances and economic assumption changes 
Non-life business: Short-term fluctuation in return on investments 
General insurance and health business: Economic assumption changes 
Impairment of goodwill, joint ventures, associates and other amounts expensed 
Amortisation and impairment of intangibles acquired in business combinations2  
Amortisation and impairment of acquired value of in-force business 
Profit on disposal and remeasurement of subsidiaries, joint ventures and associates 
Other3  

2019  
£m 

Net of tax, NCI, 
preference 
dividends and 

 DCI1  
£m 

Before tax  
£m 

Per share  
p 

Before tax  
£m 

Net of tax, NCI, 
preference 
dividends and 

 DCI1  
£m 

Restated2  
2018 
 £m 

Per share 
p 

3,184  

2,367  

60.5  

3,004  

2,226  

56.2  

654  
167  
(54) 
(15) 
(87) 
(406) 
(22) 
(47) 

535  
129  
(33) 
(15) 
(61) 
(356) 
(23) 
(46) 

13.7  
3.3  
(0.8) 
(0.4) 
(1.6) 
(9.1) 
(0.6) 
(1.2) 

63.8  

(197) 
(476) 
1  
(13) 
(97) 
(426) 
102  
231  

(198) 
(378) 
(1) 
(13) 
(82) 
(371) 
102  
230  

(5.0) 
(9.6) 
— 
(0.3) 
(2.1) 
(9.4) 
2.6  
5.8  

2,129  

1,515  

38.2  

Profit attributable to ordinary shareholders 

3,374  

2,497  

1  DCI includes the direct capital instrument and tier 1 notes. 
2  During 2019 the Group adjusted operating profit APM has been revised and now includes the amortisation and impairment of internally generated intangible assets to better reflect the operational nature of these assets (see 
note 1(b)). Group adjusted operating profit continues to exclude amortisation and impairment of intangible assets acquired in business combinations. Comparative amounts have been restated resulting in a reduction in the 
prior period Group adjusted operating profit of £112 million. There is no impact on profit before tax attributable to shareholders’ profit. Following the change in the definition of Group adjusted operating profit, comparative 
amounts for operating earnings per share have also been restated resulting in a reduction in the prior period of 2.2 pence.  

3  Other in 2019 relates to a charge of £45 million in relation to a change in the discount rate used for estimating lump sum payments in settlement of bodily injury claims (see note 44(b)) and a charge of £2m relating to negative 
goodwill which arose on the acquisition of Friends First (see note 3). Other in 2018 includes a movement in the discount rate used for estimating lump sum payments in the settlement of bodily injury claims which resulted in a 
gain of £190 million, a provision release of £78 million relating to the sale of Aviva USA in 2013, a gain of £36 million relating to negative goodwill on the acquisition of Friends First, a charge of £63 million relating to the UK defined 
benefit pension scheme as a result of the requirements to equalise members’ benefits of the effects of Guaranteed Minimum Pension and a charge of £10 million relating to goodwill payments to preference shareholders, which 
was announced on 30 April 2018, and associated administration costs. 

(iii)  The calculation of basic earnings per share uses a weighted average of 3,911 million (2018: 3,963 million) ordinary shares in issue, after 
deducting treasury shares. The actual number of shares in issue at 31 December 2019 was 3,921 million (2018: 3,902 million) and 3,919 million 
(2018: 3,899 million) excluding treasury shares. 

(iv)  On 1 May 2018 the Group announced a share buy-back of ordinary shares for an aggregate purchase price of up to £600 million, which 
was carried out in full during the period from 1 May 2018 to 17 September 2018. The number of shares in issue reduced by 119 million as at 
31 December 2018 in respect of shares acquired and cancelled under the buy-back programme. 

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159 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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Governance 

IFRS financial statements 

Other information 

Notes to the consolidated financial statements 

 Continued  

15 – Earnings per share continued 
(b)  Diluted earnings per share 
(i)  Diluted earnings per share is calculated as follows: 

Profit attributable to ordinary shareholders  
Dilutive effect of share awards and options 

Diluted earnings per share  

Weighted 
average 
number of 
shares  
million 

3,911  
45  

3,956  

Total  
£m 

2,497  
— 

2,497  

2019  
£m 

Per share  
p 

63.8  
(0.7) 

63.1  

Weighted 
average 
number of 
shares  
million 

3,963  
47  

4,010  

Total  
£m 

1,515  
— 

1,515  

(ii) Diluted earnings per share on Group adjusted operating profit attributable to ordinary shareholders is calculated as follows: 

Group adjusted operating profit attributable to ordinary shareholders  
Dilutive effect of share awards and options 

Diluted group adjusted operating profit per share 

Weighted 
average 
number of 
shares  
million 

3,911  
45  

3,956  

Total  
£m 

2,367  
— 

2,367  

2019  
£m 

Per share 
p 

60.5  
(0.7) 

59.8  

Weighted 
average 
number of 
shares  
million 

3,963  
47  

4,010  

Total  
£m 

2,226  
— 

2,226  

2018  
£m 

Per share 
 p 

38.2  
(0.4) 

37.8  

Restated1  
2018  
£m 

Per share  
p 

56.2  
(0.7) 

55.5  

1  During 2019 the Group adjusted operating profit APM has been revised and now includes the amortisation and impairment of internally generated intangible assets to better reflect the operational nature of these assets (see 
note 1(b)). Group adjusted operating profit continues to exclude amortisation and impairment of intangible assets acquired in business combinations. Comparative amounts have been restated resulting in a reduction in the 
prior period Group adjusted operating profit of £112 million. There is no impact on profit before tax attributable to shareholders’ profit. Following the change in the definition of Group adjusted operating profit, comparative 
amounts for diluted earnings per share have also been restated resulting in a reduction in prior period diluted group adjusted operating profit per share of 2.2 pence.  

16 – Dividends and appropriations  
This note analyses the total dividends and other appropriations paid during the year. The table below does not include the final dividend 
proposed after the year end because it is not accrued in these financial statements. 

Ordinary dividends declared and charged to equity in the period 

Final 2018 – 20.75 pence per share, paid on 30 May 2019 
Final 2017 – 19.00 pence per share, paid on 17 May 2018 
Interim 2019 – 9.50 pence per share, paid on 26 September 2019 
Interim 2018 – 9.25 pence per share, paid on 24 September 2018 

Preference dividends declared and charged to equity in the period 
Coupon payments on DCI and tier 1 notes 

2019  
£m 

812  
— 
372  
— 

1,184  
17  
43  

1,244  

2018  
£m 

— 
764  
— 
364  

1,128  
17  
44  

1,189  

Subsequent to 31 December 2019, the directors proposed a final dividend for 2019 of 21.40 pence per ordinary share (2018: 20.75 pence), 
amounting to £839 million (2018: £812 million) in total. Subject to approval by shareholders at the AGM, the dividend will be paid on 2 June 
2020 and will be accounted for as an appropriation of retained earnings in the year ending 31 December 2020. 

Interest on the direct capital instrument and tier 1 notes is treated as an appropriation of retained profits and, accordingly, is accounted for 
when paid. This year’s tax relief is obtained at a rate of 19% (2018: 19%).

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Governance 

IFRS financial statements 

Other information 

Notes to the consolidated financial statements 

 Continued  

17 – Goodwill 
This note analyses the changes to the carrying amount of goodwill during the year and details the results of our impairment testing on both 
goodwill and intangible assets with indefinite lives.  

(a)  Carrying amount 

Gross amount 
At 1 January 
Acquisitions and additions  
Disposals 
Foreign exchange rate movements 

At 31 December 

Accumulated impairment 
At 1 January 
Impairment charges 
Disposals 
Foreign exchange rate movements 

At 31 December 
Carrying amount at 1 January1  

Carrying amount at 31 December 

Less: Assets classified as held for sale 

Carrying amount at 31 December 

2019  
£m 

2018  
£m 

1,991  
4  
(5) 
(22) 

1,968  

(119) 
(6) 
— 
12  

(113) 

1,872  

1,855  

— 

2,080  
8  
(99) 
2  

1,991  

(168) 
(13) 
63  
(1) 

(119) 

1,912  

1,872  

— 

1,855  

1,872  

1  The balance on 1 January 2018 includes goodwill of £36 million which was part of operations classified as held for sale.  

Goodwill from acquisitions and additions in 2019 arose from small acquisitions in Canada and the UK (see note 3). Goodwill from acquisitions 
and additions in 2018 arose on the acquisition of Wealthify. In 2018, negative goodwill of £36 million arose on the purchase of Friends First, 
this was recognised immediately in the income statement. 

Disposals in 2019 relate to a small disposal in Canada. Disposals in 2018 include those related to the disposal of the Italy Avipop business as 
well as the remainder of the business in Spain. 

The total impairment of goodwill in 2019 is a charge of £6 million comprised of impairments of goodwill relating to businesses in Asia and 
Canada. The total impairment of goodwill in 2018 was a charge of £13 million relating to businesses in the UK, Asia and Poland. Impairment 
tests on goodwill were conducted as described in note 17(b) below. 

(b)  Goodwill allocation and impairment testing 
A summary of the goodwill and intangibles with indefinite useful lives allocated to groups of cash generating units (CGUs) is presented below. 

United Kingdom – long-term business 
United Kingdom – general insurance and health 
Canada 
France – long-term business 
Poland 
Italy – general insurance and health 
Ireland – general insurance and health 
Asia 

Carrying 
amount of 
goodwill 

2018 
 £m 

663  
924  
82  
— 
27  
26  
99  
51  

2019 
 £m 

663  
927  
77  
— 
25  
24  
94  
45  

1,855  

1,872  

Carrying 
amount of 
intangibles 
with indefinite 
useful lives 
(detailed in 
note 18) 

2019 
 £m 

— 
1  
— 
52  
7  
— 
— 
1  

61  

2018 
 £m 

— 
— 
— 
56  
7  
— 
— 
— 

63  

2019  
£m 

663  
928  
77  
52  
32  
24  
94  
46  

Total 

2018  
£m 

663  
924  
82  
56  
34  
26  
99  
51  

1,916  

1,935  

Goodwill in all business units is tested for impairment by comparing the carrying value of the cash generating unit to which the goodwill 
relates, to the recoverable value of that cash generating unit. The recoverable amount is the value in use of the cash generating unit unless 
otherwise stated. 

Long-term business  
Value in use has been calculated based on a shareholder value of the business calculated in accordance with Solvency II principles, adjusted 
where Solvency II does not represent a best estimate of shareholders’ interests. The principal adjustments relate to the exclusion of the 
benefit of transitional measures on technical provisions and the volatility adjustment under Solvency II, modification of the Solvency II risk 
margin to an economic view and removal of restrictions on contract boundaries or business scope. 

Aviva plc Annual report and accounts 2019 
161 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Strategic report 

Governance 

IFRS financial statements 

Other information 

Notes to the consolidated financial statements 

 Continued  

17 – Goodwill continued 
The present value of expected profits arising from future new business may be included within the shareholder value and is calculated on an 
adjusted Solvency II basis, using profit projections based on the most recent three-year business plans approved by management. These 
plans reflect management’s best estimate of future profits based on both historical experience and expected growth rates for the relevant 
cash generating unit. The underlying assumptions of these projections include market share, customer numbers, mortality, morbidity and 
persistency.  

Future new business profits beyond the initial three years are extrapolated using a steady growth rate. Growth rates and expected future 
profits are set with regards to management estimates, past experience and relevant available market statistics. 

Expected profits from future new business are discounted using a risk adjusted discount rate. The discount rate is a combination of a risk-
free rate and a risk margin to make prudent allowance for the risk that experience in future years for new business may differ from that 
assumed. 

Key assumptions 
The  Solvency  II  non-economic  assumptions  in  relation  to  mortality,  morbidity,  persistency  and  expenses  and  other  items  are  based  on 
management’s best estimate assumptions. Economic assumptions are based on market data as at the end of each reporting period. The 
basic risk-free rate curves used to value the technical provisions reflect the curves, credit risk adjustment and fundamental spread for the 
matching adjustment published by the European Insurance and Occupational Pensions Authority (EIOPA) on their website. For the purposes 
of calculating value in use, the Solvency II risk margin has been modified to an economic view, with a cost of capital rate of 2%. 

General insurance, health, fund management and other businesses 
Value in use is calculated as the discounted value of expected future profits of each business. The calculation uses cash flow projections 
based on business plans approved by management covering a three-year period. These plans reflect management’s best estimate of future 
profits based on both historical experience and expected growth rates for the relevant cash generating unit. The underlying assumptions of 
these projections include market share, customer numbers, premium rate and fee income changes, claims inflation and commission rates. 

Cash flows beyond that three-year period are extrapolated using a steady growth rate. Growth rates and expected future profits are set with 
regards to past experience and relevant available market statistics. 

Future profits are discounted using a risk adjusted discount rate which is based on the Capital Asset Pricing Model (CAPM). The inputs include 
the risk-free rate of interest appropriate to the geographic location of the cash flows related to each CGU being tested, market risk premium, 
beta and other adjustments to factor local market risks and risks specific to each CGU. 

Key assumptions 

United Kingdom general insurance and health  
Ireland general insurance and health  
Italy general insurance and health  
Canada general insurance 

Extrapolated future  
profits growth rate 

Future profits  
discount rate 

2019  
% 

1 
Nil 
Nil 
4 

2018 
 % 

1 
Nil 
Nil 
4 

2019  
(Pre-tax)  
% 

6.8 
6.8 
10.3 
8.0 

2018  
(Pre-tax)  
% 

6.3 
6.9 
12.5 
7.8 

Indefinite life intangible asset 
France 
The recoverable amount of the indefinite life intangible asset has been assessed based on the fair value less costs to sell of the cash generating 
unit to which it relates. The fair value less costs to sell was determined based on the quoted market value of Aviva’s share of the subsidiary 
to which it relates. 

Results of impairment testing 
Management’s impairment review of the Group’s cash generating units identified the need to impair goodwill by a total amount of £6 million 
(£4 million of which relates to one of the cash generating units within the Asia operating segment, and £2 million to one of the cash generating 
units within the Canada operating segment). This impairment is due to current and forecast performance of the related cash generating units 
being below the original financial plan. Impairment in 2018 totalling £13 million related to one of the cash generating units in the UK within 
the  Other  Group  Activities  operating  segment,  one  of  the  cash  generating  units  within  the  Asia  operating  segment  and  one  of  the  cash 
generating units within the Poland operating segment. 

Aviva plc Annual report and accounts 2019 
162 

 
 
 
 
Strategic report 

Governance 

IFRS financial statements 

Other information 

Notes to the consolidated financial statements 

 Continued  

18 – Acquired value of in-force business (AVIF) and intangible assets  
This note shows the movements in cost, amortisation and impairment of the acquired value of in-force business and intangible assets during 
the year. 

Gross amount 
At 1 January 2018 
Additions and transfers 
Disposals 
Foreign exchange rate movements 

At 31 December 2018 
Additions and transfers 
Disposals 
Foreign exchange rate movements 

At 31 December 2019 

Accumulated amortisation 
At 1 January 2018 
Amortisation for the year 
Disposals and transfers 
Foreign exchange rate movements 

At 31 December 2018 
Amortisation for the year3  
Disposals and transfers 
Foreign exchange rate movements 

At 31 December 2019 

Accumulated Impairment 
At 1 January 2018 
Impairment charges 
Disposals 
Foreign exchange rate movements 

At 31 December 2018 
Impairment charges4  
Disposals 
Foreign exchange rate movements 

At 31 December 2019 

Carrying amount 
At 1 January 2018 
At 31 December 2018 

At 31 December 2019 

Less: Assets classified as held for sale 

AVIF on 
insurance 
contracts1 (a) 
£m 

AVIF on 
investment 
contracts2 (a) 
£m 

Other 
intangible 
assets with 
finite useful 
lives (b)  
£m 

Intangible 
assets with 
indefinite 
useful lives (c) 
£m 

2,620  
67  
— 
5  

2,692  
— 
— 
(21) 

2,671  

(1,060) 
(183) 
— 
(4) 

(1,247) 
(180) 
— 
18  

2,697  
30  
— 
(1) 

2,726  
— 
— 
(1) 

2,725  

(838) 
(243) 
— 
— 

(1,081) 
(226) 
— 
1  

(1,409) 

(1,306) 

(27) 
— 
— 
— 

(27) 
— 
— 
— 

(27) 

(134) 
(13) 
— 
— 

(147) 
(28) 
— 
— 

(175) 

1,533  
1,418  

1,725  
1,498  

1,235  

1,244  

(29) 

1,206  

(496) 

748  

1,966  
153  
(488) 
(8) 

1,623  
136  
(36) 
(6) 

1,717  

(544) 
(209) 
48  
2  

(703) 
(212) 
28  
— 

(887) 

(46) 
— 
8  
— 

(38) 
(13) 
6  
1  

(44) 

1,376  
882  

786  

(1) 

785  

380  
(57) 
(189) 
— 

134  
2  
(1) 
(7) 

128  

(57) 
— 
57  
— 

— 
— 
— 
— 

— 

(71) 
— 
— 
— 

(71) 
— 
— 
4  

(67) 

252  
63  

61  

— 

61  

Total  
£m 

7,663  
193  
(677) 
(4) 

7,175  
138  
(37) 
(35) 

7,241  

(2,499) 
(635) 
105  
(2) 

(3,031) 
(618) 
28  
19  

(3,602) 

(278) 
(13) 
8  
— 

(283) 
(41) 
6  
5  

(313) 

4,886  
3,861  

3,326  

(526) 

2,800  

1  On insurance and participating investment contracts.  
2  On non-participating investment contracts. 
3  Amortisation of other intangible assets with finite useful lives includes £87 million (2018: £97 million) of amortisation in respect of intangible assets acquired in business combinations. 
4 

Impairment charges comprise £28 million (2018: £13 million) of AVIF impairment in respect of FPI recognised within profit/(loss) on the disposal and remeasurement of subsidiaries, joint ventures and associates due to FPI’s 
classification as held for sale (see note 4). 

(a)  Acquired value of in-force business 
AVIF on insurance and investment contracts is generally recoverable in more than one year. Of the total of £2,479 million, £2,380 million 
(2018: £2,904 million) is expected to be recoverable more than one year after the statement of financial position date. 

Non-participating investment AVIF is reviewed for evidence of impairment, consistent with reviews conducted for other finite life intangible 
assets.  Insurance  and  participating  investment  contract  AVIF  is  reviewed  for  impairment  at  each  reporting  date  as  part  of  the  liability 
adequacy requirements in IFRS 4. AVIF is reviewed for evidence of impairment and impairment tested at product portfolio level by reference 
to the value of future profits in accordance with Solvency II principles, adjusted where Solvency II does not represent a best estimate of 
shareholders’ interests, consistent with the impairment test for goodwill for long term business (see note 17(b)). 

In  2019,  an  impairment  charge  of  £28  million  (2018:  £13  million)  was  recognised  in  relation  to  the  AVIF  on  non-participating  investment 
contracts relating to FPI, to write down the AVIF balance to its recoverable amount measured at the estimated fair value less costs to sell. 

Aviva plc Annual report and accounts 2019 
163 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Strategic report 

Governance 

IFRS financial statements 

Other information 

Notes to the consolidated financial statements 

 Continued  

18 – Acquired value of in-force business (AVIF) and intangible assets continued 
(b)  Other intangible assets with finite useful lives 
Other intangible assets with finite useful lives consist mainly of the value of bancassurance and other distribution agreements and capitalised 
software. Additions of intangible assets with finite lives in 2019 and 2018 relate to capitalisation of software costs in relation to the Group’s 
digital initiatives. 

(c)  Intangible assets with indefinite useful lives 
Intangible assets with indefinite useful lives primarily comprise the value of distribution channel Union Financière de France Banque in France 
where the existing life of the asset supports this classification. Impairment testing of these intangible assets is covered in note 17(b). No 
impairment has been recognised in 2019 (2018: £nil).  

19 – Interests in, and loans to, joint ventures 
In several businesses, Group companies and other parties jointly control certain entities. This note analyses these interests and describes the 
principal joint ventures in which we are involved. 

(a)  Carrying amount and details of joint ventures 
(i)  The movements in the carrying amount comprised:  

At 1 January 
Share of results before tax 
Share of tax 

Share of results after tax 
Amortisation of intangibles1  
Share of (loss)/profit after tax 
Reclassification from subsidiary 
Additions 
Disposals 
Share of gains/(losses) taken to other comprehensive income 
Dividends received from joint ventures 
Foreign exchange rate movements 

At 31 December 

Less: Joint venture classified as held for sale 

At 31 December 

1  Comprises other intangibles of £5 million (2018: £5 million). 

Goodwill and 
intangibles  
£m 

46  
— 
— 

— 
(5) 

(5) 
— 
— 
— 
— 
— 
(3) 

38  

— 

38  

Equity 
interests  
£m 

1,168  
27  
(4) 

23  
— 

23  
— 
131  
(96) 
22  
(27) 
(24) 

2019 

Total  
£m 

1,214  
27  
(4) 

23  
(5) 

18  
— 
131  
(96) 
22  
(27) 
(27) 

1,197  

1,235  

(8) 

(8) 

1,189  

1,227  

Goodwill and 
intangibles  
£m 

57  
— 
— 

— 
(5) 

(5) 
— 
— 
— 
— 
— 
(6) 

46  

— 

46  

Equity 
 interests  
£m 

1,164  
99  
(3) 

96  
— 

96  
5  
33  
(79) 
(10) 
(35) 
(6) 

2018 

Total 
 £m 

1,221  
99  
(3) 

96  
(5) 

91  
5  
33  
(79) 
(10) 
(35) 
(12) 

1,168  

1,214  

— 

— 

1,168  

1,214  

Additions and disposals during 2019 relate mainly to the Group’s holdings in property management undertakings. 

On 20 November 2019, Aviva announced the sale of its entire 40% shareholding in its Hong Kong joint venture (Blue) to Hillhouse AV Holdings 
Limited for 450 million HKD (approximately £44 million). In addition to the investment in the joint venture, Aviva retained control of certain 
activities under the previous sale agreement reached in 2018, which remain fully consolidated at the balance sheet date, and which form part 
of the sale agreement to Hillhouse AV Holding Limited. No remeasurement loss has been recognised on reclassification to held for sale, as 
detailed in note 4(b). 

The Group’s share of total comprehensive income related to joint venture entities is £40 million (2018: £81 million). 

Aviva plc Annual report and accounts 2019 
164 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Strategic report 

Governance 

IFRS financial statements 

Other information 

Notes to the consolidated financial statements 

 Continued  

19 – Interests in, and loans to, joint ventures continued 
(ii)  The carrying amount at 31 December comprised: 

Goodwill and 
intangibles  
£m 

Equity 
interests  
£m 

Property management undertakings 
Long-term business undertakings 
General insurance and health undertakings 

Total 

— 
38  
— 

38  

792  
397  
8  

2019 

Total 
 £m 

792  
435  
8  

Goodwill and 
intangibles  
£m 

Equity 
 interests 
 £m 

797  
363  
8  

— 
46  
— 

46  

2018 

Total  
£m 

797  
409  
8  

1,197  

1,235  

1,168  

1,214  

The property management undertakings perform property ownership and management activities, and are incorporated and operate in the 
UK. All such investments are held by subsidiary entities. 

The long-term business undertakings perform life insurance activities. All investments in such undertakings are unlisted with the exception 
of AvivaSA Emeklilik ve Hayat A.S which has issued publicly a minority portion of shares. All investments in such undertakings are held by 
subsidiaries, except for the shares in the Chinese joint venture, Aviva-COFCO Life Insurance Company Ltd., which are held by Aviva plc. The 
Group’s  share  of  net  assets  of  that  company  is  £320  million  (2018:  £294  million)  and  it  has  a  carrying  value  at  cost  of  £123  million  
(2018: £123 million). 

The investment in general insurance and health undertakings relates to the health insurance operations in our Indonesian joint venture. 

(iii)  No joint ventures are considered to be material from a Group perspective (2018: none). The Group’s principal joint ventures are as follows:  

Proportion of  
ownership interest  

Name 

Nature of activities  

Principal place of business 

 2019 

2018 

Ascot Real Estate Investments LP 
2-10 Mortimer Street Limited Partnership 
Aviva-COFCO Life Insurance Company Limited 
PT Astra Aviva Life 
Aviva Life Insurance Company Limited 
AvivaSA Emeklilik ve Hayat A.S 

Property management  
Property management  
Life insurance 
Life and Health insurance 
Life insurance 
Life insurance 

UK 
UK 
China 
Indonesia 
Hong Kong 
Turkey 

50.00% 
50.00% 
50.00% 
50.00% 
40.00% 
40.00% 

50.00% 
50.00% 
50.00% 
50.00% 
40.00% 
40.00% 

The Group has no joint ventures whose non-controlling interest (NCI) is material on the basis of their share of profit/(loss). 

(iv)  From  time  to  time  group  joint  ventures  may  receive  liability  claims  or  become  involved  in  actual  or  threatened  related  litigation.  At  
31  December  2019  this  includes  a  contingent  liability  in  respect  of  a  dispute  where  the  Group’s  maximum  exposure  is  approximately  
£95 million. In the opinion of the directors it is unlikely that the Group will suffer financial loss arising from this dispute. The joint ventures 
have no other contingent liabilities to which the Group has significant exposure. The Group has commitments to provide funding to property 
management joint ventures of £13 million (2018: £13 million). 

In certain jurisdictions the ability of joint ventures to transfer funds in the form of cash dividends or to repay loans and advances made by the 
Group is subject to local corporate or insurance laws and regulations and solvency requirements. 

(b)  Impairment testing 
Interests in joint ventures are tested for impairment of goodwill and intangibles when there is an indicator of impairment. They are tested for 
impairment by comparing the carrying value of the cash generating unit to which the goodwill or intangible relates to the recoverable value 
of that cash generating unit. Recoverable amount for long-term and general insurance businesses is calculated on a consistent basis with 
that used for impairment testing of goodwill, as set out in note 17(b). The recoverable amount of property management undertakings is the 
fair value less costs to sell of the joint venture, measured in accordance with the Group’s accounting policy for investment property (see 
accounting policy Q). 

Aviva plc Annual report and accounts 2019 
165 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Strategic report 

Governance 

IFRS financial statements 

Other information 

Notes to the consolidated financial statements 

 Continued  

20 – Interests in, and loans to, associates 
This note analyses our interests in entities which we do not control but where we have significant influence. 

(a)  Carrying amount and details of associates 
(i)  The movements in the carrying amount comprised: 

At 1 January 
Share of results before tax 
Share of tax 

Share of results after tax 
Impairment  

Share of profit after tax 
Acquisitions 
Additions 
Reduction in Group interest 
Reclassification to investment 
Dividends received from associates 
Foreign exchange rate movements 

Movements in carrying amount 

At 31 December 

2019 

Equity 
interests  
£m 

2018 

Equity 
 interests 
 £m 

304  
80  
(4) 

76  
(9) 

67  
1  
1  
(1) 
— 
(54) 
(14) 

— 

304  

421  
22  
(1) 

21  
— 

21  
— 
2  
(78) 
(54) 
(8) 
— 

(117) 

304  

The Group’s share of total comprehensive income related to associates is £67 million (2018: £21 million). 

(ii)  No associates are considered to be material from a Group perspective (2018: none). All investments in principal associates are held by 
subsidiaries. The Group’s principal associates are as follows:  

Name 

Nature of activities 

Principal place of business 

Aviva Life Insurance Company India Limited 
SCPI Logipierre 1  
Lend Lease JEM Partners Fund Limited 
SCPI Ufifrance Immobilier 
AI UK Commercial Real Estate Debt Fund1  

Life insurance 
Property Management 
Investment holding 
Property Management 
Property Management 

India 
France 
Singapore 
France 
UK 

1  The Group has significant influence over AI UK Commercial Real Estate Debt Fund so it is therefore accounted for as an associate. 

Proportion of 
ownership interest 

2019 

2018 

49.00% 
44.46% 
22.50% 
20.40% 
17.53% 

49.00% 
44.46% 
22.50% 
20.40% 
17.16% 

(iii) The associates have no contingent liabilities to which the Group has significant exposure. The Group has commitments to provide funding 
to property management associates of £6 million (2018: £5 million). 

In certain jurisdictions the ability of associates to transfer funds in the form of cash dividends or to repay loans and advances made by the 
Group is subject to local corporate or insurance laws and regulations and solvency requirements. 

(b)  Impairment testing 
The recoverable amount of property management undertakings is the fair value less costs to sell of the associate, measured in accordance 
with the Group’s accounting policy for investment property (see accounting policy Q). 

An impairment charge of £9 million (2018: £nil) was recognised within the income statement as a component of share of profit after tax of 
joint  ventures  and  associates  following  management’s  annual  impairment  review  of  the  Group’s  associate  in  India,  Aviva  Life  Insurance 
Company India Limited (Aviva India). 

Aviva plc Annual report and accounts 2019 
166 

 
 
 
 
 
 
Strategic report 

Governance 

IFRS financial statements 

Other information 

Notes to the consolidated financial statements 

 Continued  

21 – Property and equipment 
This note analyses our property and equipment, which are primarily properties occupied by Group companies. 

Cost or valuation 
At 1 January 2018 
Additions 
Disposals 
Fair value gains 
Foreign exchange rate movements 

At 31 December 2018 
Adjustment at 1 January for adoption of IFRS 161  
At 1 January 2019 restated 
Additions 
Disposals 
Fair value losses 
Foreign exchange rate movements 

At 31 December 2019 

Depreciation and impairment 
At 1 January 2018 
Depreciation charge for the year 
Disposals 
Impairment charge 
Foreign exchange rate movements  

At 31 December 2018 
Adjustment at 1 January for adoption of IFRS 161  
At 1 January 2019 restated 
Depreciation charge for the year 
Disposals 
Impairment charge 
Foreign exchange rate movements  

At 31 December 2019 

Carrying amount 
At 31 December 2018 

At 31 December 2019 

Less: Assets classified as held for sale 

At 31 December 2019 

Properties 
under 
construction 
£m 

Owner-
occupied 
properties 
 £m 

Motor vehicles 
£m 

Computer 
equipment  
£m 

Other assets 
£m 

1  
1  
(2) 
— 
— 

— 
— 

— 
— 
— 
— 
— 

— 

— 
— 
— 
— 
— 

— 
— 

— 
— 
— 
— 
— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

340  
21  
(8) 
3  
3  

359  
1,149  

1,508  
53  
(6) 
(3) 
(18) 

1,534  

(3) 
— 
— 
— 
— 

(3) 
(739) 

(742) 
(62) 
1  
(22) 
— 

(825) 

356  

709  

(7) 

702  

3  
1  
— 
— 
— 

4  
— 

4  
— 
— 
— 
— 

4  

(2) 
(1) 
— 
— 
— 

(3) 
— 

(3) 
— 
— 
— 
— 

(3) 

1  

1  

— 

1  

155  
24  
(7) 
— 
3  

175  
— 

175  
19  
(16) 
— 
(3) 

175  

(125) 
(14) 
6  
— 
(4) 

(137) 
— 

(137) 
(16) 
16  
— 
2  

(135) 

38  

40  

— 

40  

265  
40  
(6) 
— 
7  

306  
— 

306  
12  
(16) 
— 
(6) 

296  

(120) 
(25) 
2  
— 
(5) 

(148) 
— 

(148) 
(20) 
15  
— 
4  

(149) 

158  

147  

(1) 

146  

Total  
£m 

764  
87  
(23) 
3  
13  

844  
1,149  

1,993  
84  
(38) 
(3) 
(27) 

2,009  

(250) 
(40) 
8  
— 
(9) 

(291) 
(739) 

(1,030) 
(98) 
32  
(22) 
6  

(1,112) 

553  

897  

(8) 

889  

1  The Group has adopted IFRS 16 Leases from 1 January 2019. In line with the transition options available, prior period comparatives have not been restated and the impact of the adoption has been shown as an adjustment to 

opening property and equipment. 

Owner-occupied properties, excluding £385 million held under lease arrangements, are stated at their revalued amounts, as assessed by 
qualified  external  valuers.  These  values  are  assessed  in  accordance  with  the  relevant  parts  of  the  current  Royal  Institute  of  Chartered 
Surveyors Appraisal and Valuation Standards in the UK, and with current local valuation practices in other countries. This assessment is in 
accordance with UK Valuations Standards ‘Red book’, and is the estimated amount for which a property should exchange on the date of 
valuation between a willing buyer and a willing seller in an arm’s-length transaction, after proper marketing wherein the parties had acted 
knowledgeably and without compulsion, on the basis of the highest and best use of asset that is physically possible, legally permissible and 
financially feasible. The valuation assessment adopts market-based evidence and is in line with guidance from the International Valuation 
Standards Committee and the requirements of IAS 16 Property, Plant and Equipment. 

Similar  considerations  apply  to  properties  under  construction,  where  an  estimate  is  made  of  valuation  when  complete,  adjusted  for 
anticipated costs to completion, profit and risk, reflecting market conditions at the valuation date. 

Owner-occupied properties held under lease arrangements are stated at amortised cost and are amortised on a straight-line basis over the 
lease term. For further information on the Group’s lease arrangements see note 23. 

If owner-occupied properties were stated on a historical cost basis, the carrying amount would be £431 million (2018: £364 million). 

Aviva plc Annual report and accounts 2019 
167 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Strategic report 

Governance 

IFRS financial statements 

Other information 

Notes to the consolidated financial statements 

 Continued  

22 – Investment property 
This note gives details of the properties we hold for long-term rental yields or capital appreciation. 

Carrying value 
At 1 January 
Acquisitions 
Additions 
Capitalised expenditure on existing properties 
Fair value gains/(losses) 
Disposals 
Reclassification 
Foreign exchange rate movements 

At 31 December 

Freehold  
£m 

Leasehold  
£m 

9,601  
— 
731  
143  
183  
(1,036) 
— 
(243) 

1,881  
— 
189  
68  
(90) 
(200) 
— 
(24) 

2019 

Total  
£m 

11,482  
— 
920  
211  
93  
(1,236) 
— 
(267) 

9,379  

1,824  

11,203  

Freehold  
£m 

Leasehold 
 £m 

9,147  
218  
543  
136  
307  
(713) 
(82) 
45  

9,601  

1,650  
208  
97  
15  
— 
(177) 
82  
6  

1,881  

2018 

Total  
£m 

10,797  
426  
640  
151  
307  
(890) 
— 
51  

11,482  

See note 24 for further information on the fair value measurement and valuation techniques of investment property. 

The  fair  value  of  investment  properties  leased  to  third  parties  under  operating  leases  at  31  December  2019  was  £10,931  million  
(2018: £11,172 million). Future contractual aggregate minimum lease rentals receivable under the non-cancellable portion of these leases are 
given in note 23. 

23 – Lease assets and liabilities 
From 1 January 2019 the Group has adopted IFRS 16 Leases, the standard which replaces IAS 17 Leases. Adoption of the standard has resulted 
in assets previously held under operating leases (and their corresponding lease liabilities) being recognised on the statement of financial 
position for the first time. Adoption of the standard resulted in the following assets and liabilities being included within the statement of 
financial position for the first time at 1 January 2019: 
•  £410 million owner-occupied property assets, included within Property and equipment (see note 21); 
•  £24 million deferred tax assets; and  
•  £544 million lease liabilities, included within Payables and other financial liabilities (see note 54). 

The Group’s leased assets primarily consist of properties occupied by Group companies carried at amortised cost (see note 21) and leasehold 
investment properties carried at fair value (see note 22) which are sublet to third parties. Leasehold investment properties are measured in 
accordance with IAS 40 Investment Property (see accounting policy Q) and there have been no changes to their classification or measurement 
arising from the adoption of IFRS 16.  

Although the Group is exposed to changes in the residual value at the end of the current leases to third parties on investment property, the 
Group typically enters into new operating leases and therefore is not expected to immediately realise any reduction in residual value at the 
end of these leases. Expectations about the future residual values are reflected in the fair value of the properties. 

(i) The following amounts in respect of leased assets have been recognised in the Group’s consolidated income statement. 

Interest expense on lease liabilities 

Total lease expenses recognised in the income statement 

2019 
£m 

14  

14  

Total cash outflows recognized in the period in relation to leases were £70 million. Expenses recognised in the Group consolidated income 
statement  in  relation  to  short-term  and  low-value  leases  were  £nil.  Variable  lease  payments  not  included  in  the  measurement  of  lease 
liabilities were £nil. 

(ii) The following table analyses the right-of-use assets relating to leased properties occupied by Group companies. 

Balance at 1 January 
Additions 
Disposals 
Foreign exchange rate movements 
Depreciation 

Balance at 31 December 

2019 
Total 
£m 

410  
42  
(1) 
(4) 
(62) 

385  

There were no gains arising from sale and leaseback transactions during the year. Included within the income statement is  £2 million of 
income in respect of sublets of right-of-use assets. 

Aviva plc Annual report and accounts 2019 
168 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Strategic report 

Governance 

IFRS financial statements 

Other information 

Notes to the consolidated financial statements 

 Continued  

23 – Lease assets and liabilities continued 
(iii) Lease liabilities included within note 54 total £572 million. Future contractual aggregate minimum lease payments are as follows: 

Within 1 year 
Later than 1 year and not later than 5 years 
Later than 5 years 

2019 
£m 

89  
296  
237  

622  

The Group is exposed to potential future increases in variable lease payments based on an index or rate, which are not included in the lease 
liability until they take effect. When adjustments to lease payments based on an index or rate take effect, the lease liability is reassessed and 
adjusted against the right-of-use asset. 

The lease agreements do no impose any covenants other than the security interest in the leased assets that are held by the lessor. 

(iv) Future contractual aggregate minimum lease rentals receivable under non-cancellable operating leases are as follows: 

Within 1 year 
Between 1 and 2 years 
Between 2 and 3 years 
Between 3 and 4 years 
Between 4 and 5 years 
Later than 5 years 

2019 
£m 

265  
205  
183  
161  
208  
1,599  

2,621 

Aviva plc Annual report and accounts 2019 
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Strategic report 

Governance 

IFRS financial statements 

Other information 

Notes to the consolidated financial statements 

 Continued  

24 – Fair value methodology 
This note explains the methodology for valuing our assets and liabilities measured at fair value, and for fair value disclosures. It also provides 
an analysis of these according to a ‘fair value hierarchy’, determined by the market observability of valuation inputs.  

(a)  Basis for determining fair value hierarchy 
All assets and liabilities for which fair value is measured or disclosed in the financial statements are categorised within the ‘fair value hierarchy’ 
described as follows, based on the lowest level input that is significant to the fair value measurement as a whole: 

Level 1 
Inputs to Level 1 fair values are quoted prices (unadjusted) in active markets for identical assets and liabilities that the entity can access at 
the measurement date. 

Level 2 
Inputs to Level 2 fair values are inputs other than quoted prices included within Level 1 that are observable for the asset or liability, either 
directly or indirectly. If the asset or liability has a specified (contractual) term, a Level 2 input must be observable for substantially the full 
term of the instrument. Level 2 inputs include the following: 
•  Quoted prices for similar assets and liabilities in active markets. 
•  Quoted prices for identical or similar assets and liabilities in markets that are not active, the prices are not current, or price quotations vary 

substantially either over time or among market makers, or in which little information is released publicly. 

•  Inputs other than quoted prices that are observable for the asset or liability (for example, interest rates and yield curves observable at 

commonly quoted intervals, implied volatilities, and credit spreads). 

•  Market-corroborated inputs. 

Where we use broker quotes and no information as to the observability of inputs is provided by the broker, the investments are classified as 
follows: 
•  Where the broker price is validated by using internal models with market observable inputs and the values are similar, we classify the 

investment as Level 2. 

•  In circumstances where internal models are not used to validate broker prices, or the observability of inputs used by brokers is unavailable, 

the investment is classified as Level 3. 

Level 3 
Inputs to Level 3 fair values are unobservable inputs for the asset or liability. Unobservable inputs may have been used to measure fair value 
to the extent that observable inputs are not available, thereby allowing for situations in which there is little, if any, market activity for the asset 
or liability at the measurement date. However, the fair value measurement objective remains the same, i.e. an exit price at the measurement 
date from the perspective of a market participant that holds the asset or owes the liability. Unobservable inputs reflect the assumptions the 
business  unit  considers  that  market  participants  would  use  in  pricing  the  asset  or  liability.  Examples  are  investment  properties  and 
commercial and equity release mortgage loans. 

Aviva plc Annual report and accounts 2019 
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Strategic report 

Governance 

IFRS financial statements 

Other information 

Notes to the consolidated financial statements 

 Continued  

24 – Fair value methodology continued 
The majority of the Group’s assets and liabilities measured at fair value are based on quoted market information or observable market data. 
Of the total assets and liabilities measured at fair value 16.8% (2018: 16.6%) of assets and 3.1% (2018: 3.4%) of liabilities are based on estimates 
and recorded as Level 3. Where estimates are used, these are based on a combination of independent third-party evidence and internally 
developed  models,  calibrated  to  market  observable  data  where  possible.  Third-party  valuations  using  significant  unobservable  inputs 
validated against Level 2 internally modelled valuations are classified as Level 3, where there is a significant difference between the third-
party price and the internally modelled value. Where the difference is insignificant, the instrument would be classified as Level 2. 

(b)  Changes to valuation techniques 
There were no changes in the valuation techniques during the year compared to those described in the 2018 annual consolidated financial 
statements. 

(c)  Comparison of the carrying amount and fair values of financial instruments 
Set out below is a comparison of the carrying amounts and fair values of financial assets and liabilities, excluding those classified as held for 
sale. These amounts may differ where the assets or liabilities are carried on a measurement basis other than fair value, e.g. amortised cost. 

2019 

Carrying 
amount  
£m 

Fair value  
£m 

Fair value  
£m 

Restated1  
2018 

Carrying 
amount  
£m 

Financial assets 
Loans (note 25(a)) 
Financial investments (note 28(a)) 

Fixed maturity securities2  
Equity securities 
Other investments (including derivatives)2  

Financial liabilities 
Non-participating investment contracts (note 45(a)) 
Net asset value attributable to unitholders 
Borrowings (note 53(a))3  
Derivative liabilities (note 61(b)) 

38,559  

38,579  
343,418   343,418  
198,832   198,832  
99,570  
45,016  

99,570  
45,016  

36,130  
319,825  
191,675  
88,227  
39,923  

36,184  
319,825  
191,675  
88,227  
39,923  

129,365   129,365  
16,610  
9,039  
6,517  

16,610  
10,268  
6,517  

112,013  
16,338  
9,826  
6,478  

112,013  
16,338  
9,420  
6,478  

1  Following a review of the Group’s presentation of consolidated investment funds, comparative amounts have been restated from those previously reported. The review identified amounts presented within cash and cash 
equivalents and other investments that are now presented as loans, fixed maturity securities and equity securities in the table above. The restatement has had no impact on the profit for the year or equity. See note 1a for further 
information. 

2  Following a review of the classification of financial assets, comparative amounts have been amended from those previously reported. The effect of this change is to reclassify £2,201 million of assets from fixed maturity securities 

to other investments.  

3  Within the fair value total, the estimated fair value has been provided for the portion of borrowings that are carried at amortised cost as disclosed in note 24 (h). 

Fair value of the following assets and liabilities approximate to their carrying amounts: 
•  Receivables 
•  Cash and cash equivalents 
•  Loans at amortised cost 
•  Payables and other financial liabilities 

As set out in accounting policy A, the Group has chosen to defer application of IFRS 9 due to its activities being predominantly connected 
with insurance. To facilitate comparison with entities applying IFRS 9 in full, the table below splits the Group’s financial instruments as at the 
reporting date between those which are considered to have contractual terms which are solely payments of principal and interest (SPPI) on 
the principal amount outstanding (excluding instruments held for trading or managed and evaluated on a fair value basis), and all other 
instruments not falling into this category. 

Fixed maturity securities 
Equity securities 
Loans 
Receivables 
Cash and cash equivalents 
Accrued income and Interest 
Other financial assets 

Total 

2019 

  Restated1 2018 

SPPI – Fair 
value  
£m 

Non-SPPI –  
fair value2  

£m 

— 
— 
9,580  
5,799  
15,344  
272  
5  

199,481  
99,826  
28,980  
3,265  
4,960  
1,924  
51,930  

SPPI – 
Fair value  
£m 

273  
— 
9,859  
5,609  
11,249  
193  
10  

Non-SPPI –  
fair value2  

£m 

191,799  
88,437  
26,271  
3,041  
5,365  
2,505  
46,557  

31,000   390,366  

27,193  

363,975  

1  Following a review of the Group’s presentation of consolidated investment funds, comparative amounts have been restated from those previously reported. The review identified amounts presented within cash and cash 
equivalents and other investments that are now presented as loans, fixed maturity securities and equity securities in the table above. The restatement has had no impact on the profit for the year or equity. See note 1a for further 
information. 
Instruments within this category include financial assets that meet the definition of held for trading, financial assets that are managed and evaluated on a fair value basis, and instruments with contractual terms that do not give 
rise on specified dates to cash flows that are solely payments of principal and interest on the principal amount outstanding. 

2 

There  has  been  a  £24  million  increase  (2018:  £7  million  decrease)  in  the  fair  value  of  SPPI  instruments,  and  a  £20,090  million 
increase (2018: £23,645 million decrease) in the fair value of non-SPPI instruments during the reporting period. 

Aviva plc Annual report and accounts 2019 
171 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Strategic report 

Governance 

IFRS financial statements 

Other information 

Notes to the consolidated financial statements 

 Continued  

24 – Fair value methodology continued 
(d)  Fair value hierarchy analysis 
An analysis of assets and liabilities measured at amortised cost and fair value categorised by fair value hierarchy is given below. 

2019 

Recurring fair value measurements 
Investment property (note 22) 
Loans (note 25(a)) 
Financial investments measured at fair value (note 28(a)) 

Fixed maturity securities 
Equity securities 
Other investments (including derivatives) 

Financial assets classified as held for sale 

Total  

Financial liabilities measured at fair value 

Non-participating investment contracts1 (note 45(a)) 
Net asset value attributable to unit holders 
Borrowings (note 53(a)) 
Derivative liabilities (note 61(b)) 

Financial liabilities classified as held for sale 

Total  

Fair value hierarchy 

Level 1 
 £m 

Level 2  
£m 

Level 3  
£m 

Sub-total  
Fair value 
 £m 

Amortised 
cost  
£m 

Total carrying 
value 
 £m 

— 
— 

— 
— 

11,203  
28,319  

11,203  
28,319  

— 
10,260  

11,203  
38,579  

67,638   113,599  
— 
98,850  
6,878  
32,465  
50  
5,788  

17,595   198,832  
99,570  
45,016  
7,824  

720  
5,673  
1,986  

—  198,832  
99,570  
— 
45,016  
— 
7,825  
1  

204,741   120,527  

65,496   390,764  

10,261   401,025  

129,323  
16,498  
— 
418  
5,259  

151,498  

42  
— 
— 
5,444  
20  

5,506  

— 
112  
1,233  
655  
3,045  

129,365  
16,610  
1,233  
6,517  
8,324  

—  129,365  
16,610  
— 
9,039  
7,806  
6,517  
— 
8,352  
28  

5,045   162,049  

7,834   169,883  

1 

In addition to the balances in this table, included within reinsurance assets in the statement of financial position and note 47 are £4,006 million of non-participating investment contracts, which are legally reinsurance but do not 
meet the definition of a reinsurance contract under IFRS. These assets are financial instruments measured at fair value through profit and loss and are classified as Level 1 assets. 

2019 

Non-recurring fair value measurement 
Properties occupied by Group companies 

Total 

Fair value hierarchy 

Level 1  
£m 

Level 2 
 £m 

Level 3  
£m 

Total 
 fair value  
£m 

— 

— 

— 

— 

320  

320  

320  

320  

IFRS 13, Fair Value Measurement, permits assets and liabilities to be measured at fair value on either a recurring or non-recurring basis. 
Recurring fair value measurements are those that other IFRSs require or permit in the statement of financial position at the end of each 
reporting period, whereas non-recurring fair value measurements of assets or liabilities are those that other IFRSs require or permit in the 
statement of financial position in particular circumstances. The value of owner-occupied properties measured on a non-recurring basis at  
31 December 2019 was £320 million (2018: £352 million), stated at their revalued amounts in line with the requirements of IAS 16 Property, 
Plant and Equipment. 

The disclosure above relates to those owner-occupied properties which have been measured at fair value. Owner-occupied properties held 
under lease arrangements are stated at amortised cost and are amortised on a straight-line basis over the lease term. For further information 
on the Group’s lease arrangements see note 23. 

Restated1 2018 

Recurring fair value measurements 
Investment property (note 22) 
Loans (note 25(a)) 
Financial investments measured at fair value (note 28(a)) 

Fixed maturity securities2  
Equity securities 
Other investments (including derivatives)2  

Financial assets classified as held for sale 

Total  

Financial liabilities measured at fair value 

Non-participating investment contracts3 (note 45(a)) 
Net asset value attributable to unit holders 
Borrowings (note 53(a)) 
Derivative liabilities (note 61(b)) 

Financial liabilities classified as held for sale 

Total  

Fair value hierarchy 

Level 1 
 £m 

Level 2  
£m 

Level 3 
 £m 

Sub-total 
 Fair value 
 £m 

Amortised 
 cost  
£m 

Total carrying 
value 
 £m 

— 
— 

— 
518  

11,482  
25,008  

11,482  
25,526  

— 
10,658  

11,482  
36,184  

65,996  
87,813  
29,971  
5,240  

109,176  
— 
4,770  
19  

16,503  
414  
5,182  
1,992  

191,675  
88,227  
39,923  
7,251  

— 
— 
— 
— 

191,675  
88,227  
39,923  
7,251  

189,020  

114,483  

60,581  

364,084  

10,658  

374,742  

111,966  
16,313  
— 
466  
5,241  

133,986  

47  
— 
— 
5,478  
— 

5,525  

— 
25  
1,225  
534  
3,100  

112,013  
16,338  
1,225  
6,478  
8,341  

— 
— 
8,195  
— 
— 

112,013  
16,338  
9,420  
6,478  
8,341  

4,884  

144,395  

8,195  

152,590  

1  Following a review of the Group’s presentation of consolidated investment funds, comparative amounts have been restated from those previously reported. The review identified amounts presented within cash and cash 
equivalents and other investments that are now presented as loans, fixed maturity securities and equity securities in the table above. The restatement has had no impact on the profit for the year or equity. See note 1a for further 
information. 

2   Following a review of the classification of financial assets, comparative amounts have been restated from those previously reported. The effect of this change is to reclassify £2,201 million of assets from fixed maturity securities 

3 

to other investments and £3,734 million of assets from fair value hierarchy level 2 to level 1. 
In addition to the balances in this table, included within reinsurance assets in the statement of financial position and note 47 are £4,009 million of non-participating investment contracts, which are legally reinsurance but do not 
meet the definition of a reinsurance contract under IFRS. These assets are financial instruments measured at fair value through profit and loss and are classified as Level 1 assets 

Aviva plc Annual report and accounts 2019 
172 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Strategic report 

Governance 

IFRS financial statements 

Other information 

Notes to the consolidated financial statements 

 Continued  

24 – Fair value methodology continued 

2018 

Non-recurring fair value measurement 
Properties occupied by Group companies 

Total 

Fair value hierarchy 

Level 1  
£m 

Level 2  
£m 

Level 3  
£m 

Total  
fair value  
£m 

— 

— 

— 

— 

352  

352  

352  

352  

(e)  Valuation approach for fair value assets and liabilities classified as Level 2 
Please see note 24(a) for a description of typical Level 2 inputs. 

Debt securities, in line with market practice, are generally valued using an independent pricing service. These valuations are determined 
using independent external quotations from multiple sources and are subject to a number of monitoring controls, such as monthly price 
variances, stale price reviews and variance analysis. Pricing services, where available, are used to obtain the third-party broker quotes. Where 
pricing services providers are used, a single valuation is obtained and applied. When prices are not available from pricing services, quotes are 
sourced from brokers. 

Over-the-counter derivatives are valued using broker quotes or models such as option pricing models, simulation models or a combination 
of  models.  The  inputs  for  these  models  include  a  range  of  factors  which  are  deemed  to  be  observable,  including  current  market  and 
contractual prices for underlying instruments, period to maturity, correlations, yield curves and volatility of the underlying instruments. 

Unit Trusts and other investment funds included under the other investments category are valued using net asset values which are not subject 
to a significant adjustment for restrictions on redemption or for limited trading activity. 

(f)  Transfers between levels of the fair value hierarchy 
For  financial  instruments  that  are  recognised  at  fair  value  on  a  recurring  basis,  the  Group  determines  whether  transfers  have  occurred 
between levels of the fair value hierarchy by re-assessing categorisation (based on the lowest level input that is significant to the fair value 
measurement as a whole) at the end of the reporting period. 

Transfers between Level 1 and Level 2 
There were no significant transfers between Level 1 and 2 during the year. 

Transfers to/from Level 3 
£1.5 billion of assets transferred into Level 3 and £1.2 billion of assets transferred out of Level 3 relate principally to debt securities held by 
our businesses in the UK and France. These are transferred between Levels 2 and 3 depending on the availability of observable inputs and 
whether the counterparty and broker quotes are corroborated using valuation models with observable inputs. 

There were no significant transfers of liabilities into and out of Level 3 during the year. 

(g)  Further information on Level 3 assets and liabilities 
The table below shows movement in the Level 3 assets and liabilities measured at fair value. 

2019 

Opening balance at 1 January 2019 
Total net gains/(losses) recognised in 

the income statement1  

Purchases 
Issuances 
Disposals 
Settlements 
Transfers into Level 3 
Transfers out of Level 3 
Foreign exchange rate movements 

Investment 
Property  
£m 

Loans  
£m 

Fixed 
maturity 
securities  
£m 

Equity 
securities  
£m 

Other 
investments 
(including 
derivatives) 
£m 

Financial 
assets 
classified as 
held for sale 
£m 

Non 
participating 
investment 
contracts  
£m 

Assets 

Net asset 
value 
attributable 
to 
unitholders 
£m 

Derivative 
liabilities  
£m 

Borrowings 
£m 

Liabilities 

Financial 
liabilities 
classified as 
held for sale 
£m 

11,482   25,008  

16,503  

414  

5,182  

1,992  

— 

(25) 

(534) 

(1,225) 

(3,100) 

151  
1,131  
— 
(1,294) 
— 
— 
— 
(267) 

844  
3,461  
190  
(1,170) 
— 
— 
— 
(14) 

505  
2,090  
12  
(1,454) 
(50) 
1,449  
(919) 
(541) 

(66) 
427  
— 
(39) 
— 
1  
— 
(17) 

720  

6  
1,350  
— 
(532) 
— 
— 
(142) 
(191) 

134  
185  
— 
(262) 
— 
49  
(112) 
— 

— 
(100) 
— 
100  
— 
— 
— 
— 

— 
(56) 
— 
(31) 
— 
— 
— 
— 

(86) 
(128) 
— 
88  
— 
— 
— 
5  

(52) 
— 
— 
44  
— 
— 
— 
— 

(134) 
(134) 
— 
261  
— 
(49) 
111  
— 

5,673  

1,986  

— 

(112) 

(655) 

(1,233) 

(3,045) 

Balance at 31 December 2019 

11,203   28,319  

17,595  

1  Total net gains/(losses) recognised in the income statement includes realised gains/(losses) on disposals. 

Aviva plc Annual report and accounts 2019 
173 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Strategic report 

Governance 

IFRS financial statements 

Other information 

Notes to the consolidated financial statements 

 Continued  

24 – Fair value methodology continued 

2018 

Opening balance at 1 January 2018 
Total net gains/(losses) recognised in 

the income statement1  

Purchases 
Issuances 
Disposals 
Settlements2  
Transfers into Level 3 
Transfers out of Level 3 
Foreign exchange rate movements 

Investment 
Property 
 £m 

Fixed maturity 
securities 
 £m 

Loans 
 £m 

Equity 
securities 
 £m 

Other 
investments 
(including 
derivatives) 
£m 

Assets 

Financial 
assets 
classified as 
held for sale 
£m 

Non 
participating 
investment 
contracts  
£m 

Net asset 
value 
attributable to 
unitholders 
£m 

Liabilities 

Financial 
liabilities 
classified as 
held for sale 
£m 

Derivative 
liabilities  
£m 

Borrowings 
£m 

10,797  

23,949  

14,100  

776  

3,900  

2,093  

— 

(13) 

(358) 

(1,180) 

(3,306) 

376  
1,185  
— 
(927) 
— 
— 
— 
51  

(530) 
3,451  
200  
(2,065) 
— 
— 
— 
3  

(363) 
3,137  
— 
(1,221) 
— 
1,242  
(503) 
111  

(102) 
189  
— 
(544) 
— 
95  
(2) 
2  

414  

(69) 
1,799  
— 
(554) 
— 
77  
— 
29  

5,182  

(73) 
201  
— 
(191) 
— 
20  
(58) 
— 

1,992  

— 
(108) 
— 
108  
— 
— 
— 
— 

— 

— 
— 
— 
(12) 
— 
— 
— 
— 

(25) 

(136) 
(59) 
— 
20  
— 
— 
— 
(1) 

(534) 

(81) 
— 
— 
36  
— 
— 
— 
— 

74  
(95) 
— 
189  
— 
(20) 
58  
— 

(1,225) 

(3,100) 

Balance at 31 December 2018 

11,482  

25,008  

16,503  

1  Total net gains/(losses) recognised in the income statement includes realised gains/(losses) on disposals. 
2  Following a review of the classification of financial assets, comparative amounts have been restated from those previously reported. The effect of the change is to classify £2,201 million of assetsfrom fixed maturity securities to 

other investments. 

Total net gains recognised in the income statement in the year ended 31 December 2019 in respect of Level 3 assets measured at fair value 
amounted  to  £1,574  million  (2018:  net  losses  of  £761  million)  with  net  losses  in  respect  of  liabilities  of  £272  million  (2018:  net  losses  of 
£143 million). Net gains of £1,427 million (2018: net losses of £529 million) attributable to assets and net losses of £271 million (2018: net losses 
of £178 million) attributable to liabilities relate to those still held at the end of the year. 

The principal assets classified as Level 3, and the valuation techniques applied to them, are described below. 

Investment property 

(i) 
•  Investment property is valued in the UK at least annually by external chartered surveyors in accordance with guidance issued by The Royal 
Institution of Chartered Surveyors and using estimates during the intervening period. Outside the UK, valuations are produced by external 
qualified professional appraisers in the countries concerned. Investment properties are valued on an income approach that is based on 
current  rental  income  plus  anticipated  uplifts  at  the  next  rent  review,  lease  expiry,  or  break  options  taking  into  consideration  lease 
incentives and assuming no further growth in the estimated rental value of the property. The uplift and discount rates are derived from 
rates implied by recent market transactions on similar properties. These inputs are deemed unobservable. 

(ii)  Loans 
•  Commercial mortgage loans and Primary Healthcare loans held by our UK Life business are valued using a Portfolio Credit Risk Model. This 
model calculates a Credit Risk Adjusted Value for each loan. The risk adjusted cash flows are discounted using a yield curve, taking into 
account the term dependent gilt yield curve and global assumptions for the liquidity premium. Loans valued using this model have been 
classified as Level 3 as the liquidity premium is deemed to be non-market observable. The liquidity premium used in the discount rate 
ranges between 65 bps to 80 bps (2018: 65 bps to 195 bps). 

•  Equity release mortgage loans held by our UK Life business are valued using an internal model, with fair value initially being equal to the 
transaction price. The value of these loans is dependent on the expected term of the mortgage and the forecast property value at the end 
of  the  term,  and  is  calculated  by  adjusting  future  cash  flows  for  credit  risk  and  discounting  using  a  yield  curve  plus  an  allowance  for 
illiquidity. At 31 December 2019 the illiquidity premium used in the discount rate was 160 bps (2018: 210 bps). 

•  The mortgages have a no negative equity guarantee (‘NNEG’) such that the cost of any potential shortfall between the value of the loan and the 
realised value of the property, at the end of the term, is recognised by a deduction to the value of the loan. Property valuations at the reporting date 
are obtained by taking the most recent valuation for the property and indexing using market observable regional house price indices. 
NNEG is calculated using base property growth rates reduced for the cost of potential dilapidations, using a stochastic model. In addition, 
a cost of capital charge is applied to reflect the variability in these cashflows. The base property growth rate assumption is RPI +0.75% 
which equates to a long-term average growth rate of 4.0% pa at 31 December 2019 (2018: 4.3%). After applying the cost of capital charge, 
dilapidations and the stochastic distribution, the effective net long-term growth rate equates to 0.5% pa (2018: 0.6%). 

•  Mortgage loan assumptions for future property prices and rental income also include an allowance for the possible adverse impact of the 

decision for the UK to leave the European Union (see note 9). 

•  Infrastructure and Private Finance Initiative (PFI) loans held by our UK Life business are valued using a discounted cash flow model. This 
adds spreads for credit and illiquidity to a risk-free discount rate. Credit spreads used in the discount rate are calculated using an internally 
developed  methodology  which  depends  on  the  credit  rating  of  each  loan,  credit  spreads  on  publicly  traded  bonds  and  an  estimated 
recovery rate in event of default and are deemed to be unobservable.  

(iii) Fixed maturity securities 
•  Structured bond-type and non-standard debt products held by our business in France have no active market. These debt securities are valued 
either using counterparty or broker quotes and validated against internal or third-party models. These bonds have been classified as Level 3 
because either (i) the third-party models include a significant unobservable liquidity adjustment, or (ii) differences between the valuation provided 
by the counterparty and broker quotes and the validation model are sufficiently significant to result in a Level 3 classification. 

•  Non-standard debt products and privately placed bonds held by our businesses in the UK do not trade in an active market. These debt 
securities are valued using discounted cash flow models, designed to appropriately reflect the credit and illiquidity risk of the instrument. 
These bonds have been classified as Level 3 because the valuation approach includes significant unobservable inputs and an element of 
subjectivity in determining appropriate credit and illiquidity spreads. 

•  Debt securities held by our French and Asian businesses which are not traded in an active market have been valued using third party or 

counterparty valuations. These prices are considered to be unobservable due to infrequent market transactions. 

Aviva plc Annual report and accounts 2019 
174 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Strategic report 

Governance 

IFRS financial statements 

Other information 

Notes to the consolidated financial statements 

 Continued  

24 – Fair value methodology continued 
(iv) Equity securities 
•  Equity securities which primarily comprise private equity holdings held in the UK are valued by a number of third party specialists. These 
are valued using a range of techniques, including earnings multiples, forecast cash flows and price/earnings ratios which are deemed to be 
unobservable. 

(v)  Property Funds 
•  Property funds are valued based on external valuation reports received from fund managers. 

(vi) Financial assets of operations classified as held for sale 
•  Financial assets of operations classified as held for sale are held by our Asia business and consist primarily of discretionary managed funds 
of £1,404 million (2018: £1,398 million) and debt securities which are not traded in an active market and have been valued using third party 
or  counterparty  valuations  of  £401  million  (2018: £360 million). These  assets  are  included  within  the  relevant  asset  category  within  the 
sensitivity table below. 

(vii) Liabilities 
The principal liabilities classified as Level 3, and the valuation techniques applied to them, are: 
•  £3,045  million  (2018:  £3,100  million)  of  non-participating  investment  contract  liabilities  which  are  included  within  financial  liabilities  of 
operations classified as held for sale. These are classified as Level 3, either because the underlying unit funds are classified as Level 3 or 
because the liability relates to unfunded units or other non-unit adjustments which are based on a discounted cash flow analysis using 
unobservable market data and assumptions. These liabilities are included within the relevant asset category within the sensitivity table 
below. 

•  Securitised  mortgage  loan  notes,  presented  within  Borrowings,  are  valued  using  a  similar  technique  to  the  related  Level  3  securitised 

mortgage assets. 

Where these valuations are at a date other than the balance sheet date, as in the case of some private equity funds, adjustments are made 
to reflect items such as subsequent drawdowns and distributions and the fund manager’s carried interest. 

Sensitivities 
Where  possible,  the  Group  tests  the  sensitivity  of  the  fair  values  of  Level  3  assets  and  liabilities  to  changes  in  unobservable  inputs  to 
reasonable alternatives. Level 3 valuations are sourced from independent third parties when available and, where appropriate, validated 
against internally-modelled valuations, third-party models or broker quotes. Where third-party pricing sources are unwilling to provide a 
sensitivity analysis for their valuations, the Group undertakes, where feasible, sensitivity analysis on the following basis: 
•  For  third-party  valuations  validated  against  internally-modelled  valuations  using  significant  unobservable  inputs,  the  sensitivity  of  the 

internally-modelled valuation to changes in unobservable inputs to a reasonable alternative is determined. 

•  For third-party valuations either not validated or validated against a third-party model or broker quote, the third-party valuation in its 
entirety is considered an unobservable input. Sensitivities are determined by flexing inputs of internal models to a reasonable alternative, 
including the yield, NAV multiple or other suitable valuation multiples of the financial instrument implied by the third-party valuation. For 
example, for a fixed income security the implied yield would be the rate of return which discounts the security’s contractual cash flows to 
equal the third-party valuation. 

The tables below show the sensitivity of the fair value of Level 3 assets and liabilities to changes in unobservable inputs to a reasonable 
alternative: 

Investment property 

Loans 
Commercial mortgage loans and Primary Healthcare loans 
Equity release mortgage loans 

Infrastructure and Private Finance Initiative (PFI) loans 
Other 

Fixed maturity securities 
Structured bond-type and non-standard debt products 
Privately placed notes 
Other debt securities 

Equity securities 

Other investments 
Property Funds 
Other investments (including derivatives) 

Liabilities 
Non-participating investment contract liabilities 
Borrowings 
Other liabilities (including derivatives) 

Total Level 3 investments 

1  On discount spreads. 
2  Dependent on investment category.  

Sensitivities 

Positive 
Impact 
£bn 

Negative 
Impact 
£bn 

Reasonable alternative 

+/- 5-10% 

0.9 

(0.9) 

+/- 20 bps 
+/- 10% 
+/- 10% 
+/- 25 bps1  
+/- 25 bps1  

 Most significant unobservable input 
 Equivalent rental yields 

 Illiquidity premium 
 Base property growth rate 
 Current property market values 
 Illiquidity premium 
 Illiquidity premium 

2019 
Fair value 
£bn 

11.2 

12.9 
11.0 

4.0 
0.4 

6.4 
1.7 
9.9 

0.8 

 Market spread (credit, liquidity and other) 
 Credit spreads 
 Credit and liquidity spreads 

+/- 25 bps 
+/- 25 bps1  
+/- 20-25 bps 

 Market spread (credit, liquidity and other) 

+/- 25 bps 

0.8 
6.4 

 Market multiples applied to net asset values 
 Market multiples applied to net asset values 

+/- 15-20% 
+/- 10-40%2  

(3.0)   Fair value of the underlying unit funds 
(1.2)   Illiquidity premium 
(0.8)   Independent valuation vs counterparty 

+/- 20-25% 
+/- 50 bps 
N/A 

60.5 

0.2 
0.3 
0.2 
0.2 
— 

0.1 
0.1 
0.5 

— 

0.1 
0.8 

0.4 
— 
— 

3.8 

(0.2) 
(0.4) 
(0.2) 
(0.2) 
— 

(0.1) 
(0.1) 
(0.5) 

(0.1) 

(0.1) 
(0.6) 

(0.4) 
— 
— 

(3.8) 

Aviva plc Annual report and accounts 2019 
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Strategic report 

Governance 

IFRS financial statements 

Other information 

Notes to the consolidated financial statements 

 Continued  

24 – Fair value methodology continued  

Investment property 

Loans 
Commercial mortgage loans and Primary Healthcare loans 
Equity release mortgage loans 

Infrastructure and Private Finance Initiative (PFI) loans 
Other 

Fixed maturity securities 
Structured bond-type and non-standard debt products 
Privately placed notes 
Other debt securities4  

Equity securities 

Other investments 
Property Funds 
Other investments (including derivatives)4  

Liabilities 
Non-participating investment contract liabilities 
Borrowings 
Other liabilities (including derivatives) 

2018 
Fair value 
£bn 

11.6 

 Most significant unobservable input 
 Equivalent rental yields 

Reasonable alternative 

Sensitivities 

Positive 
Impact 
£bn 

Negative 
Impact 
£bn 

+/- 5-10% 

0.9 

(0.9) 

11.5 
9.7 

3.4 
0.4 

 Illiquidity premium 
 Base property growth rate3  
 Current property market values 
 Illiquidity premium 
 Illiquidity premium 

+/- 20 bps 
+/- 10% 
+/- 10% 
+/- 25 bps1  
+/- 25 bps1  

6.6 
1.6 
8.7 

 Market spread (credit, liquidity and other) 
 Credit spreads 
 Credit and liquidity spreads 

+/- 25 bps 
+/- 25 bps1  
+/- 20-25 bps 

0.3 

 Market spread (credit, liquidity and other) 

+/- 25 bps 

0.8 
6.0 

 Market multiples applied to net asset values 
 Market multiples applied to net asset values 

+/- 15-20% 
+/- 10-40%2  

(3.1)   Fair value of the underlying unit funds 
(1.2)   Illiquidity premium 
(0.6)   Independent valuation vs counterparty 

+/- 20-25% 
+/- 50 bps 
N/A 

0.2 
0.3 
0.3 
0.1 
— 

0.1 
0.1 
0.4 

— 

0.1 
0.7 

0.4 
— 
— 

3.6 

(0.2) 
(0.3) 
(0.4) 
(0.1) 
— 

(0.1) 
— 
(0.4) 

— 

(0.1) 
(0.6) 

(0.4) 
— 
— 

(3.5) 

Total Level 3 investments 

55.7 

1  On discount spreads. 
2  Dependent on investment category.  
3  Following a review of the sensitivities of equity release mortgage loans to base property growth rates, the 2018 comparative amounts have been restated from those previously reported. 
4  Following a review of the Group’s presentation of consolidated investment funds, comparative amounts have been restated from those previously reported. The restatement has had no impact on the profit for the year or equity. 

See note 1(a) for further information. 

The above tables demonstrate the effect of a change in one unobservable input while other assumptions remain unchanged. In reality, there 
may be a correlation between the unobservable inputs and other factors. It should also be noted that some of these sensitivities are non-
linear, and larger or smaller impacts should not be interpolated or extrapolated from these results. 

(h) Liabilities not carried at fair value for which fair value is disclosed  
The table below shows the fair value and fair value hierarchy for those liabilities not carried at fair value. 

2019 

Liabilities not carried at fair value 
Borrowings 

2018 

Liabilities not carried at fair value 
Borrowings 

As recognised 
in the 
consolidated 
statement of 
financial 
position line 
item  
£m 

Notes 

Fair value hierarchy 

Level 1  
£m 

Level 2  
£m 

Level 3 
 £m 

Total fair 
value  
£m 

53(a) 

7,834 

8,583 

235 

217 

9,035 

Fair value hierarchy 

As recognised 
in the 
consolidated 
statement of 
financial 
position line 
item 
 £m 

Notes 

Level 1 
 £m 

Level 2 
 £m 

Level 3  
£m 

Total fair value 
£m 

53(a) 

8,195 

7,979  

213 

409 

8,601 

Aviva plc Annual report and accounts 2019 
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Strategic report 

Governance 

IFRS financial statements 

Other information 

Notes to the consolidated financial statements 

 Continued  

25 – Loans 
This note analyses the loans our Group companies have made, the majority of which are mortgage loans. 

(a) Carrying amounts 
The carrying amounts of loans at 31 December 2019 and 2018 were as follows: 

Policy loans 
Loans to banks 
Healthcare, infrastructure and PFI other loans 
UK securitised mortgage loans (see note 26) 
Non-securitised mortgage loans 
Other loans 

Total 

Less: Assets classified as held for sale  

At fair value 
through profit 
or loss other 
than trading 
£m 

At amortised 
cost  
£m 

1  
302  
6,467  
2,432  
19,117  
— 

684  
8,528  
— 
— 
— 
1,049  

2019 

Total  
£m 

685  
8,830  
6,467  
2,432  
19,117  
1,049  

At fair value 
through profit 
or loss other 
than trading  
£m 

At amortised 
cost  
£m 

1  
303  
5,358  
2,437  
17,427  
— 

769  
9,019  
— 
— 
— 
870  

Restated1  
2018 

Total  
£m 

770  
9,322  
5,358  
2,437  
17,427  
870  

28,319  

10,261  

38,580  

25,526  

10,658  

36,184  

— 

(1) 

(1) 

— 

— 

— 

28,319  

10,260  

38,579  

25,526  

10,658  

36,184  

1  Following a review of the Group’s presentation of consolidated investment funds, comparative amounts have been restated from those previously reported. The review identified amounts presented within cash and cash 

equivalents that are now presented as loans to banks carried at amortised cost in the table above. The restatement has had no impact on the profit for the year or equity. See note 1(a) for further information. 

Of the above total loans, £28,938 million (2018: £26,696 million) are due to be recovered in more than one year after the statement of financial 
position date. 

Loans at fair value 
Fair values have been calculated by using cash flow models appropriate for each portfolio of mortgages. Further details of the fair value 
methodology and models utilised are given in note 24(g). 

The  cumulative  change  in  fair  value  of  loans  attributable  to  changes  in  credit  risk  to  31  December  2019  was  a  £1,224  million  loss  
(2018: £1,304 million loss). 

Non-securitised  mortgage  loans  include  £8,558  million  (2018:  £7,315  million)  of  residential  equity  release  mortgages,  £7,681  million 
(2018: £7,283 million) of commercial mortgages and £2,878 million (2018: £2,829 million) relating to UK primary healthcare and PFI businesses. 
The healthcare and PFI mortgage loans are secured against General Practitioner premises, other primary health-related premises or other 
emergency services related premises. For all such loans, government support is provided through either direct funding or reimbursement of 
rental  payments  to  the  tenants  to  meet  income  service  and  provide  for  the  debt  to  be  reduced  substantially  over  the  term  of  the  loan. 
Although the loan principal is not government-guaranteed, the nature of these businesses and premises provides considerable comfort of 
an ongoing business model and low risk of default. 

Healthcare, infrastructure and PFI other loans of £6,467 million (2018: £5,358 million) are secured against the income from healthcare and 
educational premises. 

Loans at amortised cost 
The carrying amount of these loans at both 31 December 2019 and 31 December 2018 was a reasonable approximation for their fair value. 

(b)  Analysis of loans carried at amortised cost 

Policy loans 
Loans to banks 
Non-securitised mortgage loans 
Other loans 

Total 

Amortised 
Cost  
£m 

684  
8,528  
12  
1,050  

10,274  

Impairment 
£m 

— 
— 
(12) 
(1) 

(13) 

2019 

Carrying 
 Value 
 £m 

684  
8,528  
— 
1,049  

Amortised 
 Cost 
 £m 

769  
9,019  
9  
871  

Impairment 
 £m 

— 
— 
(9) 
(1) 

Restated1  
2018 

Carrying  
Value  
£m 

769  
9,019  
— 
870  

10,261  

10,668  

(10) 

10,658  

1  Following a review of the Group’s presentation of consolidated investment funds, comparative amounts have been restated from those previously reported. The review identified amounts presented within cash and cash 

equivalents that are now presented as loans to banks carried at amortised cost in the table above. The restatement has had no impact on the profit for the year or equity. See note 1(a) for further information. 

The movements in the impairment provisions on these loans for the years ended 31 December 2019 and 2018 were as follows:  

At 1 January 
Increase during the year 
Foreign exchange rate movements  

At 31 December 

2019  
£m 

(10) 
(4) 
1  

(13) 

2018  
£m 

(9) 
(1) 
— 

(10) 

Aviva plc Annual report and accounts 2019 
177 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Strategic report 

Governance 

IFRS financial statements 

Other information 

Notes to the consolidated financial statements 

 Continued  

25 – Loans continued 
(c)  Collateral 
Loans  to  banks  include  cash  collateral  received  under  stock  lending  arrangements  (see  note  62  for  further  discussion  regarding  these 
collateral positions). The obligation to repay this collateral is included in payables and other financial liabilities (see note 54). 

The Group holds collateral in respect of loans where it is considered appropriate in order to reduce the risk of non-recovery. This collateral 
generally takes the form of liens or charges over properties and, in the case of policy loans, the underlying policy for the majority of the loan 
balances above. In all other situations, the collateral must be in a readily realisable form, such as listed securities, and is held in segregated 
accounts. 

26 – Securitised mortgages and related assets 
The Group, in its UK Life business, has loans receivable, secured by mortgages, which have then been securitised through non-recourse 
borrowings. This note gives details of the relevant transactions. 

(a)  Description of current arrangements 
In a UK long-term business subsidiary, Aviva Equity Release UK Limited (AER), the beneficial interest in certain portfolios of lifetime mortgages 
has been transferred to five special purpose securitisation companies (the ERF companies), in return for initial consideration and, at later 
dates,  deferred  consideration.  The  deferred  consideration  represents  receipts  accrued  within  the  ERF  companies  after  meeting  all  their 
obligations to the note holders, loan providers and other third parties in the priority of payments. The purchases of the mortgages were 
funded by the issue of fixed and floating rate notes by the ERF companies. 

All the shares in the ERF companies are held by independent companies, whose shares are held on trust. Although AER does not own, directly 
or indirectly, any of the share capital of the ERF companies or their parent companies, it has control of the securitisation companies, and they 
have therefore been treated as subsidiaries in the consolidated financial statements. AER has no right to repurchase the benefit of any of the 
securitised mortgage loans, other than in certain circumstances where AER is in breach of warranty or loans are substituted in order to effect 
a further advance. 

AER has purchased subordinated notes and granted subordinated loans to some of the ERF companies. In addition, Group companies have 
invested £224 million (2018: £239 million) in loan notes issued by the ERF companies. These have been eliminated on consolidation through 
offset against the borrowings of the ERF companies in the statement of financial position. 

In all of the above transactions, the Company and its subsidiaries are not obliged to support any losses that may be suffered by the note 
holders and do not intend to provide such support. Additionally, the notes were issued on the basis that note holders are only entitled to 
obtain payment, of both principal and interest, to the extent that the available resources of the respective special purpose securitisation 
companies, including funds due from customers in respect of the securitised loans, are sufficient and that note holders have no recourse 
whatsoever to other companies in the Aviva Group. 

(b)  Carrying values 
The following table summarises the securitisation arrangements: 

Securitised mortgage loans (note 25) and loan notes issued 
Other securitisation assets/(liabilities) 

Loan notes held by third parties are as follows: 

Total loan notes issued, as above 
Less: Loan notes held by Group companies 

Loan notes held by third parties (note 53(c)(i)) 

2019 

Securitised 
assets  
£m 

Securitised 
liabilities  
£m 

Securitised 
assets 
 £m 

2,432  
282  

2,714  

(1,457) 
(1,257) 

(2,714) 

2,437  
266  

2,703  

2018 

Securitised 
liabilities 
 £m 

(1,464) 
(1,239) 

(2,703) 

2019  
£m 

1,457  
(224) 

1,233  

2018  
£m 

1,464  
(239) 

1,225  

Aviva plc Annual report and accounts 2019 
178 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Strategic report 

Governance 

IFRS financial statements 

Other information 

Notes to the consolidated financial statements 

 Continued  

27 – Interests in structured entities 
A structured entity is defined as an entity that has been designed so that voting or similar rights are not the dominant factor in deciding who 
controls the entity, such as when any voting rights relate to administrative tasks only, or when the relevant activities are directed by means 
of contractual arrangements. The Group has interests in both consolidated and unconsolidated structured entities as described below. 

The Group holds redeemable shares or units in investment vehicles, which consist of: 
•  Debt  securities  comprising  securitisation  vehicles  that  Aviva  does  not  originate.  These  investments  are  comprised  of  a  variety  of  debt 

instruments, including asset-backed securities and other structured securities. 

•  Investment funds which include: hedge funds, liquidity funds, private equity funds, unit trusts, mutual funds and Private Finance Initiatives 

(PFIs). 

•  Specialised  investment  vehicles  include  Open  Ended  Investment  Companies  (OEICs),  Property  Limited  Partnerships  (PLPs),  Sociétés 

d’Investissement a Capital Variable (SICAVs), Tax Transparent Funds (TTFs) and other investment vehicles. 

The  Group’s  holdings  in  investment  vehicles  are  subject  to  the  terms  and  conditions  of  the  respective  investment  vehicle’s  offering 
documentation and are susceptible to market price risk arising from uncertainties about future values of those investment vehicles. The 
investment manager makes investment decisions after extensive due diligence of the underlying investment vehicle including consideration 
of its strategy and the overall quality of the underlying investment vehicle’s manager. 

All  of  the  investment  vehicles  in  the  investment  portfolio  are  managed  by  portfolio  managers  who  are  compensated  by  the  respective 
investment vehicles for their services. Such compensation generally consists of an asset-based fee and a performance-based incentive fee, 
and is reflected in the valuation of the investment vehicles. 

(a)  Interests in consolidated structured entities 
The Group has determined that where it has control over investment vehicles, these investments are consolidated structured entities. As at 
31 December 2019 the Group has granted loans to consolidated PLPs for a total of £64 million (2018: £84 million). The purpose of these loans 
is to assist the consolidated PLPs to purchase or construct properties. The Group has also provided support, without having a contractual 
obligation  to  do  so,  to  certain  consolidated  PLPs  via  letters  of  support  amounting  to  £57  million  (2018:  £51  million).  The  Group  has  no 
commitments to provide funding to consolidated structured entities (2018: £nil). 

The Group has also given support to five special purpose securitisation companies (the ERF companies) that are consolidated structured 
entities. As set out in note 26, at the inception of the securitisation vehicles, the UK subsidiary, Aviva Equity Release UK Limited (AER), has 
granted subordinated loan facilities to some of the ERF companies. AER receives various fees in return for the services provided to the entities. 
AER receives cash management fees based on the outstanding loan balance at the start of each quarter for the administration of the loan 
note liabilities. AER receives portfolio administration fees as compensation for managing the mortgage assets. Refer to note 26 for details of 
securitised mortgages and related assets as at 31 December 2019. 

As at the reporting date, the Group has no intentions to provide financial or other support in relation to any other investment vehicles. 

(b)  Interests in unconsolidated structured entities 
As part of its investment activities, the Group invests in unconsolidated structured entities. As at 31 December 2019, the Group’s total interest 
in unconsolidated structured entities was £58,519 million (2018 restated: £53,617 million) on the Group’s statement of financial position. The 
Group’s  total  interest  in  unconsolidated  structured  entities  is  classified  as  ‘Interests  in  and  loans  to  joint  ventures  and  associates’  and 
‘financial investments held at fair value through profit or loss’. The Group does not sponsor any of the unconsolidated structured entities. 

As at 31 December 2019, a summary of the Group’s interest in unconsolidated structured entities is as follows:  

Structured debt securities2  
Other investments and equity securities 

Analysed as: 
Unit trust and other investment vehicles 
PLPs and property funds 
Other (Including other funds and equity securities) 

Loans3  

Total 

2019  
£m 

Restated1  
2018  
£m 

Interest in, 
and loans 
to, joint 
ventures 

Interest  
in, and 
loans to, 
associates 

Financial 
investments 

Loans 

Total  
assets 

Interest in, 
and loans  
to, joint 
ventures 

Interest  
in, and  
loans to, 
associates 

— 
792 

— 
792 
— 
— 

792 

— 

4,746 
209  44,669 

— 
4,746 
—  45,670 

—  41,836 
2,395 
438 
— 

209 
— 
— 

—  41,836 
3,396 
— 
438 
— 
8,103 
8,103 

209  49,415 

8,103  58,519 

— 
797 

— 
797 
— 
— 

797 

— 
217 

— 
217 
— 
— 

217 

Financial 
investments 

4,662 
41,055 

38,604 
1,975 
476 
— 

45,717 

Loans 

Total 
 assets 

— 
— 

4,662 
42,069 

— 
— 
— 
6,886 

38,604 
2,989 
476 
6,886 

6,886 

53,617 

1  Following a review of the Group’s presentation of consolidated investment funds, comparative amounts have been restated from those previously reported. The review identified amounts presented as unit trusts and other 
investment vehicles that are either now presented as structured debt securities or which are no longer presented as unconsolidated structured entities in the table above. The restatement has had no impact on the profit for the 
year or equity. See note 1(a) for further information. 

2  Primarily reported within ‘other debt securities’ in note 28(a). 
3  Loans include Healthcare, infrastructure & PFI other loans along with certain non-securitised mortgage loans. 

The  Group’s  maximum  exposure  to  loss  related  to  the  interests  in  unconsolidated  structured  entities  is  £58,519  million  (2018  restated:  
£53,617 million). 

The majority of debt securities above are investment grade securities held by the UK business. In some cases, the Group may be required to 
absorb losses from an unconsolidated structured entity before other parties when and if Aviva’s interest is more subordinated with respect 
to other owners of the same security. 

For commitments to property management joint ventures and associates, please refer to notes 19 and 20, respectively. The Group has not 
provided any other financial or other support in addition to that described above as at the reporting date, and there are no intentions to 
provide support in relation to any other unconsolidated structured entities in the foreseeable future. 

Aviva plc Annual report and accounts 2019 
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Governance 

IFRS financial statements 

Other information 

Notes to the consolidated financial statements 

 Continued  

27 – Interests in structured entities continued 
In  relation  to  risk  management,  disclosures  on  debt  securities  and  investment  vehicles  are  given  in note  60(b)(ii)  ‘Risk  management’.  In 
relation  to  other  guarantees  and  commitments  that  the  Group  provides  in  the  course  of  its  business,  please  see  note  56(f)  ‘Contingent 
liabilities and other risk factors’. 

Aviva’s interest in unconsolidated structured entities that it also manages at 31 December 2019 is £1,919 million (2018: £2,146 million) and the 
total funds under management relating to these investments at 31 December 2019 is £15,454 million (2018: £16,794 million). 

(c)  Other interests in unconsolidated structured entities 
The Group receives management fees and other fees in respect of its asset management businesses. The Group does not sponsor any of the 
funds or investment vehicles from which it receives fees. Management fees received for investments that the Group manages, but does not 
have  a  holding  in,  also  represent  an  interest  in  unconsolidated  structured  entities.  As  these  investments  are  not  held  by  the  Group,  the 
investment risk is borne by the external investors and therefore the Group’s maximum exposure to loss relates to future management fees. 
The table below shows the assets under management of entities that the Group manages but does not have a holding in and the fees earned 
from those entities. 

Investment funds1  

Specialised investment vehicles: 
Analysed as: 
OEICs 
PLPs 

Total 

1   Investment funds relate primarily to the Group’s Polish pension funds.

2019 

Investment 
Management 
Fees 
 £m 

Assets Under 
Management  
£m 

6,885 

3,108 

33 
3,075 

9,993 

32 

10 

— 
10 

42 

2018 

Investment 
Management 
Fees  
£m 

38 

6 

1 
5 

44 

Assets Under 
Management  
£m 

7,473 

3,541 

944 
2,597 

11,014 

Aviva plc Annual report and accounts 2019 
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Governance 

IFRS financial statements 

Other information 

Notes to the consolidated financial statements 

 Continued  

28 – Financial investments  
This note analyses our financial investments by type and shows their cost and fair value. These will change from one period to the next as a 
result of new business written, claims paid and market movements. 

(a)  Carrying amount 
Financial investments comprise: 

Fixed maturity securities2  
Debt securities 
UK government 
UK local authorities 
Non-UK government (note 28(d)) 
Corporate bonds 
Public utilities 
Other corporate 

Convertibles and bonds with warrants attached 
Other 

Certificates of deposit 

Equity securities  
Ordinary shares 
Public utilities 
Banks, trusts and insurance companies 
Industrial miscellaneous and all other 

Non-redeemable preference shares 

At fair value through 
 profit or loss 

2019 

At fair value through  
profit or loss 

Restated1  
2018 

Trading 
 £m 

Other than 
trading  
£m 

Available  
for sale 
 £m 

Total  
£m 

Trading  
£m 

Other than 
trading 
 £m 

Available  
for sale  
£m 

Total  
£m 

— 
— 
— 

— 
— 
— 
— 

— 
— 

— 

— 
— 
— 

— 
— 

— 

27,044  
202  
60,569  

10,252  
77,999  
35  
7,378  

— 
— 
1,133  

14  
308  
6  
— 

27,044  
202  
61,702  

10,266  
78,307  
41  
7,378  

183,479  
14,541  

1,461   184,940  
14,541  

— 

198,020  

1,461   199,481  

2,883  
20,635  
76,082  

99,600  
211  

99,811  

41,835  
— 
169  
2,395  
437  
— 

— 
1  
14  

15  
— 

15  

1  
— 
— 
— 
— 
1  

2  

2,883  
20,636  
76,096  

99,615  
211  

99,826  

41,836  
7,097  
169  
2,395  
437  
1  

51,935  

7,097  

44,836  

— 
— 
— 

— 
— 
— 
— 

— 
— 

— 

— 
— 
— 

— 
— 

— 

— 
5,357  
— 
— 
— 
— 

5,357  

29,203  
191  
55,168  

10,573  
74,110  
270  
6,710  

176,225  
14,167  

190,392  

2,369  
19,742  
66,129  

88,240  
196  

88,436  

38,603  
— 
155  
1,975  
475  
1  

41,209  

— 
— 
1,287  

17  
291  
— 
— 

29,203  
191  
56,455  

10,590  
74,401  
270  
6,710  

1,595  
85  

177,820  
14,252  

1,680  

192,072  

— 
1  
— 

1  
— 

1  

1  
— 
— 
— 
— 
— 

1  

2,369  
19,743  
66,129  

88,241  
196  

88,437  

38,604  
5,357  
155  
1,975  
475  
1  

46,567  

Other investments2  
Unit trusts and other investment vehicles 
Derivative financial instruments (note 61) 
Deposits with credit institutions 
Minority holdings in property management undertakings 
Other investments – long-term 
Other investments – short-term 

— 
7,097  
— 
— 
— 
— 

Total financial investments 
Less: Assets classified as held for sale 

Fixed maturity securities 
Equity securities 
Other investments  

7,097   342,667  

1,478   351,242  

5,357  

320,037  

1,682  

327,076  

— 
— 
— 
— 

(649) 
(256) 
(6,919) 
(7,824) 

— 
— 
— 
— 

(649) 
(256) 
(6,919) 
(7,824) 

— 
— 
— 
— 

(397) 
(210) 
(6,644) 
(7,251) 

— 
— 
— 
— 

(397) 
(210) 
(6,644) 
(7,251) 

7,097   334,843  

1,478   343,418  

5,357  

312,786  

1,682  

319,825  

1  Following a review of the Group’s presentation of consolidated investment funds, comparative amounts have been restated from those previously reported. The review identified amounts presented within cash and cash 
equivalents and other investments that are now presented as fixed maturity securities and equity securities in the table above. The restatement has had no impact on the profit for the year or equity. See note 1(a) for further 
information. 

2  Following a review of the classification of financial assets, comparative amounts have been amended from those previously reported. The effect of this change is to reclassify £2,201 million of assets from fixed maturity securities 

to other investments. 

Of the above total, £172,649 million (2018 restated: £154,746 million) is due to be recovered in more than one year after the statement of 
financial position date. 

Other debt securities of £7,378 million (2018 restated: £6,710 million) include residential and commercial mortgage-backed securities, as well 
as other structured credit securities. 

Aviva plc Annual report and accounts 2019 
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Governance 

IFRS financial statements 

Other information 

Notes to the consolidated financial statements 

 Continued  

28 – Financial investments continued 
(b)  Cost, unrealised gains and fair value 
The following is a summary of the cost/amortised cost, gross unrealised gains and losses and fair value of financial investments: 

Fixed maturity securities2  
Equity securities 
Other investments2  

2019 

Cost/ 
amortised cost 
 £m 

186,753  
87,436  

Unrealised 
gains  
£m 

20,040  
16,835  

Unrealised 
losses and 
impairments 
£m 

Fair value  
£m 

Cost/ 
amortised cost 
£m 

(7,312)  199,481  
99,826  
(4,445) 

184,934  
87,007  

Unit trusts and other investment vehicles 
Derivative financial instruments 
Deposits with credit institutions 
Minority holdings in property management undertakings  
Other investments – long-term 
Other investments – short-term 

34,872  
3,413  
169  
2,226  
404  
1  

7,648  
4,517  
— 
259  
63  
— 

(684) 
(833) 
— 
(90) 
(30) 
— 

41,836  
7,097  
169  
2,395  
437  
1  

33,093  
1,547  
155  
1,784  
473  
1  

Restated1  
2018 

Fair value  
£m 

Unrealised 
losses and 
impairments 
£m 

(8,595) 
(7,909) 

192,072  
88,437  

(4,692) 
(1,132) 
— 
(50) 
(31) 
— 

38,604  
5,357  
155  
1,975  
475  
1  

Unrealised 
gains  
£m 

15,733  
9,339  

10,203  
4,942  
— 
241  
33  
— 

These are further analysed as follows: 
At fair value through profit or loss 
Available for sale 

315,274  

49,362  

(13,394)  351,242  

308,994  

40,491  

(22,409) 

327,076  

313,893  
1,381  

49,264  
98  

(13,393)  349,764  
1,478  

(1) 

307,392  
1,602  

40,406  
85  

(22,404) 
(5) 

325,394  
1,682  

315,274  

49,362  

(13,394)  351,242  

308,994  

40,491  

(22,409) 

327,076  

1  Following a review of the Group’s presentation of consolidated investment funds, comparative amounts have been restated from those previously reported. The review identified amounts presented within cash and cash 
equivalents and other investments that are now presented as fixed maturity securities and equity securities in the table above. The restatement has had no impact on the profit for the year or equity. See note 1(a) for further 
information. 

2  Following a review of the classification of financial assets, comparative amounts have been amended from those previously reported. The effect of this change is to reclassify £2,201 million of assets from fixed maturity securities 

to other investments. 

All unrealised gains and losses and impairments on financial investments classified as fair value through profit or loss have been recognised 
in the income statement. 

Unrealised gains and losses on financial investments classified as at fair value through profit or loss, recognised in the income statement in 
the year, were a net gain of £18,398 million (2018 restated: £29,885 million net loss). Of this net gain, £17,920 million net gain (2018 restated: 
£28,801 million net loss) related to investments designated as other than trading and £478 million net gain (2018 restated: £1,084 million net 
loss) related to financial investments designated as trading.  

The movement in the unrealised gain/loss position reported in the statement of financial position during the year, shown in the table above, 
includes foreign exchange movements on the translation of unrealised gains and losses on financial investments held by foreign subsidiaries, 
which are recognised in other comprehensive income, as well as transfers due to the realisation of gains and losses on disposal and the 
recognition of impairment losses. 

(c)  Financial investment arrangements 
(i)  Stock lending arrangements 
The Group has entered into stock lending arrangements in the UK and overseas in accordance with established market conventions. The 
majority  of  the  Group’s  stock  lending  transactions  occur  in  the  UK,  where  investments  are  lent  to  EEA-regulated,  locally  domiciled 
counterparties and governed by agreements written under English law. 

The Group receives collateral in order to reduce the credit risk of these arrangements, either in the form of securities or cash. See note 62 for 
further discussion regarding collateral positions held by the Group. 

(ii)  Other arrangements 
In carrying on its bulk purchase annuity business, the Group’s UK Life operation is required to place certain investments in trust on behalf of 
the policyholders. Amounts become payable from the trust funds to the trustees if the Group were to be in breach of its payment obligations 
in respect of policyholder benefits. At 31 December 2019, £2,472 million (2018: £2,313 million) of financial investments were restricted in this 
way. 

Certain financial investments are also required to be deposited under local laws in various overseas countries as security for the holders of 
policies issued in those countries. Other investments are pledged as security collateral for bank letters of credit. 

Aviva plc Annual report and accounts 2019 
182 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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Governance 

IFRS financial statements 

Other information 

Notes to the consolidated financial statements 

 Continued  

28 – Financial investments continued 
(d)  Non-UK Government debt securities (gross of non-controlling interests) 
The  following  is  a  summary  of  non-UK  government  debt  by  issuer  as  at  31  December  2019,  analysed  by  policyholder,  participating  and 
shareholder funds. 

Policyholder 

  Participating 

Shareholder 

Non-UK Government debt securities 

Austria 
Belgium 
France 
Germany 
Greece 
Ireland 
Italy 
Netherlands 
Poland 
Portugal 
Spain 
European supranational debt 
Other European countries 

Europe 

Canada 
United States 

North America 

Singapore 
Other 

Asia Pacific and other 

Total 

2019  
£m 

66 
166 
698 
305 
1 
75 
801 
53 
674 
71 
627 
512 
553 

4,602 

93 
1,672 

1,765 

12 
2,932 

2,944 

9,311 

Restated1  
2018  
£m 

21 
53 
426 
212 
1 
55 
379 
53 
727 
73 
251 
226 
444 

2,921 

27 
688 

715 

5 
2,072 

2,077 

5,713 

2019  
£m 

434 
877 
14,537 
1,795 
— 
774 
10,849 
562 
655 
175 
688 
1,837 
944 

34,127 

111 
524 

635 

784 
3,862 

4,646 

Restated1  
2018  
£m 

590 
905 
14,464 
1,831 
1 
920 
9,848 
637 
715 
215 
776 
1,770 
1,595 

34,267 

120 
250 

370 

658 
3,331 

3,989 

2019  
£m 

215 
336 
1,878 
455 
— 
389 
194 
318 
581 
160 
229 
1,968 
1,051 

7,774 

3,143 
1,021 

4,164 

374 
671 

Restated1  
2018  
£m 

167 
268 
2,036 
490 
— 
138 
772 
340 
541 
— 
94 
1,763 
652 

7,261 

2,947 
737 

3,684 

342 
829 

1,045 

1,171 

2019  
£m 

715 
1,379 
17,113 
2,555 
1 
1,238 
11,844 
933 
1,910 
406 
1,544 
4,317 
2,548 

46,503 

3,347 
3,217 

6,564 

1,170 
7,465 

8,635 

Total 
Restated1  
2018  
£m 

778 
1,226 
16,926 
2,533 
2 
1,113 
10,999 
1,030 
1,983 
288 
1,121 
3,759 
2,691 

44,449 

3,094 
1,675 

4,769 

1,005 
6,232 

7,237 

39,408 

38,626 

12,983 

12,116 

61,702 

56,455 

Less: Assets classified as held for sale 

(23) 

(9) 

— 

— 

(93) 

(1) 

(116) 

(10) 

Total 

9,288 

5,704 

39,408 

38,626 

12,890 

12,115 

61,586 

56,445 

1  Following a review of the Group’s presentation of consolidated investment funds, comparative amounts have been restated from those previously reported. The review identified amounts presented within cash and cash 
equivalents and other investments that are now presented as Non-UK Government debt securities in the table above. The restatement has had no impact on the profit for the year or equity. See note 1(a) for further information. 

At 31 December 2019, the Group’s total government (non-UK) debt securities stood at £61,702 million (2018 restated: £56,455 million). The 
significant majority of these holdings are within our participating funds where the risk to our shareholders is governed by the nature and 
extent of our participation within those funds. 

Our direct shareholder asset exposure to government (non-UK) debt securities amounts to £12,983 million (2018 restated: £12,116 million). 
The primary exposures, relative to total shareholder (non-UK) government debt exposure, are to Canadian (24%), French (14%), US (8%), 
Polish (4%), German (4%) and Irish (3%) government debt securities. 

The  participating  funds  exposure  to  (non-UK)  government  debt  amounts  to  £39,408 million  (2018  restated:  £38,626 million).  The  primary 
exposures, relative to total (non-UK) government debt exposures included within our participating funds, are to the (non-UK) government 
debt securities of France (37%), Italy (28%), Germany (5%), Belgium (2%), Singapore (2%) and Ireland (2%). 

Aviva plc Annual report and accounts 2019 
183 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Strategic report 

Governance 

IFRS financial statements 

Other information 

Notes to the consolidated financial statements 

 Continued  

29 – Receivables 
This note analyses our total receivables. 

Amounts owed by contract holders 
Amounts owed by intermediaries 
Deposits with ceding undertakings 
Amounts due from reinsurers 
Amounts due from brokers for investment sales 
Amounts receivable for collateral pledged 
Amounts due from government, social security and taxes 
Other receivables 

Total 

Less: Assets classified as held for sale 

Expected to be recovered in less than one year 
Expected to be recovered in more than one year 

2019  
£m 

2,187  
1,379  
68  
347  
274  
2,786  
812  
1,211  

9,064  

(69) 

8,995  

9,032  
32  

9,064  

Restated1  
2018  
£m 

2,142  
1,318  
93  
311  
181  
2,752  
741  
1,112  

8,650  

(11) 

8,639  

8,615  
35  

8,650  

1  Following a review of the Group’s presentation of consolidated investment funds, comparative amounts have been restated from those previously reported. The restatement has had no impact on the profit for the year or equity. 

See note 1(a) for further information. 

Exposure to significant concentrations of credit risk is limited due to the regulations applicable in most markets and the Group credit policy 
and limits framework, which limits investments in individual assets and asset classes.

Aviva plc Annual report and accounts 2019 
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Strategic report 

Governance 

IFRS financial statements 

Other information 

Notes to the consolidated financial statements 

 Continued  

30 – Deferred acquisition costs 
(a)  Deferred acquisition costs – carrying amount  
The carrying amount of deferred acquisition costs was as follows: 

Deferred acquisition costs in respect of: 

Insurance contracts – Long-term business 
Insurance contracts – General insurance and health business 
Participating investment contracts – Long-term business 
Non-participating investment contracts – Long-term business 

Total 

Less: Classified as held for sale 

2019  
£m 

2018  
£m 

993  
1,141  
116  
1,108  

3,358  

(202) 

3,156  

931  
1,088  
101  
1,036  

3,156  

(191) 

2,965  

Deferred acquisition costs  (DAC)  on  long-term  business  are  generally  recoverable  in  more  than  one  year  whereas  such  costs  on  general 
insurance and health business are generally recoverable within one year. Of the above total, £1,751 million (2018: £1,879 million) is expected 
to be recovered in more than one year after the statement of financial position date. For long-term business where amortisation of the DAC 
balance depends on projected profits, the amount expected to be recovered is estimated and actual experience will differ. 

(b)  Deferred acquisition costs – movements in the year 
The movements in deferred acquisition costs during the year were: 

2019 

Carrying amount at 1 January 
Acquisition costs deferred during the year 
Amortisation 
Impact of assumption changes 
Effect of portfolio transfers, acquisitions and disposals 
Foreign exchange rate movements  
Other movements 

Carrying amount at 31 December 

Less: Classified as held for sale 

2018 

Carrying amount at 1 January 
Acquisition costs deferred during the year 
Amortisation 
Impact of assumption changes 
Effect of portfolio transfers, acquisitions and disposals 
Foreign exchange rate movements  
Other movements1  

Carrying amount at 31 December 

Less: Classified as held for sale 

Long-term business 

Insurance 
contracts 
 £m 

Participating 
investment 
contracts 
 £m 

Non-
participating 
investment 
contracts  
£m 

General 
insurance and 
health 
business  
£m 

Retail fund 
management 
business 
 £m 

931  
248  
(149) 
(16) 
— 
(20) 
(1) 

993  

— 

993  

101  
13  
2  
4  
— 
(4) 
— 

116  

— 

116  

1,036  
174  
(90) 
— 
— 
(9) 
(3) 

1,108  

(202) 

906  

1,088  
2,543  
(2,482) 
— 
— 
(8) 
— 

1,141  

— 

1,141  

— 
— 
— 
— 
— 
— 
— 

— 

— 

— 

Long-term business 

Insurance 
contracts 
 £m 

Participating 
investment 
contracts 
 £m 

Non-
participating 
investment 
contracts  
£m 

General 
insurance and 
health business 
£m 

Retail fund 
management 
business  
£m 

858  
265  
(141) 
14  
(5) 
2  
(62) 

931  

— 

931  

33  
13  
(9) 
1  
— 
1  
62  

101  

— 

101  

1,071  
87  
(140) 
16  
— 
2  
— 

1,036  

(191) 

845  

1,110  
2,279  
(2,282) 
— 
(10) 
(9) 
— 

1,088  

— 

1,088  

2  
— 
(2) 
— 
— 
— 
— 

— 

— 

— 

Total  
£m 

3,156  
2,978  
(2,719) 
(12) 
— 
(41) 
(4) 

3,358  

(202) 

3,156  

Total  
£m 

3,074  
2,644  
(2,574) 
31  
(15) 
(4) 
— 

3,156  

(191) 

2,965  

1  Following the adoption of IFRS 15, the categorisation of DAC balances was analysed resulting in a transfer of £62 million from insurance contracts to participating investment contracts. 

DAC for long-term business increased over 2019 mainly due to new business sales across the UK and European markets. DAC for general 
insurance and health business increased over 2019 mainly due to business growth in the UK and Canada. 

Where amortisation of the DAC balance depends on projected profits, changes to economic conditions may lead to a movement in the DAC 
balance and a corresponding impact on profit. It is estimated that the movement in the DAC balance would reduce profit by £29 million 
(2018: £40 million) if market yields on fixed income investments were to increase by 1% and increase profit by £36 million (2018: £39 million) if 
yields were to reduce by 1%. 

At both 31 December 2019 and 31 December 2018 the DAC balance has been restricted by the value of projected future profits.

Aviva plc Annual report and accounts 2019 
185 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Strategic report 

Governance 

IFRS financial statements 

Other information 

Notes to the consolidated financial statements 

 Continued  

31 – Pension surpluses, other assets, prepayments and accrued income 
(a)  Pension surpluses and other assets – carrying amount 
The carrying amount comprises:  

Surpluses in the staff pension schemes (note 52(a)) 
Other assets 

Total 

2019  
£m 

2,746  
53  

2,799  

2018  
£m 

3,256  
85  

3,341  

Surpluses in the staff pension schemes and £1 million (2018: £1 million) of other assets are recoverable more than one year after the statement 
of financial position date. 

(b)  Prepayments and accrued income 
Prepayments  and  accrued  income  of  £3,151  million  (2018  restated:  £3,153  million)  include  assets  classified  as  held  for  sale  of  £8  million  
(2018: £4 million) and £30 million (2018: £9 million) that is expected to be recovered more than one year after the statement of financial position 
date. 

32 – Assets held to cover linked liabilities 
The  assets  which  back  unit-linked  liabilities  are  included  within  the  relevant  balances  in  the  statement  of  financial  position,  while  the 
liabilities are included within insurance and investment contract provisions. This note analyses the carrying values of assets backing these 
liabilities. 

Loans 
Fixed maturity securities2  
Equity securities 
Reinsurance assets 
Cash and cash equivalents 
Units trusts and other investment vehicles2  
Other 

Total 

Less: Assets classified as held for sale 

2019  
£m 

2,111  
42,350  
83,035  
4,003  
8,353  
37,822  
8,508  

Restated1  
2018  
£m 

2,008  
37,181  
73,229  
4,099  
7,571  
32,392  
8,378  

186,182 

164,858 

(8,170) 

(7,784) 

178,012 

157,074 

1  Following a review of the Group’s presentation of consolidated investment funds, comparative amounts have been restated from those previously reported. The review identified amounts presented within cash and cash 
equivalents and other investments that are now presented as loans, fixed maturity securities and equity securities in the table above. The restatement has had no impact on the profit for the year or equity. See note 1(a) for 
further information. 

2  Following a review of the classification of financial assets, comparative amounts have been amended from those previously reported. The effect of this change is to reclassify £1,444 million of assets from other investments to 

fixed maturity securities. 

The reinsurance assets balance in the table above includes £4,006 million (2018: £4,009 million) of non-participating investment contracts, 
which are legally reinsurance but do not meet the definition of a reinsurance contract under IFRS. These assets are financial instruments 
measured at fair value through profit and loss and are classified as Level 1 assets.

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IFRS financial statements 

Other information 

Notes to the consolidated financial statements 

 Continued  

33 – Ordinary share capital 
This note gives details of Aviva plc’s ordinary share capital and shows the movements during the year. 

(a)  Details of the Company’s ordinary share capital are as follows: 

The allotted, called up and fully paid share capital of the Company at 31 December 2019 was: 3,921,129,145 (2018: 3,902,352,211) 

ordinary shares of 25 pence each 

At the 2019 Annual General Meeting, the Company was authorised to allot up to a further maximum nominal amount of: 
•  £652,537,894 of which £326,268,947 can be in connection with an offer by way of a rights issue 
•  £100 million of new ordinary shares in relation to any issue of Solvency II compliant capital instruments 

(b)  During 2019, a total of 18,776,934 were allotted and issued by the Company as follows: 

2019  
£m 

2018 
 £m 

980  

975  

At 1 January 
Shares issued under the Group’s Employee and 

Executive Share Option Schemes 
Shares cancelled through buy-back 

At 31 December 

Number of shares 

3,902,352,211  

18,776,934  
— 

3,921,129,145  

Capital 
redemption 
reserve  
£m 

2019 

Share 
premium  
£m 

Number of shares 

Share  
capital  
£m 

Capital 
redemption 
reserve  
£m 

44  

— 
— 

44  

1,214  

4,012,682,691  

1,003  

25  
— 

9,160,708  
(119,491,188) 

1,239  

3,902,352,211  

2  
(30) 

975  

14  

— 
30  

44  

Share  
capital  
£m 

975  

5  
— 

980  

2018 

Share  
premium  
£m 

1,207  

7  
— 

1,214  

Ordinary shares in issue in the Company rank pari passu with any new ordinary shares issued in the Company. All the ordinary shares in issue 
carry the same right to receive all dividends and other distributions declared, made or paid by the Company. 

On 18 September 2018, the Company announced that it had successfully completed the share buy-back programme (the 2018 programme) 
which was notified to the market on 1 May 2018. As a result of the 2018 programme, Aviva acquired 119,491,188 shares at an average price of 
£5.0213 per share. These shares with a nominal value of £30 million were bought back and subsequently cancelled during the year, giving 
rise to a capital redemption reserve of an equivalent amount as required by the Companies Act 2006. The aggregate consideration paid was 
£600 million which is reflected in retained earnings (see note 40). 

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IFRS financial statements 

Other information 

Notes to the consolidated financial statements 

 Continued  

34 – Group’s share plans 
This note describes various equity compensation plans operated by the Group, and shows how the Group values the options and awards of 
shares in the Company. 

(a)  Description of the plans 
The Group maintains a number of active share option and award plans and schemes (the Group’s share plans). These are as follows: 

(i)  Savings-related options 
These are options granted under the tax-advantaged Save As You Earn (SAYE) share option scheme in the UK and Irish revenue-approved 
SAYE share option scheme in Ireland. The SAYE allows eligible employees to acquire options over the Company’s shares at a discount of up 
to 20% of their market value at the date of grant. 

Options are normally exercisable during the six month period following either the third or fifth anniversary of the start of the relevant savings 
contract. Seven year contracts were offered prior to 2012. Savings contracts are subject to the statutory savings limits of £500 per month in 
the UK and €500 per month in Ireland. A limit of £250 per month was applied to contracts in the UK prior to 2016. 

(ii)  Aviva long-term incentive plan awards 
These awards have been made under the Aviva Long-Term Incentive Plan 2011 (LTIP), and are described in section (b) below and in the 
directors’ remuneration report. 

(iii) Aviva annual bonus plan awards 
These awards have been made under the Aviva Annual Bonus Plan 2011 (ABP), and are described in section (b) below and in the directors’ 
remuneration report. 

(iv) Aviva recruitment and retention share plan awards 
These are conditional awards granted under the Aviva Recruitment and Retention Share Award plan (RRSAP) in relation to the recruitment 
or retention of senior managers excluding executive directors. The awards vest in tranches on various dates and vesting is conditional upon 
the participant being employed by the Group on the vesting date and not having served notice of resignation. Some awards can be subject 
to performance conditions. If a participant’s employment is terminated due to resignation or dismissal, any tranche of the award which has 
vested within the 12 months prior to the termination date will be subject to clawback and any unvested tranches of the award will lapse in 
full. 

(v)  Aviva Investors deferred share award plan awards 
These awards have been made under the Aviva Investors Deferred Share Award Plan (AI DSAP), where employees can choose to have the 
deferred element of their bonus deferred into awards over Aviva shares. The awards vest in three equal tranches on the second, third and 
fourth year following the year of grant. 

(vi) Aviva Investors long-term incentive plan awards 
These awards have been made under the Aviva Investors Long-Term Incentive Plan 2015 (AI LTIP) 

(vii) Various all employee share plans 
The Company maintains a number of active stock option and share award voluntary schemes: 
a)  The global matching share plan 
b)  Aviva Group employee share ownership scheme 
c)  Aviva France employee profit sharing scheme. 

No new Aviva plc ordinary shares will be issued to satisfy awards made under plans iv, v, vi, vii b) or vii c). 

(b)  Outstanding options  
The following table summarises information about options outstanding at 31 December 2019: 

Range of exercise prices 

£2.66 – £3.16 
£3.17 – £3.67 
£3.68 – £4.19 

The comparative figures as at 31 December 2018 were: 

Range of exercise prices 

£2.66 – £3.16 
£3.17 – £3.67 
£3.68 – £4.19 

Outstanding  
options  
Number 

26,589,056 
5,066,836 
7,634,402 

Outstanding  
options  
Number 

420,791 
10,944,996 
17,292,239 

Weighted average  
remaining  
contractual life  
Years  

3 
1 
1 

Weighted average 
 remaining 
 contractual life  
Years  

1 
2 
2 

Weighted average 
 exercise price  
p 

284.00 
351.00 
395.52 

Weighted average  
exercise price  
p 

296.80 
351.00 
392.43 

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IFRS financial statements 

Other information 

Notes to the consolidated financial statements 

 Continued  

34 – Group’s share plans continued 
(c)  Movements in the year 
A summary of the status of the option and share plans as at 31 December 2018 and 2019, and changes during the years ended on those dates, 
is shown below. 

Outstanding at 1 January 
Granted during the year 
Exercised/ released during the year 
Forfeited during the year 
Cancelled during the year 
Expired during the year 

Outstanding at 31 December 

Exercisable at 31 December 

2019 

2018 

Number of options 

28,658,026 
26,798,392 
(7,340,420) 
(8,112,308) 
(240,979) 
(472,417) 

39,290,294 

7,100,956 

Weighted average 
exercise price 
 p 

375.13 
284.00 
359.44 
382.94 
372.02 
379.66 

314.31 

370.06 

Number of awards 

Number of options 

40,574,481 
17,713,898 
(12,308,712) 
(10,557,632) 
— 
— 

25,096,578 
8,139,367 
(2,111,514) 
(1,855,638) 
(495,646) 
(115,121) 

35,442,035 

28,658,026 

— 

3,457,732 

Weighted average 
exercise price 
 p 

370.81 
387.00 
361.96 
385.00 
364.93 
381.97 

375.20 

369.88 

Number of awards 

39,524,150 
16,213,056 
(7,653,460) 
(7,509,266) 
— 
— 

40,574,481 

— 

(d)  Expense charged to the income statement 
The total expense recognised for the year arising from equity compensation plans was as follows: 

Equity-settled expense 

Total (note 11(b)) 

2019 
 £m 

62  

62  

2018  
£m 

64  

64  

(e)  Fair value of options and awards granted after 7 November 2002 
The weighted average fair values of options and awards granted during the year, estimated by using the Binomial option pricing model and 
Monte Carlo Simulation model, were £0.50 and £3.86 (2018: £0.78 and £4.84) respectively. 

(i)  Share options 
The fair value of the options was estimated on the date of grant, based on the following weighted average assumptions: 

Weighted average assumption 

Share price 
Exercise price 
Expected volatility 
Expected life 
Expected dividend yield 
Risk-free interest rate 

2019 

2018 

394p 
284p 
20.22% 

480p 
387p 
24.85% 
3.80 years  3.67 years 
5.88% 
1.05% 

7.68% 
0.23% 

The expected volatility used was based on the historical volatility of the share price over a period equivalent to the expected life of the option 
prior  to  its  date  of  grant.  The  risk-free  interest  rate  was  based  on  the  yields  available  on  UK  government  bonds  as  at  the  date  of  grant.  
The  bonds  chosen  were  those  with  a  similar  remaining  term  to  the  expected  life  of  the  options.  7,340,420  options  granted  after  
7 November 2002 were exercised during the year (2018: 2,111,514). 

(ii)  Share awards 
The fair value of the awards was estimated on the date of grant based on the following weighted average assumptions: 

Weighted average assumption 

Share price 
Expected volatility1 
Expected volatility of comparator companies’ share price1 
Correlation between Aviva and comparator competitors’ share price1 
Expected life1 
Expected dividend yield 
Risk-free interest rate1 

1  For awards with market-based performance conditions only. 

2019 

2018 

405p 
23% 
23% 
53% 

500p 
25% 
25% 
64% 
2.77 years  2.64 years 
0.00% 
0.80% 

0.00% 
0.63% 

The expected volatility used was based on the historical volatility of the share price over a period equivalent to the expected life of the share 
award prior to its date of grant. The risk-free interest rate was based on the yields available on UK government bonds as at the date of grant. 
The bonds chosen were those with a similar remaining term to the expected life of the share awards. 

Aviva plc Annual report and accounts 2019 
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IFRS financial statements 

Other information 

Notes to the consolidated financial statements 

 Continued  

35 – Treasury shares 
The following table summarises information about treasury shares at 31 December 2019: 

Shares held by employee trusts 
Shares held by subsidiary companies 

Number 

1,714,288  
— 

1,714,288  

2019 

£m 

Number 

455,986  
7  
—  2,435,983  
7   2,891,969  

2018 

£m 

2  
13  

15  

(a)  Shares held by employee trusts 
Prior to 2014, we satisfied awards and options granted under the Group’s share plans primarily through shares purchased in the market and 
held by employee share trusts. From 2014 we primarily issue new shares except where it is necessary to use shares held by an employee share 
trust. This note gives details of the shares held in these trusts. Movements in the carrying value of shares held by employee trusts comprise: 

Cost debited to ‘shareholders’ funds 
At 1 January 
Acquired in the year 
Distributed in the year 

Balance at 31 December 

Number 

2019 

£m 

Number 

455,986  
2,165,032  
(906,730) 

1,714,288  

2  
9  
(4) 

7  

295,906  
765,582  
(605,502) 

455,986  

2018 

£m 

1  
4  
(3) 

2  

The shares are owned by employee share trusts with an undertaking to satisfy awards of shares in the Company under the Company’s share 
plans and schemes. Details of the features of the plans can be found in the directors’ remuneration report and/or in note 34. 

These shares were either purchased in the market or, in 2015, new shares were issued to the trust and are carried at weighted average cost. 
At 31 December 2019, they had an aggregate nominal value of £428,572 (2018: £113,997) and a market value of £7,177,724 (2018: £1,712,227). 
The trustees have waived their rights to dividends on the shares held in the trusts. 

(b)  Shares held by subsidiary companies 
At 31 December 2019, the balance of shares held by subsidiary companies of nil (2018: 2,435,983 shares) had an aggregate nominal value of 
£nil (2018: £608,996) and a market value of £nil (2018: £9,148,336). 

36 – Preference share capital 
This note gives details of Aviva plc’s preference share capital. 

The preference share capital of the Company at 31 December was: 

Issued and paid up 
100,000,000 8.375% cumulative irredeemable preference shares of £1 each 
100,000,000 8.75% cumulative irredeemable preference shares of £1 each 

2019 
 £m 

100  
100  

200  

2018 
 £m 

100  
100  

200  

The issued preference shares are non-voting except where their dividends are in arrears, on a winding up or where their rights are altered. 

On a winding up, they carry a preferential right of return of capital ahead of the ordinary shares. Holders are entitled to receive dividends out 
of the profits available for distribution and resolved to be distributed in priority to the payment of dividends to holders of ordinary shares. 
The Company does not have a contractual obligation to deliver cash or other financial assets to the preference shareholders and therefore 
the directors may make dividend payments at their discretion. 

At the end of 2019, the fair value of Aviva plc’s preference share capital was £299 million (2018: £264 million). 

Following our statement at the full year 2017 results that we “have the ability to cancel our preference shares”, Aviva listened to the views of 
investors, who expressed concerns, and as a result Aviva subsequently announced on 23 March 2018 that it had decided to take “no action 
to cancel its preference shares”. Under current regulation the preference shares will no longer count as regulatory capital in 2026. Aviva will 
work towards obtaining regulatory approval for the preference shares, or a suitable substitute, to qualify as capital from 2026 onwards. If as 
we approach 2026 Aviva needs to reconsider this position, it will do so after taking into account the fair market value of the preference shares 
at that time. 

On  30  April  2018  Aviva  announced  a  charge  of  £14  million  relating  to  a  provision  for  the  goodwill  payment  scheme  to  those  preference 
shareholders who sold preference shares in the period from 8 and 22 March (inclusive) at a share price that was lower than the price that the 
preference shares returned to following the announcement on 23 March 2018. The total cost of the goodwill payment scheme was £10 million 
relating to the goodwill payments to preference shareholders, and associated administration costs, against our initial estimate of £14 million. 
The  nature  of  these  costs  and  the  restricted  time-period  that  defines  eligibility  to  receive  a  payment  demonstrates  that  they  were  non-
recurrent and were not reflective of the Group’s ongoing financial performance. 

At the 2015 Annual General Meeting, the Company was authorised to allot sterling new preference shares, as defined in the Company’s articles 
of association, up to a maximum nominal value of £500 million.

Aviva plc Annual report and accounts 2019 
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Governance 

IFRS financial statements 

Other information 

Notes to the consolidated financial statements 

 Continued  

37 – Direct capital instrument and tier 1 notes 

Notional amount 

5.9021% £500 million direct capital instrument – Issued November 2004 
6.875% £210 million STICS – Issued November 2003 

Total 

2019  
£m 

500  
— 

500  

2018  
£m 

500  
231  

731  

The direct capital instrument (the DCI) was issued on 25 November 2004. The DCI has no fixed redemption date but the Company may, at its 
sole option, redeem all (but not part) of the principal amount on 27 July 2020, at which date the interest rate changes to a variable rate, or on 
any respective coupon payment date thereafter. The variable rate will be the six month sterling deposit rate plus margin. 

The Step-up Tier one Insurance Capital Securities (‘STICS’) were issued on 21 November 2003 by Friends Life Holdings plc, substituted as 
issuer by Aviva plc on 1 October 2015. These had no fixed redemption date, however, on 17 October 2019 notification was given that the 
Group would redeem the tier one notes at the first call date on 21 November 2019. On the notification date the instruments were reclassified 
as a financial liability of £210 million, representing the fair value and redemption cost at that date. The resulting difference of £21 million 
between the carrying amount of £231 million and fair value of £210 million has been charged to retained earnings. The instruments were 
cancelled on 25 November 2019. 

The Company has the option to defer coupon payments on the DCI on any relevant payment date. Deferred coupons shall only be satisfied 
should the Company exercise its sole option to redeem the instruments. 

No interest will accrue on any deferred coupon on the DCI. Deferred coupons on the DCI will be satisfied by the issue and sale of ordinary 
shares  in  the  Company  at  their  prevailing  market  value,  to  a  sum  as  near  as  practicable  to  (and  at  least  equal  to)  the  relevant  deferred 
coupons. In the event of any coupon deferral, the Company will not declare or pay any dividend on its ordinary or preference share capital. 
These instruments have been treated as equity. Please refer to accounting policy AE. 

At the end of 2019 the fair value of the DCI was £514 million (2018 DCI: £506 million, STICS: £216 million).

Aviva plc Annual report and accounts 2019 
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Strategic report 

Governance 

IFRS financial statements 

Other information 

Notes to the consolidated financial statements 

 Continued  

38 – Merger reserve 
Prior to 1 January 2004, certain significant business combinations were accounted for using the ‘pooling of interests method’ (or merger 
accounting), which treats the merged groups as if they had been combined throughout the current and comparative accounting periods. 
Merger accounting principles for these combinations gave rise to a merger reserve in the consolidated statement of financial position, being 
the difference between the nominal value of new shares issued by the Parent Company for the acquisition of the shares of the subsidiary and 
the subsidiary’s own share capital and share premium account. 

The merger reserve is also used where more than 90% of the shares in a subsidiary are acquired and the consideration includes the issue of 
new shares by the Company, thereby attracting merger relief under the Companies Act 1985 and, from 1 October 2009, the Companies Act 
2006. 

The balance of the merger reserve at 31 December 2019 is £8,974 million (2018: £8,974 million). 

39 – Currency translation and other reserves 
This  note  gives  details  of  the  currency  translation  and  other  reserves  forming  part  of  the  Group’s  consolidated  equity  and  shows  the 
movements during the year net of non-controlling interests: 

  Other reserves 

Balance at 1 January 2018 
Arising in the year through other comprehensive income: 
Fair value gains 
Fair value gains transferred to profit on disposals 
Share of other comprehensive income of joint ventures and associates  
Foreign exchange rate movements1  
Aggregate tax effect – shareholders’ tax 

Total other comprehensive income for the year 
Fair value gains transferred to retained earnings on disposals 
Transfer to profit on disposal of subsidiaries, joint ventures and associates 
Changes in non-controlling interests in subsidiaries 
Reserves credit for equity compensation plans 
Shares issued under equity compensation plans 

Balance at 31 December 2018 
Arising in the year through other comprehensive income: 
Fair value gains 
Fair value gains transferred to profit on disposals 
Share of other comprehensive income of joint ventures and associates 
Foreign exchange rate movements1  
Aggregate tax effect – shareholders’ tax 

Total other comprehensive income for the year 
Fair value gains transferred to retained earnings on disposals 
Transfer to profit on disposal of subsidiaries, joint ventures and associates  
Transfers to non-controlling interests 
Changes in non-controlling interests in subsidiaries 
Reserves credit for equity compensation plans 
Shares issued under equity compensation plans 

Balance at 31 December 2019 

Currency 
translation 
reserve (see 
accounting 
policy E)  
£m 

Owner 
occupied 
properties 
reserve (see 
accounting 
policy P)  
£m 

1,141  

26  

— 
— 
— 
27  
1  

28  
— 
(40) 
(7) 
— 
— 

1  
— 
— 
— 
— 

1  
— 
— 
— 
— 
— 

1,122  

27  

— 
— 
— 
(318) 
10  

(308) 
— 
— 
— 
— 
— 
— 

814  

3  
— 
— 
— 
(1) 

2  
— 
— 
— 
— 
— 
— 

29  

Investment 
valuation 
reserve (see 
accounting 
policy T)  
£m 

Hedging 
instruments 
reserve (see 
accounting 
policy U)  
£m 

Equity 
compensation 
reserve (see 
accounting 
policy AB) 
£m 

(476) 

111  

— 
— 
— 
(27) 
— 

(27) 
— 
37  
— 
— 
— 

— 
— 
— 
— 
— 

— 
— 
— 
— 
64  
(55) 

Total  
£m 

(274) 

58  
(78) 
(10) 
(27) 
7  

(50) 
— 
36  
— 
64  
(55) 

(466) 

120  

(279) 

— 
— 
— 
138  
— 

138  
— 
— 
— 
— 
— 
— 

— 
— 
— 
— 
— 

— 
— 
— 
— 
— 
62  
(62) 

42  
(19) 
22  
138  
(5) 

178  
— 
— 
— 
— 
62  
(62) 

(328) 

120  

(101) 

65  

57  
(78) 
(10) 
— 
7  

(24) 
— 
(1) 
— 
— 
— 

40  

39  
(19) 
22  
— 
(4) 

38  
— 
— 
— 
— 
— 
— 

78  

1  Foreign exchange rate movements recorded in the consolidated statement of comprehensive income of £(219) million (2018: £5 million) relate to the currency translation reserve of £(318) million (2018: £27 million), the hedging 

instrument reserve of £138 million (2018: £(27) million) and non-controlling interests (see note 41) of £(39) million (2018: £5 million). 

Aviva plc Annual report and accounts 2019 
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IFRS financial statements 

Other information 

Notes to the consolidated financial statements 

 Continued  

40 – Retained earnings 
This note analyses the movements in the consolidated retained earnings during the year. 

Balance at 1 January 
Adjustment at 1 January for adoption of IFRS 16 

Balance at 1 January restated 
Profit for the year attributable to equity shareholders 
Remeasurements of pension schemes1 (note 52) 
Dividends and appropriations (note 16) 
Shares purchased in buy-back (note 33) 
Net shares issued under equity compensation plans 
Effect of changes in non-controlling interests in existing subsidiaries 
Forfeited dividend income2  
Change in equity accounted option 
Reclassification of tier 1 notes to financial liabilities3 (note 37) 
Aggregate tax effect 

Balance at 31 December 

2019  
£m 

4,523  
(110) 

4,413  
2,548  
(867) 
(1,244) 
— 
55  
— 
4  
22  
21  
113  

5,065  

2018  
£m 

4,918  
— 

4,918  
1,568  
(279) 
(1,189) 
(600) 
49  
1  
4  
— 
— 
51  

4,523  

1  Net remeasurements of pension schemes recorded in the consolidated statement of comprehensive income of £867 million loss (2018: £279 million loss) includes £867 million of remeasurement losses (2018: £280 million losses) 

on the main pension schemes (see note 52) with a small amount of gains in relation to other schemes. 

2   The Group has commenced a shareholder forfeiture programme, where the shares of shareholders with whom Aviva has lost contact over the last 12 years will be forfeited and sold on. Any associated unclaimed dividends will 

be reclaimed by the Group. After covering administration costs, the majority of the money will be put into a charitable foundation. 

3   On 17 October 2019, notification was given that the Group would redeem the 6.875% £210 million tier 1 notes. At that date, the instrument was reclassified as a financial liability of £210 million, representing its fair value at that 
date. On 21 November 2019 the instrument was redeemed in full at a cost of £210 million. The difference of £21 million between its carrying amount of £231 million and fair value of £210 million has been charged to retained 
earnings. See note 37 for further details. 

The  Group’s  regulated  subsidiaries  are  required  to  hold  sufficient  capital  to  meet  acceptable  solvency  levels  based  on  applicable  local 
regulations. Their ability to transfer retained earnings to the UK parent companies is therefore restricted to the extent these earnings form 
part of local regulatory capital. 

41 – Non-controlling interests 
This note gives details of the Group’s non-controlling interests and shows the movements during the year. 

Non-controlling interests at 31 December comprised: 

Equity shares in subsidiaries 
Share of earnings 
Share of other reserves 

Preference shares in General Accident plc 

Movements in the year comprised: 

Balance at 1 January 
Profit for the year attributable to non-controlling interests 
Foreign exchange rate movements  
Total comprehensive income attributable to non-controlling interests 
Capital contributions from non-controlling interests 
Non-controlling interests’ share of dividends declared in the year 
Changes in non-controlling interests in subsidiaries1  

Balance at 31 December 

2019 
 £m 

273  
441  
13  

727  

250  

977  

2019  
£m 

966  
115  
(39) 
76  
— 
(63) 
(2) 

977  

2018 
 £m 

288  
415  
13  

716  

250  

966  

2018 
 £m 

1,235  
119  
5  
124  
3  
(90) 
(306) 

966  

1  Changes in non-controlling interests in 2018 primarily relate to the sale of the Group’s shareholdings in Avipop (Italy), the sale of the life insurance and pension joint ventures Caja Murcia Vida and Caja Granada Vida (Spain) and 

the change in control status of Hong Kong.  

The Group has no subsidiaries whose non-controlling interest is material on the basis of their share of profit or loss. 

42 – Contract liabilities and associated reinsurance 
The Group’s liabilities for insurance and investment contracts it has sold, and the associated reinsurance, is covered in the following notes: 
•  Note 43 covers insurance liabilities; 
•  Note 44 covers the methodology and assumptions used in calculating the insurance liabilities; 
•  Note 45 covers liabilities for investment contracts; 
•  Note 46 details the financial guarantees and options on certain contracts; 
•  Note 47 details the associated reinsurance assets on these liabilities; and 
•  Note 48 shows the effects of changes in the assumptions on the liabilities. 

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Governance 

IFRS financial statements 

Other information 

Notes to the consolidated financial statements 

 Continued  

42 – Contract liabilities and associated reinsurance continued 
(a)  Carrying amount 
The following is a summary of the contract liabilities and related reinsurance assets as at 31 December.  

Long-term business 
Insurance liabilities 
Liabilities for participating investment contracts 
Liabilities for non-participating investment contracts 

Outstanding claims provisions 

General insurance and health 
Outstanding claims provisions 
Provisions for claims incurred but not reported 

Provision for unearned premiums 
Provision arising from liability adequacy tests1  

Total 

Less: Liabilities classified as held for sale 

Gross 
provisions 
 £m 

Reinsurance 
assets  
£m 

2019 
 £m 

Net  
£m 

Gross 
provisions 
£m 

Reinsurance 
assets  
£m 

2018 
 £m 

Net  
£m 

(131,182) 
(92,762) 
(137,689) 

(361,633) 
(2,187) 

6,369   (124,813) 
(92,761) 
4,006   (133,683) 

1  

(125,829) 
(90,455) 
(120,354) 

10,376   (351,257) 
(2,094) 

93  

(336,638) 
(2,001) 

5,836  
1  
4,009  

9,846  
89  

(119,993) 
(90,454) 
(116,345) 

(326,792) 
(1,912) 

(363,820) 

10,469   (353,351) 

(338,639) 

9,935  

(328,704) 

(8,831) 
(2,672) 

(11,503) 
(5,138) 
(15) 

683  
1,004  

1,687  
275  
— 

(8,148) 
(1,668) 

(9,816) 
(4,863) 
(15) 

(9,046) 
(2,360) 

(11,406) 
(4,946) 
(16) 

789  
822  

1,611  
254  
— 

(8,257) 
(1,538) 

(9,795) 
(4,692) 
(16) 

(16,656) 

1,962  

(14,694) 

(16,368) 

1,865  

(14,503) 

(380,476) 

12,431   (368,045) 

(355,007) 

11,800  

(343,207) 

9,011  

(75) 

8,936  

8,462  

(45) 

8,417  

(371,465) 

12,356   (359,109) 

(346,545) 

11,755  

(334,790) 

1  Provision arising from liability adequacy tests relates to general insurance business only. Liability adequacy test provisions for life operations, where applicable, are included in other line items. At 31 December 2019 this provision 

is £nil (2018: £nil) for the life operations. 

(b)  Change in contract liabilities, net of reinsurance, recognised as an expense 
The purpose of the following table is to reconcile the change in insurance liabilities, net of reinsurance, shown on the income statement 
(note 7),  to  the  change  in  insurance  liabilities  recognised  as  an  expense  in  the  relevant  movement  tables  in  the  following  notes.  The 
components  of  the  reconciliation  are  the  change  in  provision  for  outstanding  claims  on  long-term  business  (which  is  not  included  in  a 
separate movement table), and the unwind of discounting on general insurance reserves (which is included within finance costs in the income 
statement). For general insurance and health, the change in the provision for unearned premiums is not included in the reconciliation as, 
within the income statement, this is included within earned premiums. 

2019 

Long-term business 
Change in insurance liabilities (note 43(b)(iii)) 
Change in provision for outstanding claims 

General insurance and health 
Change in insurance liabilities (note 43(c)(iv) and 47(c)(ii))1  
Less: Unwind of discount 

Total change in insurance liabilities (note 7) 

Gross  
£m 

Reinsurance 
£m 

Net  
£m 

6,600  
4  

6,604  

(1,030) 
(8) 

(1,038) 

5,570  
(4) 

5,566  

234  
(14) 

220  

(94) 
10  

(84) 

140  
(4) 

136  

6,824  

(1,122) 

5,702  

1 

Includes £45 million in the UK General Insurance and Health business relating to a change in the discount rate used for estimating lump sum payments of bodily injury claims from 0.00% to -0.25%. 

2018 

Long-term business 
Change in insurance liabilities(note 43(b)(iii)) 
Change in provision for outstanding claims 

General insurance and health 
Change in insurance liabilities (note 43(c)(iv) and 47(c)(ii))1  
Less: Unwind of discount 

Total change in insurance liabilities (note 7) 

Gross  
£m 

Reinsurance 
£m 

Net  
£m 

(6,284) 
190  

(6,094) 

(313) 
(8) 

(321) 

(6,415) 

61  
(11) 

50  

111  
8  

119  

169  

(6,223) 
179  

(6,044) 

(202) 
— 

(202) 

(6,246) 

1 

Includes £(190) million in the UK General Insurance and Health business relating to a change in the discount rate used for estimating lump sum payments of bodily injury claims from -0.75% to 0.00%. 

For non-participating investment contracts, deposits collected and amounts withdrawn are not shown on the income statement, but are 
accounted for directly through the statement of financial position as an adjustment to the gross liabilities for investment  contracts. The 
associated  change  in  investment  contract  provisions  shown  on  the  income  statement  consists  of  the  attributed  investment  return.  For 
participating  investment  contracts,  the  change  in  investment  contract  provisions  on  the  income  statement  primarily  consists  of  the 
movement in participating investment contract liabilities (net of reinsurance) over the reporting period.

Aviva plc Annual report and accounts 2019 
194 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Strategic report 

Governance 

IFRS financial statements 

Other information 

Notes to the consolidated financial statements 

 Continued  

43 – Insurance liabilities 
This note analyses the Group’s gross insurance contract liabilities for the long-term and general insurance and health business, describes 
how the Group calculates these liabilities and presents the movement in these liabilities during the year. 

(a)  Carrying amount 
Insurance liabilities (gross of reinsurance) at 31 December comprised: 

Long-term business 
Participating insurance liabilities1  
Unit-linked non-participating insurance liabilities 
Other non-participating insurance liabilities1  

Outstanding claims provisions 

General insurance and health 
Outstanding claims provisions 
Provision for claims incurred but not reported 

Provision for unearned premiums 
Provision arising from liability adequacy tests2  

Total 

Less: Liabilities classified as held for sale 

2019 
 £m 

Restated1 
2018 
 £m 

47,344  
14,707  
69,131  

46,768  
14,480  
64,581  

131,182  
2,187  

125,829  
2,001  

133,369  

127,830  

8,831  
2,672  

11,503  
5,138  
15  

16,656  

9,046  
2,360  

11,406  
4,946  
16  

16,368  

150,025  

144,198  

(687) 

(121) 

149,338  

144,077  

1  Comparative amounts at full year 2018 have been revised. In the UK, £5,928 million has been reclassified from other non-participating insurance liabilities to participating insurance liabilities. 
2  Provision arising from liability adequacy tests relates to general insurance business only. Liability adequacy test provisions for life operations, where applicable, are included in other line items. At 31 December 2019 this provision 

is £nil (2018: £nil) for the life operations. 

(b)  Long-term business liabilities 
(i)  Business description 
The Group underwrites long-term business in a number of countries as follows: 
•  In the UK, long-term business is mainly written in the ‘Non-Profit’ fund and in a number of ‘With-Profits’ sub-funds. In the ‘Non-Profit’ fund 
shareholders are entitled to 100% of the distributed profits. In the ‘With-Profits’ sub-funds the with-profits policyholders are entitled to 
between 40% and 100% of distributed profits, depending on the fund rules. There is also the Reattributed Inherited Estate External Support 
Account (RIEESA), which does not itself underwrite any business, but provides capital support to one of the with-profits sub-funds and 
receives any surplus or deficit emerging from it. In the RIEESA, shareholders are entitled to 100% of the distributed profits, but these cannot 
be distributed until the ‘lock-in’ criteria set by the Reattribution Scheme have been met; 

•  In  France,  the  majority  of  policyholders’  benefits  are  determined  by  investment  performance,  subject  to  certain  guarantees,  and 
shareholders’ profits are derived largely from management fees. In addition, a substantial number of policies participate in investment 
returns, with the balance being attributable to shareholders; and 

•  In other operations in Europe and Asia, a range of long-term insurance and savings products are written. 

(ii)  Group practice 
The long-term business liabilities are calculated separately for each of the Group’s life operations. The provisions for overseas subsidiaries 
have generally been included on the basis of local regulatory requirements, modified where necessary to reflect the requirements of the 
Companies Act 2006. 

Material judgement is required in calculating the liabilities and is exercised particularly through the choice of assumptions where discretion 
is  permitted.  In  turn,  the  assumptions  used  depend  on  the  circumstances  prevailing  in  each  of  the  life  operations.  Provisions  are  most 
sensitive to assumptions regarding discount rates, mortality and morbidity rates. Where discount rate assumptions are based on current 
market yields on fixed interest securities, allowance is made for default risk implicit in the yields on the underlying assets. 

Bonuses paid during the year are reflected in claims paid, whereas those allocated as part of the bonus declaration are included in the 
movements in the long-term business liabilities. 

A description of the main methodology and most material valuation assumptions has been provided (see note 44). 

Aviva plc Annual report and accounts 2019 
195 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Strategic report 

Governance 

IFRS financial statements 

Other information 

Notes to the consolidated financial statements 

 Continued  

43 – Insurance liabilities continued 
(iii) Movements in long-term business liabilities 
The following movements have occurred in the gross long-term business liabilities during the year: 

Carrying amount at 1 January 
Liabilities in respect of new business  
Expected change in existing business 
Variance between actual and expected experience 
Impact of operating assumption changes 
Impact of economic assumption changes 
Other movements recognised as an expense1  
Change in liability recognised as an expense (note 42(b)) 
Effect of portfolio transfers, acquisitions and disposals2  
Foreign exchange rate movements 
Other movements3  

Carrying amount at 31 December 

2019  
£m 

2018  
£m 

125,829  
6,988  
(6,452) 
3,212  
(961) 
3,766  
47  
6,600  
— 
(1,775) 
528  

130,972  
6,190  
(7,952) 
(1,844) 
(1,456) 
(959) 
(263) 
(6,284) 
788  
413  
(60) 

131,182  

125,829  

1  Other movements recognised as an expense during 2019 relate primarily to: a special bonus distribution to with-profits policyholders and model changes in UK Life; the reclassification of health liabilities in Singapore; and 

methodology changes in Ireland. The movement in 2018 relates to a special bonus distribution to with-profits policyholders in UK Life. 

2  The movement during 2018 includes the acquisition of Friends First in Ireland offset by the disposal of Spain and Avipop in Italy. 
3  Other movements during 2019 mainly relate to the reclassification in UK from participating investment contracts to insurance contracts (£972 million) and following a review of the presentation of negative reinsurance assets in 
the UK, £(427) million of negative reinsurance assets have been reclassified from insurance liabilities to reinsurance assets. 2018 includes the reclassification in France from insurance to participating investment contracts 
(£(56) million). 

For many types of long-term business, including unit-linked and participating insurance liabilities, movements in asset values are offset by 
corresponding changes in liabilities, limiting the net impact on profit. The gross long-term business liabilities increased by £5.4 billion during 
2019 (2018: £5.1 billion decrease) mainly driven by: 
•  Variance between actual and expected experience of £3.2 billion, which was mainly due to higher than expected equity returns in the UK 

and France; 

•  Impact of non-economic assumption changes of £(1.0) billion mainly due to updates to longevity assumptions (with the impact on profit 

partially offset by a corresponding reduction in reinsurance assets) in the UK; and 

•  Economic assumption changes of £3.8 billion, which reflects a reduction in valuation interest rates in response to decreasing interest rates 

and narrowing of credit spreads, primarily in respect of annuity contracts in the UK. 

For participating insurance liabilities, a movement in liabilities is generally offset by a corresponding adjustment to the unallocated divisible 
surplus and does not impact profit. Where assumption changes impact profit, these are included in the effect of changes in assumptions and 
estimates during the year (see note 48), together with the impact of movements in related non-financial assets. 

(c)  General insurance and health liabilities 
(i)  Business description 
The Group underwrites general insurance and health business in a number of countries as follows: 
•  In the UK, providing individual and corporate customers with a wide range of insurance products; 
•  In Canada, providing a range of personal and commercial lines products; and 
•  In Europe and Asia, providing a range of general insurance and health products. 

(ii)  Group practice 
Delays occur in the notification and settlement of claims and a substantial measure of experience and judgement is involved in assessing 
outstanding liabilities, the ultimate cost of which cannot be known with certainty at the statement of financial position date. The liabilities 
for general insurance and health business are based on information currently available. However, it is inherent in the nature of the business 
written that the ultimate liabilities may vary as a result of subsequent developments. 

Provisions for outstanding claims are established to cover the outstanding expected ultimate liability for losses and loss adjustment expenses 
(LAE) in respect of all claims that have already occurred. The provisions established cover reported claims and associated LAE, as well as 
claims incurred but not yet reported and associated LAE. 

The Group only establishes reserves for losses that have already occurred. The Group therefore does not establish catastrophe equalisation 
reserves that defer a share of income in respect of certain lines of business from years in which a catastrophe does not occur to future periods 
in which catastrophes may occur. When calculating reserves, the Group takes into account estimated future recoveries from salvage and 
subrogation, and a separate asset is recorded for expected future recoveries from reinsurers after considering their collectability. 

(iii) Provisions for Outstanding Claims 
The  table  below  shows  the  total  general  insurance  and  health  liabilities  split  by  outstanding  claim  provisions  and  provision  for  claims 
incurred but not reported (IBNR provisions), gross of reinsurance, by major line of business. 

Motor 
Property 
Liability 
Creditor 
Other 

As at 31 December 2019 

As at 31 December 2018 

Outstanding 
claim 
provisions 
 £m 

IBNR 
provisions  
£m 

Total claim 
provisions  
£m 

Outstanding 
claim 
provisions  
£m 

IBNR 
 provisions  
£m 

Total claim 
provisions 
 £m 

4,836  
1,823  
1,864  
5  
303  

8,831  

1,115  
155  
1,277  
6  
119  

5,951  
1,978  
3,141  
11  
422  

2,672  

11,503  

5,019  
1,833  
1,856  
4  
334  

9,046  

963  
104  
1,164  
7  
122  

2,360  

5,982  
1,937  
3,020  
11  
456  

11,406  

Aviva plc Annual report and accounts 2019 
196 

 
 
 
 
 
 
Strategic report 

Governance 

IFRS financial statements 

Other information 

Notes to the consolidated financial statements 

 Continued  

43 – Insurance liabilities continued 
The gross outstanding claims provision before discounting was £11,205 million (2018: £10,955 million). Details of the range of discount rates 
used along with other material assumptions are available (see note 44(b)). 

(iv) Movements in general insurance and health claims liabilities 
The following changes have occurred in the general insurance and health claims liabilities during the year: 

Carrying amount at 1 January 
Impact of changes in assumptions 
Claim losses and expenses incurred in the current year 
Decrease in estimated claim losses and expenses incurred in prior periods 

Incurred claims losses and expenses 
Less: 

Payments made on claims incurred in the current year 
Payments made on claims incurred in prior periods 
Recoveries on claim payments 

Claims payments made in the period, net of recoveries 
Unwind of discounting 

Changes in claims reserve recognised as an expense (note 42(b)) 
Effect of portfolio transfers, acquisitions and disposals1  
Foreign exchange rate movements 
Other movements 

Carrying amount at 31 December 

1  The movement during 2018 relates to the disposal of Avipop in Italy. 

(v)  Movements in general insurance and health unearned premiums 
The following changes have occurred in the liabilities for unearned premiums (UPR) during the year: 

Carrying amount at 1 January 
Premiums written during the year 
Less: Premiums earned during the year 

Changes in UPR recognised as an expense 
Gross portfolio transfers and acquisitions1  
Foreign exchange rate movements 

Carrying amount at 31 December 

1  The movement during 2018 relates to the disposal of Avipop in Italy. 

2019  
£m 

11,406  
126  
7,045  
(186) 

2018 
 £m 

11,801  
(22) 
7,158  
(544) 

6,985  

6,592  

(3,834) 
(3,327) 
396  

(6,765) 
14  

234  
— 
(138) 
1  

(3,927) 
(3,343) 
357  

(6,913) 
8  

(313) 
(29) 
(53) 
— 

11,503  

11,406  

2019 
 £m 

2018 
 £m 

4,946  
10,908  
(10,677) 

4,980  
10,519  
(10,421) 

231  
— 
(39) 

98  
(103) 
(29) 

5,138  

4,946  

Aviva plc Annual report and accounts 2019 
197 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Strategic report 

Governance 

IFRS financial statements 

Other information 

Notes to the consolidated financial statements 

 Continued  

43 – Insurance liabilities continued 
(vi) Analysis of general insurance and health claims development 
The tables that follow present the development of claims payments and the estimated ultimate cost of claims for the accident years 2010 to 
2019. The upper half of the tables shows the cumulative amounts paid during successive years related to each accident year, while the lower 
section of the tables shows the original estimated ultimate cost of claims and how these original estimates have increased or decreased, as 
more information becomes known about the individual claims and overall claim frequency and severity. 

Key elements of the development of prior accident year general insurance and health net provisions during 2019 were: 
•  £134 million release from the UK due to favourable claims experience in personal and commercial motor partly offset by a strengthening 
in commercial property and a change in the discount rate used for estimating lump sum payments in settlement of bodily injury claims (for 
further details see note 44); 

•  £58 million release from Canada primarily due to favourable claims experience on personal and commercial motor and large reinsurance 

recoverable on two catastrophe events from August 2018 in personal and commercial property lines; and 

•  £83 million release from Europe mainly due to favourable claims development in France. 

Key elements of the development of prior accident year general insurance and health net provisions during 2018 were: 
•  £372 million release from the UK due to a change in the discount rate used for estimating lump sum payments in settlement of bodily injury 

claims (for further details see note 44) and favourable claims experience in personal and commercial motor; 

•  £78 million release from Canada primarily due to favourable claims experience on personal motor and aligning RBC claims practices with 

that of the Aviva book; and 

•  £127 million release from Europe mainly due to continued favourable development in France. 

Gross of reinsurance 
Before the effect of reinsurance, the loss development table is: 

All prior years 
£m 

2010  
£m 

2011  
£m 

2012 
 £m 

2013  
£m 

2014 
 £m 

2015 
 £m 

2016 
 £m 

2017 
 £m 

2018 
 £m 

2019 
£m 

Total 
 £m 

Accident year 

Gross cumulative claim payments 

At end of accident year 
One year later 
Two years later 
Three years later 
Four years later 
Five years later 
Six years later 
Seven years later 
Eight years later 
Nine years later 

Estimate of gross ultimate claims 

At end of accident year 
One year later 
Two years later 
Three years later 
Four years later 
Five years later 
Six years later 
Seven years later 
Eight years later 
Nine years later 

Estimate of gross ultimate claims 
Cumulative payments 

Effect of discounting 

Present value 
Cumulative effect of foreign exchange 

movements 

Effect of acquisitions 

Present value recognised in the 

2,341  
(280) 

2,061  

— 
8  

(3,502) 
(5,466) 
(5,875) 
(6,163) 
(6,405) 
(6,564) 
(6,649) 
(6,690) 
(6,718) 
(6,740) 

6,911  
7,006  
6,950  
6,914  
6,912  
6,906  
6,926  
6,913  
6,877  
6,861  
6,861  
(6,740) 

121  
(18) 

103  

(3) 
1  

(3,420) 
(4,765) 
(5,150) 
(5,457) 
(5,712) 
(5,864) 
(5,978) 
(6,032) 
(6,078) 

6,428  
6,330  
6,315  
6,292  
6,262  
6,265  
6,265  
6,223  
6,205  

(3,055) 
(4,373) 
(4,812) 
(5,118) 
(5,376) 
(5,556) 
(5,635) 
(5,718) 

(3,068) 
(4,476) 
(4,916) 
(5,221) 
(5,467) 
(5,645) 
(5,739) 

(3,102) 
(4,295) 
(4,681) 
(4,974) 
(5,244) 
(5,406) 

(2,991) 
(4,285) 
(4,710) 
(4,997) 
(5,198) 

6,201  
6,028  
6,002  
5,952  
6,002  
5,979  
5,910  
5,902  

6,122  
6,039  
6,029  
6,067  
6,034  
5,996  
5,956  

5,896  
5,833  
5,865  
5,842  
5,772  
5,756  

5,851  
5,930  
5,912  
5,814  
5,785  

(3,534) 
(4,972) 
(5,435) 
(5,781) 

(3,517) 
(4,952) 
(5,388) 

(3,769) 
(5,239) 

(3,617) 

6,947  
6,931  
6,864  
6,817  

6,894  
6,796  
6,756  

7,185  
7,175  

6,979  

6,205  
(6,078) 

5,902  
(5,718) 

5,956  
(5,739) 

5,756  
(5,406) 

5,785  
(5,198) 

6,817  
(5,781) 

6,756  
(5,388) 

7,175  
(5,239) 

6,979  
(3,617) 

127  
(1) 

126  

(2) 
7  

184  
— 

184  

1  
9  

217  
1  

218  

4  
12  

350  
— 

350  

19  
23  

587  
— 

587  

71  
42  

1,036  
— 

1,036  

1,368  
— 

1,368  

1,936  
— 

1,936  

3,362   11,629  
(298) 

— 

3,362   11,331  

(16) 
38  

(23) 
— 

(19) 
— 

— 
— 

32  
140  

statement of financial position 

2,069  

101  

131  

194  

234  

392  

700  

1,058  

1,345  

1,917  

3,362   11,503  

Aviva plc Annual report and accounts 2019 
198 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Strategic report 

Governance 

IFRS financial statements 

Other information 

Notes to the consolidated financial statements 

 Continued  

43 – Insurance liabilities continued 
Net of reinsurance 
After the effect of reinsurance, the loss development table is: 

All prior years 
£m 

2010 
 £m 

2011  
£m 

2012  
£m 

2013 
 £m 

2014 
 £m 

2015 
 £m 

2016  
£m 

2017  
£m 

2018 
 £m 

2019  
£m 

Total  
£m 

Accident year 

Net cumulative claim payments 

At end of accident year 
One year later 
Two years later 
Three years later 
Four years later 
Five years later 
Six years later 
Seven years later 
Eight years later 
Nine years later 

Estimate of net ultimate claims 

At end of accident year 
One year later 
Two years later 
Three years later 
Four years later 
Five years later 
Six years later 
Seven years later 
Eight years later 
Nine years later 

Estimate of net ultimate claims 
Cumulative payments 

Effect of discounting 

Present value 
Cumulative effect of foreign exchange 

movements 

Effect of acquisitions 

Present value recognised in the 

922  
(121) 

801  

— 
10  

(3,386) 
(5,242) 
(5,637) 
(5,905) 
(6,137) 
(6,278) 
(6,361) 
(6,411) 
(6,440) 
(6,458) 

6,650  
6,751  
6,685  
6,644  
6,634  
6,614  
6,624  
6,615  
6,590  
6,569  
6,569  
(6,458) 

111  
(15) 

96  

(3) 
1  

(3,300) 
(4,578) 
(4,963) 
(5,263) 
(5,485) 
(5,626) 
(5,740) 
(5,798) 
(5,842) 

6,202  
6,103  
6,095  
6,077  
6,034  
6,005  
6,003  
5,967  
5,952  

(2,925) 
(4,166) 
(4,575) 
(4,870) 
(5,110) 
(5,289) 
(5,371) 
(5,439) 

(2,905) 
(4,240) 
(4,649) 
(4,918) 
(5,159) 
(5,324) 
(5,417) 

(2,972) 
(4,079) 
(4,432) 
(4,720) 
(4,973) 
(5,132) 

(2,867) 
(4,061) 
(4,452) 
(4,725) 
(4,919) 

5,941  
5,765  
5,728  
5,683  
5,717  
5,680  
5,631  
5,600  

5,838  
5,745  
5,752  
5,733  
5,689  
5,653  
5,612  

5,613  
5,575  
5,591  
5,559  
5,490  
5,472  

5,548  
5,635  
5,608  
5,517  
5,495  

(3,309) 
(4,591) 
(5,012) 
(5,329) 

(3,483) 
(4,843) 
(5,255) 

(3,718) 
(5,117) 

(3,565) 

6,489  
6,458  
6,377  
6,334  

6,714  
6,591  
6,569  

6,997  
6,944  

6,774  

5,952  
(5,842) 

5,600  
(5,439) 

5,612  
(5,417) 

5,472  
(5,132) 

5,495  
(4,919) 

6,334  
(5,329) 

6,569  
(5,255) 

6,944  
(5,117) 

6,774  
(3,565) 

110  
3  

113  

(2) 
7  

161  
(1) 

160  

1  
9  

195  
5  

200  

4  
12  

340  
— 

340  

18  
23  

576  
— 

576  

70  
42  

1,005  
— 

1,005  

1,314  
— 

1,314  

1,827  
— 

1,827  

3,209  
— 

3,209  

9,770  
(129) 

9,641  

(15) 
38  

(23) 
— 

(17) 
— 

— 
— 

33  
142  

statement of financial position 

811  

94  

118  

170  

216  

381  

688  

1,028  

1,291  

1,810  

3,209  

9,816  

In the loss development tables shown above, the cumulative claim payments and estimates of cumulative claims for each accident year are 
translated into sterling at the exchange rates that applied at the end of that accident year. The impact of using varying exchange rates is 
shown at the bottom of each table. Disposals are dealt with by treating all outstanding and IBNR claims of the disposed entity as ‘paid’ at the 
date of disposal. 

The loss development tables above include information on asbestos and environmental pollution claims provisions from business written 
more  than  10  years  ago.  The  undiscounted  claim  provisions,  net  of  reinsurance,  in  respect  of  this  business  at  31  December  2019  were 
£88 million (2018: £94 million). The movement in the year reflects a reduction of £7 million due to favourable claims development, claim 
payments net of reinsurance recoveries and foreign exchange movements.

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Other information 

Notes to the consolidated financial statements 

 Continued  

44 – Insurance liabilities methodology and assumptions 
(a)  Long-term business 
The  main  method  used  for  the  actuarial  valuation  of  long-term  insurance  liabilities  is  the  gross  premium  method  which  involves  the 
discounting of projected future cash flows. The cash flows are calculated using the contractual premiums payable together with explicit 
assumptions for investment returns, discount rates, inflation, mortality, morbidity, persistency and future expenses. These assumptions can 
vary by contract type and reflect current and expected future experience with an allowance for prudence. 

The methodology and assumptions described below relate to the UK and France insurance businesses only. 

(i)  UK 
Non-profit business 
The valuation of non-profit business is based on grandfathered regulatory requirements under IFRS 4 prior to the adoption of Solvency II, 
adjusted to remove certain regulatory reserves and margins in assumptions, notably for annuity business. Conventional non-profit contracts, 
including those written in the with-profits funds, are valued using the gross premium method. For non-profit business in the ex. Friends Life 
with-profits funds, the liabilities are measured on a realistic basis with implicit recognition of the present value of future profits. 

For unit-linked and some unitised with-profits business, the provisions are valued by adding a prospective non-unit reserve to the bid value 
of units. The prospective non-unit reserve is calculated by projecting the future non-unit cash flows using prudent assumptions and on the 
assumption that future premiums cease, unless it is more onerous to assume that they continue. 

Discount rates 
Valuation discount rate assumptions are set with regard to yields on the supporting assets and the general level of long-term interest rates 
as measured by gilt yields. An explicit allowance for risk is included by making a deduction from the yields on corporate bonds, mortgages 
and deposits, based on historical default experience of each asset class. For equity release assets, the risk allowances are consistent with 
those used in the fair value asset methodology (see note 24). A further margin for risk is then deducted for all asset classes. 

Valuation discount rates for business in the non-profit funds are as follows: 

Valuation discount rates 
(Gross of investment expenses) 

Assurances 

Life conventional non-profit 
Pensions conventional non-profit 

Annuities  

Conventional immediate and deferred annuities 

Non-unit reserves on unit-linked business 

Life 
Pensions 

Income Protection 

Active lives 
Claims in payment (level and index linked) 

2019 

2018 

0.5% to 2.1% 
0.6% to 1.6% 

0.9% to 2.6% 
1.1% to 2.1% 

0.9% to 2.3% 

1.2% to 3.0% 

0.9% 
1.1% 

0.9% to 1.3% 
0.9% to 1.6% 

0.6% to 2.1% 
1.1% 

1.1% to 2.6% 
1.3% to 1.6% 

The valuation discount rates are after a reduction for risk, but before allowance for investment expenses. For conventional immediate annuity 
business, the allowance for risk comprises long-term assumptions on a prudent basis for defaults or, in the case of equity release assets, 
expected losses arising from the No-Negative-Equity Guarantee. These allowances vary by asset category and for some asset classes by rating. 

The risk allowances made for corporate bonds (including overseas government bonds and structured finance assets), mortgages (including 
healthcare mortgages, commercial mortgages and infrastructure assets), and equity release equated to 45-47 bps, 31-35 bps, and 124 bps 
respectively at 31 December 2019 (2018: 50 bps, 39-41 bps, and 112 bps respectively). 

The total valuation allowance in respect of corporate bonds and mortgages, including healthcare mortgages but excluding equity release, 
was £1.8 billion (2018: £1.9 billion) over the remaining term of the portfolio at 31 December 2019. The total valuation allowance in respect of 
equity release assets was £1.5 billion at 31 December 2019 (2018: £1.3 billion). Total liabilities for the annuity business were £57.6 billion at  
31 December 2019 (2018: £53.7 billion). 

Expenses 
Maintenance expense assumptions for non-profit business are generally expressed as a per policy charge set with regards to an allocation of 
current year expense levels by broad category of business and using the policy counts for in-force business. The assumptions also include an 
allowance for prudence and increase by future expense inflation over the lifetime of each contract. Expense inflation is assumed to be in line 
with  RPI,  and  in  line  with  external  agreements  for  business  administered  externally.  An additional  liability  is  held  if  projected  per-policy 
expenses  in  future  years  are  expected  to  exceed  current  assumptions.  Further,  explicit  project  expense  liabilities  are  held  for 
non-discretionary project costs that typically relate to mandatory requirements. Expense-related liabilities are only held where expenses are 
not covered by anticipated future profits in the liability methodology, notably for unit-linked contracts. Investment expense assumptions are 
generally expressed as a proportion of the assets backing the liabilities. 

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IFRS financial statements 

Other information 

Notes to the consolidated financial statements 

 Continued  

44 – Insurance liabilities methodology and assumptions continued 
Mortality 
Mortality assumptions for non-profit business are set with regard to recent Company experience and general industry trends. The mortality 
tables used in the valuation are summarised below: 

Mortality tables used 

Assurances 
Non-profit 

Pure endowments and deferred annuities before vesting 
Annuities in payment 
Pensions business and general annuity business 

Bulk purchase annuities 

2019 

2018 

AM00/AF00 or TM08/TF08 adjusted for 
smoker status and age/sex specific 
factors 

AM00/AF00 or TM08/TF08 adjusted for 
smoker status and age/sex specific 
factors 

AM00/AF00 adjusted 

AM00/AF00 adjusted 

PMA08 HAMWP /PFA08 HAMWP 
adjusted plus allowance for future 
mortality improvement 
CV3 

PMA08 HAMWP /PFA08 HAMWP 
adjusted plus allowance for future 
mortality improvement 
CV2 

For the largest portfolio of pensions annuity business, the underlying mortality assumptions for males are 105.4% of PMA08 HAMWP adjusted 
(2018: 105.8% of PMA08 HAMWP adjusted) with base year 2008; for females the underlying mortality assumptions are 99.5% of PFA08 HAMWP 
adjusted (2018: 99.0% of PFA08 HAMWP adjusted) with base year 2008. 

Improvements are based on ‘CMI_2018 (S=7.25) Advanced with adjustments’ (2018: ‘CMI_2017 (S=7.5) Advanced with adjustments’) with a 
long-term improvement rate of 1.75% (2018: 1.75%) for males and 1.5% (2018: 1.5%) for females, both with an additional improvement for 
prudence of 0.5% (2018: 0.5%) to all future annual improvement adjustments. The CMI_2018 tables have been adjusted by adding 0.25% 
(2018: 0.25%) and 0.35% (2018: 0.35%) to the initial rate of mortality improvements for males and females respectively (to allow for greater 
mortality improvements in the annuitant population relative to the general population on which CMI_2018 is based), and uses the advanced 
parameters  to  taper  the  long-term  improvement  rates  to  zero  between  ages  90  and  115  (the  ‘core’  parameters  taper  the  long-term 
improvement rates to zero between ages 85 and 110). The tapering approach is unchanged from that used at 2018. In addition, on a significant 
proportion of individual annuity business, year-specific adjustments are made to allow for potential selection effects due to the development 
of the Enhanced Annuity market and covering possible selection effects from pension freedom reforms. 

With-profits business 
The Group’s UK with-profits funds are evaluated by reference to FRS 27, which was grandfathered under IFRS 4, prior to the adoption of 
Solvency II. This uses an approach of calculating the realistic liabilities for the contracts. The realistic liabilities include the with-profits benefit 
reserve (WPBR), and an additional provision for the expected cost of any guarantees and options in excess of the WPBR. 

The WPBR for an individual contract is generally calculated on a retrospective basis, and represents the accumulation of the premiums paid 
on the contract, allowing for investment return, taxation, expenses and any other charges levied on the contract. 

Provisions  for  guarantees  and  options  within  realistic  liabilities  are  measured  using  market-consistent  stochastic  models.  A  stochastic 
approach  includes  measuring  the  time  value  of  guarantees  and  options,  which  represents  the  additional  cost  arising  from  uncertainty 
surrounding future economic conditions. Non-market-related assumptions (for example, persistency, mortality and expenses) are assessed 
on a best estimate basis with reference to Company and wider industry experience, adjusted to take into account future trends. 

The with-profits business is valued by adjusting Solvency II Best Estimate Liabilities and results in a valuation in accordance with FRS 27. 

Future investment return 
A  risk-free  rate  equal  to  the  spot  yield  on  UK  swaps  is  used  for  the  valuation  of  with-profits  business.  The  rates  vary  according  to  the 
outstanding term of the policy, with a typical rate as at 31 December 2019 of 1.02% (2018: 1.44%) for a policy with ten years outstanding. 

Volatility of investment return 
Volatility assumptions are set with reference to implied volatility data on traded market instruments, where available, or on a best estimate 
basis where not. 

Volatility 

Equity returns 
Property returns 

2019 

2018 

16.2% 
15.8% 

18.0% 
15.8% 

The equity volatility used depends on term, money-ness and region. The figure shown is for a sample UK equity, at the money, with a ten-year 
term. 

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Governance 

IFRS financial statements 

Other information 

Notes to the consolidated financial statements 

 Continued  

44 – Insurance liabilities methodology and assumptions continued 
Future regular bonuses 
Annual bonus assumptions for 2020 have been set consistently with the year-end 2019 declaration. Future annual bonus rates reflect the 
principles and practices of each fund. In particular, the level is set with regard to the projected margin for final bonus and the change from 
one year to the next is limited to a level consistent with past practice. 

Mortality 
Mortality assumptions for with-profits business are set with regard to recent Company experience and general industry trends. The mortality 
tables used in the valuation are summarised below: 

Mortality table used 

Assurances, pure endowments and deferred annuities before vesting 

Pensions business after vesting and pensions annuities in payment 

2019 

2018 

Nil or Axx00 adjusted 
PMA08 HAMWP/PFA08 HAMWP 
adjusted plus allowance for future 
mortality improvement 

Nil or Axx00 adjusted 
PMA08 HAMWP/PFA08 HAMWP 
adjusted plus allowance for future 
mortality improvement 

Allowance for future mortality improvement is in line with the rates for non-profit business. 

Expenses 
Maintenance fee assumptions for with-profits business are generally expressed as a fixed per policy charge in line with a memorandum of 
understanding between the with-profits funds and the non-profit fund within the company. The memorandum of understanding specifies 
the charges for a five-year period ending in 2023, and specifies a level of charge inflation during that period of CPI+2% or CPI+3% depending 
on the product type. After the end of the period covered by the memorandum of understanding we assume that the charges will remain 
unchanged, and a level of charge inflation of RPI+1% for all products will apply. Any excess of expenses charged by Aviva Life Services UK 
Limited (UKLS) to Aviva Life & Pensions UK Limited (AVLAP) over the charges specified by the memorandum of understanding is borne by the 
non-profit fund. 

As at 31 December 2018 maintenance expense assumptions for with-profits business were generally expressed as a fixed per policy charge in 
line with agreements between UKLS and AVLAP. The assumptions increased by a future inflation charge over the lifetime of each contract, 
which was 50% RPI, 100% RPI or 100% RPI + 1% depending on product type. Any excess of expenses charged by UKLS to AVLAP over the 
charges specified by the agreements was borne by the non-profit business. 

Guarantees and options 
The provisions held in respect of guaranteed annuity options for the with-profits and the non-profit business are a prudent assessment of the 
additional liability incurred under the option on a basis and method consistent with that used to value basic policy liabilities, and includes a 
prudent assessment of the proportion of policyholders who will choose to exercise the option. For further details see note 46. 

(ii) France 
The majority of reserves arise from single premium savings products and are based on the accumulated fund values, adjusted to maintain 
consistency with the value of the assets backing the policyholder liabilities. For traditional business, the net premium method is used for 
prospective valuations, in accordance with local regulation, where the valuation assumptions depend on the date of issue of the contract. 
The valuation discount rate also depends on the original duration of the contract and mortality rates are based on industry tables. 

Life assurances 
Annuities 

Valuation discount rates 

Mortality tables used 

2019 

2018  

2019 and 2018 

  TD73-77,TD88-90,TH00-02 
TF00-02, 
H_AVDBS,F_AVDBS 
H_SSDBS, F_SSDBS 
TGF05/TGH05 

0% to 4.5% 
0% to 2% 

0% to 4.5% 
0% to 1.5% 

(b)  General insurance and health 
Outstanding  claims  provisions  are  estimated  based  on  known  facts  at  the  date  of  estimation.  Case  estimates  are  set  by  skilled  claims 
technicians  and  established  case  setting  procedures.  Claims  above  certain  limits  are  referred  to  senior  claims  handlers  for  estimate 
authorisation. 

No adjustments are made to the claims technicians’ case estimates included in booked claim provisions, except for rare occasions when the 
estimated ultimate cost of individual large or unusual claims may be adjusted, subject to internal reserve committee approval, to allow for 
uncertainty regarding, for example, the outcome of a court case. The ultimate cost of outstanding claims is then estimated by using a range 
of  standard  actuarial  claims  projection  techniques,  such  as  the  Chain  Ladder  and  Bornhuetter-Ferguson  methods.  Historical  claims 
development  is  mainly  analysed  by  accident  period,  although  underwriting  or  notification  period  is  also  used  where  this  is  considered 
appropriate. 

The assumptions used in most non-life actuarial projection techniques, including future rates of claims inflation or loss ratio assumptions, 
are implicit in the historical claims development data on which the projections are based. Additional qualitative judgement is used to assess 
the extent to which past trends may not apply in the future in order to arrive at a point estimate for the ultimate cost of claims that represents 
the likely outcome, from a range of possible outcomes, taking account of all the uncertainties involved. The range of possible outcomes does 
not, however, result in the quantification of a reserve range. 

The following explicit assumptions are made which could materially impact the level of booked net reserves: 

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IFRS financial statements 

Other information 

Notes to the consolidated financial statements 

 Continued  

44 – Insurance liabilities methodology and assumptions continued 
Discounting 
Outstanding claims provisions are based on undiscounted estimates of future claim payments, except for the following classes of business 
for which discounted provisions are held: 

Class 

Reinsured London Market business 
Latent claims  
Structured settlements 

2019 

0.8% to 2.2% 
0.8% to 2.2% 
-0.2% to 2.7% 

Discount rate 

2018 

1.0% to 2.9% 
1.0% to 2.6% 
1.0% to 3.0% 

Mean term of liabilities 

2019 

2018 

9 years 
10 to 12 years 
11 to 35 years 

10 years 
11 to 18 years 
9 to 37 years 

The  period  of  time  which  will  elapse  before  the  liabilities  are  settled  has  been  estimated  by  modelling  the  settlement  patterns  of  the 
underlying claims. 

The discount rate that has been applied to latent claims reserves, structured settlements and reinsured London Market business is based on 
the swap curve in the relevant currency at the reporting date, having regard to the duration of the expected settlement dates of the claims. 
The range of discount rates used depends on the duration of the claims and is given in the table above. The duration of the claims span over 
35 years, with the average duration being between 9 and 12 years depending on the geographical region. 

At 31 December 2019, it is estimated that a 1% fall in the discount rates used would increase net claim reserves by approximately £120 million 
(2018: £100 million), excluding the offsetting effect on asset values as assets are not hypothecated across classes of business. 

UK mesothelioma claims 
The level of uncertainty associated with latent claims is considerable due to the relatively small number of claims and the long-tail nature of 
the liabilities. UK mesothelioma claims account for a large proportion of the Group’s latent claims. The key assumptions underlying the 
estimation of these claims include claim numbers, the base average cost per claim, future inflation in the average cost of claims and legal 
fees. 

The best estimate of the liabilities reflects the latest available market information and studies. Many different scenarios can be derived by 
flexing these key assumptions and applying different combinations of these assumptions. An upper and lower scenario can be derived by 
making  reasonably  likely  changes  to  these  assumptions,  resulting  in  an  estimate  of  £25  million  (2018:  £20 million)  greater  than  the  best 
estimate, or £35 million (2018: £30 million) lower than the best estimate. These scenarios do not, however, constitute an upper or lower bound 
on these liabilities. 

Allowance for risk and uncertainty 
The  uncertainties  involved  in  estimating  loss  reserves  are  allowed  for  in  the  reserving  process  and  by  the  estimation  of  explicit  reserve 
uncertainty  distributions.  The  reserve  estimation  basis  requires  all  non-life  businesses  to  calculate  booked  claim  provisions  as  the  best 
estimate of the cost of future claim payments, plus an explicit allowance for risk and uncertainty. The allowance for risk and uncertainty is 
calculated by each business unit in accordance with the requirements of the Group non-life reserving policy, taking into account the risks 
and uncertainties specific to each line of business and type of claim in that territory. The requirements of the Group non-life reserving policy 
also seek to ensure that the allowance for risk and uncertainty is set consistently across both business units and reporting periods. 

Lump sum payments in settlement of bodily injury claims that are decided by the UK courts are calculated in accordance with the Ogden 
Tables and discount rate. The Ogden discount rate is set by the Lord Chancellor and is applied when calculating the present value of future 
care costs and loss of earnings for claims settlement purposes. Following the announcement by the Lord Chancellor on 15 July 2019 to 
increase the Ogden discount rate from the -0.75% set in 2017 to -0.25% (rate retained at -0.75% in Scotland), balance sheet reserves in the 
UK have been calculated using a discount rate of -0.25% at 31 December 2019. This has resulted in a strengthening of claims reserves in the 
UK of £45 million. At December 2018, balance sheet reserves were calculated using a rate of 0.00%. The Ogden discount rate is expected to 
be reviewed by the Lord Chancellor within five years.

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Other information 

Notes to the consolidated financial statements 

 Continued  

45 – Liabilities for investment contracts 
This note analyses our gross liabilities for investment contracts by type of product and describes the calculation of these liabilities. 

(a)  Carrying amount 
The liabilities for investment contracts (gross of reinsurance) at 31 December comprised: 

Long-term business 
Liabilities for participating investment contracts 
Liabilities for non-participating investment contracts 

Total 

Less: Liabilities classified as held for sale 

2019 
 £m 

2018  
£m 

92,762  
137,689  

90,455  
120,354  

230,451  

210,809  

(8,324) 

(8,341) 

222,127  

202,468  

(b)  Group practice 
Investment contracts are those that do not transfer significant insurance risk from the contract holder to the issuer, and are therefore treated 
as financial instruments under IFRS. 

Many  investment  contracts  contain  a  discretionary  participation  feature  in  which  the  contract  holder  has  a  contractual  right  to  receive 
additional benefits as a supplement to guaranteed benefits. These are referred to as participating contracts and are measured according to 
the methodology for long-term business liabilities (see note 44). They are not measured at fair value as there is currently no agreed definition 
of fair valuation for discretionary participation features under IFRS. In the absence of such a definition, it is not possible to provide a range of 
estimates  within  which  a  fair  value  is  likely  to  fall.  The  IASB  deferred  consideration  of  participating  contracts  to  the  IFRS  17  insurance 
standard, which is expected to apply to annual reporting periods beginning on or after 1 January 2022. 

For participating business, the discretionary participation feature is recognised separately from the guaranteed element and is classified as 
a liability, referred to as unallocated divisible surplus, except for the with-profits sub-fund supported by the RIEESA. Guarantees on long-term 
investment products are discussed in note 46. 

Investment contracts that do not contain a discretionary participation feature are referred to as non-participating contracts and the liability 
is measured at either fair value or amortised cost. We currently have no non-participating investment contracts measured at amortised cost. 

Of  the  non-participating  investment  contracts  measured  at  fair  value,  £137,040  million  at  31  December  2019  (2018:  £119,402 million) are 
unit-linked  in  structure  and  the  fair  value  liability  is  equal  to  the  current  unit  fund  value,  including  any  unfunded  units,  plus  if  required, 
additional non-unit reserves based on a discounted cash flow analysis. These contracts are generally classified as Level 1 in the fair value 
hierarchy, as the unit reserve is calculated as the publicly quoted unit price multiplied by the number of units in issue, and any non-unit 
reserve is insignificant. 

For unit-linked business, a deferred acquisition cost asset and deferred income reserve liability are recognised in respect of transaction costs 
and front-end fees respectively, that relate to the provision of investment management services, and which are amortised on a systematic 
basis over the contract term. The amount of the related deferred acquisition cost asset is shown in note 30 and the deferred income liability 
is shown in note 55. 

For non-participating investment contracts acquired in a business combination, an acquired value of in-force business asset is recognised in 
respect of the fair value of the investment management services component of the contracts, which is amortised on a systematic basis over 
the useful lifetime of the related contracts. The amount of the acquired value of in-force business asset is shown in note 18, which relates 
primarily to the acquisition of Friends Life in 2015 and Friends First in 2018. 

(c)  Movements in the year 
The following movements have occurred in the gross provisions for investment contracts in the year: 

(i)  Participating investment contracts 

Carrying amount at 1 January 
Liabilities in respect of new business 
Expected change in existing business 
Variance between actual and expected experience 
Impact of operating assumption changes 
Impact of economic assumption changes 
Other movements recognised as an expense1  
Change in liability recognised as an expense2  
Effect of portfolio transfers, acquisitions and disposals3  
Foreign exchange rate movements 
Other movements4  

Carrying amount at 31 December 

2019 
 £m 

90,455  
6,991  
(4,857) 
4,751  
173  
204  
103  
7,365  
— 
(4,054) 
(1,004) 

2018 
 £m 

87,654  
6,301  
(4,491) 
(1,441) 
59  
(40) 
152  
540  
427  
774  
1,060  

92,762  

90,455  

1  Other  movements  recognised  as  an  expense  during  2019  relate  primarily  to  a  special  bonus  distribution  to  with-profits  policyholders  and  the  recognition  of  unitised  with-profits  annual  management  charges  in  UK  Life.  

The movement in 2018 primarily relates to a special bonus distribution to with-profits policyholders in UK Life.  

2  Total interest expense for participating investment contracts recognised in profit or loss is £5,269 million (2018: £(419) million). 
3  The movement during 2018 relates to the acquisition of Friends First in Ireland. 
4  Other  movements  during  2019  include  the  reclassification  in  UK  from  participating  investment  to  insurance  contracts  (£(972)  million)  and  from  participating  investment  to  outstanding  claims  reserves  (£(32)  million).  
The movement during 2018 relates to the reclassification in France from non-participating investment contracts to participating investment contracts (£151 million) and from insurance to participating investment contracts  
(£56 million) and to a reclassification from non-participating investment contracts to participating investment contracts in the UK (£853 million). 

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Other information 

Notes to the consolidated financial statements 

 Continued  

45 – Liabilities for investment contracts continued 
For many types of long-term business, including unit-linked and participating funds, movements in asset values are offset by corresponding 
changes in liabilities, limiting the net impact on profit. 

The variance between actual and expected experience in 2019 of £4.8 billion is primarily the result of the impact of strong global equity 
performance. 

The impact of assumption changes in the analysis shows the resulting movement in the carrying value of participating investment contract 
liabilities. For participating business, a movement in liabilities is generally offset by a corresponding adjustment to the unallocated divisible 
surplus and does not impact profit. Where assumption changes do impact profit, these are included in the effect of changes in assumptions 
and estimates during the year shown in note 48, together with the impact of movements in related non-financial assets. 

(ii)  Non-participating investment contracts 

Carrying amount at 1 January 
Liabilities in respect of new business 
Expected change in existing business 
Variance between actual and expected experience 
Impact of operating assumption changes 
Impact of economic assumption changes 
Other movements recognised as an expense 
Change in liability  
Effect of portfolio transfers, acquisitions and disposals1  
Foreign exchange rate movements 
Other movements2  

Carrying amount at 31 December 

2019 
 £m 

2018  
£m 

120,354  
5,520  
(3,742) 
16,345  
(22) 
(1) 
2  
18,102  
— 
(575) 
(192) 

124,995  
4,869  
(5,509) 
(5,539) 
(10) 
(81) 
6  
(6,264) 
2,494  
133  
(1,004) 

137,689  

120,354  

1  The movement during 2018 relates to the acquisition of Friends First in Ireland. 
2  Other  movements  during  2019  mainly  relate  to  the  reclassification  in  UK  from  non-participating  investment  to  outstanding  claims  reserves  (£(180)  million).  Other  movements  during  2018  relates  to  the  reclassification  in  
France from non-participating investment contracts to participating investment contracts (£(151) million) and to a reclassification from non-participating investment contracts to participating investment contracts in the UK 
(£(853) million). 

For unit-linked investment contracts, movements in asset values are offset by corresponding changes in liabilities, limiting the net impact on 
profit. The variance between actual and expected experience in 2019 of £16.3 billion is primarily the result of the impact of strong global 
equity performance. 

The impact of assumption changes in the above analysis shows the resulting movement in the carrying value of non-participating investment 
contract liabilities. The impacts of assumption changes on profit are included in the effect of changes in assumptions and estimates during 
the year shown in note 48, which combines participating and non-participating investment contracts together with the impact of movements 
in related non-financial assets.

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Notes to the consolidated financial statements 

 Continued  

46 – Financial guarantees and options 
This note details the financial guarantees and options inherent in some of our insurance and investment contracts. 

As  a  part  of  their  operating  activities,  various  Group  companies  have  provided  guarantees  and  options,  including  investment  return 
guarantees, on certain long-term insurance and fund management products. 

(a)  UK non-profit business 
The Group’s UK non-profit funds are evaluated by reference to statutory reserving rules, which are based on the UK regulatory requirements 
(grandfathered under IFRS 4), prior to the adoption of Solvency II, adjusted to remove certain regulatory reserves and margins in assumptions, 
notably for annuity business. 

(i)  Guaranteed annuity options 
The Group’s UK non-profit funds have written contracts which contain guaranteed annuity rate options (GAOs), where the policyholder has 
the option to take the benefits from a policy in the form of an annuity based on guaranteed conversion rates. Provision for these guarantees 
do not materially differ from a provision based on a market-consistent stochastic model, and amounts to £82 million at 31 December 2019 
(2018: £87 million). 

(ii)  Guaranteed unit price on certain products 
Certain pension products linked to long-term life insurance funds provide policyholders with guaranteed benefits at retirement or death. No 
additional  provision  is  made  for  this  guarantee  as  the  investment  management  strategy  for  these  funds  is  designed  to  ensure  that  the 
guarantee can be met from the fund, mitigating the impact of large falls in investment values and interest rates. 

(iii) Return of premium guarantees 
German pension products sold in Friends Life between 2006 and 2014 are subject to a return of premium guarantee whereby the product 
guarantees  to  return  the  maximum  of  the  unit  fund  value  or  total  premiums  paid  (before  deductions). Provisions  for  this  guarantee  are 
calculated using a market-consistent stochastic model and amount to £178 million at 31 December 2019 (2018: £153 million). 

(b)  UK with-profits business 
The Group’s UK with-profits liabilities are evaluated by reference to FRS 27, which was grandfathered under IFRS 4, prior to the adoption of 
Solvency II. Under the PRA’s rules, provisions for guarantees and options within realistic liabilities are measured using market-consistent 
stochastic models. A stochastic approach includes measuring the time value of guarantees and options, which represents the additional cost 
arising from uncertainty surrounding future economic conditions. 

The material guarantees and options relating to this provision are: 

(i)  Maturity value and death benefit guarantees 
Significant conventional and unitised with-profits business have minimum maturity (and in some cases death benefit) values reflecting the 
sum assured plus declared annual bonus. For some unitised with-profits life contracts the amount paid after the fifth policy anniversary is 
guaranteed to be at least as high as the premium paid increased in line with the rise in retail price index (RPI) or consumer price index (CPI). 

(ii)  No market valuation reduction (MVR) guarantees 
For  unitised  business,  there  are  circumstances  where  a  ‘no  MVR’  guarantee  is  applied,  for  example  on  certain  policy  anniversaries, 
guaranteeing that no market value reduction will be applied to reflect the difference between the accumulated value of units and the market 
value of the underlying assets. 

(iii) Guaranteed annuity options 
The Group’s UK with-profits funds have written individual and group pension contracts which contain GAOs, where the policyholder has the 
option to take the benefits from a policy in the form of an annuity based on guaranteed conversion rates. The Group also has exposure to 
GAOs and similar options on deferred annuities. 

Realistic liabilities for GAOs in the UK with-profits funds were £1,628 million at 31 December 2019 (2018: £1,644 million). With the exception of 
the with-profits sub-fund supported by the RIEESA, movements in the realistic liabilities in the with-profits funds are offset by a corresponding 
movement in the unallocated divisible surplus, with no net impact on IFRS profit. Realistic liabilities for GAOs in the with-profits sub-fund 
supported by the RIEESA were £129 million at 31 December 2019 (2018: £155 million). 

(iv) Guaranteed minimum pension 
The Group’s UK with-profits funds also have certain policies that contain a guaranteed minimum level of pension as part of the condition of 
the original transfer from state benefits to the policy. 

(v)  Guaranteed minimum maturity payments on mortgage endowments 
The with-profits funds made promises to certain policyholders in relation to their with-profits mortgage endowments. Top-up payments will 
be made on these policies at maturity to meet the mortgage value up to a maximum of the 31 December 1999 illustrated shortfall. 

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IFRS financial statements 

Other information 

Notes to the consolidated financial statements 

 Continued  

46 – Financial guarantees and options continued 
(c)  Overseas life businesses 
In addition to guarantees written in the Group’s UK businesses, our overseas businesses have also written contracts containing guarantees 
and options. Details of the significant guarantees and options provided by overseas life businesses are set out below. 

(i)  France 
Guaranteed surrender value guaranteed minimum bonuses and options 
Aviva  France  has  written  a  number  of  contracts  with  a  guaranteed  surrender  value  and  guaranteed  minimum  bonuses.  The  guaranteed 
surrender  value  is  the  accumulated  value  of  the  contract  including  accrued  bonuses.  Bonuses  are  based  on  accounting  income  from 
amortised bond portfolios, where the duration of bond portfolios is set in relation to the expected duration of the policies, plus income and 
releases from realised gains on equity-type investments. Policy reserves are equal to guaranteed surrender values. Local statutory accounting 
envisages the establishment of a reserve, ‘Provision pour Aléas Financiers’ (PAF), when accounting income is less than 125% of guaranteed 
minimum credited returns. No PAF was established at full year 2019 (2018: no PAF was established). 

The most significant of these contracts is the AFER Eurofund which has total liabilities of £37 billion at 31 December 2019 (2018: £39 billion). 
The guaranteed minimum bonus is agreed between Aviva France and the AFER association at the end of each year, in respect of the following 
year. The bonus was 1.85% for 2019 (2018: 2.25%) compared with an accounting income from the fund of 2.34% (2018: 2.74%). 

Non-AFER contracts with guaranteed surrender values had liabilities of £11 billion at 31 December 2019 (2018: £11 billion) and all guaranteed 
annual bonus rates are between 0% and 4.5% (2018: 0% to 4.5%). For non-AFER business the accounting income return exceeded guaranteed 
bonus rates in 2019 (2018: the accounting income return exceeded guaranteed bonus rates). 

In addition, there are a small proportion of contracts with a switch-loss option. Consistent with previous years, the risks associated with 
switch-loss options are allowed for in the liabilities in accordance with local regulations and IFRS 4. 

Guaranteed death and maturity benefits 
The Group has also sold a small proportion of unit-linked policies where the death and/or maturity benefit is guaranteed to be at least equal 
to the premiums paid. The reserve held in the Group’s consolidated statement of financial position is calculated on a prudent basis and is in 
excess of the economic liability. 

(ii)  Italy  
Guaranteed investment returns and guaranteed surrender values  
The Group has written contracts containing guaranteed investment returns and guaranteed surrender values in Italy. Liabilities are generally 
taken as the face value of the contract plus, if required, an explicit provision for guarantees calculated in accordance with local regulations 
and IFRS 4. 

(iii) Ireland  
Guaranteed annuity options and guaranteed maturity values  
As in the UK, the Group’s with-profits liabilities in Ireland are measured on a realistic basis, including realistic liabilities for guarantees and 
options.  Guarantees  and  options  in  Ireland  include  GAOs,  minimum  maturity  values  on  conventional  with-profits  business,  guaranteed 
minimum bonus rates on unitised with profits business, and a ‘no MVR’ guarantee that may apply at certain policy anniversaries.

Aviva plc Annual report and accounts 2019 
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Governance 

IFRS financial statements 

Other information 

Notes to the consolidated financial statements 

 Continued  

47 – Reinsurance assets 
This note details the reinsurance assets on our insurance and investment contract liabilities. 

(a)  Carrying amount 
The reinsurance assets at 31 December comprised: 

Long-term business 
Insurance contracts 
Participating investment contracts 
Non-participating investment contracts1  

Outstanding claims provisions 

General insurance and health 
Outstanding claims provisions 
Provisions for claims incurred but not reported 

Provisions for unearned premiums 

Less: Assets classified as held for sale 

Total 

2019 
 £m 

2018  
£m 

6,369  
1  
4,006  

10,376  
93  

10,469  

683  
1,004  

1,687  
275  

1,962  

5,836  
1  
4,009  

9,846  
89  

9,935  

789  
822  

1,611  
254  

1,865  

12,431  
(75) 

11,800  
(45) 

12,356  

11,755  

1  Balances in respect of all reinsurance treaties are included under reinsurance assets, regardless of whether they transfer significant insurance risk. The reinsurance assets classified as non-participating investment contracts are 

financial instruments measured at fair value through profit or loss. 

Of the above total, £10,943 million (2018: £10,800 million) is expected to be recovered more than one year after this statement of financial 
position. 

(b)  Assumptions 
The assumptions, including discount rates, used for reinsurance contracts follow those used for insurance liabilities. Reinsurance assets are 
valued net of an allowance for recoverability. 

(c)  Movements 
The following movements have occurred in the reinsurance assets during the year: 

(i)  Long-term business liabilities 

Carrying amount at 1 January 
Assets in respect of new business 
Expected change in existing business assets 
Variance between actual and expected experience 
Impact of non-economic assumption changes 
Impact of economic assumption changes 
Other movements recognised as an expense1  
Change in assets2  
Effect of portfolio transfers, acquisitions and disposals3  
Foreign exchange rate movements 
Other movements4  

Carrying amount at 31 December 

2019 
 £m 

9,846  
954  
(185) 
274  
(175) 
193  
(37) 

1,024  
— 
(73) 
(421) 

10,376  

2018  
£m 

11,565  
1,766  
(22) 
431  
(460) 
21  
(3,877) 

(2,141) 
399  
23  
— 

9,846  

1  Other movements recognised as an expense during 2019 primarily relate to the ceding of reinsurance for annuity business offset by basis methodology changes in Ireland, the reclassification of health reinsurance assets in 

Singapore and collective investments in unit-linked funds in the UK following a restructure of a reinsurance treaty. The latter part is a continuation of activity undertaken in 2018. 

2  Change in assets does not reconcile with values in note 42(b) due to the inclusion of reinsurance assets classified as non-participating investment contracts where, for such contracts, deposit accounting is applied on the income 

statement. 

3  The movement during 2018 primarily relates to the acquisition of Friends First in Ireland. 
4  Following a review of the presentation of negative reinsurance assets in the UK, £(427) million of negative reinsurance assets have been reclassified from insurance liabilities to reinsurance assets. 

The impact of assumption changes in the above analysis shows the resulting movement in the carrying value of reinsurance assets, with 
corresponding movements in gross insurance contract liabilities. For participating businesses, a movement in reinsurance assets is generally 
offset by a corresponding adjustment to the unallocated divisible surplus and does not impact profit. Where assumption changes impact 
profit, these are included in the effect of changes in assumptions and estimates during the year (see note 48), together with the impact of 
movements in related liabilities and other non-financial assets. 

Aviva plc Annual report and accounts 2019 
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Governance 

IFRS financial statements 

Other information 

Notes to the consolidated financial statements 

 Continued  

47 – Reinsurance assets continued 
(ii)  General insurance and health claims liabilities 

Carrying amount at 1 January 
Impact of changes in assumptions 
Reinsurers’ share of claim losses and expenses 

Incurred in current year 
Incurred in prior years 

Reinsurers’ share of incurred claim losses and expenses  
Less: 
Reinsurance recoveries received on claims 

Incurred in current year 
Incurred in prior years 

Reinsurance recoveries received in the year 
Unwind of discounting 

Change in reinsurance asset recognised as income (note 42(b)) 
Effect of portfolio transfers, acquisitions and disposals1  
Foreign exchange rate movements 
Other movements 

Carrying amount at 31 December 

1  The movement during 2018 relates to the proportion of reinsurance assets held by Avipop which was sold by Italy in 2018. 

(iii) General insurance and health unearned premiums 

Carrying amount at 1 January 
Premiums ceded to reinsurers in the year 
Less: Reinsurers’ share of premiums earned during the year 
Changes in reinsurance asset recognised as income 
Reinsurers’ share of portfolio transfers and acquisitions1  
Foreign exchange rate movements 

Carrying amount at 31 December 

1  The movement during 2018 relates to the proportion of Avipop sold by Italy in 2018 that was ceded to reinsurers.

2019 
 £m 

1,611  
73  

195  
96  
291  

(53) 
(227) 
(280) 
10  

94  
— 
(15) 
(3) 

2018 
 £m 

1,729  
(22) 

176  
40  
216  

(54) 
(259) 
(313) 
8  

(111) 
(9) 
2  
— 

1,687  

1,611  

2019 
 £m 

254  
683  
(661) 
22  
— 
(1) 

275  

2018  
£m 

257  
392  
(375) 
17  
(21) 
1  

254  

Aviva plc Annual report and accounts 2019 
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Governance 

IFRS financial statements 

Other information 

Notes to the consolidated financial statements 

 Continued  

48 – Effect of changes in assumptions and estimates during the year 
This  note  analyses  the  impact  of  changes  in  estimates  and  assumptions  from  2018  to  2019,  on  liabilities  for  insurance  and  investment 
contracts, and related assets and liabilities, such as unallocated divisible surplus, reinsurance, deferred acquisition costs and acquired value 
of in-force business and does not allow for offsetting movements in the value of backing financial assets. 

Assumptions 
Long-term insurance business 
Interest rates  
Expenses  
Persistency rates  
Mortality and morbidity for assurance contracts  
Mortality for annuity contracts  
Tax and other assumptions  
Long-term investment business 
Expenses  
General insurance and health business 
Change in discount rate assumptions  

Total  

Effect on profit 
2019  
£m 

Effect on profit 
2018  
£m 

(2,978) 
(47) 
(124) 
(38) 
830  
9  

— 

(54) 

1,061  
9  
23  
24  
780  
18  

(1) 

1  

(2,402) 

1,915  

The  impact  of  interest  rates  on  long-term  business  relates  primarily  to  annuities  in  the  UK  (including  any  change  in  credit  default  and 
reinvestment risk provisions), where a reduction in the discount rate, in response to decreasing interest rates and narrowing credit spreads, 
has increased liabilities. 

The impact of expenses on long-term business relates primarily to the UK and Ireland, where reserves have increased by £55 million following 
a  review  of  recent  experience  including  the  margin  for  prudence.  This  has  been  offset  slightly  by  £8  million  due  to  favourable  expense 
experience in Singapore. 

The impact of persistency on long-term business relates primarily to the UK. Reserves have increased by £127 million following a review of 
recent experience, driven by the introduction of age-dependent retirement rates for pension business and unfavourable lapse experience. 

The impact of mortality for annuitant contracts on long-term business relates primarily to the UK. In 2019, there has been a reduction in 
reserves due to longevity assumptions and modelling which include: 
•  Updates to base mortality to reflect recent experience for individual annuities of £81 million; 
•  Updates  to  the  rate  of  mortality  improvements  for  individual  annuities,  including  CMI  2018  and  a  change  in  smoothing  parameter,  of 

£410 million; 

•  Refinements to modelling of bulk purchase annuities together with a change to base mortality, improvements and a change in smoothing 

parameter, of £231 million; 

•  Refinements to modelling of enhanced annuities of £58 million; and 
•  Other less significant movements of £19 million. 

In Ireland there was a slight reduction in the reserves of £31 million following a review of recent experience. 

In 2018 the impact of mortality for annuitant contracts on long-term business relates primarily to the UK. This resulted in a reduction in 
reserves due to longevity assumptions and modelling which included: 
•  Updates to base mortality to reflect recent experience including the 2008 series tables for individual annuities of £345 million; 
•  Updates to the rate of mortality improvements including CMI 2017 of £251 million; 
•  Refinements to modelling of bulk purchase annuities together with a change to base mortality and improvements of £132 million; and 
•  Other less significant movements of £24 million. 

In Ireland and Singapore there was a slight reduction in the reserves of £28 million following a review of recent experience. 

In the general insurance and health business, a negative impact of £(54) million (2018: £1 million positive) has arisen primarily as a result of a 
decrease in the interest rates used to discount claim reserve for both periodic payment orders and latent claims. 

Aviva plc Annual report and accounts 2019 
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Governance 

IFRS financial statements 

Other information 

Notes to the consolidated financial statements 

 Continued  

49 – Unallocated divisible surplus 
An  unallocated  divisible  surplus  (UDS)  is  established  where  the  nature  of  policy  benefits  is  such  that  the  division  between  shareholder 
reserves and policyholder liabilities is uncertain at the reporting date. Therefore, the expected duration for settlement of the UDS is undefined. 

This note shows the movements in the UDS during the year. 

Carrying amount at 1 January  
Change in participating fund assets  
Change in participating fund liabilities  
Change in liability recognised as an expense  
Effect of portfolio transfers, acquisition and disposals1  
Foreign exchange rate movements  

Carrying amount at 31 December 

2019  
£m 

5,949  
9,411  
(5,426) 
3,985  
— 
(337) 

9,597  

2018 
£m 

9,101  
(4,139) 
902  
(3,237) 
48  
37  

5,949  

1  The movement during 2018 relates to the acquisition of Friends First (£66 million), and the disposal of the remainder of the Spanish business (£18 million). 

The amount of UDS at 31 December 2019 has increased to £9.6 billion (2018: £5.9 billion). The increase is mainly due to market movements in 
Europe as a result of decreasing interest rates, narrowing credit spreads and increasing equity returns. 

Where the aggregate amount of participating assets is less than the participating liabilities within a fund then the shortfall may be held as 
negative UDS, subject to recoverability testing as part of the liability adequacy requirements of IFRS 4. There are no material negative UDS 
balances at the participating fund-level within each life entity in the current period (2018: £355 million negative UDS within five funds in Italy).

Aviva plc Annual report and accounts 2019 
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Governance 

IFRS financial statements 

Other information 

Notes to the consolidated financial statements 

 Continued  

50 – Tax assets and liabilities 
This  note  analyses  the  tax  assets  and  liabilities  that  appear  in  the  statement  of  financial  position  and  explains  the  movements  in  these 
balances in the year. 

(a)  Current tax 
Current tax assets recoverable and liabilities payable in more than one year are £104 million and £9 million (2018: £24 million and £9 million), 
respectively. 

The Group is party to the CFC & Dividend Group Litigation Order, which challenged the tax treatment of dividends received from non-UK 
entities before 2009. The Group is attempting to recover claims from HMRC covered by this judgement. The uncertainty in respect of the 
claims resulted in no recoverable amounts being recognised at 31 December 2018. As a result of recent progress made with the claims a 
recoverable balance of £99 million is included within current tax assets at 31 December 2019. 

(b)  Deferred tax 
(i)  The balances at 31 December comprise: 

Deferred tax assets 
Deferred tax liabilities 

Net deferred tax liability 

Less: Classified as held for sale  

Amounts classified as held for sale include £11 million of deferred tax assets. (2018: £nil). 

(ii)  The net deferred tax liability arises on the following items: 

Long-term business technical provisions and other insurance items 
Deferred acquisition costs 
Unrealised gains on investments  
Pensions and other post-retirement obligations 
Unused losses and tax credits 
Subsidiaries, associates and joint ventures 
Intangibles and additional value of in-force long-term business 
Provisions and other temporary differences 

Net deferred tax liability 

Less: Classified as held for sale  

(iii)  The movement in the net deferred tax liability was as follows: 

Net liability at 1 January 
Adjustment at 1 January for adoption of IFRS 16 

Net liability at 1 January restated 
Acquisition and disposal of subsidiaries1  
Amounts (charged)/credited to income statement (note 14(a)) 
Amounts credited/(charged) to other comprehensive income (note 14(b)) 
Foreign exchange rate movements 
Other movements 

Net liability at 31 December 

1  The movement during 2018 relates mainly to the disposal of Avipop Assicurazioni SpA and Avipop Vita SpA. 

2019 
 £m 

162  
(2,155) 

(1,993) 

(11) 

2018  
£m 

185  
(1,885) 

(1,700) 

— 

(2,004) 

(1,700) 

2019  
£m 

1,752  
(198) 
(2,875) 
(425) 
103  
(13) 
(413) 
76  

(1,993) 

(11) 

2018  
£m 

663  
(199) 
(1,430) 
(499) 
147  
(9) 
(475) 
102  

(1,700) 

— 

(2,004) 

(1,700) 

2019  
£m 

(1,700) 
24  

(1,676) 
— 
(387) 
50  
23  
(3) 

(1,993) 

2018 
 £m 

(2,416) 
— 

(2,416) 
184  
545  
(9) 
(10) 
6  

(1,700) 

Deferred tax assets are recognised to the extent that it is probable that future taxable profits will be available against which the temporary 
differences can be utilised. In entities where there is a history of tax losses, deferred tax assets are only recognised in excess of deferred tax 
liabilities  if  there  is  convincing  evidence  that  future  taxable  profits  will  be  available.  Where  this  is  the  case,  the  directors  have  relied  on 
business plans supporting future profits. 

The Group has unrecognised gross tax losses (excluding capital losses) and other temporary differences of £1,270 million (2018: £798 million) 
to carry forward against future taxable income of the necessary category in the companies concerned. Of these, trading losses of £38 million 
will expire within the next 20 years. The remaining losses have no expiry date. 

In addition, the Group has unrecognised gross capital losses of £612 million (restated 2018: £604 million). These have no expiry date. 

There  are  no  temporary  differences  in  respect  of  unremitted  overseas  retained  earnings  for  which  deferred  tax  liabilities  have  not  been 
recognised at 31 December 2019 (2018: £nil).

Aviva plc Annual report and accounts 2019 
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Governance 

IFRS financial statements 

Other information 

Notes to the consolidated financial statements 

 Continued  

51 – Pension deficits and other provisions 
This note details the non-insurance provisions that the Group holds, and shows the movements in these during the year. 

(a)  Carrying amounts 

Total IAS 19 obligations to main staff pension schemes (note 52(a)) 
Deficits in other staff pension schemes 

Total IAS 19 obligations to staff pension schemes 
Restructuring provisions 
Other provisions 

Total provisions 

2019 
 £m 

770  
66  

836  
29  
700  

2018 
 £m 

693  
65  

758  
64  
577  

1,565  

1,399  

Other  provisions  primarily  include  amounts  set  aside  throughout  the  Group  relating  to  product  governance  rectification  and  staff 
entitlements.  

(b)  Movements on restructuring and other provisions 

At 1 January 
Additional provisions 
Provisions released during the period 

Charge to income statement 
Utilised during the year 
Acquisition of subsidiaries 
Foreign exchange rate movements 

At 31 December 

 Restructuring 
provisions  
£m 

Other 
provisions  
£m 

64  
2  
— 

2  
(37) 
— 
— 

29  

577  
302  
(57) 

245  
(118) 
— 
(4) 

700  

2019 

Total  
£m 

641  
304  
(57) 

247  
(155) 
— 
(4) 

729  

 Restructuring 
provisions  
£m 

Other 
provisions  
£m 

92  
1  
— 

1  
(29) 
— 
— 

64  

515  
269  
(128) 

141  
(89) 
5  
5  

577  

2018 

Total  
£m 

607  
270  
(128) 

142  
(118) 
5  
5  

641  

Of  the  total  restructuring  and  other  provisions,  £569  million  (2018:  £402  million)  is  expected  to  be  settled  more  than  one  year  after  the 
statement of financial position date. 

Other provisions include a £229 million provision (2018: £250 million) in respect of a product governance issue in our UK Life business. This 
provision relates to a historical issue with over 90% of cases identified being pre-2002 and is limited to advised sales by Friends Provident, 
where  a  number  of  external  defined  benefit  pension  arrangements  transferred  into  Friends  Provident  pension  arrangements.  We  have 
completed a thorough and detailed review of the suitability of the advice given, and we will ensure that no affected customers are financially 
disadvantaged. There has been no significant change to the provision estimate or estimation methodology since 31 December 2018. The 
most  significant  assumption  in  relation  to  the  calculation  of  the  provision  is  the  estimated  average  redress  per  customer.  Each  10% 
reduction/increase in the average redress per customer would reduce/increase the estimate of the provision by £23 million. The valuation of 
this provision involves a high degree of judgement due to the time that has elapsed since the advice was given (in particular the assumptions 
used to calculate how external defined benefit pension arrangements specific to each impacted policyholder would have performed over 
time), and therefore the possible range of outcomes is significant. The reduction in the value of the provision during 2019 of £21 million is 
due to utilisation in the period. The issue does not affect any other part of our business. The Group has notified its professional indemnity 
insurers and intends to make a claim on its insurance to mitigate the financial impact. 

Other provisions have increased during the year mainly due to the recognition of a new product governance provision in our UK Life business 
of £175 million. This provision relates to past communications to a specific sub-set of pension policyholders, that may not have adequately 
informed them of switching options into with-profit funds that were available to them. This issue is restricted to a product originally sold 
between 1985 and 1989 and acquired by Aviva through the purchase of Friends Life. It does not affect any other part of our business. We are 
completing a review to identify and contact affected customers to ensure they are not disadvantaged. The most significant assumption in 
relation to the calculation of the provision is the estimated rates of customer switching. Each 10% reduction/increase in the rates of switching 
would reduce/increase the estimate of the provision by £40 million. The valuation of the provision involves a high degree of judgement and 
estimation uncertainty due to the dependence on decisions made by customers, and therefore the possible range of outcomes is significant. 

The remainder of the increase in other provisions of £127 million largely relates to a number of relatively small new provisions including 
provisions relating to product governance rectification, warranty claims and litigation. This increase is offset by utilisation in the year of 
£118 million.

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IFRS financial statements 

Other information 

Notes to the consolidated financial statements 

 Continued  

52 – Pension obligations  
(a)  Introduction 
The Group operates a number of defined benefit and defined contribution pension schemes. The material defined benefit schemes are in the 
UK, Ireland and Canada. The assets and liabilities of these defined benefit schemes as at 31 December 2019 are shown below. 

Total fair value of scheme assets (see b(ii) below) 
Present value of defined benefit obligation 

Net IAS 19 surpluses/(deficits) in the schemes 

UK  
£m 

17,671 
(15,416) 

2,255 

Ireland  
£m 

833 
(1,035) 

(202) 

Canada  
£m 

264 
(341) 

(77) 

2019 

Total  
£m 

UK  
£m 

18,768 
(16,792) 

17,059 
(14,246) 

1,976 

2,813 

Surpluses included in other assets (note 31) 
Deficits included in provisions (note 51) 

Net IAS 19 surpluses/(deficits) in the schemes 

2,746 
(491) 

2,255 

— 
(202) 

(202) 

— 
(77) 

(77) 

2,746 
(770) 

1,976 

3,256 
(443) 

2,813 

Ireland  
£m 

775 
(950) 

(175) 

— 
(175) 

(175) 

Canada  
£m 

249 
(324) 

(75) 

2018 

Total  
£m 

18,083 
(15,520) 

2,563 

— 
(75) 

(75) 

3,256 
(693) 

2,563 

This note relates to the defined benefit pension schemes included in the table above. There are a number of smaller schemes that are also 
measured under IAS 19. These are included as a total within Deficits in other staff pension schemes (see note 51). Similarly, while the charges 
to the income statement for the main schemes are shown in section (b)(i) below, the total charges for all pension schemes are disclosed in 
section (d) below.  

Under the IAS 19 valuation basis, the Group applies the principles of IFRIC 14, ‘IAS 19 – The Limit on a Defined Benefit Asset, Minimum Funding 
Requirements and their Interaction’, whereby a surplus is only recognised to the extent that the Company is able to access the surplus either 
through an unconditional right of refund to the surplus or through reduced future contributions relating to ongoing service, which have been 
substantively enacted or contractually agreed. The Group has determined that it can derive economic benefit from the surplus in the ASPS 
via a reduction to future employer contributions for DC members, which could theoretically be paid from the surplus funds in the ASPS. In 
the RAC and FPPS, the Group has determined that the rules set out in the schemes’ governing documentation provide for an unconditional 
right to a refund from any future surplus funds in the schemes. 

The assets of the UK, Irish and Canadian schemes are held in separate trustee-administered funds to meet long-term pension liabilities to 
past and present employees. In all schemes, the appointment of trustees of the funds is determined by their trust documentation and they 
are required to act in the best interests of the schemes’ beneficiaries. The long-term investment objectives of the trustees and the employers 
are to limit the risk of the assets failing to meet the liabilities of the schemes over the long term, and to maximise returns consistent with an 
acceptable level of risk so as to control the long-term costs of these schemes. 

A funding actuarial valuation of each of the defined benefit schemes is carried out at least every three years for the benefit of scheme trustees 
and  members.  Actuarial  reports  have  been  submitted  for  each  scheme  within  this  period,  using  appropriate  methods  for  the  respective 
countries on local funding bases. 

The number of scheme members was as follows: 

Deferred members 
Pensioners 

Total members 

 United Kingdom 

2019  
Number 

45,748 
39,038 

84,786 

2018  
Number 

47,977 
38,433 

86,410 

2019  
Number 

2,479 
895 

3,374 

Ireland 

2018  
Number 

2,544 
897 

3,441 

2019 
Number 

467 
1,313 

1,780 

Canada 

2018 
Number 

519 
1,318 

1,837 

All schemes are closed to future accrual. Closure of the schemes has removed the volatility associated with additional future accrual for active 
members. 

(i)  UK schemes 
In the UK, the Group operates three main pension schemes, the Aviva Staff Pension Scheme (ASPS), the RAC (2003) Pension Scheme, which 
was retained after the sale of RAC Limited in September 2011, and the Friends Provident Pension Scheme (FPPS), which was acquired as part 
of the Friends Life acquisition in 2015. As the defined benefit sections of the UK schemes are now closed to both new members and future 
accrual, existing deferred members in active service and new entrants participate in the defined contribution section of the ASPS. The UK 
schemes operate within the UK pensions’ regulatory framework.  

(ii)  Other schemes  
In Ireland, the Group operates two main pension schemes, the Aviva Ireland Staff Pension Fund (AISPF) and the Friends First Group Retirement 
and Death Benefits Scheme (FFPS) which was acquired as part of the Friends First acquisition in June 2018. Future accruals for the AISPF and 
FFPS schemes ceased with effect from 30 April 2013 and 1 April 2014 respectively. The Irish schemes are regulated by the Pensions Authority 
in Ireland.  

The Canadian defined benefit schemes ceased accruals with effect from 31 December 2011. The main Canadian plan is a Registered Pension 
Plan in Canada and as such is registered with the Canada Revenue Agency and Financial Services Regulatory Authority of Ontario and is 
required to comply with the Income Tax Act of Canada and the various provincial Pension Acts within Canada.  

Aviva plc Annual report and accounts 2019 
214 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Strategic report 

Governance 

IFRS financial statements 

Other information 

Notes to the consolidated financial statements 

 Continued  

52 – Pension obligations continued 
(b)  IAS 19 disclosures 
Disclosures under IAS 19 for the material defined benefit schemes in the UK, Ireland and Canada are given below. Where schemes provide both 
defined benefit and defined contribution pensions, the assets and liabilities shown exclude those relating to defined contribution pensions.  

(i)  Movements in the scheme surpluses and deficits 
Movements in the pension schemes’ surpluses and deficits comprise: 

2019 

Net IAS 19 surplus in the schemes at 1 January  
Administrative expenses1  

Total pension cost charged to net operating expenses 
Net interest credited/(charged) to investment income/(finance costs)2  

Total recognised in income 

Remeasurements: 
Actual return on these assets 
Less: Interest income on scheme assets 

Return on scheme assets excluding amounts in interest income 
Losses from change in financial assumptions 
Gains from change in demographic assumptions 
Experience gains 

Total recognised in other comprehensive income 

Employer contributions 
Plan participant contributions 
Benefits paid 
Administrative expenses paid from scheme assets1  
Foreign exchange rate movements 

Net IAS 19 surplus in the schemes at 31 December 

Fair Value of 
scheme assets 
£m 

Present Value 
of defined 
benefit 
obligation  
£m 

IAS 19 
Pensions net 
surplus/ 
(deficits)  
£m 

18,083 
— 

(15,520) 
(19) 

2,563 
(19) 

— 
479 

479 

(19) 
(406) 

(425) 

(19) 
73 

54 

1,141 
(479) 

662 
— 
— 
— 

662 

215 
4 
(612) 
(19) 
(44) 

— 
— 

— 
(1,824) 
165 
130 

(1,529) 

— 
(4) 
612 
19 
55 

1,141 
(479) 

662 
(1,824) 
165 
130 

(867) 

215 
— 
— 
— 
11 

18,768 

(16,792) 

1,976 

1  Administrative expenses are expensed as incurred. 
2  Net interest income of £96 million has been credited to investment income and net interest expense of £23 million has been charged to finance costs (see note 8).  

The  present  value  of  unfunded  post-retirement  benefit  obligations  included  in  the  table  above  is  £118  million  at  31  December  2019 
(2018: £115 million). During the period the ASPS completed a bulk annuity buy-in transaction with Aviva Life & Pensions UK Limited, a Group 
Company. Due to different measurement bases applying for accounting purposes, the premium paid by the scheme exceeded the valuation 
of the plan asset recognised. This is the primary reason for the reduction in the scheme surplus over the year and has been recognised as an 
actuarial loss in the actual return on assets within other comprehensive income. The plan asset recognised is transferable and so has not 
been subject to consolidation within the Group’s financial statements.  

2018 

Net IAS 19 surplus in the schemes at 1 January  
Past service costs – amendments1 
Administrative expenses2  

Total pension cost charged to net operating expenses 
Net interest credited/(charged) to investment income/(finance costs)3  

Total recognised in income 

Remeasurements: 
Actual return on these assets 
Less: Interest income on scheme assets 

Return on scheme assets excluding amounts in interest income 
Gains from change in financial assumptions 
Losses from change in demographic assumptions 
Experience losses 

Total recognised in other comprehensive income 

Acquisitions 
Employer contributions 
Plan participant contributions 
Benefits paid 
Administrative expenses paid from scheme assets2  
Foreign exchange rate movements 

Net IAS 19 surplus in the schemes at 31 December 

Fair Value of 
scheme assets 
£m 

Present Value 
of defined 
benefit 
obligation  
£m 

IAS 19 Pensions 
net surplus/ 
(deficits)  
£m 

18,678 
— 
— 

(16,043) 
(63) 
(19) 

— 
442 

442 

(182) 
(442) 

(624) 
— 
— 
— 

(624) 

87 
236 
9 
(724) 
(23) 
2 

(82) 
(375) 

(457) 

— 
— 

— 
622 
(185) 
(93) 

344 

(96) 
— 
(9) 
724 
19 
(2) 

2,635 
(63) 
(19) 

(82) 
67 

(15) 

(182) 
(442) 

(624) 
622 
(185) 
(93) 

(280) 

(9) 
236 
— 
— 
(4) 
— 

18,083 

(15,520) 

2,563 

1  Past service costs include a charge of £63 million relating to the estimated additional liability arising in the UK defined benefit schemes as a result of the requirement to equalise members’ benefits for the effects of Guaranteed 

Minimum Pension (GMP). This additional liability has arisen following the High Court judgement in October 2018 in the case involving Lloyds Banking Group.  

2  Administrative expenses are expensed as incurred.  
3  Net interest income of £89 million has been credited to investment income and net interest expense of £22 million has been charged to finance costs (see note 8).  

Aviva plc Annual report and accounts 2019 
215 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Strategic report 

Governance 

IFRS financial statements 

Other information 

Notes to the consolidated financial statements 

 Continued  

52 – Pension obligations continued 
(ii)  Scheme assets  
Scheme assets are stated at their fair values at 31 December 2019. 

Total scheme assets are comprised by country as follows: 

UK 
 £m 

Ireland 
 £m 

Canada  
£m 

Bonds  

Fixed interest  
Index-linked 

Property  
Pooled investment vehicles 
Derivatives 
Insurance Policies 
Cash and other1  

Total fair value of scheme assets  
Less: consolidation elimination for non-transferable Group 

insurance policy2  

Total IAS 19 fair value of scheme assets 

6,745 
10,598 
392 
4,497 
60 
1,977 
(5,952) 

18,317 

(646) 

17,671 

439 
284 
— 
283 
4 
— 
(177) 

833 

— 

833 

UK 
 £m 

Ireland  
£m 

Canada 
 £m 

2019 

Total  
£m 

7,325 
10,882 
392 
4,902 
64 
1,977 
(6,128) 

6,121 
10,409 
353 
4,738 
(65) 
776 
(4,653) 

141 
— 
— 
122 
— 
— 
1 

264 

19,414 

17,679 

— 

(646) 

(620) 

264 

18,768 

17,059 

2018 

Total  
£m 

6,762 
10,702 
353 
5,393 
(61) 
776 
(5,222) 

18,703 

(620) 

18,083 

493 
293 
— 
555 
4 
— 
(570) 

775 

— 

775 

148 
— 
— 
100 
— 
— 
1 

249 

— 

249 

1  Cash and other assets comprise cash at bank, receivables, payables and repurchase agreements. At 31 December 2019, cash and other assets primarily consist of repurchase agreements of £3,078 million (2018: £3,741 million). 
2  As at 31 December 2019, the FPPS asset includes an insurance policy of £646 million (2018: £620 million) issued by a Group company that is not transferable under IAS 19 and is consequently eliminated from the Group’s IAS 19 

scheme assets. Insurance policies issued by other Group companies of £1,331 million as at 31 December 2019 (2018: £156 million) included in the ASPS asset are transferable and so are not subject to consolidation. 

IAS  19  plan  assets  include  investments  in  Group-managed  funds  in  the  consolidated  statement  of  financial  position  of  £2,575  million 
(2018: £2,730 million) and transferable insurance policies with other Group companies of £1,331 million (2018: £156 million) in the ASPS. Where 
the investments are in segregated funds with specific asset allocations, they are included in the appropriate line in the table above, otherwise 
they appear in ‘Cash and other’. There are no significant judgements involved in the valuation of the scheme assets. Insurance policies are 
valued on the same basis as the pension scheme liabilities, as required by IAS19. 

(iii) Assumptions on scheme liabilities 
The valuations used for accounting under IAS 19 have been based on the most recent funding actuarial valuations, updated to take account 
of the standard’s requirements in order to assess the liabilities of the material schemes at 31 December 2019. 

The projected unit credit method 
The inherent uncertainties affecting the measurement of scheme liabilities require these to be measured on an actuarial basis. This involves 
discounting the best estimate of future cash flows to be paid out by the scheme using the projected unit credit method. This is an accrued 
benefits valuation method which calculates the past service liability to members and makes allowance for their projected future earnings. It 
is based on a number of actuarial assumptions, which vary according to the economic conditions of the countries in which the relevant 
businesses are situated, and changes in these assumptions can materially affect the measurement of the pension obligations. 

Aviva plc Annual report and accounts 2019 
216 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Strategic report 

Governance 

IFRS financial statements 

Other information 

Notes to the consolidated financial statements 

 Continued  

52 – Pension obligations continued 
Financial assumptions 
The main financial assumptions used to calculate scheme liabilities under IAS 19 are:  

2019 

UK 

2018 

Inflation rate1  
General salary increases2 
Pension increases3  
Deferred pension increases3  
Discount rate4, 5  

Basis of discount rate 

3.0%/2.2% 
4.8% 
3.0%/2.2% 
3.0%/2.2% 
1.9% (non-insured members) 
1.9% (insured members – ASPS) 
1.8% (insured members – FPPS) 

3.3%/2.2% 
5.1% 
3.3%/2.2% 
3.3%/2.2% 
2.7%/ 
2.6%(pensioners)/ 
2.7%(deferred) 
AA-rated corporate bonds 

2019 

1.5% 
3.0% 
0.35% 
1.5% 
1.1%/1.2% 

Ireland 

2018 

1.6% 
3.1% 
0.4% 
1.6% 
1.8%/1.9% 

2019 

2.0% 
2.5% 
1.25% 
— 
3.00% 

Canada 

2018 

2.0% 
2.5% 
1.25% 
— 
3.75% 

AA-rated corporate bonds 

AA-rated corporate bonds 

1  For the UK schemes, assumptions are provided for RPI/CPI. In the UK, relevant RPI/CPI swap curves are used, which are equivalent to the single rates shown. In 2019, CPI is now derived as RPI less 100bps pre 2030 and RPI less 

60bps post 2030 (2018: RPI less 110bps at all terms). 
In the UK, the only remaining linkage between pension benefits and general salary increases is in respect of a small amount of Guaranteed Minimum Pension benefits, in line with National Average Earnings.  

2 
3  For the UK schemes, assumptions are provided for RPI/CPI. In the UK, relevant RPI/CPI swap curves are used, which are equivalent to the single rates shown. The assumptions are also adjusted to reflect the relevant caps/floors 

and the inflation volatility. 

4  To calculate scheme liabilities in the UK, a single discount rate is used in the RAC scheme, whereas for ASPS and FPPS, separate discount rates are used for the defined benefit obligation for members included / not included in 

annuity policies held by the scheme.  

5  For the Irish schemes, a discount rate of 1.1% and 1.2% is used for AISPF and FFPS respectively, reflecting the differences in the duration of the liabilities between the two schemes. 

The discount rate and pension increase rate are the two assumptions that have the largest impact on the value of the liabilities, with the 
difference between them being known as the net discount rate. For each country, the discount rate is based on current average yields of high-
quality debt instruments taking account of the maturities of the defined benefit obligations.  

Mortality assumptions 
Mortality  assumptions  are  material  in  measuring  the  Group’s  obligations  under  its  defined  benefit  schemes.  The  assumptions  used  are 
summarised in the table below and have been selected to reflect the characteristics and experience of the membership of these schemes. 

The mortality tables, average life expectancy and pension duration used at 31 December 2019 for scheme members are as follows: 

Mortality table 

UK – ASPS  

SAPS tables as a proxy for Club Vita pooled experience, including an allowance 

for future improvements 

– RAC 

SAPS, including allowances for future improvement 

– FPPS  

SAPS, including allowances for future improvement 

Ireland – AISPF  73%/81% PNA00 with allowance for future improvements 

– FFPS 

88%/91% ILT15 with allowance for future improvements 

Canada 

Canadian Pensioners’ Mortality 2014 Private Table, including allowance for future 

improvements 

Life expectancy/(pension  
duration) at NRA of a male 

Life expectancy/(pension 
duration) at NRA of a female 

Normal 
retirement age 
(NRA) 

Currently aged 
NRA  

20 years 
younger than 
NRA 

Currently aged 
NRA 

20 years 
younger than 
NRA 

60 

65 

60 

61 

65 

65 

88.2 
(28.2) 
86.9 
(21.9) 
87.6 
(27.6) 

89.7 
(28.7) 
86.6 
(21.6) 

87.0 
(22.0) 

90.0 
(30.0) 
88.9 
(23.9) 
90.0 
(30.0) 

92.7 
(31.7) 
89.0 
(24.0) 

88.5 
(23.5) 

89.6 
(29.6) 
89.5 
(24.5) 
90.1 
(30.1) 

91.4 
(30.4) 
89.0 
(24.0) 

89.5 
(24.5) 

91.9 
(31.9) 
91.4 
(26.4) 
92.2 
(32.2) 

94.3 
(33.3) 
91.1 
(26.1) 

90.9 
(25.9) 

The assumptions above are based on commonly used mortality tables. The tables make allowance for observed variations in such factors as 
age, gender, pension amount, salary and postcode-based lifestyle group, and have been adjusted to reflect recent research into mortality 
experience. However, the extent of future improvements in longevity is subject to considerable uncertainty and judgement is required in 
setting this assumption. For the ASPS, which is the most material scheme to the Group, the allowance for mortality improvement is per the 
actuarial profession’s ‘CMI_2018 (S=7.25) Advanced with adjustments’ model (2018: ‘CMI_2017 (S=7.5) Advanced with adjustments’), with a 
long-term improvement rate of 1.75% per annum (2018: 1.75% per annum) for males and 1.5% per annum (2018: 1.5% per annum) for females. 
The CMI_2018 tables have been adjusted by adding 0.25% per annum (2018: 0.25% per annum) and 0.35% per annum (2018: 0.35% per annum) 
to the initial rate of mortality improvements for males and females respectively (to allow for greater mortality improvements in the pension 
scheme membership relative to the general population on which CMI_2018 is based), and uses the advanced parameters to taper the long-
term improvement rates to zero between ages 90 and 115 (2018: long-term improvement rates taper to zero between ages 90 and 115) (the 
‘core’ parameters taper the long-term improvement rates to zero between ages 85 and 110). 

Aviva plc Annual report and accounts 2019 
217 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Strategic report 

Governance 

IFRS financial statements 

Other information 

Notes to the consolidated financial statements 

 Continued  

52 – Pension obligations continued 
Sensitivity analysis 
Significant actuarial assumptions for the determination of the defined benefit obligation are discount rate, inflation rate and mortality. The 
sensitivity analysis below has been determined by changing the respective assumptions while holding all other assumptions constant. The 
following table summarises how the defined benefit obligation would have increased/(decreased) as a result of the change in the respective 
assumptions:  

Impact on present value of defined benefit obligation 

Impact on present value of defined benefit obligation at 31 December 2019 
Impact on present value of defined benefit obligation at 31 December 2018 

1 The effect of assuming all members in the schemes were one year younger.  

Increase in 
discount rate 
+1%  
£m 

Decrease in 
discount rate  
-1%  
£m 

Increase in 
inflation rate 
+1%  
£m 

Decrease in 
inflation rate  
-1%  
£m 

(2,786) 
(2,502) 

3,713 
3,317 

2,627 
2,275 

(2,037) 
(1,788) 

1 year  
younger1  

£m 

613 
536 

It  is  unlikely  that  the  changes  in  assumptions  would  occur  in  isolation  of  one  another  as  some  of  the  assumptions  may  be  correlated. 
Furthermore, the present value of the defined benefit obligation has been calculated using the projected unit credit method, which is the 
same as that applied in calculating the defined benefit obligation recognised within the consolidated statement of financial position. In 
addition, the sensitivities shown are for liabilities only and ignore the impact on assets, which would significantly mitigate the net interest 
rate and inflation sensitivity impact on the net surplus, as well as the longevity sensitivity impact due to the insurance policy and longevity 
swap assets held by the UK schemes. 

Maturity profile of the defined benefit obligation 
The discounted scheme liabilities have an average duration of 19 years in ASPS, 21 years in FPPS, 19 years in the RAC scheme, 19 years in 
AISPF, 28 years in FFPS and 11 years in the Canadian scheme. The expected undiscounted benefits payable from the main UK defined benefit 
scheme, ASPS, is shown in the chart below: 

Undiscounted benefit payments (£m)  

Deferred member cash flows

Pensioner cash flows

500

400

300

200

100

0

2020

2048

2078

2118

(iv) Risk management and asset allocation strategy  
As noted above, the investment objectives of the trustees and the employers are to limit the risk of the assets failing to meet the liabilities of 
the schemes over the long-term, and to maximise returns consistent with an acceptable level of risk so as to control the long-term costs of 
these schemes. To meet these objectives, the schemes’ assets are invested in a portfolio, consisting primarily of debt securities as detailed 
in section (b)(ii). The investment strategy will continue to evolve over time and is expected to match the liability profile increasingly closely 
with swap overlays to improve interest rate and inflation matching. The schemes are generally matched to interest rate risk relative to the 
funding bases. 

Main UK scheme 
The Company works closely with the trustee, who is required to consult with the Company on the investment strategy.  

Interest rate and inflation rate risks are managed using a combination of liability-matching assets and swaps. Exposure to equity risk has 
been reducing over time and credit risk is managed within risk appetite. Currency risk is relatively small and is largely hedged. The other 
principal risk is longevity risk. This risk has reduced due to the ASPS entering into a longevity swap in 2014 covering approximately £5 billion 
of pensioner in payment scheme liabilities.  

In October 2019 the ASPS completed a bulk annuity buy-in transaction with Aviva Life & Pensions UK Limited, a Group Company. This covered 
approximately £1.1 billion of liabilities related to deferred pensioners and current pensioners, removing the investment and longevity risk for 
these members from the scheme.  

Other schemes 
The other schemes are considerably less material but their risks are managed in a similar way to those in the main UK scheme. In 2015, the 
RAC pension scheme entered into a longevity swap covering approximately £0.6 billion of pensioner in payment scheme liabilities. 

Aviva plc Annual report and accounts 2019 
218 

 
 
 
 
Strategic report 

Governance 

IFRS financial statements 

Other information 

Notes to the consolidated financial statements 

 Continued  

52 – Pension obligations continued 
(v)  Funding  
Formal actuarial valuations normally take place every three years and where there is a deficit, the Group and the trustees would agree a deficit 
recovery plan. The assumptions adopted for triennial actuarial valuations are determined by the trustees and agreed with the Group and are 
normally more prudent than the assumptions adopted for IAS19 purposes, which are best estimate.  

For the ASPS, following the latest formal actuarial valuation (with an effective date of 31 March 2018) a schedule of contributions was agreed 
with the trustees, even though the ASPS was fully funded on its technical provisions basis consistent with the requirements of the UK pension 
regulations.  

Total employer contributions for all defined benefit schemes in 2020 are currently expected to be £0.2 billion.  

(c)  Defined contribution (money purchase) section of the ASPS 
The trustees have responsibility for selecting a range of suitable funds in which the members can choose to invest and for monitoring the 
performance of the available investment funds. Members are responsible for reviewing the level of contributions they pay and the choice of 
investment fund to ensure these are appropriate to their risk appetite and their retirement plans. Members of this section contribute at least 
2% of their pensionable salaries, and depending on the percentage chosen, the Group contributes up to a maximum 14%, together with the 
cost of the death-in-service benefits. These contribution rates remained unchanged until June 2017. From 1 July 2017, for every 1% additional 
employee  contribution,  the  Group  will  contribute  an  additional  0.1%  employer  contribution.  The  amount  recognised  as  an  expense  for 
defined contribution schemes is shown in section (d) below.  

(d)  Charge to staff costs in the income statement 
The total pension charge to staff costs for all of the Group’s defined benefit and defined contribution schemes were: 

Continuing operations 
UK defined benefit schemes  
Overseas defined benefit schemes  

Total defined benefit schemes (note 11(b)) 
UK defined contribution schemes  
Overseas defined contribution schemes  

Total defined contribution schemes (note 11(b)) 

Total charge for pension schemes 

2019  
£m 

21 
1 

22 
143 
21 

164 

186 

2018  
£m 

22 
1 

23 
143 
20 

163 

186 

There were no significant contributions payable or prepaid in the consolidated statement of financial position as at either 31 December 2019 
or 2018.

Aviva plc Annual report and accounts 2019 
219 

 
 
 
 
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IFRS financial statements 

Other information 

Notes to the consolidated financial statements 

 Continued  

53 – Borrowings 
Our borrowings are classified as either core structural borrowings, which are included within the Group’s capital employed, or operational 
borrowings  drawn  by  operating  subsidiaries.  This  note  shows  the  carrying  values  and  contractual  maturity  amounts  of  each  type,  and 
explains their main features and movements during the year. 

(a)  Analysis of total borrowings 
Total borrowings comprise: 

Core structural borrowings, at amortised cost 
Operational borrowings, at amortised cost 
Operational borrowings, at fair value 

Less: Liabilities classified as held for sale 

(b)  Core structural borrowings 
(i)  The carrying amounts of these borrowings are:  

Subordinated debt 
6.125% £700 million subordinated notes 2036 
6.125% £800 million undated subordinated notes 
6.875% £600 million subordinated notes 2058 
12.000% £162 million subordinated notes 2021 
8.250% £500 million subordinated notes 2022 
6.625% £450 million subordinated notes 2041 
6.125% €650 million subordinated notes 2043 
3.875% €700 million subordinated notes 2044 
5.125% £400 million subordinated notes 2050 
3.375% €900 million subordinated notes 2045 
4.500% C$450 million subordinated notes 2021 
4.375% £400 million subordinated notes 2049 

Senior notes 
0.625% €500 million senior notes 2023 
1.875% €750 million senior notes 2027 

Commercial paper 

Less: Amount held by Group companies 

Total 

2019  
£m 

7,496  
338  
1,233  
1,571  

9,067  
(28) 

9,039  

2018  
£m 

7,699  
496  
1,225  
1,721  

9,420  
— 

9,420  

2019  
£m 

695  
797  
594  
179  
545  
449  
549  
591  
395  
756  
261  
395  

2018  
£m 

694  
797  
594  
191  
563  
449  
582  
625  
395  
799  
257  
394  

6,206  

6,340  

422 
630  

1,052  

238  

7,496  

— 

446 
667  

1,113  

251  

7,704  

(5) 

7,496  

7,699  

Aviva plc Annual report and accounts 2019 
220 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Strategic report 

Governance 

IFRS financial statements 

Other information 

Notes to the consolidated financial statements 

 Continued  

53 – Borrowings continued 
(ii)  The contractual maturity dates of undiscounted cash flows for these borrowings are: 

Within one year 
1 to 5 years 
5 to 10 years 
10 to 15 years 
Over 15 years 

Total contractual undiscounted cash flows 

2019  
£m 

Total  
£m 

610  
2,602  
2,087  
1,417  
7,893  

Interest  
£m 

372  
1,255  
1,451  
1,417  
2,636  

7,131  

14,609  

Principal  
£m 

238  
1,347  
636  
— 
5,257  

7,478  

Principal  
£m 

251  
1,370  
673  
— 
5,365  

7,659  

Interest  
£m 

376  
1,353  
1,490  
1,441  
2,923  

7,583  

2018  
£m 

Total  
£m 

627  
2,723  
2,163  
1,441  
8,288  

15,242  

Borrowings are considered current if the contractual maturity dates are within a year. Where subordinated debt is undated or loan notes are 
perpetual, the interest payments have not been included beyond 15 years. Annual interest payments in future years for these borrowings are 
£49 million (2018: £49 million).  

Contractual undiscounted interest payments are calculated based on underlying fixed interest rates or prevailing market floating rates as 
applicable. Year-end exchange rates have been used for interest projections on loans in foreign currencies. 

(c)  Operational borrowings 
(i)  The carrying amounts of these borrowings are: 

Amounts owed to financial institutions 
Loans 

Securitised mortgage loan notes 
UK lifetime mortgage business (note 26(b)) 

Total 

2019  
£m 

2018  
£m 

338  

496  

1,233  

1,571  

1,225  

1,721  

All the above borrowings are stated at amortised cost, except for the loan notes issued in connection with the UK lifetime mortgage business 
of £1,233 million (2018: £1,225 million). These loan notes are carried at fair value, their values are modelled on risk-adjusted cash flows for 
defaults discounted at a risk-free rate plus a market-determined liquidity premium, and are therefore classified as ‘Level 3’ in the fair value 
hierarchy. The risk allowances are consistent with those used in the fair value asset methodology, as described in note 24. These have been 
designated at fair value through profit and loss in order to present the relevant mortgages, borrowings and derivative financial instruments 
at fair value, since they are managed as a portfolio on a fair value basis. This presentation provides more relevant information and eliminates 
any accounting mismatch. 

The  securitised  mortgage  loan  notes  are  at  various  fixed,  floating  and  index-linked  rates.  Further  details  about  these  notes  are  given  
in note 26. 

(ii)  The contractual maturity dates of undiscounted cash flows for these borrowings are: 

Within one year 
1 to 5 years 
5 to 10 years 
10 to 15 years 
Over 15 years 

Total contractual undiscounted cash flows 

Principal 
 £m 

Interest 
 £m 

294  
392  
559  
59  
212  

1,516  

46  
173  
148  
116  
109  

592  

2019  
£m 

Total  
£m 

340  
565  
707  
175  
321  

Principal 
 £m 

Interest  
£m 

257  
535  
555  
180  
136  

49  
185  
163  
142  
154  

693  

2,108  

1,663  

2018 
 £m 

Total 
 £m 

306  
720  
718  
322  
290  

2,356  

Contractual undiscounted interest payments are calculated based on underlying fixed interest rates or prevailing market floating rates as 
applicable. Year-end exchange rates have been used for interest projections on loans in foreign currencies. 

Aviva plc Annual report and accounts 2019 
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IFRS financial statements 

Other information 

Notes to the consolidated financial statements 

 Continued  

53 – Borrowings continued 
(d)  Description and features 
(i)  Subordinated debt 
A description of each of the subordinated notes is set out in the table below: 

Notional amount 

£700 million 
£800 million 
£600 million 
£162 million 
£500 million 
£450 million 
€650 million 
€700 million 
£400 million 
€900 million 
C$450 million 
£400 million 

 Issue date 

 Redemption date 

 Callable at par at option of the 
Company from 

In the event the Company does not call the notes, the 
coupon will reset at each applicable reset date to 

 14 Nov 2001 
 29 Sep 2003 
20 May 2008 
21 May 2009 
21 April 2011 
26 May 2011 
5 July 2013 
3 July 2014 
4 June 2015 
4 June 2015 
9 May 2016 
12 September 2016 

 14 Nov 2036 
 Undated 
20 May 2058 
21 May 2021 
21 April 2022 
3 June 2041 
5 July 2043 
3 July 2044 
4 June 2050 
4 December 2045 
10 May 2021 
12 September 2049 

 16 Nov 2026 
 29 Sep 2022 
20 May 2038 
N/A 
N/A 
3 June 2021 
5 July 2023 
3 July 2024 
4 December 2030 
4 December 2025 
N/A 
12 September 2029 

 5 year Benchmark Gilt + 2.85% 
 5 year Benchmark Gilt + 2.40% 
3 month LIBOR + 3.26% 
N/A 
N/A 
6 Month LIBOR + 4.136% 
5 year EUR mid-swaps + 5.13% 
5 year EUR mid-swaps + 3.48% 
3 month LIBOR + 4.022% 
3 month Euribor + 3.55% 
N/A 
3 month LIBOR + 4.721% 

Subordinated notes issued by the Company rank below its senior obligations and ahead of its preference shares and ordinary share capital. 
The dated subordinated notes rank ahead of the undated subordinated notes. The fair value of notes at 31 December 2019 was £7,211 million 
(2018: £6,610 million), calculated with reference to quoted prices.  

(ii)  Senior notes 
All senior notes are at fixed rates and their total fair value at 31 December 2019 was £1,134 million (2018: £1,113 million). 

(iii) Commercial paper 
The commercial paper consists of £238 million issued by the Company (2018: £251 million) and is considered core structural funding. The fair 
value of the commercial paper is considered to be the same as its carrying value and all issuances are repayable within one year. 

(iv) Loans 
Loans owed to financial institutions comprise: 

Non-recourse  

Loans to property partnerships  
UK Life reassurance 
Other non-recourse loans 

Other loans 

2019 
 £m 

64  
— 
52  

116  
222  

338  

2018  
£m 

61  
177  
52  

290  
206  

496  

As explained in accounting policy D, the UK long-term business policyholder funds have invested in a number of property funds and structures 
(the ‘Property Funds’), some of which have raised external debt, secured on the relevant Property Fund’s property portfolio. The lenders are 
only entitled to obtain payment of interest and principal to the extent there are sufficient resources in the relevant Property Fund and they 
have  no  recourse  whatsoever  to  the  policyholder  or  shareholders’  funds  of  any  companies  in  the  Group.  Loans  of  £64  million  
(2018: £61 million) included in the table above relate to Property Funds.  

At 31 December 2019 the obligations to repay third parties arising out of financial reinsurance operations were nil (2018: £177 million).  

Other non-recourse loans primarily include external debt raised by special purpose vehicles in the UK long-term business. The lenders have 
no recourse whatsoever to the shareholders’ funds of any companies in the Group. The outstanding balance of these loans at 31 December 
2019 was £52 million (2018: £52 million).  

Other loans of £222 million (2018: £206 million) include external debt raised by overseas long-term businesses to fund operations. 

(v)  Securitised mortgage loan notes 
Loan notes have been issued by special purpose securitisation companies in the UK. Details are given in note 26. 

Aviva plc Annual report and accounts 2019 
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IFRS financial statements 

Other information 

Notes to the consolidated financial statements 

 Continued  

53 – Borrowings continued 
(e)  Movements during the year 
Movements in borrowings during the year were:  

New borrowings drawn down, excluding commercial paper, net of expenses  
Repayment of borrowings, excluding commercial paper1  
Movement in commercial paper2  
Net cash outflow 
Foreign exchange rate movements 
Borrowings reclassified/(loans repaid) for non-cash consideration1  
Fair value movements 
Amortisation of discounts and other non-cash items 
Movements in debt held by Group companies3  

Movements in the year 
Balance at 1 January 

Balance at 31 December 

2019  
£m 

Core 
Structural  
£m 

— 
(210) 
19  

(191) 
(204) 
210  
— 
(23) 
5  

(203) 
7,699  

7,496  

Operational 
£m 

Total  
£m 

Core Structural 
£m 

Operational  
£m 

75  
(231) 
— 

(156) 
(28) 
(4) 
38  
— 
— 

(150) 
1,721  

1,571  

75  
(441) 
19  

(347) 
(232) 
206  
38  
(23) 
5  

(353) 
9,420  

9,067  

649  
(1,178) 
(419) 

(948) 
42  
— 
— 
(35) 
— 

(941) 
8,640  

7,699  

126  
(211) 
— 

(85) 
6  
65  
89  
— 
— 

75  
1,646  

1,721  

2018 
 £m 

Total  
£m 

775  
(1,389) 
(419) 

(1,033) 
48  
65  
89  
(35) 
— 

(866) 
10,286  

9,420  

1  On 17 October 2019, notification was given that the Group would redeem the 6.875% £210 million tier 1 notes. At that date, the instruments were reclassified as a financial liability of £210 million, representing the fair value at 
that date. On 21 November 2019 the instruments were redeemed in full at a cost of £210 million. The difference of £21 million between the carrying amount of £231 million and fair value of £210 million has been charged to 
retained earnings. See note 37 for further details. 

2  Gross issuances of commercial paper were £505 million in 2019 (2018: £2,372 million), offset by repayments of £486 million (2018: £2,791 million). 
3  Certain subsidiary companies have purchased subordinated notes and securitised loan notes issued by Group companies as part of their investment portfolios. In the consolidated statement of financial position, borrowings 

are shown net of these holdings but movements in such holdings over the year are reflected in the tables above. 

All  movements  in  fair  value  in  2018  and  2019  on  securitised  mortgage  loan  notes  designated  as  fair  value  through  profit  or  loss  were 
attributable to changes in market conditions.  

(f)  Undrawn borrowings 
The Group has the following undrawn committed central borrowing facilities available to them, which are used to support the commercial 
paper programme: 

Expiring within one year 
Expiring beyond one year 

54 – Payables and other financial liabilities 
This note analyses our payables and other financial liabilities at the end of the year.  

Payables arising out of direct insurance 
Payables arising out of reinsurance operations 
Deposits and advances received from reinsurers 
Bank overdrafts (see below) 
Derivative liabilities (note 61) 
Amounts due to brokers for investment purchases 
Obligations for repayment of cash collateral received 
Lease liabilities (note 23(iii)) 
Other financial liabilities 

Total 

Less: Liabilities classified as held for sale 

Expected to be settled within one year 
Expected to be settled in more than one year 

2019  
£m 

— 
1,650  

1,650  

2018  
£m 

— 
1,650  

1,650  

2019 
 £m 

1,503  
348  
78  
870  
6,517  
314  
6,329  
572  
1,634  

Restated1  
2018  
£m 

1,374  
464  
129  
563  
6,478  
240  
6,714  
— 
1,745  

18,165  

17,707  

(27) 

(26) 

18,138  

13,856  
4,309  

18,165  

17,681  

11,599  
6,108  

17,707  

1  Following a review of the Group’s presentation of consolidated investment funds, comparative amounts have been restated from those previously reported. The restatement has had no impact on the profit for the year or equity. 

See note 1(a) for further information. 

Bank  overdrafts  amount  to  £536  million  (2018:  £153  million)  in  life  business  operations  and  £334  million  (2018:  £410  million)  in  general 
insurance business and other operations. 

All payables and other financial liabilities are carried at cost, which approximates to fair value, except for derivative liabilities which are carried 
at their fair values and lease liabilities which are carried at the present value of the outstanding lease payments. 

Aviva plc Annual report and accounts 2019 
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IFRS financial statements 

Other information 

Notes to the consolidated financial statements 

 Continued  

55 – Other liabilities  
This note analyses our other liabilities at the end of the year. 

Deferred income 
Reinsurers’ share of deferred acquisition costs 
Accruals 
Other liabilities 

Total 

Less: Liabilities as held for sale 

Expected to be settled within one year 
Expected to be settled in more than one year 

2019  
£m 

135  
23  
1,197  
1,799  

3,154  

(60) 

3,094  

2,399  
755  

3,154  

Restated1  
2018  
£m 

138  
19  
1,265  
1,685  

3,107  

(33) 

3,074  

2,482  
625  

3,107  

1  Following a review of the Group’s presentation of consolidated investment funds, comparative amounts have been restated from those previously reported. The restatement has had no impact on the profit for the year or equity. 

See note 1(a) for further information. 

56 – Contingent liabilities and other risk factors 
This note sets out the main areas of uncertainty over the calculation of our liabilities. 

(a)  Uncertainty over claims provisions 
Note  44  gives  details  of  the  estimation  techniques  used  by  the  Group  to  determine  the  general  insurance  business  outstanding  claims 
provisions and of the methodology and assumptions used in determining the long-term business provisions. These approaches are designed 
to allow for the appropriate cost of policy-related liabilities, with a degree of prudence, to give a result within the normal range of outcomes. 
However, the actual cost of settling these liabilities may differ, for example because experience may be worse than that assumed, or future 
general insurance business claims inflation may differ from that expected, and hence there is uncertainty in respect of these liabilities. 

(b)  Asbestos, pollution and social environmental hazards 
In the course of conducting insurance business, various companies within the Group receive general insurance liability claims, and become 
involved in actual or threatened related litigation arising therefrom, including claims in respect of pollution and other environmental hazards. 
Amongst these are claims in respect of asbestos production and handling in various jurisdictions, including Europe, Canada and Australia. 
Given the significant delays that are experienced in the notification of these claims, the potential number of incidents they cover and the 
uncertainties associated with establishing liability, the ultimate cost cannot be determined with certainty. However, on the basis of current 
information having regard to the level of provisions made for general insurance claims and substantial reinsurance cover now in place, the 
directors consider that any additional costs arising are not likely to have a material impact on the financial position of the Group. 

(c)  Guarantees on long-term savings products 
As a normal part of their operating activities, various Group companies have given guarantees and options, including interest rate guarantees, 
in respect of certain long-term insurance and investment products. Note 46 gives details of these guarantees and options. In providing these 
guarantees and options, the Group’s capital position is sensitive to fluctuations in financial variables including foreign currency exchange 
rates,  interest  rates,  property  values  and  equity  prices.  Interest  rate  guaranteed  returns,  such  as  those  available  on  guaranteed  annuity 
options, are sensitive to interest rates falling below the guaranteed level. Other guarantees, such as maturity value guarantees and guarantees 
in relation to minimum rates of return, are sensitive to fluctuations in the investment return below the level assumed when the guarantee 
was made. The directors continue to believe that the existing provisions for such guarantees and options are sufficient. 

(d)  Regulatory compliance 
The Group’s insurance and investment business is subject to local regulation in each of the countries in which it operates. A number of the 
Group’s  UK  subsidiaries  are  dual  regulated  (directly  authorised  by  both  the  PRA  (for  prudential  regulation)  and  the  FCA  (for  conduct 
regulation)) while others are solo regulated (regulated solely by the FCA for both prudential and conduct regulation). Between them, the PRA 
and FCA have broad powers including the authority to grant, vary the terms of, or cancel a regulated firm’s authorisation; to investigate 
marketing  and  sales  practices;  and  to  require  the  maintenance  of  adequate  financial  resources.  The  Group’s  regulators  outside  the  UK 
typically have similar powers, but in some cases they also operate a system of ‘prior product approval’. 

The Group’s regulated businesses have compliance resources to respond to regulatory enquiries in a constructive way, and take corrective 
action when warranted. However, all regulated financial services companies face the risk that their regulator could find that they have failed 
to comply with applicable regulations or have not undertaken corrective action as required. 

The impact of any such finding (whether in the UK or overseas) could have a negative impact on the Group’s reported results or on its relations 
with current and potential customers. Regulatory action against a member of the Group could result in adverse publicity for, or negative 
perceptions regarding, the Group, or could have a material adverse effect on the business of the Group, its results, operations and/or financial 
condition and divert management’s attention from the day-to-day management of the business. 

Aviva plc Annual report and accounts 2019 
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Other information 

Notes to the consolidated financial statements 

 Continued  

56 – Contingent liabilities and other risk factors continued 
(e)  Structured settlements  
The Group has purchased annuities from licensed Canadian life insurers to provide for fixed and recurring payments to claimants. As a result 
of these arrangements, the Group is exposed to credit risk to the extent that any of the life insurers fail to fulfill their obligations. The Group’s 
maximum exposure to credit risk for these types of arrangements is approximately £707 million as at 31 December 2019 (2018: £710 million). 
Credit risk is managed by acquiring annuities from a diverse portfolio of life insurers with proven financial stability. This risk is reduced to the 
extent of coverage provided by Assuris, the Canadian life insurance industry compensation plan. As at 31 December 2019, no information has 
come  to  the  Group’s  attention  that  would  suggest  any  weakness  or  failure  in  life  insurers  from  which  it  has  purchased  annuities  and 
consequently no provision for credit risk is required. 

(f)  Other 
In the course of conducting insurance and investment business, various Group companies receive liability claims, and become involved in 
actual or threatened related litigation. In the opinion of the directors, adequate provisions have been established for such claims and no 
material loss will arise in this respect. 

In  addition,  in  line  with  standard  business  practice,  various  Group  companies  have  given  guarantees,  indemnities  and  warranties  in 
connection with disposals in recent years of subsidiaries and associates to parties outside the Aviva Group. In the opinion of the directors, no 
material unprovisioned loss will arise in respect of these guarantees, indemnities and warranties. 

There are a number of charges registered over the assets of Group companies in favour of other Group companies or third parties. In addition, 
certain of the Company’s assets are charged in favour of certain of its subsidiaries as security for intra-Group loans. 

57 – Capital commitments 
This note gives details of our commitments to capital expenditure. See note 23 for further information on lease commitments. 

Contractual commitments for acquisitions or capital expenditures of infrastructure loans, equity funds, investment property and property 
and equipment, which have not been recognised in the financial statements, are as follows: 

Infrastructure loan advances 
Investment property 
Property and equipment 
Other investment vehicles1  

2019  
£m 

853  
115  
62  
241  

2018 
 £m 

898  
42  
77  
266  

1,271  

1,283  

1  Represents commitments for further investment in certain private equity vehicles. Such commitments do not expose the Group to the risk of future losses in excess of its investment. 

Notes 19 and 20 set out the commitments the Group has to its joint ventures and associates. 

58 – Group capital management 
(a)  Group capital 
The  Group  is  required  to  measure  and  monitor  its  capital  resources  on  a  regulatory  basis  and  to  comply  with  the  minimum  capital 
requirements of regulators in each territory in which it operates. At a Group level, we have to comply with the requirements established by 
the Solvency II Framework Directive, as adopted by the PRA at the balance sheet date. 

The Group Solvency II capital requirements are calculated using a Partial Internal Model (PIM) which assesses the risks the Group is exposed 
to on an Internal Model basis approved by the PRA. The Solvency II capital regime requires insurers to calculate regulatory capital adequacy 
at both individual regulated subsidiaries and an aggregate Group level. Non-EEA entities have been included in Group solvency in line with 
Solvency II requirements. Other financial sector entities (including fund management) are included at their proportional share of the capital 
requirement according to the relevant sectoral values. In addition, non-EEA businesses including Canada, Hong Kong and Singapore, are 
subject to the locally applicable capital requirements in the jurisdictions in which they operate. 

At our Capital Markets Day in November 2019, we announced robust financial targets focussed on economic value. However, Group capital 
continues to be represented by Solvency II own funds. The Solvency II position disclosed is based on a ‘shareholder view’. The shareholder 
view is considered by management to be more representative of the shareholders’ risk exposure and the Group’s ability to cover the solvency 
capital requirement (SCR) with eligible own funds and aligns with management’s approach to dynamically manage its capital position. 

Aviva plc Annual report and accounts 2019 
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IFRS financial statements 

Other information 

Notes to the consolidated financial statements 

 Continued  

58 – Group capital management continued 
In arriving at the shareholder position, the following adjustments are typically made to the regulatory Solvency II own funds: 
•  The contribution to the Group’s SCR and own funds of the most material fully ring fenced with-profits funds of £2,501 million at 31 December 
2019 (2018: £2,634 million) and staff pension schemes in surplus of £1,181 million at 31 December 2019 (2018: £1,142 million) are excluded. 
These exclusions have no impact on Solvency II surplus as these funds are self-supporting on a Solvency II capital basis with any surplus 
capital above SCR not recognised. 

•  A notional reset of the transitional measure on technical provisions (TMTP), calculated using the same method as used for formal TMTP 
resets. This presentation avoids step changes to the Solvency II position that arise only when the formal TMTP reset points are triggered. 
The 31 December 2019 position is based on a formal reset of the TMTP, in line with the requirement to reset the TMTP at least every two 
years and hence no adjustment is required. The 31 December 2018 Solvency II position includes a notional reset (£127 million reduction in 
own funds). The TMTP is amortised on a straight-line basis over 16 years from 1 January 2016 in line with the Solvency II rules. 

•  The 31 December 2019 Solvency II position includes three pro forma adjustments. These relate to the disposal of FPI (£111 million reduction 
in own funds), the disposal of Hong Kong (£6 million reduction in own funds) and the potential impact of an expected change to Solvency 
II regulations on the treatment of equity release mortgages (£nil impact on own funds). The 31 December 2018 Solvency II position includes 
the pro forma impact of the disposals of FPI (£113 million reduction in own funds) and the potential impact of an expected change to 
Solvency II regulations on the treatment of equity release mortgages (£nil impact on own funds). 

Estimated Solvency II regulatory own funds as at 31 December1 
Adjustments for: 
Fully ring-fenced with-profits funds 
Staff pension schemes in surplus 
Notional reset of TMTP 
Pro forma adjustments 

Estimated Solvency II shareholder own funds at 31 December 

Own funds  
2019 
£m 

Own funds  
2018 
£m 

28,347 

27,567 

(2,501) 
(1,181) 
— 
(117) 

(2,634) 
(1,142) 
(127) 
(113) 

24,548 

23,551 

1  Regulation was introduced in France that allows French insurers to place the Provision pour Participation aux Excedents (PPE) into Solvency II own funds. The PPE has been included in the France local regulatory own funds in 

2019 but it is not included in the Group regulatory own funds. 

Solvency II own funds are comprised of a combination of shareholders’ funds, preference share capital, direct capital instruments, tier 1 
notes, subordinated debt, and deferred tax assets measured on a Solvency II basis. During the year, the Group redeemed its £210 million 
6.875% Step-Up Tier I Insurance Capital Securities subordinated debt instruments in full. 

Solvency II surplus at the Group level represents the excess of eligible Solvency II own funds over the Group’s solvency capital requirements 
calculated  in  accordance  with  Solvency  II  requirements.  The  Group  maintained  capital  in  excess  of  the  SCR  at  all  times  during  2019.  
All regulated subsidiaries complied with their capital requirements throughout the year. 

Further information on the Group’s Solvency II position (shareholder view), including a reconciliation between IFRS equity and own funds 
can be found in the Other information section. This information is estimated and is therefore subject to change. It is also unaudited. 

(b)  Risks and capital management objectives 
The primary objective of capital management is to maintain an efficient capital structure, in a manner consistent with our risk profile and the 
regulatory and market requirements of our business. Capital is a primary consideration across a wide range of business activities, including 
product  development,  pricing,  business  planning,  merger  and  acquisition  transactions  and  asset  and  liability  management.  A  Capital 
Management  Standard,  applicable  Group-wide,  sets  out  minimum  standards  and  guidelines  over  responsibility  for  capital  management 
including considerations for capital management decisions and requirements for management information, capital monitoring, reporting, 
forecasting, planning and overall governance. 

The Group manages capital in conjunction with solvency capital requirements, and seeks to, on a consistent basis: 
•  Match the profile of our assets and liabilities, taking into account the risks inherent in each business; 
•  Maintain sufficient, but not excessive, financial strength in accordance with risk appetite, to support new business growth and satisfy the 
requirements of our regulators and other stakeholders giving both our customers and shareholders assurance of our financial strength. 
See note 60 for more information about the Group’s risk management approach; 

•  Retain financial flexibility by maintaining strong liquidity, access to a range of capital markets and significant unutilised committed credit 

lines; 

•  Allocate capital rigorously to support value adding growth and repatriate excess capital where appropriate; and 
•  Declare dividends with reference to factors including growth in cash flow and earnings. 

Aviva plc Annual report and accounts 2019 
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Other information 

Notes to the consolidated financial statements 

 Continued  

59 – Statement of cash flows 
This note gives further detail behind the figures in the statement of cash flows.  

(a)  The reconciliation of profit before tax to the net cash inflow from operating activities is: 

Profit before tax 
Adjustments for: 
Share of profits of joint ventures and associates  
Dividends received from joint ventures and associates 
(Profit)/loss on sale of: 
Investment property 
Property and equipment  
Subsidiaries, joint ventures and associates 
Investments  

Fair value (gains)/losses on: 
Investment property  
Investments  
Borrowings  

Depreciation of property and equipment  
Equity compensation plans, equity settled expense 
Impairment and expensing of: 
Goodwill on subsidiaries  
Financial investments, loans and other assets  
Acquired value of in-force business and intangibles 
Non-financial assets  

Amortisation of: 

Premium/discount on debt securities  
Premium/discount on borrowings 
Premium/discount on non-participating investment contracts 
Financial instruments 
Acquired value of in-force business and intangibles  

Change in unallocated divisible surplus  
Interest expense on borrowings  
Net finance income on pension schemes 
Foreign currency exchange losses/(gains) 

Changes in working capital 
(Increase)/decrease in reinsurance assets  
Increase in deferred acquisition costs  
Increase/(decrease) in insurance liabilities and investment contracts2  
Increase in other assets2  

Net purchases of operating assets 
Net purchases of investment property 
Net proceeds on sale of investment property  
Net purchases of financial investments  

Total cash generated from operating activities 

2019  
£m 

3,933 

(85) 
81 

(58) 
2 
22 
(10,537) 
(10,571) 

(93) 
(18,428) 
38 
(18,483) 
98 
62 

6 
14 
13 
22 
55 

109 
(23) 
226 
23 
392 
727 
3,985 
553 
(73) 
345 

Restated1  
2018  
£m 

1,652 

(112) 
43 

(69) 
1 
(102) 
(7,319) 
(7,489) 

(307) 
29,792 
89 
29,574 
40 
64 

13 
10 
— 
— 
23 

587 
(35) 
243 
16 
392 
1,203 
(3,237) 
551 
(67) 
(164) 

(1,141) 
(244) 
32,535 
(435) 
30,715 

(1,131) 
1,294 
(4,988) 
(4,825) 

6,517 

2,191 
(98) 
(12,031) 
(2,884) 
(12,822) 

(791) 
959 
(3,579) 
(3,411) 

5,848 

1  Following a review of the Group’s presentation of consolidated investment funds, comparative amounts have been restated from those previously reported. The review identified amounts presented within cash and cash 

equivalents that are now presented as loans and financial investments. The restatement has had no impact on the profit for the year or equity. See note 1(a) for further information. 

2  Comparative amounts have been reclassified from those previously reported to disclose the impact of the change in the Ogden discount rate from Increase in other assets to Increase/(decrease) in insurance liabilities and 

investment contracts. 

The  cash  flows  presented  in  this  statement  cover  all  the  Group’s  activities  and  include  flows  from  both  policyholder  and  shareholder 
activities. Operating cash flows reflect the movement in both policyholder and shareholder controlled cash and cash equivalent balances. 

During  the  year  the  net  operating  cash  inflow  reflects  a  number  of  factors,  including  the  level  of  premium  income,  payments  of  claims, 
creditors and surrenders and purchases and sales of operating assets including financial investments. It also includes changes in the size and 
value of consolidated cash investment funds and changes in the Group participation in these funds. 

(b)  Cash flows in respect of the acquisition of, and additions to, subsidiaries, joint ventures and associates comprised: 

Cash consideration for subsidiaries, joint ventures and associates acquired and additions 
Less: Cash and cash equivalents acquired with subsidiaries 

Total cash flow on acquisitions and additions 

2019  
£m 

(20) 
1 

(19) 

2018  
£m 

(165) 
357 

192 

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 Continued  

59 – Statement of cash flows continued 
(c)  Cash flows in respect of the disposal of subsidiaries, joint ventures and associates comprised: 

Cash proceeds from disposal of subsidiaries, joint ventures and associates  
Less: Net cash and cash equivalents divested with subsidiaries  

Total cash flow on disposals 

The above figures form part of cash flows from investing activities.  

(d)  Cash and cash equivalents in the statement of cash flows at 31 December comprised:  

Cash at bank and in hand  
Cash equivalents  

Bank overdrafts  

2019  
£m 

12 
— 

12 

2018  
£m 

441 
(60) 

381 

2019  
£m 

6,722 
13,582 

20,304 
(870) 

Restated1  
 2018  
£m 

5,620 
10,994 

16,614 
(563) 

19,434 

16,051 

1  Following a review of the Group’s presentation of consolidated investment funds, comparative amounts have been restated from those previously reported. The restatement has had no impact on the profit for the year or equity. 

See note 1(a) for further information. 

Cash and cash equivalents reconciles to the statement of financial position as follows: 

Cash and cash equivalents (excluding bank overdrafts) 
Less: Assets classified as held for sale 

2019  
£m 

20,304 
(780) 

Restated1  
2018  
£m 

16,614 
(688) 

19,524 

15,926 

1  Following a review of the Group’s presentation of consolidated investment funds, comparative amounts have been restated from those previously reported. The restatement has had no impact on the profit for the year or equity. 

See note 1(a) for further information. 

60 – Risk management  
This note sets out the major risks our businesses and our shareholders face and describes the Group’s approach to managing these. It also 
gives sensitivity analysis around the major economic and non-economic assumptions that can cause volatility in the Group’s earnings and 
capital position. 

(a)  Risk management framework 
The risk management framework in Aviva forms an integral part of the management and Board processes and decision-making framework 
across the Group. The key elements of our risk management framework comprise risk appetite; risk governance, including risk policies and 
business standards, risk oversight committees and roles and responsibilities; and the processes we use to identify, measure, manage, monitor 
and report risks, including the use of our risk models and stress and scenario testing. 

For the purposes of risk identification and measurement, and aligned to Aviva’s risk policies, risks are usually grouped by risk type: credit, 
market,  liquidity,  life  insurance  (including  long-term  health),  general  insurance  (including  short-term  health),  asset  management  and 
operational risk. Risks falling within these types may affect a number of metrics including those relating to balance sheet strength, liquidity 
and  profit.  They  may  also  affect  the  performance  of  the  products  we  deliver  to  our  customers  and  the  service  to  our  customers  and 
distributors, which can be categorised as risks to our brand and reputation or as conduct risk. 

To  promote  a  consistent  and  rigorous  approach  to  risk  management  across  all  businesses  we  have  a  set  of  risk  policies  and  business 
standards  which  set  out  the  risk  strategy,  appetite,  framework  and  minimum  requirements  for  the  Group’s  worldwide  operations.  The 
business chief executive officers make an annual declaration supported by an opinion from the business chief risk officers that the system of 
governance and internal controls was effective and fit for purpose for their business throughout the year. 

A  regular  top-down  key  risk  identification  and  assessment  process  is  carried  out  by  the  risk  function.  This  includes  the  consideration  of 
emerging  risks  and  is  supported  by  deeper  thematic  reviews.  This  process  is  replicated  at  the  business  unit  level.  The  risk  assessment 
processes are used to generate risk reports which are shared with the relevant risk committees. 

Risk models are an important tool in our measurement of risks and are used to support the monitoring and reporting of the risk profile and 
in the consideration of the risk management actions available. We carry out a range of stress (where one risk factor, such as equity returns, is 
assumed to vary) and scenario (where combinations of risk factors are assumed to vary) tests to evaluate their impact on the business and 
the management actions available to respond to the conditions envisaged. For those risk types managed through the holding of capital, 
being our principal risk types except for liquidity risk, we measure and monitor our risk profile on the basis of the SCR. 

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Notes to the consolidated financial statements 

 Continued  

60 – Risk management continued 
Roles and responsibilities for risk management in Aviva are based around the ‘three lines of defence model’ where ownership for risk is taken 
at all levels in the Group. Line management in the business is accountable for risk management, including the implementation of the risk 
management framework and embedding of the risk culture. The risk function is accountable for quantitative and qualitative oversight and 
challenge  of  the  risk  identification,  measurement,  monitoring,  management  and  reporting  processes  and  for  developing  the  risk 
management framework. Internal Audit provides an independent assessment of the risk framework and internal control processes. 

Board oversight of risk and risk management across the Group is maintained on a regular basis through its Risk Committee and Customer, 
Conduct and Reputation Committee. The Board has overall responsibility for determining risk appetite, which is an expression of the risk the 
business is willing to take. Risk appetites are set relative to capital and liquidity at Group and in the business units. 

Risk appetites, requiring management action if breached, are also set for interest rate and foreign exchange risk (calculated on the basis of 
the SCR), and liquidity risk (based on stressing forecast central liquid assets and cash inflows and outflows over a specified time horizon). For 
other risk types the Group sets Solvency II capital tolerances. The Group’s position against risk appetite and capital tolerances is monitored 
and reported to the Board on a regular basis. Long-term sustainability depends upon the protection of franchise value and good customer 
relationships. As such, Aviva has a risk preference that we will not accept risks that materially impair the reputation of the Group and requires 
that customers are always treated with integrity. The oversight of risk and risk management at the Group level is supported by the Asset 
Liability Committee, which focuses on business and financial risks, and the Operational Risk Committee which focuses on operational and 
reputational risks. Similar committee structures with equivalent terms of reference exist in the business units. 

The risk management framework of a small number of our joint ventures and strategic equity holdings differs from the Aviva framework 
outlined in this note. We work with these entities to understand how their risks are managed and to align them, where possible, with Aviva’s 
framework. 

Further information on the types and management of specific risk types is given in sections (b) to (h) below. 

(b)  Credit risk  
Credit risk is the risk of financial loss as a result of the default or failure of third parties to meet their payment obligations to Aviva, or variations 
in market values as a result of changes in expectations related to these risks. Credit risk is taken so that we can provide the returns required 
to satisfy policyholder liabilities and to generate returns for our shareholders. In general we prefer to take credit risk over equity and property 
risks, due to the better expected risk adjusted return, our credit risk analysis capability and the structural investment advantages conferred 
to insurers with long-dated, relatively illiquid liabilities. 

Our approach to managing credit risk recognises that there is a risk of adverse financial impact resulting from fluctuations in credit quality of 
third parties including default, rating transition and credit spread movements. Our credit risks arise principally through exposures to debt 
security  investments,  structured  asset  investments,  bank  deposits,  derivative  counterparties,  mortgage  lending  and  reinsurance 
counterparties. 

The Group manages its credit risk at business unit and Group level. All business units are required to implement credit risk management 
processes (including limits frameworks), operate specific risk management committees, and ensure detailed reporting and monitoring of 
their exposures against pre-established risk criteria. At Group level, we manage and monitor all exposures across our business units on a 
consolidated basis, and operate a Group limit framework that must be adhered to by all. 

A detailed breakdown of the Group’s current credit exposure by credit quality is shown below. 

(i)  Financial exposures by credit ratings 
Financial assets are graded according to current external credit ratings issued. AAA is the highest possible rating. Investment grade financial 
assets are classified within the range of AAA to BBB ratings. Financial assets which fall outside this range are classified as sub-investment 
grade. The following table provides information regarding the aggregated credit risk exposure of the Group for financial assets with external 
credit ratings. ‘Not rated’ assets capture assets not rated by external ratings agencies. 

As at 31 December 2019 

Fixed maturity securities 
Reinsurance assets  
Other investments 
Loans  

Total 

Restated1 as at 31 December 2018 

Fixed maturity securities2  
Reinsurance assets  
Other investments2  
Loans  

Total 

AAA  

AA 

A 

BBB 

Below BBB 

Not rated 

Carrying value 
including held 
for sale  
£m 

Less: Assets 
classified as 
held for sale 
£m 

Carrying value 
£m 

10.7%  
3.3%  
0.2%  
18.3%  

34.1%  
75.8%  
— 
3.8%  

19.7%  
9.2%  
0.3%  
0.1%  

23.0%  
7.8%  
0.1%  
— 

8.0%  
— 
— 
— 

4.5%   199,481  
12,431  
3.9%  
51,935  
99.4%  
38,580  
77.8%  

(649)  198,832  
12,356  
45,016  
38,579  

(75) 
(6,919) 
(1) 

AAA  

AA 

A 

BBB 

Below BBB 

Not rated 

10.0%  
— 
0.2%  
17.4%  

36.6%  
83.1%  
0.1%  
7.5%  

18.1%  
10.0%  
0.4%  
— 

23.9%  
2.7%  
0.1%  
— 

5.9%  
— 
— 
— 

5.5%  
4.2%  
99.2%  
75.1%  

302,427  

(7,644)  294,783  

Carrying value 
including held 
for sale 
 £m 

Less: Assets 
classified as 
held for sale 
 £m 

Carrying value 
£m 

192,072  
11,800  
46,567  
36,184  

286,623  

(397) 
(45) 
(6,644) 
— 

191,675  
11,755  
39,923  
36,184  

(7,086) 

279,537  

1  Following a review of the Group’s presentation of consolidated investment funds, comparative amounts have been restated from those previously reported. The review identified amounts presented within cash and cash 
equivalents and other investments that are now presented as loans and fixed maturity securities in the table above. The restatement has had no impact on the profit for the period or equity. See note 1(a) for further information. 
2  Following a review of the classification of financial assets, comparative amounts have been amended from those previously reported. The effect of this change is to reclassify £2,201 million of assets from fixed maturity securities 

to other investments. 

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 Continued  

60 – Risk management continued 
The  majority  of  non-rated  debt  securities  within  shareholder  assets  are  held  by  our  businesses  in  the  UK.  Of  these  securities  most  are 
allocated an internal rating using a methodology largely consistent with that adopted by an external rating agency, and are considered to be 
of  investment  grade  credit  quality;  these  include  £4,095  million  (2018:  £3,640  million)  of  debt  securities  held  in  our  UK  Life  business, 
predominantly made up of private placements and other corporate bonds, which have been internally rated as investment grade. 

The following table provides information on the Group’s exposure by credit ratings to financial assets that meet the definition of ‘solely 
payment of principal and interest’ (SPPI).  

As at 31 December 2019 

Loans  
Receivables 
Accrued income and interest 
Other financial assets 

Total 

Restated1 as at 31 December 2018 

Loans  
Receivables 
Accrued income and interest 
Other financial assets 

Total 

AAA 
£m  

7,065  
— 
— 
— 

7,065  

AAA 
£m  

6,299  
6  
— 
— 

6,305  

AA 
£m 

1,443  
144  
— 
— 

1,587  

AA 
£m 

2,720  
213  
— 
— 

2,933  

A 
£m 

— 
338  
— 
5  

343  

A 
£m 

— 
294  
18  
10  

322  

BBB 
£m 

— 
259  
— 
— 

259  

BBB 
£m 

— 
214  
— 
— 

214  

Below BBB 
£m 

Not rated 
£m 

— 
4  
— 
— 

4  

1,071  
5,044  
265  
— 

6,380  

Below BBB 
£m 

Not rated 
£m 

— 
— 
— 
— 

— 

894  
4,882  
175  
— 

5,951  

1  Following a review of the Group’s presentation of consolidated investment funds, comparative amounts have been restated from those previously reported. The review identified amounts presented within cash and cash 

equivalents that are now presented as loans in the table above. The restatement has had no impact on the profit for the period or equity. See note 1(a) for further information. 

At the period end, the Group held cash and cash equivalents of £15,344 million (2018 restated: £11,249 million) that met the SPPI criteria, of 
which £15,322 million (2018 restated: £11,234 million) is placed with financial institutions with issuer ratings within the range of AAA to BBB. 
Further information on the extent to which unrated receivables, including those that meet the SPPI criteria, are past due may be found in 
section (ix) of this note. 

The Group continues to hold a series of macro credit hedges to reduce the overall credit risk exposure. The Group’s maximum exposure to 
credit risk of financial assets, without taking collateral or these hedges into account, is represented by the carrying value of the financial 
instruments  in  the  statement  of  financial  position.  These  comprise  debt  securities,  reinsurance  assets,  derivative  assets,  loans  and 
receivables. The carrying values of these assets are disclosed in the relevant notes: financial investments (note 28), reinsurance assets (note 
47), loans (note 25) and receivables (note 29). The collateral in place for these credit exposures is disclosed in note 62 Financial assets and 
liabilities subject to offsetting, enforceable master netting agreements and similar agreements. 

(ii)  Other investments 
Other investments (including assets of operations classified as held for sale) include unit trusts and other investment vehicles; derivative 
financial instruments, representing positions to mitigate the impact of adverse market movements; and other assets, including deposits with 
credit institutions and minority holdings in property management undertakings. 

The  credit  quality  of  the  underlying  debt  securities  within  investment  vehicles  is  managed  by  the  safeguards  built  into  the  investment 
mandates for these funds which determine the funds’ risk profiles. At the Group level, we also monitor the asset quality of unit trusts and 
other investment vehicles against Group set limits. 

A proportion of the assets underlying these investments are represented by equities and so credit ratings are not generally applicable. Equity 
exposures are managed against agreed benchmarks that are set with reference to overall appetite for market risk. 

(iii) Loans 
The Group loan portfolio principally comprises: 
•  Policy loans which are generally collateralised by a lien or charge over the underlying policy; 
•  Loans and advances to banks which primarily relate to loans of cash collateral received in stock lending transactions. These loans are fully 

collateralised by other securities; 

•  Healthcare, infrastructure and PFI loans secured against healthcare, education, social housing and emergency services related premises; 

and  

•  Mortgage loans collateralised by property assets. 

We use loan to value, interest and debt service cover, and diversity and quality of the tenant base metrics to internally monitor our exposures 
to  mortgage  loans.  We  use  credit  quality,  based  on  dynamic  market  measures,  and  collateralisation  rules  to  manage  our  stock  lending 
activities. Policy loans are loans and advances made to policyholders, and are collateralised by the underlying policies. 

(iv) Credit concentration risk 
The long-term and general insurance businesses are generally not individually exposed to significant concentrations of credit risk due to the 
regulations applicable in most markets and the Group credit policy and limits framework, which limit investments in individual assets and 
asset classes. Credit concentrations are  monitored as part of the regular credit monitoring process and are reported to the Group Asset 
Liability Committee (ALCO). With the exception of government bonds the largest aggregated counterparty exposure within shareholder assets 
is to the Swiss Reinsurance Company Ltd (including subsidiaries), representing approximately 2.4% of the total shareholder assets. 

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60 – Risk management continued 
(v)  Reinsurance credit exposures 
The Group is exposed to concentrations of risk with individual reinsurers due to the nature of the reinsurance market and the restricted range 
of reinsurers that have acceptable credit ratings. The Group operates a policy to manage its reinsurance counterparty exposures, by limiting 
the reinsurers that may be used and applying strict limits to each reinsurer. Reinsurance exposures are aggregated with other exposures to 
ensure that the overall risk is within appetite. The Group Capital and Group Risk teams have an active monitoring role with escalation to the 
Chief Financial Officer (CFO), Chief Risk Officer (CRO), Group ALCO and the Board Risk Committee as appropriate. 

The  Group’s  largest  reinsurance  counterparty  is  Swiss  Reinsurance  Company  Ltd  (including  subsidiaries).  At  31  December  2019,  the 
reinsurance asset recoverable, including debtor balances, from Swiss Reinsurance Company Ltd was £3,097 million (2018: £2,835 million).  

(vi) Securities finance 
The Group has significant securities financing operations within the UK and smaller operations in some other businesses. The risks within 
this activity are mitigated by collateralisation and minimum counterparty credit quality requirements. 

(vii)  Derivative credit exposures 
The Group is exposed to counterparty credit risk through derivative trades. This risk is generally mitigated through holding collateral for most 
trades. Residual exposures are captured within the Group’s credit management framework. 

(viii) Unit-linked business 
In  unit-linked  business  the  policyholder  bears  the  direct  market  risk  and  credit  risk  on  investment  assets  in  the  unit  funds  and  the 
shareholders’ exposure to credit risk is limited to the extent of the income arising from asset management charges based on the value of 
assets in the fund. 

(ix) Impairment of financial assets 
In assessing whether financial assets carried at amortised cost or classified as available for sale are impaired, due consideration is given to 
the factors outlined in accounting policies (T) and (V). The following table provides information regarding the carrying value of financial assets 
subject to impairment testing that have been impaired and the ageing of those assets that are past due but not impaired. The table excludes 
assets carried at fair value through profit or loss and held for sale. 

As at 31 December 2019 

Fixed maturity securities 
Reinsurance assets  
Other investments  
Loans  
Receivables and other financial assets 

Restated1 as at 31 December 2018 

Fixed maturity securities 
Reinsurance assets  
Other investments  
Loans  
Receivables and other financial assets 

Financial assets that are past due but not impaired 

Neither past 
due nor 
impaired 
 £m 

1,455  
8,361  
2  
10,260  
8,911  

Neither past 
due nor 
impaired 
 £m 

1,675  
7,791  
1  
10,658  
8,536  

0–3 months 
£m 

3–6 months 
£m 

6 months– 
1 year 
 £m 

Greater than  
1 year  
£m 

— 
— 
— 
— 
51  

— 
— 
— 
— 
14  

6  
— 
— 
— 
10  

— 
— 
— 
— 
9  

Financial assets that are past due but not impaired 

0–3 months 
 £m 

3–6 months 
 £m 

6 months– 
1 year  
£m 

Greater than  
1 year  
£m 

— 
— 
— 
— 
74  

— 
— 
— 
— 
16  

5  
— 
— 
— 
11  

— 
— 
— 
— 
2  

Financial 
assets that 
have been 
impaired  
£m 

— 
— 
— 
— 
— 

Financial  
assets that 
have been 
impaired  
£m 

— 
— 
— 
— 
— 

Carrying  
value  
£m 

1,461  
8,361  
2  
10,260  
8,995  

Carrying  
value  
£m 

1,680  
7,791  
1  
10,658  
8,639  

1  Following a review of the Group’s presentation of consolidated investment funds, comparative amounts have been restated from those previously reported. The review identified amounts presented within cash and cash 

equivalents that are now presented as loans in the table above. The restatement has had no impact on the profit for the period or equity. See note 1(a) for further information. 

Excluded  from  the  tables  above  are  financial  and  reinsurance  assets  carried  at  fair  value  through  profit  or  loss  that  are  not  subject  to 
impairment  testing,  as  follows:  £198,020  million  of  debt  securities  (2018  restated:  £190,392  million),  £44,836  million  of  other  investments  
(2018 restated: £41,209 million), £28,319 million of loans (2018: £25,526 million) and £4,006 million of reinsurance assets (2018: £4,006 million). 

Where assets have been classed as ‘past due and impaired’, an analysis is made of the risk of default and a decision is made whether to seek 
to mitigate the risk. There were no material financial assets that would have been past due or impaired had the terms not been renegotiated. 

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60 – Risk management continued 
(c)  Market risk 
Market risk is the risk of adverse financial impact resulting, directly or indirectly from fluctuations in interest rates, inflation, foreign currency 
exchange rates, equity and property prices. Market risk arises in business units due to fluctuations in both the value of liabilities and the value 
of investments held. At Group level, it also arises in relation to the overall portfolio of international businesses and in the value of investment 
assets owned directly by the shareholders. We actively seek some market risks as part of our investment and product strategy. However, we 
have limited appetite for interest rate risk as we do not believe it is adequately rewarded. 

The management of market risk is undertaken at business unit and at Group level. Businesses manage market risks locally using the Group 
market risk framework and within local regulatory constraints. Group Capital is responsible for monitoring and managing market risk at Group 
level and has established criteria for matching assets and liabilities to limit the impact of mismatches due to market movements. 

In  addition,  where  the  Group’s  long-term  savings  businesses  have  written  insurance  and  investment  products  where  the  majority  of 
investment risks are borne by its policyholders, these risks are managed in line with local regulations and marketing literature, in order to 
satisfy the policyholders’ risk and reward objectives. The Group writes unit-linked business in a number of its operations. The shareholders’ 
exposure to market risk on this business is limited to the extent that income arising from asset management charges is based on the value of 
assets in the fund. 

The most material types of market risk that the Group is exposed to are described below. 

(i)  Equity price risk 
The Group is subject to direct equity price risk arising from changes in the market values of its equity securities portfolio. Our most material 
indirect equity price risk exposures are to policyholder unit-linked funds, which are exposed to a fall in the value of the fund thereby reducing 
the fees we earn on those funds, and participating contracts, which are exposed to a fall in the value of the funds thereby increasing our costs 
for  policyholder  guarantees.  We  also  have  some  equity  exposure  in  shareholder  funds  through  equities  held  to  match  inflation-linked 
liabilities.  

We continue to limit our direct equity exposure in line with our risk preferences. At a business unit level, investment limits and local investment 
regulations require that business units hold diversified portfolios of assets thereby reducing exposure to individual equities. The Group does 
not have material holdings of unquoted equity securities. 

Equity  risk  is  also  managed  using  a  variety  of  derivative  instruments,  including  futures  and  options.  Businesses  actively  model  the 
performance of equities through the use of risk models, in particular to understand the impact of equity performance on guarantees, options 
and bonus rates. An equity hedging strategy remains in place to help control the Group’s overall direct and indirect exposure to equities. At 
31 December 2019 the Group continues to hold a series of macro equity hedges to reduce the overall shareholder equity risk exposure. 

Sensitivity to changes in equity prices is given in section (i) Risk and capital management, below. 

(ii)  Property price risk 
The Group is subject to property price risk directly due to holdings of investment properties in a variety of locations worldwide and indirectly 
through investments in mortgages and mortgage backed securities. Investment in property is managed at business unit level, and is subject 
to local regulations on investments, liquidity requirements and the expectations of policyholders. 

As at 31 December 2019, no material derivative contracts had been entered into to mitigate the effects of changes in property prices. Exposure 
to property risk on equity release mortgages from sustained underperformance in the UK House Price Index (HPI) is mitigated by capping 
loan to value on origination at low levels and regularly monitoring the performance of the mortgage portfolio. 

Sensitivity to changes in property prices is given in section (i) Risk and capital management, below. 

(iii) Interest rate risk 
Interest rate risk arises primarily from the Group’s investments in long-term debt and fixed income securities and their movement relative to 
the value placed on the insurance liabilities. A number of policyholder product features have an influence on the Group’s interest rate risk. 
The major features include guaranteed surrender values, guaranteed annuity options, and minimum surrender and maturity values. Details 
of material guarantees and options are given in note 46.  

Exposure to interest rate risk is monitored through several measures that include duration, capital modelling, sensitivity testing and stress 
and scenario testing. The impact of exposure to sustained low interest rates is considered within our scenario testing. 

The Group typically manages interest rate risk by investing in fixed interest securities which closely match the interest rate sensitivity of the 
liabilities where such investments are available. In particular, a key objective is to at least match the duration of our annuity liabilities with 
assets of the same duration, and in some cases where appropriate cash flow matching has been used. These assets include corporate bonds, 
residential mortgages and commercial mortgages. Should they default before maturity, it is assumed that the Group can reinvest in assets of 
a similar risk and return profile, which is subject to market conditions. Interest rate risk is also managed in some business units using a variety 
of derivative instruments, including futures, options, swaps, caps and floors. 

Some of the Group’s products, principally participating contracts, expose us to the risk that changes in interest rates will impact on profits 
through  a  change  in  the  interest  spread  (the  difference  between  the  amounts  that  we  are  required  to  pay  under  the  contracts  and  the 
investment  income  we  are  able  to  earn  on  the  investments  supporting  our  obligations  under  those  contracts).  Markets  where  Aviva  is 
primarily exposed to this risk are the UK, France, Italy and some other Asian business units. 

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60 – Risk management continued 
The low interest rate environment in a number of markets around the world has resulted in our current investment yields being lower than 
the overall current portfolio yield, primarily in our investments in fixed income securities. We anticipate that interest rates may remain below 
historical averages for an extended period of time and that financial markets may continue to have periods of high volatility. Investing activity 
will  continue  to  decrease  the  portfolio  yield  as  long  as  market  yields  remain  below  the  current  portfolio  level.  We  expect  the decline  in 
portfolio yield will result in lower net investment income in future periods. 

Other product lines of the Group, such as protection, are not significantly sensitive to interest rate or market movements. For unit-linked 
business, the shareholder margins emerging are typically a mixture of annual management fees and risk/expense charges. Risk and expense 
margins will be largely unaffected by low interest rates. Annual management fees may increase in the short term as the move towards low 
interest rates increases the value of unit funds. However, in the medium term, unit funds will grow at a lower rate which will reduce fund 
charges. For the UK annuities business interest rate exposure is mitigated by closely matching the duration of liabilities with assets of the 
same duration. 

The  UK  participating  business  includes  contracts  with  features  such  as  guaranteed  surrender  values,  guaranteed  annuity  options,  and 
minimum surrender and maturity values. These liabilities are managed through duration matching of assets and liabilities and the use of 
derivatives, including swaptions. As a result, the Group’s exposure to sustained low interest rates on this portfolio is not material. The Group’s 
key exposure to low interest rates arises through its other participating contracts, principally in Italy and France. Some of these contracts also 
include features such as guaranteed minimum bonuses, guaranteed investment returns and guaranteed surrender values. In a low interest 
rate environment there is a risk that the yield on assets might not be sufficient to cover these obligations. For certain of its participating 
contracts the Group is able to amend guaranteed crediting rates. Our ability to lower crediting rates may be limited by competition, bonus 
mechanisms and contractual arrangements. 

Details of material guarantees and options are given in note 46. In addition, the following table summarises the weighted average minimum 
guaranteed crediting rates and weighted average book value yields on assets as at 31 December 2019 for our Italian and French participating 
contracts, where the Group’s key exposure to sustained low interest rates arises. 

France 
Italy 
Other1  

Total 

1 

‘Other’ includes UK participating business 

Weighted 
average 
minimum 
guaranteed 
crediting rate 

Weighted 
average book 
value yield on 
assets 

Participating 
contract 
liabilities 
 £m 

0.67% 
0.29% 
N/A 

N/A 

2.47% 
3.50% 
N/A 

69,057  
20,660  
50,389  

N/A 

140,106  

Profit before tax on General Insurance and Health Insurance business is generally a mixture of insurance, expense and investment returns. 
The asset portfolio is invested primarily in fixed income securities. The portfolio investment yield and average total invested assets in our 
general insurance and health business are set out in the table below. 

2017 
2018 
2019 

1 

 Before realised and unrealised gains and losses and investment expenses  

Portfolio 
investment  
yield1  

2.07% 
2.28% 
2.21% 

Average  
assets  
£m 

14,770  
14,651  
14,350  

The nature of the business means that prices in certain circumstances can be increased to maintain overall profitability. This is subject to the 
competitive environment in each market. To the extent that there are further falls in interest rates the investment yield would be expected to 
decrease further in future periods. 

Sensitivity to changes in interest rates is given in section (i) Risk and capital management, below. 

(iv) Inflation risk 
Inflation risk arises primarily from the Group’s exposure to general insurance claims inflation, to inflation linked benefits within the defined 
benefit staff pension schemes and within the UK annuity portfolio and to expense inflation. Increases in long-term inflation expectations are 
closely linked to long-term interest rates and so are frequently considered with interest rate risk. Exposure to inflation risk is monitored 
through  capital  modelling,  sensitivity  testing  and  stress  and  scenario  testing.  The  Group  typically  manages  inflation  risk  through  its 
investment strategy and, in particular, by investing in inflation linked securities and through a variety of derivative instruments, including 
inflation linked swaps. 

(v)  Currency risk 
The Group has minimal exposure to currency risk from financial instruments held by business units in currencies other than their functional 
currencies, as nearly all such holdings are backing either unit-linked or with-profits contract liabilities or are hedged. As a result the foreign 
exchange gains and losses on investments are largely offset by changes in unit-linked and with-profits liabilities and fair value changes in 
derivatives attributable to changes in foreign exchange rates recognised in the income statement. 

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Other information 

Notes to the consolidated financial statements 

 Continued  

60 – Risk management continued 
The Group operates internationally and as a result is exposed to foreign currency exchange risk arising from fluctuations in exchange rates of 
various currencies. Approximately 58% of the Group’s premium income arises in currencies other than sterling and the Group’s net assets are 
denominated in a variety of currencies, of which the largest are sterling, euro and Canadian dollars (CAD$). The Group does not hedge foreign 
currency revenues as these are substantially retained locally to support the growth of the Group’s business and meet local regulatory and 
market requirements. However, the Group does use foreign currency forward contracts to hedge planned dividends from its subsidiaries. 

Businesses aim to maintain sufficient assets in local currency to meet local currency liabilities, however movements may impact the value of 
the Group’s consolidated shareholders’ equity which is expressed in sterling. This aspect of foreign exchange risk is monitored and managed 
centrally, against pre-determined limits. These exposures are managed by aligning the deployment of regulatory capital by currency with the 
Group’s regulatory capital requirements by currency. Currency borrowings and derivatives are used to manage exposures within the limits 
that have been set. Except where the Group has applied net investment hedge accounting (see note 61(a)), foreign exchange gains and losses 
on foreign currency borrowings are recognised in the income statement, whereas foreign exchange gains and losses arising on consolidation 
from the translation of assets and liabilities of foreign subsidiaries are recognised in other comprehensive income. At 31 December 2019 and 
2018, the Group’s total equity deployment by currency including assets ‘held for sale’ was:  

Capital 31 December 2019 
Capital 31 December 2018 

Sterling  
£m 

16,036  
15,720  

Euro  
£m 

819  
611  

CAD$ 
 £m 

397  
311  

Other 
 £m 

Total  
£m 

1,433  
1,813  

18,685  
18,455  

A 10% change in sterling to euro/CAD$ period-end foreign exchange rates would have had the following impact on total equity. 

Net assets at 31 December 2019 
Net assets at 31 December 2018 

10% increase  
in sterling /  
euro rate 
 £m 

10% decrease 
in sterling / 
euro rate 
 £m 

10% increase  
in sterling /  
CAD$ rate  
£m 

10% decrease 
in sterling / 
CAD$ rate 
 £m 

(82) 
(61) 

82  
77  

(40) 
(31) 

40  
31  

A  10%  change  in  sterling  to  euro/CAD$  average  foreign  exchange  rates  applied  to  translate  foreign  currency  profits  would  have  had  the 
following impact on profit before tax, including resulting gains and losses on foreign exchange hedges. 

Impact on profit before tax 31 December 2019 
Impact on profit before tax 31 December 2018 

10% increase  
in sterling/  
euro rate 
£m 

10% decrease 
in sterling/ 
 euro rate 
£m 

10% increase  
in sterling/  
CAD$ rate  
£m 

10% decrease 
in sterling/ 
CAD$ rate  
£m 

(67) 
(60) 

82 
85 

(18) 
8 

22 
(9) 

The balance sheet changes arise from retranslation of business unit statements of financial position from their functional currencies into 
sterling, with above movements being taken through the currency translation reserve. These balance sheet movements in exchange rates 
therefore have no impact on profit. Net asset and profit before tax figures are stated after taking account of the effect of currency hedging 
activities. 

(vi) Derivatives risk 
Derivatives  are  used  by  a  number  of  the  businesses.  Derivatives  are  primarily  used  for  efficient  investment  management,  risk  hedging 
purposes, or to structure specific retail savings products. Activity is overseen by the Group Capital and Group Risk teams, which monitor 
exposure levels and approve large or complex transactions. 

The Group applies strict requirements to the administration and valuation processes it uses, and has a control framework that is consistent 
with market and industry practice for the activity that is undertaken. 

(vii) Correlation risk 
The  Group  recognises  that  lapse  behaviour  and  potential  increases  in  consumer  expectations  are  sensitive  to  and  interdependent  with 
market movements and interest rates. These interdependencies are taken into consideration in the internal capital model and in scenario 
analysis. 

(d)  Liquidity risk  
Liquidity risk is the risk of not being able to make payments as they become due because there are insufficient assets in cash form. The 
relatively illiquid nature of insurance liabilities is a potential source of additional investment return by allowing us to invest in higher yielding, 
but less liquid assets such as commercial mortgages and infrastructure loans. The Group seeks to ensure that it maintains sufficient financial 
resources to meet its obligations as they fall due through the application of a Group liquidity risk policy and business standard and through 
the development of its liquidity risk management plan. At Group and business unit level, there is a liquidity risk appetite which requires that 
sufficient liquid resources be maintained to cover net outflows in a stress scenario. In addition to the existing liquid resources and expected 
inflows, the Group maintains significant undrawn committed borrowing facilities (£1,650 million) from a range of leading international banks 
to further mitigate this risk. 

Maturity analyses 
The following tables show the maturities of our insurance and investment contract liabilities, and of the financial and reinsurance assets held 
to meet them. A maturity analysis of the contractual amounts payable for borrowings and non-hedge derivatives is given in notes 53 and 61, 
respectively. Contractual obligations under leases and capital commitments are given in note 23 and note 57. 

Aviva plc Annual report and accounts 2019 
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Other information 

Notes to the consolidated financial statements 

 Continued  

60 – Risk management continued 
(i)  Analysis of maturity of insurance and investment contract liabilities  
For  non-linked  insurance  business,  the  following  table  shows  the  gross  liability  at  31  December  2019  and  2018  analysed  by  remaining 
duration. The total liability is split by remaining duration in proportion to the cash-flows expected to arise during that period, as permitted 
under IFRS 4, Insurance Contracts. 

Almost  all  linked  business  and  non-linked  investment  contracts  may  be  surrendered  or  transferred  on  demand.  For  such  contracts,  the 
earliest contractual maturity date is therefore the current statement of financial position date, for a surrender amount approximately equal 
to the current statement of financial position liability. However, we expect surrenders, transfers and maturities to occur over many years, and 
therefore the tables below reflect the expected cash flows for these contracts, rather than their contractual maturity date. This table includes 
amounts held for sale. 

As at 31 December 2019 

Long-term business 
Insurance contracts – non-linked  
Investment contracts – non-linked  
Linked business 
General insurance and health 

Total contract liabilities 

As at 31 December 2018 

Long-term business 
Insurance contracts – non-linked  
Investment contracts – non-linked  
Linked business 
General insurance and health 

Total contract liabilities 

On demand or 
within 1 year 
£m 

Total  
£m 

1-5 years  
£m 

5-15 years  
£m 

Over 15 years 
£m 

111,731  
74,641  
177,448  
16,656  

8,811  
5,978  
16,226  
7,136  

27,184  
19,532  
26,002  
6,665  

41,728  
28,313  
58,601  
2,258  

34,008  
20,818  
76,619  
597  

380,476  

38,151  

79,383   130,900   132,042  

On demand or 
within 1 year 
£m 

Total  
£m 

1-5 years 
 £m 

5-15 years 
 £m 

Over 15 years 
£m 

106,622  
75,158  
156,859  
16,368  

8,421  
5,547  
15,559  
6,859  

25,940  
19,199  
23,901  
6,758  

40,548  
28,572  
52,656  
2,217  

31,713  
21,840  
64,743  
534  

355,007  

36,386  

75,798  

123,993  

118,830  

(ii)  Analysis of maturity of financial assets 
The following table provides an analysis, by maturity date of the principal, of the carrying value of financial assets which are available to fund 
the repayment of liabilities as they crystallise. This table excludes assets held for sale. 

As at 31 December 2019 

Fixed maturity securities 
Equity securities 
Other investments 
Loans 
Cash and cash equivalents 

Total  

Restated1 as at 31 December 2018 

Fixed maturity securities2  
Equity securities 
Other investments2  
Loans 
Cash and cash equivalents 

Total  

On demand or 
within 1 year 
£m 

Total 
 £m 

198,832  
99,570  
45,016  
38,579  
19,524  

42,644  
— 
38,817  
9,641  
19,524  

1-5 years  
£m 

Over 5 years 
£m 

47,983   106,981  
— 
5,365  
24,293  
— 

— 
25  
4,643  
— 

No fixed term 
(perpetual) 
£m 

1,224  
99,570  
809  
2  
— 

401,521   110,626  

52,651   136,639   101,605  

On demand or 
within 1 year 
£m 

Total  
£m 

191,675  
88,227  
39,923  
36,184  
15,926  

42,764  
— 
34,782  
9,488  
15,926  

1-5 years  
£m 

Over 5 years  
£m 

47,936  
— 
77  
4,236  
— 

99,670  
— 
4,301  
22,457  
— 

No fixed term 
(perpetual)  
£m 

1,305  
88,227  
763  
3  
— 

371,935  

102,960  

52,249  

126,428  

90,298  

1  Following a review of the Group’s presentation of consolidated investment funds, comparative amounts have been restated from those previously reported. The review identified amounts presented within cash and cash 
equivalents and other investments that are now presented as loans, fixed maturity securities and equity securities in the table above. The restatement has had no impact on the profit for the period or equity. See note 1(a) for 
further information. 

2  Following a review of the classification of financial assets, comparative amounts have been amended from those previously reported. The effect of this change is to reclassify £2,201 million of assets from fixed maturity securities 

to other investments. 

The assets above are analysed in accordance with the earliest possible redemption date of the instrument at the initiation of the Group. 
Where an instrument is transferable back to the issuer on demand, such as most unit trusts or similar types of investment vehicle, it is included 
in the ‘On demand or within 1 year’ column. Debt securities with no fixed contractual maturity date are generally callable at the option of the 
issuer at the date the coupon rate is reset under the contractual terms of the instrument. The terms for resetting the coupon are such that we 
expect the securities to be redeemed at this date, as it would be uneconomic for the issuer not to do so, and for liquidity management 
purposes we manage these securities on this basis. The first repricing and call date is normally ten years or more after the date of issuance. 
Most  of  the  Group’s  investments  in  equity  securities  and  fixed  maturity  securities  are  market  traded  and  therefore,  if  required,  can  be 
liquidated for cash at short notice. 

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IFRS financial statements 

Other information 

Notes to the consolidated financial statements 

 Continued  

60 – Risk management continued 
(e)  Life and health insurance risk  
Life insurance risk in the Group arises through its exposure to mortality risk and exposure to worse than anticipated operating experience on 
factors such as persistency levels, exercising of policyholder options and management and administration expenses. The Group’s health 
insurance business (including private health insurance, critical illness cover, income protection and personal accident insurance, as well as 
a range of corporate healthcare products) exposes the Group to morbidity risk (the proportion of our customers falling sick) and medical 
expense inflation. The Group chooses to take measured amounts of life and health insurance risk provided that the relevant business has the 
appropriate core skills to assess and price the risk and adequate returns are available. The Group’s underwriting strategy and appetite is 
communicated via specific policy statements, related business standards and guidelines. Life insurance risk is managed primarily at business 
unit level with oversight at the Group level. 

The underlying risk profile of our life and health insurance risks, primarily persistency, longevity, mortality and expense risk, has remained 
stable during 2019. We are also exposed to longevity risk through the Aviva Staff Pension Scheme, to which our economic exposure has been 
reduced since 2014 by entering into a longevity swap covering approximately £5 billion of pensioner in payment scheme liabilities. Longevity 
risk remains the Group’s most significant life insurance risk, while persistency risk remains significant and continues to have a volatile outlook 
with underlying performance linked to some degree to economic conditions. We purchased reinsurance for longevity risk for our annuity 
business, including the bulk annuity buy-in transaction with the Aviva Staff Pension scheme (see note 52). Group has continued to write 
considerable  volumes  of  life  protection  business,  and  to  utilise  reinsurance  to  reduce  exposure  to  potential  losses.  More  generally,  life 
insurance risks are believed to provide a significant diversification against other risks in the portfolio. Life insurance risks are modelled within 
the internal capital model and subject to sensitivity and stress and scenario testing.  

The assumption and management of life and health insurance risks is governed by the Group-wide business standards covering underwriting, 
pricing, product design and management, in-force management, claims handling, and reinsurance. The individual life and health insurance 
risks are managed as follows: 
•  Mortality and morbidity risks are mitigated by use of reinsurance. The Group allows businesses to select reinsurers, from those approved 
by the Group, based on local factors, but retains oversight of the overall exposures and monitors that the aggregation of risk ceded is within 
credit risk appetite. 

•  Longevity  risk  and  internal  experience  analysis  are  monitored  against  the  latest  external  industry  data  and  emerging  trends.  While 
individual businesses are responsible for reserving and pricing for annuity business, the Group monitors the exposure to this risk and any 
associated capital implications. The Group has used reinsurance solutions to reduce the risks from longevity and continually monitors and 
evaluates emerging market solutions to mitigate this risk further. 

•  Persistency risk is managed at a business unit level through frequent monitoring of company experience, and benchmarked against local 
market information. Generally, persistency risk arises from customers lapsing their policies earlier than has been assumed. Where possible 
the financial impact of lapses is reduced through appropriate product design. Businesses also implement specific initiatives to improve the 
retention of policies which may otherwise lapse. The Group has developed guidelines on persistency management. 

•  Expense risk is primarily managed by the business units through the assessment of business unit profitability and frequent monitoring of 

expense levels. 

Embedded derivatives 
The Group is exposed to the risk of changes in policyholder behaviour due to the exercise of options, guarantees and other product features 
embedded in its long-term savings products. These product features offer policyholders varying degrees of guaranteed benefits at maturity 
or on early surrender, along with options to convert their benefits into different products on pre-agreed terms. The extent of the impact of 
these embedded derivatives differs considerably between business units and exposes Aviva to changes in policyholder behaviour in the 
exercise of options as well as market risk. 

Examples of each type of embedded derivative affecting the Group are: 
•  Options:  call,  put,  surrender  and  maturity  options,  guaranteed  annuity  options,  options  to  cease  premium  payment,  options  for 

withdrawals free of market value adjustment, annuity options, and guaranteed insurability options. 

•  Guarantees: embedded floor (guaranteed return), maturity guarantee, guaranteed death benefit, and guaranteed minimum rate of annuity 

payment;and 

•  Other: indexed interest or principal payments, maturity value, loyalty bonus. 

The impact of these is reflected in the capital model and managed as part of the asset liability framework. Further disclosure on financial 
guarantees and options embedded in contracts and their inclusion in insurance and investment contract liabilities is provided in note 45. 

(f)  General insurance risk 
Types of risk 
General insurance risk in the Group arises from: 
•  Fluctuations in the timing, frequency and severity of claims and claim settlements relative to expectations; 
•  Unexpected claims arising from a single source or cause; 
•  Inaccurate pricing of risks or inappropriate underwriting of risks when underwritten; and 
•  Inadequate reinsurance protection or other risk transfer techniques. 

The majority of the general insurance business underwritten by the Group continues to be short tail in nature such as motor, household and 
commercial property insurances. The Group’s underwriting strategy and appetite is communicated via specific policy statements, related 
business standards and guidelines. General insurance risk is managed primarily at business unit level with oversight at the Group level. Claims 
reserving  is  undertaken  by  local  actuaries  in  the  various  general  insurance  businesses  and  is  also  subject  to  periodic  external  reviews. 
Reserving processes are further detailed in note 43. 

The vast majority of the Group’s general insurance business is managed and priced in the same country as the domicile of the customer. 

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IFRS financial statements 

Other information 

Notes to the consolidated financial statements 

 Continued  

60 – Risk management continued 
Management of general insurance risks 
Significant insurance risks will be reported under the risk management framework. Additionally, the capital model is used to assess the risks 
that each general insurance business unit, and the Group as a whole, is exposed to, quantifying their impact and calculating appropriate 
capital requirements. 

Business units have developed mechanisms that identify, quantify and manage accumulated exposures to contain them within the limits of 
the appetite of the Group. The business units are assisted by the General Insurance Council which provides technical input for major decisions 
which  fall  outside  individual  delegated  limits  or  escalations  outside  group  risk  preferences,  group  risk  accumulation,  concentration  and 
profitability limits. 

Reinsurance strategy 
Significant reinsurance purchases are reviewed annually at both business unit and Group level to verify that the levels of protection being 
bought reflect any developments in exposure and the risk appetite of the Group. The basis of these purchases is underpinned by analysis of 
capital, earnings and capital volatility, cash flow and liquidity and the Group’s franchise value. 

Detailed  actuarial  analysis  is  used  to  calculate  the  Group’s  extreme  risk  profile  and  then  design  cost  and  capital  efficient  reinsurance 
programmes to mitigate these risks to within agreed appetites. For businesses writing general insurance we analyse the natural catastrophe 
exposure using our own internal probabilistic catastrophe model which is benchmarked against external catastrophe models widely used by 
the rest of the (re)insurance industry. 

The  Group  cedes  much  of  its  worldwide  catastrophe  risk  to  third-party  reinsurers  through  excess  of  loss  and  aggregate  excess  of  loss 
structures. The Group purchases a Group-wide catastrophe reinsurance programme to protect against catastrophe losses exceeding a 1 in 
200 year return period. The total Group potential retained loss from its most concentrated catastrophe exposure peril (Northern Europe 
Windstorm) is approximately £150 million on a per occurrence basis and £175 million on an annual aggregate basis. Any losses above these 
levels are covered by the group-wide catastrophe reinsurance programme to a level in excess of a 1 in 200 year return period. In addition the 
Group purchases a number of GI business line specific reinsurance programmes with various retention levels to protect both capital and 
earnings, and has reinsured 100% of its latent exposures to its historic UK employers’ liability and public liability business written prior to  
31 December 2000. 

(g)  Asset management risk 
Aviva is directly exposed to the risks associated with operating an asset management business through its ownership of Aviva Investors. The 
underlying  risk  profile  of  our  asset  management  risk  is  derived  from  investment  performance,  specialist  investment  professionals  and 
leadership, product development capabilities, fund liquidity, margin, client retention, regulatory developments, fiduciary and contractual 
responsibilities. Funds invested in illiquid assets such as commercial property are particularly exposed to liquidity risk. The risk profile is 
regularly monitored. 

A client relationship team is in place to manage client retention risk, while all new asset management products undergo a review and approval 
process  at  each  stage  of  the  product  development  process,  including  approvals  from  legal,  compliance  and  risk  functions.  Investment 
performance  against  client  objectives  relative  to  agreed  benchmarks  is  monitored  as  part  of  our  investment  performance  and  risk 
management process, and subject to further independent oversight and challenge by a specialist risk team, reporting directly to the Aviva 
Investors’ Chief Risk Officer. 

(h)  Operational risk 
Operational risk is the risk of direct or indirect loss, arising from inadequate or failed internal processes, people and systems, or external 
events including changes in the regulatory environment. We have limited appetite for operational risk and aim to reduce these risks as far as 
is commercially sensible. 

Our business units are primarily responsible for identifying and managing operational risks within their businesses, within the Group-wide 
operational risk framework including the risk and control self-assessment process. Businesses must be satisfied that all material risks falling 
outside our risk tolerances are being mitigated, monitored and reported to an appropriate level. Any risks with a high potential impact are 
monitored centrally on a regular basis. Businesses use key indicator data to help monitor the status of the risk and control environment. They 
also identify and capture loss events, taking appropriate action to address actual control breakdowns and promote internal learning. 

The importance of digital interaction with our customers and advanced data analytics, the conduct, data protection and financial crime 
agenda of the European institutions, the FCA and other regulators, as well as the increasing cyber security threat, as evidenced by continuing 
instances of high profile cyber security breaches for other corporates in the UK and elsewhere, mean the Group has inherent risk exposure to 
data theft, conduct regulatory breaches (including financial crime) and customer service interruption due to IT systems failure. During 2019 
we have continued to take action to reduce our residual exposure to these risks and improve our operational resilience through our conduct 
risk management framework, financial crime risk mitigation programme and significant investment in upgrading our IT infrastructure and 
security.  

We  are  exposed  to  the  risk  that  litigation,  employee  misconduct,  operational  failures,  the  outcome  of  regulatory  investigations,  media 
speculation and negative publicity, disclosure of confidential client information, inadequate services, whether or not founded, could impact 
our brands or reputation. Any of our brands or our reputation could also be affected if products or services recommended by us (or any of 
our intermediaries) do not perform as expected (whether or not the expectations are founded) or customers’ expectations for the product 
change. We seek to reduce this risk to as low a level as commercially sensible. 

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Notes to the consolidated financial statements 

 Continued  

60 – Risk management continued 
The FCA regularly considers whether we are meeting the requirement to treat our customers fairly and we make use of various metrics to 
assess our own performance, including customer advocacy, retention and complaints. Failure to meet these requirements could also impact 
our brands or reputation. 

If we do not manage the perception of our brands and reputation successfully, it could cause existing customers or agents to withdraw from 
our business and potential customers or agents to choose not to do business with us. 

(i)  Risk and capital management  
(i)  Sensitivity test analysis 
The Group uses a number of sensitivity tests to understand the volatility of earnings, the volatility of its capital requirements, and to manage 
its  capital  more  efficiently.  Sensitivities  to  economic  and  operating  experience  are  regularly  produced  on  the  Group’s  key  financial 
performance  metrics  to  inform  the  Group’s  decision  making  and  planning  processes,  and  as  part  of  the  framework  for  identifying  and 
quantifying the risks to which each of its business units, and the Group as a whole, are exposed. 

(ii)  Life insurance and investment contracts 
The nature of long-term business is such that a number of assumptions are made in compiling these financial statements. Assumptions are 
made about investment returns, expenses, mortality rates and persistency in connection with the in-force policies for each business unit. 
Assumptions are best estimates based on historic and expected experience of the business. A number of the key assumptions for the Group’s 
central scenario are disclosed elsewhere in these statements. 

(iii) General insurance and health business 
General  insurance  and  health  claim  liabilities  are  estimated  by  using  standard  actuarial  claims  projection  techniques.  These  methods 
extrapolate the claims development for each accident year based on the observed development of earlier years. In most cases, no explicit 
assumptions are made as projections are based on assumptions implicit in the historic claims. 

(iv) Sensitivity test results 
Illustrative results of sensitivity testing for long-term business, general insurance and health business and the fund management and non-
insurance business are set out below. For each sensitivity test the impact of a reasonably possible change in a single factor is shown, with 
other assumptions left unchanged. Each test allows for any consequential impact on the asset and liability valuations. 

Sensitivity factor 

Description of sensitivity factor applied 

Interest rate and investment return 

Credit spreads 

Equity/property market values 
Expenses 
Assurance mortality/morbidity (life insurance only) 
Annuitant mortality (long-term insurance only) 
Gross loss ratios (non-long-term insurance only) 

Long-term business 
Sensitivities as at 31 December 2019 

31 December 2019 Impact on profit before tax £m 
Insurance participating 
Insurance non-participating 
Investment participating 
Investment non-participating 
Assets backing life shareholders’ funds 

Total 

31 December 2019 Impact on shareholders’ equity before tax £m 
Insurance participating 
Insurance non-participating 
Investment participating 
Investment non-participating 
Assets backing life shareholders’ funds 
Total  

The impact of a change in market interest rates by a 1% increase or decrease. The test allows 
consistently for similar changes to investment returns and movements in the market value of 
backing fixed interest securities. 
The impact of a 0.5% increase in credit spreads over risk-free interest rates on corporate bonds 
and other non-sovereign credit assets.  
The impact of a change in equity/property market values by ± 10%. 
The impact of an increase in maintenance expenses by 10%. 
The impact of an increase in mortality/morbidity rates for assurance contracts by 5%. 
The impact of a reduction in mortality rates for annuity contracts by 5%. 
The impact of an increase in gross loss ratios for general insurance and health business by 5%. 

Interest rates 
+1% 

Interest rates  
-1% 

Credit spreads 
+0.5% 

Equity/ 
property  
+10% 

Equity/ 
property  
-10% 

Expenses 
+10% 

Assurance 
mortality  
+5% 

Annuitant 
mortality  
-5% 

— 
(985) 
(85) 
— 
(150) 
(1,220) 

5  
1,265  
55  
5  
170  
1,500  

(10) 
(800) 
(5) 
— 
(35) 
(850) 

(65) 
(120) 
(5) 
5  
(35) 
(220) 

60  
105  
5  
(5) 
30  
195  

(50) 
(240) 
(25) 
(5) 
— 
(320) 

10  
(145) 
— 
— 
— 
(135) 

(5) 
(955) 
— 
— 
— 
(960) 

Interest rates 
+1% 

Interest rates  
-1% 

Credit spreads 
+0.5% 

Equity/ 
property  
+10% 

Equity/ 
property  
-10% 

Expenses 
+10% 

Assurance 
mortality  
+5% 

Annuitant 
mortality  
-5% 

— 
(985) 
(85) 
— 
(190) 
(1,260) 

5  
1,265  
55  
5  
205  
1,535  

(10) 
(800) 
(5) 
— 
(30) 
(845) 

(65) 
(120) 
(5) 
5  
(30) 
(215) 

60  
105  
5  
(5) 
30  
195  

(50) 
(240) 
(25) 
(5) 
— 
(320) 

10  
(145) 
— 
— 
— 
(135) 

(5) 
(955) 
— 
— 
— 
(960) 

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IFRS financial statements 

Other information 

Notes to the consolidated financial statements 

 Continued  

60 – Risk management continued 
Sensitivities as at 31 December 2018 

31 December 2018 Impact on profit before tax £m 

Insurance participating 
Insurance non-participating 
Investment participating 
Investment non-participating 
Assets backing life shareholders’ funds 

Total  

31 December 2018 Impact on shareholders’ equity before tax £m 
Insurance participating 
Insurance non-participating 
Investment participating 
Investment non-participating 
Assets backing life shareholders’ funds 
Total  

Interest rates 
+1% 

Interest rates  
-1% 

Credit spreads 
+0.5% 

Equity/ 
property  
+10% 

Equity/ 
property  
-10% 

Expenses  
+10% 

Assurance 
mortality  
+5% 

Annuitant 
mortality  
-5% 

(75) 
(975) 
(40) 
— 
(95) 

(1,185) 

35  
1,130  
40  
— 
105  

1,310  

(15) 
(695) 
(10) 
— 
(25) 

(745) 

(105) 
(125) 
(15) 
10  
20  

(215) 

70  
105  
(15) 
(25) 
(20) 

115  

(20) 
(210) 
(15) 
(20) 
— 

(265) 

(5) 
(115) 
— 
— 
— 

(120) 

(5) 
(865) 
— 
— 
— 

(870) 

Interest rates 
+1% 

Interest rates  
-1% 

Credit spreads 
+0.5% 

Equity/ 
property  
+10% 

Equity/ 
property  
-10% 

Expenses  
+10% 

Assurance 
mortality  
+5% 

Annuitant 
mortality  
-5% 

(75) 
(975) 
(40) 
— 
(145) 
(1,235) 

35  
1,130  
40  
— 
150  
1,355  

(15) 
(695) 
(10) 
— 
(25) 
(745) 

(105) 
(125) 
(15) 
10  
25  
(210) 

70  
105  
(15) 
(25) 
(25) 
110  

(20) 
(210) 
(15) 
(20) 
— 
(265) 

(5) 
(115) 
— 
— 
— 
(120) 

(5) 
(865) 
— 
— 
— 
(870) 

Changes in sensitivities between 2019 and 2018 reflect underlying movements in the value of assets and liabilities, the relative duration of 
assets and liabilities and asset liability management actions. The sensitivities to economic and demographic movements relate mainly to 
business in the UK. 

General insurance and health business sensitivities as at 31 December 2019 

31 December 2019 Impact on profit before tax £m 
Gross of reinsurance 
Net of reinsurance 

31 December 2019 Impact on shareholders’ equity before tax £m 
Gross of reinsurance 
Net of reinsurance 

Sensitivities as at 31 December 2018 

31 December 2018 Impact on profit before tax £m 
Gross of reinsurance 
Net of reinsurance  

31 December 2018 Impact on shareholders’ equity before tax £m 

Gross of reinsurance  
Net of reinsurance  

Interest rates 
+1% 

Interest rates  
-1% 

Credit spreads 
+0.5% 

(210) 
(270) 

165  
215  

(115) 
(115) 

Interest rates 
+1% 

Interest rates  
-1% 

Credit spreads 
+0.5% 

(210) 
(270) 

165  
215  

(115) 
(115) 

Interest rates 
+1% 

Interest rates  
-1% 

Credit spreads 
+0.5% 

(240) 
(305) 

235  
295  

(115) 
(115) 

Interest rates 
+1% 

Interest rates  
-1% 

Credit spreads 
+0.5% 

(240) 
(305) 

235  
295  

(115) 
(115) 

Equity/ 
property  
+10% 

185  
185  

Equity/ 
property  
+10% 

185  
185  

Equity/ 
property  
+10% 

165  
165  

Equity/ 
property  
+10% 

170  
170  

Equity/ 
property  
-10% 

(175) 
(175) 

Equity/ 
property  
-10% 

(175) 
(175) 

Equity/ 
property  
-10% 

(165) 
(165) 

Equity/ 
property  
-10% 

(170) 
(170) 

Expenses 
+10% 

(140) 
(140) 

Expenses 
+10% 

(25) 
(25) 

Expenses  
+10% 

(120) 
(120) 

Expenses  
+10% 

(25) 
(25) 

Gross loss 
ratios  
+5% 

(315) 
(300) 

Gross loss 
ratios  
+5% 

(315) 
(300) 

Gross loss 
ratios  
+5% 

(325) 
(315) 

Gross loss 
ratios  
+5% 

(325) 
(315) 

For  general  insurance  and  health,  the  impact  of  the  expense  sensitivity  on  profit  also  includes  the  increase  in  ongoing  administration 
expenses, in addition to the increase in the claims handling expense provision. 

Aviva plc Annual report and accounts 2019 
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Strategic report 

Governance 

IFRS financial statements 

Other information 

Notes to the consolidated financial statements 

 Continued  

60 – Risk management continued 
Fund management and non-insurance business sensitivities as at 31 December 2019 

31 December 2019 Impact on profit before tax £m 

Total  

31 December 2019 Impact on shareholders’ equity before tax £m 

Total  

Sensitivities as at 31 December 2018 

31 December 2018 Impact on profit before tax £m 

Total  

31 December 2018 Impact on shareholders’ equity before tax £m 

Total  

Interest rates 
+1% 

Interest rates 
 -1% 

Credit spreads 
+0.5% 

Equity/ 
property  
+10% 

Equity/ 
property  
-10% 

(20) 

15  

40  

(10) 

15  

Interest rates 
+1% 

Interest rates  
-1% 

Credit spreads 
+0.5% 

Equity/ 
property  
+10% 

Equity/ 
property  
-10% 

(15) 

15  

40  

(10) 

15  

Interest rates 
+1% 

Interest rates  
-1% 

Credit spreads 
+0.5% 

Equity/ 
property  
+10% 

Equity/ 
property  
-10% 

(25) 

20  

30  

(20) 

35  

Interest rates 
+1% 

Interest rates 
 -1% 

Credit spreads 
+0.5% 

Equity/ 
property  
+10% 

Equity/ 
property  
-10% 

(20) 

15  

30  

(20) 

30  

Limitations of sensitivity analysis 
The above tables demonstrate the effect of a change in a key assumption while other assumptions remain unchanged. In reality, there is a 
correlation between the assumptions and other factors. It should also be noted that these sensitivities are non-linear, and larger or smaller 
impacts should not be interpolated or extrapolated from these results. 

The sensitivity analyses do not take into consideration that the Group’s assets and liabilities are actively managed. Additionally, the financial 
position of the Group may vary at the time that any actual market movement occurs. For example, the Group’s financial risk management 
strategy aims to manage the exposure to market fluctuations. 

As  investment  markets  move  past  various  trigger  levels,  management  actions  could  include  selling  investments,  changing  investment 
portfolio allocation, adjusting bonuses credited to policyholders, and taking other protective action. 

A  number  of  the  business  units  use  passive  assumptions  to  calculate  their  long-term  business  liabilities.  Consequently,  a  change  in  the 
underlying assumptions may not have any impact on the liabilities, whereas assets held at market value in the statement of financial position 
will be affected. In these circumstances, the different measurement bases for liabilities and assets may lead to volatility in shareholder equity. 
Similarly, for general insurance liabilities, the interest rate sensitivities only affect profit and equity where explicit assumptions are made 
regarding interest (discount) rates or future inflation. 

Other limitations in the above sensitivity analyses include the use of hypothetical market movements to demonstrate potential risk that only 
represent the Group’s view of possible near-term market changes that cannot be predicted with any certainty, and the assumption that all 
interest rates move in an identical fashion.

Aviva plc Annual report and accounts 2019 
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Strategic report 

Governance 

IFRS financial statements 

Other information 

Notes to the consolidated financial statements 

 Continued  

61 – Derivative financial instruments and hedging 
This note gives details of the various financial instruments the Group uses to mitigate risk. 

The Group uses a variety of derivative financial instruments, including both exchange traded and over-the-counter instruments, in line with 
the Group’s overall risk management strategy. The objectives include managing exposure to market, foreign currency and/or interest rate 
risk on existing assets or liabilities, as well as planned or anticipated investment purchases. 

In the narrative and tables below, figures are given for both the notional amounts and fair values of these instruments. The notional amounts 
reflect  the  aggregate  of  individual  derivative  positions  on  a  gross  basis  and  so  give  an  indication  of  the  overall  scale  of  the  derivative 
transaction. The fair values represent the gross carrying values at the year end for each class of derivative contract held (or issued) by the 
Group. 

The fair values do not provide an indication of credit risk, as many over-the-counter transactions are contracted and documented under ISDA 
(International Swaps and Derivatives Association, Inc.) master agreements or their equivalent. Such agreements are designed to provide a 
legally enforceable set-off in the event of default, which reduces credit exposure. In addition, the Group has collateral agreements in place 
between the individual Group entities and relevant counterparties. See note 62 for further information on collateral and net credit risk of 
derivative instruments. 

(a)  Instruments qualifying for hedge accounting 
The Group has formally assessed and documented the hedge effectiveness for financial instruments designated as hedge instruments in 
accordance with IAS 39, Financial Instruments: Recognition and Measurement. 

Net investment hedges 
To reduce its exposure to foreign currency risk, the Group has designated a portion of its euro denominated debt as hedge instruments to 
hedge a net investment in its European subsidiaries. No material disposals are expected prior to the maturity of the euro denominated debt 
and the hedge effectiveness is prospectively expected to remain between 80% and 125%. The carrying value of the debt at 31 December 2019 
was £2,331 million (2018: £2,468 million) and its fair value at that date was £2,604 million (2018: £2,515 million). 

Foreign exchange gains of £137 million (2018: losses of £27 million) on translation of the debt to sterling at the statement of financial position 
date in respect of the effective portion have been recognised in the hedging instruments reserve in shareholders’ equity. The hedge has been 
fully effective during the year. A gain of £4 million was recognised in the income statement in the prior year due to the termination of a net 
investment hedge.  

Aviva plc Annual report and accounts 2019 
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Governance 

IFRS financial statements 

Other information 

Notes to the consolidated financial statements 

 Continued  

61 – Derivative financial instruments and hedging continued 
(b)  Derivatives not qualifying for hedge accounting 
Certain derivatives either do not qualify for hedge accounting under IAS 39 or the option to designate them as hedge instruments has not 
been taken. These are referred to below as non-hedge derivatives. 

(i)  The Group’s non-hedge derivatives at 31 December 2019 and 2018 were as follows:  

Foreign exchange contracts 
OTC 

Forwards 
Interest rate and currency swaps  
Options 

Total 

Interest rate contracts 
OTC 

Forwards 
Swaps 
Options 
Swaptions 
Exchange traded 

Futures 

Total 

Equity/Index contracts 
OTC 

Options 

Exchange traded 

Futures 
Options 

Total 
Credit contracts 
Other 

Total at 31 December 

2019 

Restated1 
 2018 

Contract/ 
notional 
amount  
£m 

Fair value 
asset  
£m 

Fair value 
liability  
£m 

Contract/ 
notional 
amount  
£m 

Fair value  
asset  
£m  

Fair value 
liability  
£m 

54,269  
6,937  
— 

61,206  

1,094  
141  
— 

1,235  

(438) 
(316) 
— 

(754) 

43,247  
7,908  
1,256  

52,411  

148  
29  
10  

187  

(256) 
(708) 
— 

(964) 

688  
50,549  
213  
944  

11,438  

63,832  

63  
4,685  
2  
151  

(35) 
(2,727) 
(8) 
(2) 

283  
64,323  
203  
18,853  

34  
3,756  
19  
419  

(23) 
(2,266) 
(20) 
(64) 

52  

(85) 

6,007  

56  

(39) 

4,953  

(2,857) 

89,669  

4,284  

(2,412) 

13,712  

74  

(30) 

18,050  

8,583  
2,427  

24,722  

10,088  
14,136  

74  
225  

373  

18  
518  

(73) 
(4) 

(107) 

(324) 
(2,475) 

12,067  
3,490  

33,607  

11,055  
17,543  

63  

8  
441  

512  

22  
352  

173,984  

7,097  

(6,517) 

204,285  

5,357  

(36) 

(594) 
(14) 

(644) 

(288) 
(2,170) 

(6,478) 

1  Following a review of the Group’s presentation of consolidated investment funds, comparative amounts have been restated from those previously reported. The restatement has had no impact on the profit for the year or equity. 

See note 1(a) for further information. 

Fair value assets of £7,097 million (2018 restated: £5,357 million) are recognised as ‘Derivative financial instruments’ in note 28(a), while fair 
value liabilities of £6,517 million (2018 restated: £6,478 million) are recognised as ‘Derivative liabilities’ in note 54. 

The Group’s derivative risk management policies are outlined in note 60. 

(ii)  The contractual undiscounted cash flows in relation to non-hedge derivative liabilities have the following maturities: 

Within 1 year 
Between 1 and 2 years 
Between 2 and 3 years 
Between 3 and 4 years 
Between 4 and 5 years 
After 5 years 

2019  
£m 

1,098  
593  
448  
434  
358  
3,996  

6,927  

Restated1  
2018  
£m 

2,132  
512  
445  
384  
301  
3,359  

7,133  

1  Following a review of the Group’s presentation of consolidated investment funds, comparative amounts have been restated from those previously reported. The restatement has had no impact on the profit for the year or equity. 

See note 1(a) for further information. 

(c)  Collateral 
Certain derivative contracts, primarily interest rate and currency swaps, involve the receipt or pledging of cash and non-cash collateral. The 
amounts of cash collateral receivable or repayable are included in notes 29 and 54 respectively. Collateral received and pledged by the Group 
is detailed in note 62. 

Aviva plc Annual report and accounts 2019 
242 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Strategic report 

Governance 

IFRS financial statements 

Other information 

Notes to the consolidated financial statements 

 Continued  

62 – Financial assets and liabilities subject to offsetting, enforceable master netting agreements and 
similar arrangements 
(a)  Offsetting arrangements 
Financial assets and liabilities are offset in the statement of financial position when the Group has a legally enforceable right to offset and 
has the intention to settle the asset and liability on a net basis, or to realise the asset and settle the liability simultaneously.  

Aviva  mitigates  credit  risk  in  derivative  contracts  by  entering  into  collateral  agreements,  where  practical,  and  into  ISDA  master  netting 
agreements for each of the legal entities to facilitate its right to offset credit risk exposure. The credit support agreement will normally dictate 
the threshold over which collateral needs to be pledged by Aviva or its counterparty.  

Derivative transactions requiring Aviva or its counterparty to post collateral are typically the result of over-the-counter derivative trades, 
comprised mostly of interest rate swaps, currency swaps and credit default swaps. These transactions are conducted under terms that are 
usual and customary to standard long-term borrowing, derivative, securities lending and securities borrowing activities. The derivative assets 
and liabilities in the table below are made up of the contracts described in detail in note 61.  

Aviva participates in a number of stock lending and repurchase arrangements. In some of these arrangements cash is exchanged by Aviva for 
securities and a related receivable is recognised within ‘Loans to banks’ in note 25. These arrangements are reflected in the tables below. In 
instances where the collateral is recognised on the statement of financial position, the obligation for its return is included within ‘Payables 
and other financial liabilities’ in note 54. 

In other arrangements, securities are exchanged for other securities. The collateral received must be in a readily realisable form such as listed 
securities and is held in segregated accounts. Transfer of title always occurs for the collateral received. In many instances, however, no market 
risk or economic benefit is exchanged and these transactions are not recognised on the statement of financial position in accordance with 
our accounting policies, and accordingly not included in the tables below.  

31 December 2019 

Financial assets 
Derivative financial assets 
Loans to banks and repurchase arrangements 

Total financial assets 

Financial liabilities 
Derivative financial liabilities 
Other financial liabilities  

Total financial liabilities 

Amounts subject to enforceable netting arrangements 

Amounts under a master netting agreement  
but not offset under IAS 32 

Offset under IAS 32 

Gross  
amounts  
£m 

Amounts 
offset 
 £m 

Net amounts 
reported in the 
statement of 
financial 
position 
 £m 

Financial 
instruments 
£m 

Cash  
collateral  
£m 

Securities 
collateral 
received / 
pledged  
£m 

Net  
amount  
£m 

761  
5,550  

6,311  

6,570  
8,830  

(4,646) 
— 

(999) 
(300) 

(164) 
(2,980) 

15,400  

(4,646) 

(1,299) 

(3,144) 

(5,682) 
(2,671) 

(8,353) 

3,961  
— 

3,961  

40  
— 

40  

1,130  
2,671  

3,801  

(551) 
— 

(551) 

6,570  
8,830  

15,400  

(5,682) 
(2,671) 

(8,353) 

— 
— 

— 

— 
— 

— 

Aviva plc Annual report and accounts 2019 
243 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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Governance 

IFRS financial statements 

Other information 

Notes to the consolidated financial statements 

 Continued  

62 – Financial assets and liabilities subject to offsetting, enforceable master netting agreements and 
similar arrangements continued 

Restated1 31 December 2018 

Financial assets 
Derivative financial assets 
Loans to banks and repurchase arrangements 

Total financial assets 

Financial liabilities 
Derivative financial liabilities 
Other financial liabilities  

Total financial liabilities 

Amounts subject to enforceable netting arrangements 

Amounts under a master netting agreement  
but not offset under IAS 32 

Offset under IAS 32 

Gross  
amounts  
£m 

Amounts 
 offset  
£m 

Net amounts 
reported in the 
statement of 
financial 
position  
£m 

Financial 
instruments  
£m 

Cash  
collateral  
£m 

Securities 
collateral 
received / 
pledged 
 £m 

4,447  
9,322  

13,769  

(5,609) 
(3,314) 

(8,923) 

— 
— 

— 

— 
— 

— 

4,447  
9,322  

13,769  

(2,934) 
— 

(2,934) 

(1,023) 
(300) 

(1,323) 

(186) 
(1,614) 

(1,800) 

(5,609) 
(3,314) 

(8,923) 

3,435  
— 

3,435 

376  
— 

376  

1,288  
3,314  

4,602  

(510) 
— 

(510) 

Net  
amount 
 £m 

304  
7,408  

7,712  

1  Following a review of the Group’s presentation of consolidated investment funds, comparative amounts have been restated from those previously reported. The review identified amounts presented within cash and cash 

equivalents that are now presented as loans to banks and repurchase arrangements in the table above. The restatement has had no impact on the profit for the year or equity. See note 1(a) for further information. 

Derivative assets are recognised as ‘Derivative financial instruments’ in note 28(a), while fair value liabilities are recognised as ‘Derivative 
liabilities’ in note 54. £527 million (2018 restated: £910 million) of derivative assets and £835 million (2018 restated: £869 million) of derivative 
liabilities are not subject to master netting agreements and are therefore excluded from the table above. 

Amounts receivable related to securities lending and reverse-repurchase arrangements totalling £8,830 million (2018 restated: £9,322 million) 
are recognised within ‘Loans to banks’ in note 25.  

Other  financial  liabilities  presented  above  represent  liabilities  related  to  repurchase  arrangements  recognised  within  ‘Obligations  for 
repayment of cash collateral received’ in note 54.  

(b)  Collateral 
In the tables above, the amounts of assets or liabilities presented in the consolidated statement of financial position are offset first by financial 
instruments that have the right of offset under master netting or similar arrangements with any remaining amount reduced by the amount 
of cash and securities collateral. The actual amount of collateral may be greater than amounts presented in the tables above in the case of 
over collateralisation. 

The total amount of collateral received which the Group is permitted to sell or repledge in the absence of default, excluding collateral related 
to balances recognised within ‘Loans to banks’ disclosed in note 25, was £20,984 million (2018 restated: £19,870 million), all of which other 
than  £7,567  million  (2018  restated:  £5,650  million)  is  related  to  securities  lending  arrangements.  Collateral  of  £1,547  million  
(2018: £1,914 million) has been received related to balances recognised within ‘Loans to banks’ in note 25. The value of collateral that was 
actually sold or repledged in the absence of default was £nil (2018: £nil). 

The level of collateral held is monitored regularly, with further collateral obtained where this is considered necessary to manage the Group’s 
risk exposure.

Aviva plc Annual report and accounts 2019 
244 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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Governance 

IFRS financial statements 

Other information 

Notes to the consolidated financial statements 

 Continued  

63 – Related party transactions 
This note gives details of the transactions between Group companies and related parties which comprise our joint ventures, associates and 
staff pension schemes. 

The Group undertakes transactions with related parties in the normal course of business. Loans to related parties are made on normal arm’s-
length commercial terms. 

Services provided to, and by related parties  

Associates  
Joint ventures  
Employee pension schemes  

Income 
earned  
in the year  
£m 

Expenses 
incurred  
in the year 
 £m 

Payable  
at year end  
£m 

Receivable  
at year end 
 £m 

Income earned 
in the year  
£m 

Expenses 
incurred  
in the year  
£m 

Payable  
at year end 
 £m 

Receivable  
at year end  
£m 

2019 

2018  

1  
54  
9  

64  

— 
— 
— 

— 

— 
— 
— 

— 

4  
4  
6  

14  

1  
49  
10  

60  

— 
— 
— 

— 

— 
(1) 
— 

(1) 

2  
2  
7  

11  

Transactions with joint ventures in the UK relate to the property management undertakings, the most material of which are listed in note 
19(a)(iii).  The  Group  has  equity  interests  in  these  joint  ventures,  together  with  the  provision  of  administration  services  and  financial 
management to many of them. Our fund management companies also charge fees to these joint ventures for administration services and for 
arranging external finance.  

Key management personnel of the Company may from time to time purchase insurance, savings, asset management or annuity products 
marketed by group companies on equivalent terms to those available to all employees of the Group. In 2019, other transactions with key 
management personnel were not deemed to be significant either by size or in the context of their individual financial positions. 

Our UK fund management companies manage most of the assets held by the Group’s main UK staff pension scheme, for which they charge 
fees based on the level of funds under management. The main UK scheme holds investments in Group-managed funds and insurance policies 
with other group companies, as explained in note 52(b)(ii). As at 31 December 2019, the Friends Provident Pension Scheme (‘FPPS’), acquired 
in 2015 as part of the acquisition of the Friends Life business, held an insurance policy of £646 million (2018: £620 million) issued by a group 
company, which eliminates on consolidation.  

The  related  parties’  receivables  are  not  secured  and  no  guarantees  were  received  in  respect  thereof.  The  receivables  will  be  settled  in 
accordance with normal credit terms. 

During the period, the ASPS completed a bulk annuity buy-in transaction with Aviva Life & Pensions UK Limited (AVLAP), a Group company. 
At inception, the buy-in insured approximately 4,300 deferred and 1,500 current pensioner liabilities. A premium of £1,665 million was paid 
by the scheme to AVLAP, with AVLAP recognising gross insurance liabilities of £1,334 million. The difference between the premium and the 
gross liabilities implies a profit of £331 million, which does not include costs incurred by the Group associated with the transaction, and is 
driven primarily by differences between the measurement bases used to calculate the premium and the accounting value of the associated 
gross liabilities. The ASPS recognised a plan asset of £1,126 million, with the difference between the plan asset recognised and the premium 
paid  being  recognised  as  an  actuarial  loss  through  Other  Comprehensive  Income.  As  at  31  December  2019,  AVLAP  recognised  technical 
provisions of £1,243 million in relation to the buy-in which have been included within the Group’s gross insurance liabilities, and the ASPS 
held a transferable plan asset of £1,144 million which does not eliminate on consolidation. 

Key management compensation  
The total compensation to those employees classified as key management, being those having authority and responsibility for planning, 
directing and controlling the activities of the Group, including the executive and non-executive directors is as follows: 

Salary and other short-term benefits 
Other long-term benefits 
Post-employment benefits 
Equity compensation plans 
Termination benefits 

Total  

2019  
£m 

12.3 
3.2 
1.3 
12.7 
1.0 

30.5 

2018 
£m 

7.9 
8.6 
1.5 
10.5 
— 

28.5 

Information concerning individual directors’ emoluments, interests and transactions is given in the Directors’ Remuneration Report.

Aviva plc Annual report and accounts 2019 
245 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Strategic report 

Governance 

IFRS financial statements 

Other information 

Notes to the consolidated financial statements 

 Continued  

64 – Organisational structure  
The following chart shows, in simplified form, the organisational structure of the Group as at 31 December 2019. Aviva plc is the holding 
company of the Group.  

Parent company 
Aviva plc 

Subsidiaries 
The principal subsidiaries of the Company at 31 December 2019 are listed below by country of incorporation. 

A complete list of the Group’s related undertakings comprising of subsidiaries, joint ventures, associates and other significant holdings is 
contained within note 65.  

Aviva plc*

Aviva – COFCO Life
Insurance Company
Limited**

Aviva Group
Holdings Limited* 

General
Accident plc*** 

Friends Life 
Holdings plc*

Aviva Life
Holdings UK
Limited*  

Aviva Investors
Holdings
Limited*

Aviva Central
Services UK
Limited* 

Aviva
International
Holdings Limited* 

Aviva Insurance
Limited*** 

Aviva
International
Insurance Limited* 

Overseas
and other
Subsidiaries 

UK Life
Subsidiaries

Investment
Management
Subsidiaries

Aviva
Employment
Services Limited* 

Overseas
and other
Subsidiaries 

UK & Ireland General
Insurance 
Subsidiaries

Canada General
Insurance
Subsidaries 

Incorporated in England and Wales 

* 
**  Incorporated in People’s Republic of China. 
*** Incorporated in Scotland 

United Kingdom 
Aviva Central Services UK Limited 
Aviva Employment Services Limited 
Aviva Equity Release UK Limited 
Aviva Health UK Limited 
Aviva Insurance Limited 
Aviva International Insurance Limited 
Aviva Investors Global Services Limited 
Aviva Investors Pensions Limited 
Aviva Investors UK Fund Services Limited 
Aviva Life & Pensions UK Limited 
Aviva Life Services UK Limited 
Aviva Pension Trustees UK Limited 
Aviva UK Digital Limited 
Aviva Wrap UK Limited 
Gresham Insurance Company Limited 
The Ocean Marine Insurance Company Limited 
Aviva Management Services UK Limited 
Aviva Administration Limited 
Friends Provident International Limited1 

Barbados 
Victoria Reinsurance Company Ltd 

Bermuda 
Aviva Re Limited 

Canada 
Aviva Canada Inc. and its principal subsidiaries:  
Aviva Insurance Company of Canada  
Aviva General Insurance Company 
Elite Insurance Company  
Pilot Insurance Company  
Scottish & York Insurance Co. Limited  
S&Y Insurance Company  
Traders General Insurance Company 

France 
Aviva France SA (99.99%) and its principal subsidiaries: 
Aviva Assurances SA (99.9%) 
Aviva Investors France SA (99.9%) 
Aviva Investors Real Estate France SA (99.9%) 
Aviva Solutions (99.9%) 
Aviva Vie SA (99.9%) 
Locamat SAS (99.9%) 
NEWCO (99.9%) 

Ireland  
Aviva Life and Pensions Ireland Designated Activity Company  
Aviva Insurance Ireland Designated Activity Company 

1  See note 4(b) for further details in respect of operations classified as held for sale 

Aviva plc Annual report and accounts 2019 
246 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Strategic report 

Governance 

IFRS financial statements 

Other information 

Notes to the consolidated financial statements 

 Continued  

64 – Organisational structure continued 
Italy 
Aviva Italia Holding S.p.A and its principal subsidiaries: 
Aviva S.p.A (51%) 
Aviva Italia S.p.A 
Aviva Life S.p.A 
Aviva Vita S.p.A (80%) 

Lithuania 
Uždaroji akcinė gyvybės draudimo ir pensijų bendrovė ‘Aviva Lietuva’ 
(90%) 

Poland 
Aviva PowsBlackbirdzechne Towarzystwo Emerytalne Aviva 
Santander S.A. (81%) 
Aviva Towarzystwo Ubezpieczen na Zycie S.A. (90%) 
Aviva Towarzystwo Ubezpieczen Ogolnych S.A. (90%) 
Santander Aviva Towarzystwo Ubezpieczeń S.A. (51%) 
Santander Aviva Towarzystwo Ubezpieczeń na Życie S.A. (51%) 

Singapore 
Aviva Ltd 

Vietnam 
Aviva Vietnam Life Insurance Company Limited 

Branches 
The Group also operates through branches, the most significant of 
which is based in Ireland. 

Associates and joint ventures 
The Group has ongoing interests in the following operations that are 
classified  as  joint  ventures  or  associates.  Further  details  of  those 
operations that were most significant in 2019 are set out in notes 19 
and 20 to the financial statements. 

United Kingdom 
The  Group  has  interests  in  several  property  limited  partnerships. 
Further  details  are  provided  in  notes  19,  20 and  27  to  the  financial 
statements. 

China 
Aviva-COFCO Life Insurance Company Limited (50%) 

Hong Kong  
Aviva Life Insurance Company Limited (40%) 1 

India 
Aviva Life Insurance Company India Limited (49%) 

Indonesia 
PT Astra Aviva Life (50%) 

Turkey 
AvivaSA Emeklilik ve HayatA.S (40%) 

1  See note 4(b) for further details in respect of operations classified as held for sale 

Aviva plc Annual report and accounts 2019 
247 

 
 
 
 
 
 
Strategic report 

Governance 

IFRS financial statements 

Other information 

Notes to the consolidated financial statements 

 Continued  

65 – Related Undertakings 
The Companies Act 2006 requires disclosure of certain information about the Group’s related undertakings which is set out in this note. 
Related  undertakings comprise  subsidiaries,  joint  ventures,  associates  and  other  significant  holdings.  Significant  holdings  are  where  the 
Group either has a shareholding greater than or equal to 20% of the nominal value of any share class, or a book value greater than 20% of 
the Group’s assets. 

The definition of a subsidiary undertaking in accordance with the Companies Act 2006 is different from the definition under IFRS. As a result, 
the related undertakings included within the list below may not be the same as the undertakings consolidated in the Group IFRS financial 
statements.  See  accounting  policies  (D)  Consolidation  principles  for  further  detail  on  principles  of  consolidation  and  definition  of  joint 
ventures. 

The Group’s related undertakings along with the country of incorporation, the registered address, the classes of shares held and the effective 
percentage of equity owned at 31 December 2019 are disclosed below. 

The direct related undertakings of the Company as at 31 December 2019 are listed below: 

Name of undertaking 

Country of 
incorporation 

Registered address 

Aviva-COFCO Life Insurance Company Ltd2  China 

General Accident plc 

United Kingdom 

12/F, Block A, Landgent Centre, 20 East Third Ring Middle Road,  
Beijing, 100022 
Pitheavlis, Perth, Perthshire, PH2 0NH 

Aviva Group Holdings Limited 

United Kingdom 

St Helen’s, 1 Undershaft, London, EC3P 3DQ 

Share class1 

Ordinary shares 

Ordinary shares 

Ordinary shares 

% held 

50 

100 

100 

The indirect related undertakings of the Company as at 31 December 2019 are listed below: 

Company name 

Australia 
c/o TMF Corporate Services 
(Aust) Pty Ltd, 201 Elizabeth 
Street, Australia 2000 
Aviva Investors Pacific Pty Ltd 
Barbados  
c/o USA Risk Group 
(Barbados) Ltd., 6th Floor, 
CGI Tower, Warrens, St. 
Michael, BB22026 
Victoria Reinsurance Company 
Ltd. 
Belgium 
Avenue Louise 326, Boîte 30, 
1050 Ixelles 
Parnasse Square Invest 
Bermuda  
Cumberland House, 7th Floor 
1 Victoria Street, Bermuda 
Aviva Re Limited 
The Vallis Building, No 58 
Par-la-Ville Road, Hamilton 
HM11 Bermuda 
Lend Lease JEM Partners Fund 
Limited 
Canada 
10 Aviva Way, Suite 100, 
Markham On L6G 0G1 
9543864 Canada Inc. 
Aviva Canada Inc. 
Aviva General Insurance 
Company 
Aviva Insurance Company of 
Canada 
Aviva Warranty Services Inc. 
Bay-Mill Specialty Insurance 
Adjusters Inc. 
Elite Insurance Company 
Insurance Agent Service Inc. 
National Home Warranty 
Group Inc. 
Nautimax Ltd 
OIS Ontario Insurance Service 
Limited 

Share Class1 

% held 

Ordinary 

100 

Common Shares 

100 

Ordinary Shares 

99 

Ordinary  

100 

Ordinary  

22 

Common  
Voting Interest 
Common  

100 
100 
100 

Common  

100 

Common  
Common  

Common  
Common  
Common  

Ordinary 
Common  

100 
100 

100 
100 
100 

100 
100 

Company name 
Pilot Insurance Company 
S&Y Insurance Company 
Scottish & York Insurance Co. 
Limited 
Traders General Insurance 
Company 
Wayfarer Insurance Brokers 
Limited 
100 King Street West, Suite 
4900, Toronto On M5X 2A2 
Aviva Investors Canada Inc. 
480 University Avenue, Suite 
800, Toronto On M5G 1V2 
Prolink Limited 
555 Chabanel Ouest, Bureau 
900, Montreal QC H2N 2H8 
Aviva Agency Services Inc. 
Cayman Islands 
Victory Arcadia Fund 
China 
Units 1805-1807, 18th Floor, 
Block H Office Building, 
Phoenix Land Plaza, No. A5 
Yard, Shuguangxili, 
Chaoyang District, Beijing 
Aviva-Cofco Yi Li Asset 
Management Co Ltd2 
12F, 15F Block A, 27F Block B 
Landgent Centre, 20 East 
Third Ring Middle Road, 
Beijing, China 
Aviva-Cofco Life Insurance Co. 
Ltd 
Czech Republic 
5/482 Ve Svahu, Prague 4, 
14700, Czech Republic 
AIEREF Renewable Energy s.r.o 
France  
3 Boulevard Saint Martin 
Aviva Impact Investing France 
128 Boulevard Raspail, 
75006, Paris 
UFF Oblicontext 2021-A 
(UFFo21A) 

Aviva plc Annual report and accounts 2019 
248 

Share Class1 
Common  
Common  
Common Preference  

% held 
100 
100 
100 

Common  

100 

Common  

100 

Common  

100 

Common A  

34 

Common A  

100 

OEIC 

46 

Ordinary Shares 

21 

Ordinary 

50 

Ordinary  

100 

FCP 

98 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Strategic report 

Governance 

IFRS financial statements 

Other information 

Notes to the consolidated financial statements 

 Continued  

Company name 
UFF Oblicontext 2023 A 
(UFFo23A) 
UFF Obligations 3-5 A 
UFF Allocation Strategies A 
13 Rue du Moulin Bailly, 
92270, Bois Colombes 
Agents 3A 
Aviva Assurances, Société 
Anonyme d’Assurances 
Incendie, Accidents et Risques 
Divers 
13, Avenue Lebrun, 92188, 
Antony Cedex 
Pierrevenus 
14 Rue Roquépine, 75008, 
Paris 
AFER – SFER 
Global Allocation M 
Aviva Investors Euro Credit 
Bonds ISR 
Aviva Investors Euro Credit 
Bonds 1-3 
Aviva Investors Euro Crédit 
Bonds 1-3 HDR 
Afer Actions Amerique  
Afer Actions Monde 
Afer Diversifie Durable 
Afer Marches Emergents Fcp 
Afer Multi Foncier 
Afer Oblig Monde Entreprisese 
Afer Patrimoine 
Afer-Flore 
Afer Actions Euro ISR 
AFer Actions Monde 
Afer Avenir Senior 
After Convertibles 
Aviva Actions Convex 
Aviva Actions Croissance 
Aviva Actions Euro 
Aviva Actions Europe ISR 
Aviva Actions France 
Aviva Amerique 
Aviva Asie 
Aviva Convertibles 
Aviva Conviction Opportunites 
Aviva Conviction Patrimoine 
Aviva Croissance Durable ISR 
Aviva Developpement 
Aviva Diversifié 
Aviva Europe 
Aviva Flexible (AVIFLEX) 
Aviva Flexible Emergents A FCP 
Aviva France Opportunites 
Aviva Grandes Marques ISR 
Aviva Interoblig 
Aviva Investors Actions Euro 
Aviva Investors Alpha Taux A 
Aviva Investors Alpha Yield 
Aviva Investors Britannia  
Aviva Investors Conviction 
Aviva Investors Euro Aggregate 
Faraday 
Aviva Investors Euro Crédit 
Bonds 1-3  
Aviva Investors France S.A 
Aviva Investors Japon ISR 
Aviva Investors Portefeuille 
Aviva Investors Reference 
Diversifie 
Aviva Investors Repo (avirepo) 

Share Class1 
FCP 

% held 
98 

FCP 
FCP 

86 
73 

Ordinary  
Ordinary  

50 
100 

Ordinary  

74 

Ordinary  
FCP 
FCP 

100 
85 
100 

FCP 

95 

FCP 

100 

FCP 
FCP 
FCP 
FCP 
FCP 
FCP 
FCP 
FCP 
FCP 
FCP 
SICAV 
FCP 
FPS 
FCP 
FCP 
FCP 
FCP 
FCP 
FCP 
Ordinary 
FCP 
FCP 
FCP 
SICAV 
SICAV 
SICAV 
FPS 
FCP 
FCP 
FCP 
FCP 
FCP 
FCP 
FCP 
SICAV 
FCP 
FCP 
FCP 
FCP 

Ordinary 
FCP 
FCP 
FCP 

100 
100 
100 
100 
100 
100 
100 
97 
100 
100 
100 
100 
100 
100 
100 
100 
79 
100 
100 
97 
100 
100 
100 
99 
94 
96 
100 
100 
91 
99 
100 
93 
100 
96 
98 
98 
75 
100 
96 

100 
95 
100 
100 

FCP 

100 

Company name 
Aviva Investors Selection 
Aviva Investors Valeurs 
Aviva Investors Valeurs Europe 
Aviva Investors Yield Curve Abs 
Rt R 
Aviva Monetaire Isr (A) 
Aviva Multigestion 
Aviva Oblig International 
Aviva Oblirea 
Aviva Patrimoine 
Aviva Performance 
Aviva Rebond 
Aviva Rendement Europe 
Aviva Selection Opportunites 
Aviva Selection Patrimoine 
Aviva Signatures Europe 
Aviva Structure Index 1. 
Aviva Structure Index 2 
Aviva Structure Index 4. 
Aviva Structure Index5 
Aviva Small & Mid Caps Euro 
ISR 
Aviva Valeurs Francaises 
Aviva Valeurs Immobilieres 
Aviva Valorisation Opportunite 
Aviva Valorisation Patrimoine 
FPE Aviva Investors Euro 
Corporate Senior Debts 
FPE Aviva Small & Midcap 
ASAM 
UFF Cap Defensif 
UFF Euro-Valeur 0-100 A 
UFF Obligations 5-7 A 
Obligations 5-7M 
Rendement Diversifie M 
UFF Rendement Diversifie A 
24-26 Rue De La Pépinière, 
75008, Paris 
100 Courcelles 
AFER Immo 
AFER Immo 2 
Aviva Commerce Europe 
Aviva Immo Selection 
Aviva Investors Real Estate 
France S.A. 
Aviva Investors Real Estate 
France SGP 
Aviva Patrimoine Immobilier 
Logiprime Europe 
Primotel Europe 
SCI La Coupole Des Halles 
SCI Pergola 
Société Civile Immobilière 
Thomas Edison 
Société Civile Immobilière 
Pleyel R2 
Sapphire lle de France SCI 
Aviva Investors Experimmo 
Propco 1 
Aviva Investors Experimmo 
Propco 2 
153, Boulevard Haussmann, 
75008, Paris 
Selectus 
159 rue Montmartre, France 
75002 
Mamann Invest 
SACAF 
20 Place Vendome, 75001 
Paris 

Aviva plc Annual report and accounts 2019 
249 

Share Class1 
FCP 
FCP 
FCP 
FCP 

% held 
100 
100 
80 
100 

FCP 
FCP 
SICAV 
Ordinary 
SICAV 
FCP 
FCP 
Ordinary 
FCP 
FCP 
FCP 
FCP 
FCP 
FIPS 
FCP 
FCP 

Ordinary 
Ordinary 
FCP 
FCP 
FPE 

98 
98 
89 
97 
96 
100 
82 
82 
99 
98 
100 
99 
100 
100 
100 
100 

96 
83 
97 
97 
24 

FCP 

100 

FCP 
FCP 
FCP 
FCP 
FCP 
FCP 

Ordinary 
Ordinary 
Ordinary 
Ordinary 
Ordinary 
Ordinary 

100 
98 
99 
81 
96 
100 

100 
100 
100 
100 
100 
100 

Ordinary 

100 

Ordinary 
Ordinary  
Ordinary/Preference 
Ordinary 
Ordinary 
Ordinary 

100 
100                           
99 
100 
100 
50 

Ordinary 

50 

SPV 
Ordinary 

100 
100 

Ordinary 

100 

FCP 

97 

Ordinary 
Ordinary 

100 
100 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Strategic report 

Governance 

IFRS financial statements 

Other information 

Notes to the consolidated financial statements 

 Continued  

Company name 
AXA Lbo Fund IV Feeder 
AXA UK Infrastructure 
Investment SAS 
Croissance Pme A C. 
29 Avenue de Messine, 75008, 
Paris 
Afer Premium 
32, Avenue d’Iéna, 75116 
Paris 
CGP Entrepreneurs 
Aviva Capital Planete 
UFF Grandes Marques A 
Myria Asset Management 
UFF Selection Alpha-A 
(Ufselaa) 
UFF Actions France-Aeur 
(UFFacfa) 
UFF Allocation Optimum 
UFF Cap Diversifie (UCAPDIV) 
UFF Capital Planete A (Aviufcp) 
UFF Croissance Pme A 
(Ucapcro) 
UFF Emergence-A (UFFemga) 
UFF Europe Opportunites-Aeur 
(UFFgeua) 
UFF Euro Valeur A 
UFF Global Allocation A 
UFF Global Foncieres-A 
(Ufgf70A) 
UFF Global Multi-Strategie-A 
(Ufglmsa) 
UFF Global Obligations-A 
(Ufgf30A) 
UFF Global Reactif-A (Ufgf10A) 
UFF Selection Premium A 
(Uavfran) 
Ufifrance Gestion 
Ufifrance Patrimoine 
UFF Privilège A 
Union Financière de France 
Banque 
36 Rue De Naples 75008 Paris 
Ufifrance Immobilier 
37 Avenue des Champs 
Elysées, 75008, Paris  
Bellatrix 
Betelgeuse 
Europe Israel Croissance  
Société Française de Gestion et 
d’Investissement 
Sirius 
41 Rue Capitaine Guynemer, 
92400, Courbevoie  
Logipierre 1 
47 Rue du Faubourg Saint-
Honoré, 75008, Paris   
CGU Equilibre 
Aviva Selection 
Diapason 1 
UFF Global Convertibles A 
UFF Oblicontext Moyen Terme 
A 
53 Avenue d'Iéna 
UFF Valeurs Pme-A (Fintrma) 
59 Avenue Pierre Mendes, 
France 75013, Paris 
Aviva La Fabrique Impact ISR 
7 Rue Auber, 75009, Paris  
Vip Conseils 

Share Class1 
Private Equity Fund 
Ordinary Shares 

% held 
38 
100 

FCP                        

100 

Company name 
70 Avenue De L’Europe, 
92270 Bois-Colombes 
Aviva Epargne Retraite 
Aviva France Ventures 
Aviva Investissements 
Aviva Retraite Professionnelle 
Aviva Vie, Société Anonyme 
d’Assurances Vie et de 
Capitalisation 
Epargne Actuelle 
Newco 5 
Newco 6 
SCI Pesaro 
Carpe Diem Société Civile 
Immobilière  
Societe Civile Immobiliere 
Charles Hermite 
Societe Civile Immobiliere 
Montaigne 
Zelmis 
Aviva Developpement Vie 
80 Avenue De L’Europe, 
92270 Bois-Colombes 
Aviva France 
Aviva Solutions 
Croissance Pierre II 
Groupement D’Interet 
Economique du Groupe Aviva 
France 
Locamat SAS 
Newco 
Selectinvie – Societe Civile 
Immobiliere 
Selectipierre – Société Civile 
Societe Concessionaire des 
Immeubles de la Pepiniere 
Victoire Immo 1- Société Civile 
Voltaire S.A.S 
90 Boulevard Pasteur, 75015, 
Paris 
Aviva Actions S2 C. 
Aviva Couventure Actions  
91-93 Boulevard Pasteur, 
75015, Paris 
SCI Campus Medicis St Denis 
SCI Campus Rimbaud St Denis 
9 Rue Newton, 75116 Paris 
Pretons Ensemble 
Pretons Ensemble 2 
1 Boulevard Haussman, 
75009 Paris 
Afer Actions PME 
Aviva Investors Euro 
Commercial Real Estate Debt II 
Aviva Perspective 2021-2025 
Aviva Perspective 2026-2030 
Aviva Perspective 2031-2035 
Aviva Perspective 2036-2040 
Germany 
c/o Wswp Weinert GmbH, 
Theatinerstr. 31, 80333, 
Munich 
FPB Holdings GmbH 

SICAV 

100 

Ordinary  
FCP 
FCP 
Ordinary  
FCP 

74 
100 
99 
74 
98 

FCP 

99 

FCP 
FCP 
FCP 
FCP 

FCP 
FCP 

FCP 
FCP 
FCP 

FCP 

FCP 

FCP 
FCP 

Ordinary  
Ordinary  
FCP 
Ordinary  

98 
50 
98 
100 

99 
99 

100 
100 
98 

99 

95 

95 
98 

74 
74 
69 
74 

SCI 

20 

SICAV 
SICAV 
SICAV 
Ordinary 

SICAV 

99 
92 
85 
67 

99 

Ordinary  

44 

FCP 
FCP 
FCP 
FCP 
FCP 

100 
100 
84 
98 
94 

FCP 

98 

FCP 

100 

Ordinary  

34 

Speditionstrasse 23, 
Germany 40221 
Projekttgesellschaft 
Hafenspitze 
Max-Planck-Strasse, 3,85609 
Ascheim-Dornach, Germany 

Aviva plc Annual report and accounts 2019 
250 

Share Class1 

% held 

Ordinary  
Ordinary  
Ordinary  
Ordinary  
Ordinary  

Ordinary  
Ordinary 
Ordinary  
Ordinary 
Ordinary  

100 
100 
100 
100 
100 

100 
100 
100 
79 
50 

Ordinary  

100 

Ordinary  

Ordinary  
Ordinary 

Ordinary  
Ordinary  
Ordinary  
Ordinary  

Ordinary  
Ordinary  
Ordinary  

Ordinary  
Ordinary  

Ordinary  
Ordinary  

100  

100 
100 

100 
100 
100 
100 

100 
100 
100 

100 
100 

100 
100 

FCP 
FPS 

100 
100 

Ordinary  
Ordinary  

FPS 
FPS 

FCP 
FCT 

FCP 
FCP 
FCP 
FCP 

30 
30 

30 
30 

100 
34 

100 
100 
100 
100 

Series A Shares,  
Series B Shares 

100 

Ordinary  

94 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Strategic report 

Governance 

IFRS financial statements 

Other information 

Notes to the consolidated financial statements 

 Continued  

Company name 
ASF German Retail GmbH & Co 
KG 
German Retail I GmbH 
German Retail II GmbH  
German Retail III GmbH 
German Retail Investment 
Properties Sarl 
German Retail IV GmbH 
German Retail IX GmbH 
German Retail V GmbH 
German Retail VII GmbH 
German Retail VIII GmbH 
Sachsenfonds GmbH 
Eschenheimer Anlage 1, 
60315 Frankfurt 
Reschop Carre Hattingen 
GmbH 
Reschop Carre Marketing 
GmbH 
Guernsey  
PO Box 255, Trafalgar Court, 
Les Banques, St. Peter Port, 
GY1 3QL 
AXA Property Trust Ltd 
BMO Commercial Property 
Trust Ltd 
PO Box 34, St Martin’s House, 
Le Bordage, Guernsey CY1 
4AU 
Paragon Insurance Company 
Guernsey Limited 
Marlborough International 
Management Limited, First 
Floor, Tudor House, Le 
Bordage, St Peter Port, 
Guernsey, Channel Islands 
GY1 1 DB 
Marlborough International 
Fund PCC Limited re: 
Marlborough Balanced Cell 
PO Box 287, 4th Floor, West 
Wing, Trafalgar Court, 
Admiral Park 
WSF Asian Pacific Fund 
Hong Kong  
21st Floor, Chater House, 8 
Connaught Road Central 
JPMorgan Indonesia Fund 
30/F, One Kowloon, 1 Wang 
Yuen Street, Kowloon Bay, 
Hong Kong 
Aviva Life Insurance Company 
Limited 
India  
2nd Floor, Prakash Deep 
Building 7, Tolstoy Marg, 
New Delhi, Delhi, 110001 
Aviva Life Insurance Company 
India Limited2 
A-47 (L.G.F), Hauz Khas, New 
Delhi, Delhi 
Sesame Group India Private 
Limited 
Pune Office Addresses 
103/P3, Pentagon, 
Magarpatta City, Hadapsar, 
Pune – 411013 
A.G.S. Customer Services 
(India) Private Limited 

Share Class1 

% held 

Ordinary  

50 

Liquidity Fund 

Liquidity Fund 

Liquidity Fund 
Liquidity Fund 

Shares Of No Par Value Shares, 1 
Subscriber Euro €1 Shares 
OEIC 

OEIC 

95 

94 

77 
78 

100 

23 

23 

Unit Trust 

60 

Unit Trust 
Unit Trust 

100 
100 

A Shares, B Shares 

100 

Ordinary 

100 

Ordinary 

100 

Ordinary  
Ordinary  

100 
100 

Ordinary 

100 

Ordinary  

100 

Ordinary 

100 

Ordinary  

100 

Ordinary  

100 

OEIC 

OEIC 

OEIC 

OEIC 
OEIC 

26 

37 

33 

24 
46 

Share Class1 
Ordinary 

% held 
98 

Ordinary 
Ordinary 
Ordinary 
Ordinary 

Ordinary 
Ordinary 
Ordinary 
Ordinary 
Ordinary 
Ordinary 

98 
98 
98 
98 

98 
98 
98 
98 
98 
98 

Ordinary 

95 

Ordinary 

100 

Ordinary 
Ordinary 

28 
47 

Ordinary  

46 

OEIC 

27 

OEIC 

33 

Unit Trust 

37 

Ordinary  

40 

Ordinary  

49 

Ordinary  

100 

Ordinary  

100 

Company name 

Indonesia  
Pondok Indah Office Tower 3, 
1st Floor, Jl. Sultan Iskandar 
Muda Kav. V-TA, Pondok 
Indah, Jakarta Selatan, 
Jakarta, 12310 
PT Astra Aviva Life2 
Ireland  
25/28 North Wall Quay, 
Dublin 
Aviva Investors Euro Liquidity 
Fund 
Aviva Investors Sterling 
Government Liquidity Fund 
Aviva Investors Sterling 
Liquidity Fund 
Aviva Investors Sterling 
Liquidity Plus Fund 
Georges Court, 54-62 
Townsend Street, Dublin 2 
FPPE Fund Public Limited 
Company 
EM LC Gov Bond Index Fund 
(B14) 
GAM Fund Management 
Limited, “George Court, 54-62 
Townsend Street 
Guild House, Guild Street, 
IFRS, Dublin 1 
Aviva Irl Merrion Exempt Trust - 
Managed Fund 
Aviva Irl Merrion Multi Asset 30 
Aviva Irl Merrion Multi Asset 50 
One Park Place, Hatch Street, 
Dublin 2 
Area Life International 
Assurance dac 
Aviva DB Trustee Company 
Ireland Designated Activity 
Company 
Aviva DC Trustee Company 
Ireland Designated Activity 
Company 
Aviva Direct Ireland Limited 
Aviva Driving School Ireland 
Limited 
Aviva Group Services Ireland 
Limited 
Aviva Insurance Ireland 
Designated Activity Company 
Aviva Life & Pensions Ireland 
Designated Activity Company 
Aviva Life Services Ireland 
Limited 
Peak Re Designated Activity 
Company 
Charlotte House, 
Charlemount Street 
Mercer Diversified Retirement 
Fund 
Mercer Multi Asset Defensive 
Fund 
Mercer Multi Asset Growth 
Fund 
Mercer Multi High Growth Fund 
Mercer Multi Asset Moderate 
Growth Fund 
3rd Floor, 2 Harbourmaster 
Place, IFSC 

Aviva plc Annual report and accounts 2019 
251 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Strategic report 

Governance 

IFRS financial statements 

Other information 

Notes to the consolidated financial statements 

 Continued  

Company name 
KBI Institutional Fund ICAV – 
KBI Institutional Eurozone 
Equity Fund 
Behan House 
10 Mount Street Lower 
Dublin 2, Ireland 
CALM Eurozone Equity Sub 
Fund 
AG10 Currency Fund 
78 Sir John Rogersons Quay 
Dublin 2 Ireland 
State Street IUT Balanced Fund 
S30 
Russell Investment Company 
Plc – Acadian Multi-Asset 
Absolute Return UCITS 
SSgA GRU Euro Index Equity 
Fund 
One Coleman Street, London 
EC2R 5AA 
Legal & General ICAV – L&G 
World Equity Index Fund 
Legal & General ICAV – L&G 
Multi-Index EUR V Fund 
Legal & General ICAV – L&G 
Multi-Index EUR IV Fund 
Legal & General ICAV – L&G 
Multi-Index EUR III Fund 
Friends First House 
Cherrywood Science & 
Technology Park 
Loughlinstown 
Co. Dublin 
Ireland 
Ashtown Management 
Company Limited 
Friends First US Property 
Company Limited 
1211 Avenue of the Americas 
(Proxy) 
Annaly Credit Opportunities 
Ireland ICAV 
2nd Floor, IFSC House, Int’l 
Financial Services Centre, 
Custom House Docks  
Barings International Umbrella 
Fund – Barings International 
Bond Fund 
1 Custom House Plaza, IFSC 
Blackrock Emerging markets 
Bond Hard Currency Fam Fund 
Eurizon Flexible Equity 
Strategy FAM Fd 
JP Morgan European Equity 
FAM Fund 
Nordea Stable Performance 
FAM Fd 
Vontobel Global Equity FAM Fd 
JP Morgan House, 
International Financial 
Services Centre 
BlackRock Index Selection 
Fund Market Advantage 
Strategy 
Trafalgar Court, Admiral Park 
CGWM Affinity Fund 
CGWM Diversity Fund 
CGWM Opportunity Fund 
13-18 City Quay, Ireland 

Share Class1 
OEIC 

% held 
37 

OEIC 

OEIC 

Unit Trust 

OEIC 

99 

95 

31 

28 

 Unit Trust 

46 

OEIC 

64 

OEIC 

100 

OEIC 

100 

OEIC 

100 

Ordinary  

50 

Ordinary  

100 

Alternative Investment 

100 

Unit Trust 

26 

OEIC 

OEIC 

OEIC 

OEIC 

OEIC 

23 

26 

28 

21 

22 

Unit Trust 

27 

OEIC 
OEIC 
OEIC 

36 
25 
45 

Company name 
Friends First Managed 
Pensions Funds Designated 
Activity Company 
25 Cabot Square, Canary 
Wharf 
FundLogic Alternatives plc  
MDO Management Company 
SA, 19 rue de Bitbourg 
Kensington Diversified 
Balanced Fund 
Kensington Diversified Growth 
Fund 
One Iron Street 
SPDR FTSE EPRA Europe ex  UK 
Real Estate UCITS ETF 
3rd Floor, 2 Harbourmaster, 
IFSC 
KBI Institutional Fund ICAV – 
KBI Institutional Eurozone 
Equity Fund 
Isle of Man  
Royal Court, Castletown, IM9 
1RA 
Friends Provident International 
Limited 
Friends Provident International 
Services Limited 
Italy  
Piazzetta Guastalla 1, 20122, 
Milan 
Banca Network Investimenti 
SPA 
Via Scarsellini 14, 20161, 
Milan 
Aviva Italia Holding S.p.A 
Aviva Italia S.p.A 
Aviva Italia Servizi Scarl 
Aviva Life SPA 
Aviva SPA 
Aviva Vita Spa 
Milano, Piazza Lina Bo Bardi 
n. 3 
Aviva Immobiliare 
Jersey  
19-21 Broad Street, St Helier, 
JE1 3PB 
11-12 Hanover Square UT2 
130 Fenchurch Street UT2 
30-31 Golden Square UT2 
Barratt House UT2 
Chancery House Unit Trust 
Irongate House UT 
New Broad Street House UT 
Pegasus House and Nuffield 
House UT2 
W Nine Unit Trust 
3rd Floor Walker House,  
28-34 Hill Street, St Helier, 
JE4 8PN 
1 Fitzroy Place Jersey Unit 
Trust2 
2 Fitzroy Place Jersey Unit 
Trust2 
Lime Grove House , Green 
Street, St Helier, JE1 2ST 
20 Gracechurch Unit Trust 
Designer Retail Outlet Centres 
Unit Trust 

Aviva plc Annual report and accounts 2019 
252 

Share Class1 
Ordinary 

% held 
100 

OEIC 

30 

OEIC 

OEIC 

20 

27 

OIEC 

24 

OEIC 

36 

Ordinary B Shares, Ordinary Shares 

100 

Ordinary Shares 

100 

Ordinary  

25 

Ordinary  
Ordinary  
Ordinary  
Ordinary  
Ordinary  
Ordinary 

100 
100 
92 
100 
51 
80 

Real Estate Fund 

100 

Unit Trust 
Unit Trust 
Unit Trust 
Unit Trust 
Unit Trust 
Unit Trust 
Unit Trust 
Unit Trust 

Unit Trust 

Unit Trust 

Unit Trust 

50 
50 
50 
50 
50 
50 
50 
50 

50 

50 

50 

Unit Trust 
Unit Trust 

100 
97 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Strategic report 

Governance 

IFRS financial statements 

Other information 

Notes to the consolidated financial statements 

 Continued  

Company name 
COW Real Estate Investment 
Unit Trust 
Quantum Unit Trust 
Southgate Unit Trust 
The Designer Outlet Centres 
(Mansfield) Unit Trust 
The Designer Outlet Centres 
(York) Unit Trust 
The Designer Retail Outlet 
Centres Unit Trust 
3rd Floor, One The 
Esplanade, Jersey, JE2 3QA 
Crieff Road Limited 
FF UK Select Limited 
Lithuania  
Lvovo g. 25, Vilnius,  
LT-09320 
Uždaroji akcinė gyvybės 
draudimo ir pensijų bendrovė 
"Aviva Lietuva" (Joint Stock 
Limited Life Insurance and 
Pension Company Aviva 
Lietuva) 
Luxembourg  
15 Rue du Fort Bourbon,  
L-1249 
Aviva Investors European 
Secondary Infrastructure Credit 
SV S.A 
16 Avenue de la Gare, 1610 
Aviva Investors Luxembourg 
Services S.a.r.l 
AFRP Sarl 
Aviva Investors European 
Renewable Energy SA 
Victor Hugo 1 Sarl 
Aviva Investors Polish Retail S.à 
r.l. 
MPS L14 Sarl 
2 rue Edward Steichen,  
L – 2540, Luxembourg, LU  
VAM Managed Funds (Lux) – 
VAM Balanced Fund 
VAM Managed Funds (Lux) –
International Real Estate 
Equity Fund 
1c Rue Gabriel Lippmann,  
L -5365, Munsbach, LU 
Patriarch Classic B&W Global 
Freestyle 
2 Rue de Bitbourg, L-1273 
Janus Henderson Horizon – 
European Growth Fund 
2 Rue du Fort Bourbon, L-
1249 Luxembourg, Grand 
Duchy of Luxembourg 
AFRP Sarl 
AIEREF Holdings 1 Sarl 
AIEREF Holdings 2 Sarl 
Aviva Investors Alternative 
Income Solutions General 
Partner Sarl 
Aviva Investors Alternative 
Income Solutions Investment 
SA 
Centaurus CER (Aviva 
Investors) Sarl 
EP Megaron GmbH & Co KG 
EP Megaron GP GmbH 

Share Class1 
Unit Trust 

% held 
100 

Unit Trust 
Unit Trust 
Unit Trust 

Unit Trust 

Unit Trust 

50 
50 
97 

97 

97 

Ordinary  
Ordinary  

100 
100 

Ordinary  

90 

Ordinary  

67 

Ordinary 

100 

Ordinary 
Ordinary 

Ordinary 
Ordinary  

100 
100 

100 
100 

Unit Trust 

100 

SICAV 

SICAV 

53 

34 

FCP 

31 

SICAV 

32 

Ordinary 
Equity Shares 
Ordinary 
Ordinary 

100 
44 
100 
100 

Ordinary 

100 

Sarl 

100 

KG 
GP 

100 
100 

Company name 
EP Megaron Holding Sarl 
European Properties Sarl 
Sapphire Ile de France 1 Sarl 

Sapphire Ile de France 2 Sarl 
Aviva Investors Perpetual 
Capital 
Aviva Investors Alternative 
Income Solutions SCSp  
Aviva Investors Alternative, 
FCP-RAIF 
Aviva Investors Asian Equity 
Income Fund 
Aviva Investors Cells Fund 
Aviva Investors CELLs Danone 
Sarl 
Aviva Investors CELLs Holdings 
Aviva Investors CELLS Stern 
Sarl 
Aviva Investors CELLS SCSp 
Aviva Investors EBC Sarl 
Aviva Investors Climate 
Transition Equity Fund 
Aviva Investors European 
Corporate Bond Fund 
Aviva Investors Emerging 
Markets Equity Small Cap Fund 
Aviva Investors Emerging 
Markets Bond Fund 
Aviva Investors Emerging 
Corporate Bond Fund 
Aviva Investors Emerging 
Equity Income Fund 
Aviva Investors Emerging 
Markets Local Currency Bond 
Fund 
Aviva Investors European 
Equity Fund 
Aviva Investors Equity Income 
Fund 
Aviva Investors European Real 
Estate Securities Fund 
Aviva Investors Global 
Aggregate Bond Fund 
Aviva Investors Global 
Convertibles Absolute Return 
Fund 
Aviva Investors Global 
Convertibles Fund 
Aviva Investors Global 
Emerging Markets Equity  
Unconstrained Fund 
Aviva Investors Global 
Emerging Markets Index Fund 
Aviva Investors Global Equity 
Endurance Fund 
Aviva Investors Global Equality 
Unconstrained Fund 
Aviva Investors Global High 
Yield Bond Fund 
Aviva Investors Global 
Investment Grade Corporate 
Bond Fund 
Aviva Investors Investment 
Solutions Emerging Markets 
Debt Fund 
Aviva Investors Luxembourg  
Aviva Investors Multi-Strategy 
Fixed Income Fund 

Aviva plc Annual report and accounts 2019 
253 

Share Class1 
Ordinary 
Ordinary 
Ordinary 

% held 
100 
98 
100 

Ordinary 
Alternative Investment Fund 

100 
50 

Ordinary 

FCP 

SICAV 

Alternative Investment 
Ordinary 

Ordinary 
Ordinary 

Ordinary 
Ordinary 
SICAV 

SICAV 

SICAV 

SICAV 

SICAV 

SICAV 

SICAV 

55 

57 

99 

100 
100 

100 
100 

100 
100 
99 

64 

85 

82 

84 

99 

90 

SICAV 

67 

SICAV 

100 

SICAV 

SICAV 

SICAV 

66 

96 

77 

SICAV 

76 

SICAV 

100 

SICAV 

SICAV 

89 

99 

SICAV 

100 

SICAV 

SICAV 

68 

88 

SICAV 

100 

Ordinary 
SICAV 

100 
29 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Strategic report 

Governance 

IFRS financial statements 

Other information 

Notes to the consolidated financial statements 

 Continued  

Company name 
Aviva Investors Multi-strategy 
Target Income Fund  
Aviva Investors Multi-strategy 
Target Return Fund 
Aviva Investors Short Duration 
Global High Yield Bond Fund 
Aviva Investors Sustainable 
Income & Growth Fund 
Aviva Investors UK Equity 
Focus Fund 
Aviva Investors US Equity 
Income Fund 
German Retail Investment 
Property Fund  
Hexagone.S.a.r.l 
3 Rue des Labours, L-1912 
Haspa Trendkonzept 
42 Rue de la Vallée, L-2661, 
Luxembourg LU  
World Investment 
Opportunities Funds – China 
Performance Fund 
World Investment Funds – 
India Performance Fund 
46a Avenue John F Kennedy, 
L-1855, Luxembourg, Grand 
Duchy of Luxembourg 
Centaurus CER (Aviva 
Investors) Sarl 
EPI NU Sarl 
47 Avenue John F Kennedy, 
L-1855 Luxembourg 
Goodman European Business 
Park Fund (Lux) S.àr.l. 
49 Avenue J-F Kennedy,  
L-1855, Luxembourg LU 
BMO European Growth & 
Income Fund 
BMO Diversified Growth Fund 
BMO Global Total Return Bond 
Fund 
2 Boulevard Konrad 
Adenauer, L-1115, 
Luxembourg 
Aviva Infrastructure Debt 
Europe SA 
DWS Global Aribusiness 
Xtrackers II Eurozone 
Government Bond 15-30 UCITS 
ETF 
5, Allée Scheffer, L-2520  
Pramerica Pan-European Real 
Estate Fund 
Pramerica Pan-European 
Estate Fund II 
Tikehau Italy Retail Fund II 
Scsp-Area12 
Tikehau Senior Loans III 
5 rue Heienhaff, L-1736 
Senningerberg, Grand Duchy 
of Luxembourg 
The Jupiter Global Fund - 
Jupiter Financial Innovation 
2C rue Albert Borschette,  
L-1246, Luxembourg 
AQR Systematic Total Return 
Fund II 
4 Rue Albert Borschette, 1246 
Luxembourg 

Share Class1 
SICAV 

% held 
75 

SICAV 

SICAV 

SICAV 

SICAV 

SICAV 

FCP 

48 

41 

98 

94 

68 

98 

SICAV 

100 

FCP 

55 

SICAV 

35 

SICAV 

34 

Ordinary 

100 

Ordinary 

100 

Ordinary 

50 

SICAV 

100 

SICAV 
SICAV 

90 
63 

Fund 

100 

FCP 
SICAV 

20 
27 

Alternative Investment Fund 

Alternative Investment Fund 

Alternative Investment Fund 

Alternative Investment Fund 

59 

25 

20 

20 

SICAV 

26 

SICAV 

62 

Company name 
Negentrophy – Debt Select 
Fund 
14 Porte de France 
Aviva Investors Cells Fund 
15 rue du Bourbon, L-1249 
Luxembourg, Grand Duchy of 
Luxembourg 
Aviva Investors European 
Secondary Infrastructure Credit 
SV S.A 
2-4 Rue, Eugene Ruppert – 
2453, Luxembourg LU 
Invesco Funds – Invesco 
Emerging Markets Equity Fund 
Invesco Funds – Invesco Global 
Care Fund 
Invesco Funds – Invesco Global 
Opportunities Fund 
Invesco Funds – Invesco UK 
Equity Fund 
Invesco Funds – Invesco US 
Fund 
562 rue de Neudorf, L – 2220 
Luxembourg LU 
Nordea 1 – Swedish Bond Fund 
Nordea 1 – Swedish Short-
Term Bond Fund 
11 rue Aldringen, L1118, 
Luxwmbourg LU 
KMG Sicav – SIF Devere Global 
Frontier Markets Fund 
KMG Sicav – SIF Devere Medical 
Opportunities Fund 
6 H route de Treves, L – 2633, 
Senningerberg, LUK 
Momentum Global Funds 
Harmony Portfolios Asian 
Growth Fund 
Momentum Global Funds 
Harmony Portfolios Euro 
Diversifed Fund 
6 Route de Treves, L – 2633, 
Senningerberg, LU 
JPMorgan Funds – USD Money 
Market VNAV Fund 
Malta  
Central North Business 
Centre, Level 1, Sqaq il-
Fawwara, Sliema (Proxy) 
Herakles 
Herakles II 
Mauritius  
4th Floor, Raffles Tower, 19 
Cybercity, Ebene  
Reliance Emergent India Fund 
Norway 
Tollbugate 27,0157 Oslo 
Norway 
Aviva Investors CELLs Norway 
AS 
Aviva CELLS Norway Holding 
AS 
Kongsgard Alle 20 AS 
Poland 
Inflancka 4b, 00-189 
Warszawa 
AdRate Sp z.o.o 

Share Class1 
Alternative Investment Funde 

% held 
32 

Alternative Investment Fund 

64 

Fund 

68 

SICAV 

SICAV 

SICAV 

SICAV 

SICAV 

28 

35 

30 

36 

42 

SICAV 
SICAV 

32 
32 

SICAV 

SICAV 

22 

20 

SICAV 

20 

SICAV 

24 

SICAV 

24 

Alternative Investment Fund 
Alternative Investment Fund 

47 
100 

OEIC 

88 

Cells Fund 

100 

Cells Fund 

100 

Cells Fund 

100 

Ordinary 

90 

Aviva plc Annual report and accounts 2019 
254 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Strategic report 

Governance 

IFRS financial statements 

Other information 

Notes to the consolidated financial statements 

 Continued  

Company name 
Aviva Investors FIO Aktywnej 
Alokacji 
Aviva Investors Fio Depozyt 
Plus 
Aviva Investors Fio Malych 
Spolek 
Aviva Investors Fio 
Nowoczesnych Technologii 
Aviva Investors Fio Obligacji 
Aviva Investors Fio Polskich 
Akcji 
Aviva Investors Sfio Akcyjny 
Aviva Investors Sfio Aviva 
Lokacyjny 
Aviva Investors Sfio Dluzny 
Aviva Investors Sfio Dluzny 
Spotek 
Aviva Investors Sfio Pap 
Nieskarbowych 
Aviva Investors Sfio Pieniezny 
Aviva Investors Sfio Spolek 
Dywidend 
Aviva Services Spolka z 
organisczona 
odpowiedzialnoscia 
Expander Advisors Sp z.o.o 
Life Plus Sp z.o.o 
Aviva Poland Towarzystwo 
Funduszy Investycyjnych SA 
Aviva Powszenchne 
Towarzystwo Emerytaine Aviva 
Santander SA 
Aviva Towarzystwo 
Ubezpieczen NA Zycie SA 
Aviva Towarzystwo 
Ubezpieczen Ogolnych SA 
Santander Aviva Towarzystwo 
Ubezpieczen na Zycie Spolka 
Akcyjna  
Santander Aviva Towarzystwo 
Ubezpieczen Spolka Akcyjna 
Porowneo pl Sp z.o.o 
Aviva Sfio Subfundusz Aviva 
Oszczednosciowy 
Aviva Spolka z ograniczona 
odpowiedzialnoscia 
Prosta 69 Poland  00-383 
Proowneo.pl Sp zoo 
AI Jana Powla 
Wroclaw BC Sp Zoo 
Saudi Arabia  
Riyad Capital, 6775 
Takhassusi Street – Olaya, 
Riyadh 12331 – 3712 
Riyad AI Jarei Fund (SAR) 
Riyad AI Jarei Sharia Fund 
(SAR) 
Riyad AI Mutahafedh Sharia 
Fund (SAR) 
Riyad AI Mutawazen Sharia 
Fund (SAR) 
Riyad AI Shujia’a Fund (SAR 
Riyad AI Shujia’a Sharia Fund 
Singapore  
12 Marina View, #18-02 Asia 
Square Tower 2, 018961 
Nikko AM Shenton Asia Pacific 
Fund 

Share Class1 
UCITS 

% held 
23 

UCITS 

UCITS 

UCITS 

UCITS 
UCITS 

Non UCITS 
Non UCITS 

Non UCITS 
Non UCITS 

42 

68 

79 

79 
57 

100 
71 

100 
100 

Non UCITS 

99 

Non UCITS 
Non UCITS 

100 
100 

Non UCITS 

90 

Ordinary 
Ordinary 
Ordinary 

Ordinary 

Ordinary 

Ordinary 

Ordinary 

90 
90 
95 

81 

90 

95 

51 

Ordinary 

51 

Ordinary 
Non UCITS (AIF) 

90 
100 

Ordinary 

90 

Ordinary  

90 

Ordinary 

100 

Mutual Fund 
Mutual Fund 

Mutual Fund 

Mutual Fund 

Mutual Fund 
Mutual Fund 

28 
67 

89 

80 

22 
90 

Unit Trust 

66 

Company name 
Nikko AM Shenton Income 
Fund 
Nikko AM Shenton Global 
Green Bond Fund 
4 Shenton Way, #01-01 SGX 
Centre 2, Singapore, 068807 
Aviva Ltd 
Navigator Investment Services 
Limited 
6 Shenton Way, #09-08, OUE 
Downtown, 068809 
Professional Advisory Holdings 
Ltd. 
Professional Investment 
Advisory Services Pte Ltd 
1 Raffles Quay #27-13 South 
Tower 4, Singapore 048583 
Aviva Investors Asia Pte Limited 
6 Temasek Boulevard, #29-
00, Suntec Tower 4, 038986 
Aviva Asia Digital Pte. Ltd. 
Aviva Asia Pte Ltd 
Aviva Financial Advisers Pte. 
Ltd 
Aviva Global Services 
(Management Services) Private 
Ltd. 
Spain  
Avda Andalucia, 10-12, 
Malaga 
Ahorro Andaluz, S.A 
Avda de Bruselas – Numero 
13, Edificio, America, Piso 1, 
Puerto d, Alcobendas 28-
Madrid 
Eolica Almatret SL 
Nanclares de Oca,  
numero 1-B 
Spain 28022 
San Ramon Hoteles 
Todo Real Est Investments 
Switzerland  
Stockerstrasse, 38 8002 , 
Zurich 
Aviva Investors Schweiz GmbH 
Turkey  
Saray Mah., Adnan 
Büyüjdeniz Cad. No:12 34768 
Umraniye, Istanbul 
AvivaSA Emeklilik ve Hayat  
United Kingdom 
No 1 Dorset Street, 
Southampton, Hampshire 
SO15 2DP  
Mill NU Properties Limited 
Building a Future (Newham 
Schools) Limited 
NU Local Care Centres 
(Bradford) Limited 
NU Local Care Centres 
(Chichester No.1) Limited 
NU Local Care Centres 
(Chichester No.2) Limited 
NU Local Care Centres 
(Chichester No.3) Limited 
NU Local Care Centres 
(Chichester No.4) Limited 

Aviva plc Annual report and accounts 2019 
255 

Share Class1 
Unit Trust 

% held 
53 

Unit Trust 

45 

Ordinary  
Ordinary  

100 
100 

Ordinary A  

92 

Ordinary A  

92 

Ordinary  

100 

Ordinary  
Ordinary  
Ordinary  

100 
100 
100 

Ordinary  

100 

Ordinary  

50 

Ordinary 

45 

Ordinary  
Ordinary  

100 
100 

Interest  

100 

Ordinary  

40 

Ordinary A  
Ordinary 

100 
100 

Ordinary  

100 

Ordinary  

100 

Ordinary  

100 

Ordinary  

100 

Ordinary  

100 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Strategic report 

Governance 

IFRS financial statements 

Other information 

Notes to the consolidated financial statements 

 Continued  

Company name 
NU Local Care Centres 
(Chichester No.5) Limited 
NU Local Care Centres 
(Chichester No.6) Limited 
Argyll House, All Saints 
Passage, London SW18 
Freetricity Southeast Limited 
Centrium 1, Griffiths Way 
St Albans, United Kingdom, 
AL1 2RD 
Opal (UK) Holdings Limited 
Opal Information Systems 
Limited 
Outsourced Professional 
Administration Limited 
Synergy Financial Products 
Limited 
29 Queen Anne’s Gate, 
London SW1H 9BU  
LF Bentley Global Growth 
LF Bentley Sterling Balanced 
Fund 
30 Finsbury Square, London, 
EC2P 2YU 
The Designer Retail Outlet 
Centres (General Partners) 
Limited 
42 Dingwall Road, Croydon, 
Surrey, CR0 2NE 
Health & Case Management 
Limited 
Ballard Investment Company 
Limited 
4th Floor, New London 
House, 6 London Street, 
London, EC3R 7LP 
Polaris U.K. Limited 
The Green Easter Park, 
Benyon Road, Reading RG7 
2PQ 
Homesun 2 Limited 
Homesun 3 Limited 
Homesun 4 Limited 
Homesun 5 Limited  
Homesun Limited 
Anesco Mid Devon Limited 
Anesco South West Limited 
Free Solar (Stage 1) Limited 
New Energy Residential Solar 
Limited 
Norton Energy SLS Limited 
TGHC Limited 
5 Lister Hill, Horsforth, 
Leeds, LS18 5AZ 
Aspire Financial Management 
Limited 
Living in Retirement Limited 
Tenet Business Solutions 
Limited 
Tenet Client Services Limited 
Tenet Financial Services 
Limited 
Tenet Group Limited 
Tenet Limited 
Tenet Platform Services 
Limited 
TenetConnect Limited 
TenetConnect Services Limited 
TenetFinancial Solutions 
Limited 

Share Class1 
Ordinary  

% held 
100 

Ordinary  

100 

Ordinary  

100 

Ordinary  
Ordinary  

28 
28 

Ordinary  

28 

Ordinary  

28 

OEIC 
OEIC 

58 
33 

GP 

50 

Ordinary Preference 

25 

Ordinary  

25 

Ordinary  

39 

Ordinary 
Ordinary 
Ordinary 
Ordinary 
Ordinary 
Ordinary 
Ordinary 
Ordinary 
Ordinary 

Ordinary 
Ordinary 

100 
100 
100 
100 
100 
100 
100 
100 
100 

100 
100 

Ordinary  

47 

Ordinary  
Ordinary  

Ordinary  
A Ordinary 
Redeemable Ordinary  

Ordinary B  
Ordinary  
Ordinary A  

Ordinary  
Ordinary  
Ordinary  

47 
47 

47 
37 

47 
47 
47 

47 
47 
47 

Company name 
TenetLime Limited 
TenetSelect Limited 
5 Old Broad Street, London 
EC2N 1A 
Architas Multi-Manager 
Diversified Protector 70 
Architas Multi-Manager 
Diversified Protector 80 
50 Stratton Street, London, 
W1J 8LL 
Lazard Multicap UK Income 
Fund 
7 Lochside View, Edinburgh, 
EH12 9DH 
Origo Services Limited 
7 Newgate Street, EC1A 7NX 
AXA Ethical Distribution Fund 
AXA Rosenberg American Fund 
AXA Rosenberg Asia Pacific Ex 
Japan Fund 
AXA Rosenberg Global Fund 
AXA Rosenberg Japan Fund 
8 Surrey Street, Norwich, 
Norfolk, NR1 3NG  
Aviva Central Services UK 
Limited 
Aviva Consumer Products UK 
Limited 
Aviva Health UK Limited 
Aviva Insurance UK Limited 
Aviva UKGI Investments 
Limited 
Gresham Insurance Company 
Limited 
Healthcare Purchasing Alliance 
Limited2 
London and Edinburgh 
Insurance Company Limited 
RAC Pension Trustees Limited 
Solus (London) Limited 
Synergy Sunrise (Broadlands) 
Limited 
East Farmhouse, Cams Hall 
Estate, Fareham, PO16 8UT 
IQUO Limited 
Exchange House, Primrose 
Street, EC2A 2HS 
BMO Emerging Markets Equity 
Fund 
BMO MM Navigator Balanced 
Fund 
BMO Global Total Return Bond 
(GBP Hdg) Fund 
Calton Square, 1 Greenside 
Row 
Baillie Gifford Investment 
Funds II ICVC-Baillie Gifford UK 
Equity Core Fund 
12 Throgmorton Avenue 
BlackRock Market Advantage 
Fund 
Pitheavlis, Perth, Perthshire, 
PH2 0NH  
Aviva Investors Private Equity 
Programme 2008 Partnership 
Aviva (Peak No.1) UK Limited 
Aviva Insurance Limited 
Aviva Investors (FP) Limited 
Aviva Investors (FP) LP 
General Accident plc 

Aviva plc Annual report and accounts 2019 
256 

Share Class1 
Ordinary  
Ordinary  

% held 
47 
47 

OEIC 

OEIC 

50 

37 

OEIC 

50 

Ordinary  

22 

OEIC 
OEIC 
OEIC 

OEIC 
OEIC 

32 
89 
97 

88 
95 

Ordinary  

100 

Ordinary  

100 

Ordinary  
Ordinary  
Ordinary  

100 
100 
100 

Ordinary  

100 

Ordinary A  

50 

Ordinary  

100 

Ordinary  
Ordinary  
Ordinary  

100 
100 
100 

Ordinary A Shares 

67 

OEIC 

OEIC  

Private Equity 

35 

20  

30 

OEIC 

20 

Unit Trust 

32 

LP 

40 

Ordinary  
Ordinary  
Ordinary 
LP 
Ordinary 

100 
100 
100 
100 
100 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Strategic report 

Governance 

IFRS financial statements 

Other information 

Notes to the consolidated financial statements 

 Continued  

Company name 
Aviva Investors (GP) Scotland 
Limited 
Pixham End, Dorking, Surrey, 
RH4 1QA  
Aviva Administration Limited 
Aviva Investment Solutions UK 
Limited 
Aviva Management Services UK 
Limited 
Bankhall Support Services 
Limited 
Friends AEL Trustees Limited 
Friends AELLAS Limited 
Friends AELRIS Limited 
Friends Life and Pensions 
Limited 
Friends Life Assurance Society 
Limited 
Friends Life Company Limited 
Friends Life Distribution 
Limited 
Friends Life FPG Limited 
Friends Life FPL Limited 
Friends Life FPLMA Limited 
Friends Life Holdings plc 
Friends Life Limited 
Friends Life WL Limited 
Friends Provident Distribution 
Holdings Limited 
Friends Provident Investment 
Holdings Limited 
Friends Provident Life 
Assurance Limited 
Friends Provident Managed 
Pension Funds Limited 
Friends SL Nominees Limited 
Friends SLUA Limited 
Gateway Specialist Advice 
Services Limited 
London and Manchester Group 
Limited 
Premier Mortgage Service 
Limited 
SB Loan Administration 
Limited 
Sesame Bankhall Group 
Limited 
Sesame Bankhall Valuation 
Services Limited 
Sesame General Insurance 
Services Limited 
Sesame Limited 
Sesame Regulatory Services 
Limited 
Sesame Services Limited 
Suntrust Limited 
Undershaft FAL Limited 
Undershaft FPLLA Limited 
Undershaft SLPM Limited 
Wealth Limited 
St Helen’s, 1 Undershaft, 
London, EC3P 3DQ 
1 Fitzroy Place Limited 
1 Liverpool Street General 
Partner Limited 
1 Liverpool Street Nominee 1 
Limited 
1 Liverpool Street Nominee 2 
Limited 

Share Class1 
GP 

% held 
100 

Ordinary  
Ordinary  

100 
100 

Ordinary  

100 

Ordinary  

100 

Ordinary  
Ordinary  
£1 Stock  
Ordinary  

100 
100 
100 
100 

Ordinary  

100 

Ordinary  
Ordinary  

Ordinary  
Ordinary  
Ordinary  
Ordinary  
Ordinary  
Ordinary  
Ordinary  

100 
100 

100 
100 
100 
100 
100 
100 
100 

Ordinary A  

100 

Ordinary  

100 

Ordinary  

100 

Ordinary  
Ordinary  
Ordinary  

100 
100 
100 

Ordinary  

100 

Ordinary  

100 

Ordinary  

100 

Ordinary  

100 

Ordinary A  

75 

Ordinary  

100 

Ordinary  
Ordinary  

Ordinary A  
Ordinary  
Ordinary  
Ordinary  
Ordinary  
Ordinary  

100 
100 

100 
100 
100 
100 
100 
100 

Ordinary 
Ordinary 

50 
100 

Ordinary 

100 

Ordinary 

100 

Company name 
10-11 GNS Limited (Great 
Newport Street) 
11-12 Hanover Square LP 
11-12 Hanover Square 
Nominee 1 Limited 
11-12 Hanover Square 
Nominee 2 Limited 
130 Fenchurch Street General 
Partner Limited 
130 Fenchurch Street Nominee 
1 Limited  
130 Fenchurch Street LP 
130 Fenchurch Street Nominee 
2 Limited 
1-5 Lowndes Square 
Management Company 
Limited 
2 Fitzroy Place Limited 
Partnership 
20 Lowndes Square 
Management Company 
Limited 
20 Gracechurch (General 
Partner) Limited 
20 Gracechurch Limited 
Partnership 
2-10 Mortimer Street (GP No1) 
Limited 
2-10 Mortimer Street GP 
Limited 
2-10 Mortimer Street Limited 
Partnership 
30 Station Road Nominee 1 
Limited 
30 Station Road Nominee 2 
Limited 
30 Station Road Unit Trust – 
Closed Ended Fund 
30 Warwick Street LP 
30 Warwick Street Nominee 1 
Limited 
30 Warwick Street Nominee 2 
Limited 
30-31 Golden Square Nominee 
LP 
30-31 Golden Square Nominee 
1 Ltd 
30-31 Golden Square Nominee 
2 Ltd 
41-42 Lowndes Square 
Management Company 
Limited 
43 Lowndes Square 
Management Company 
Limited 
44-49 Lowndes Square 
Management Company 
Limited 
50-60 Station Road Nominee 1 
Limited 
50-60 Station Road Nominee 2 
Limited 
6-10 Lowndes Square 
Management Company 
Limited 
AI Special PFI SPV Limited 
Atlas Park Management 
Company Limited 
AEP Feeder Fund V 
Asl Infrastructure Equity Npv 

Aviva plc Annual report and accounts 2019 
257 

Share Class1 
Ordinary 

% held 
100 

LP 
Ordinary 

Ordinary 

GP 

Ordinary 

Limited Partnership 
Ordinary 

50 
50 

50 

50 

50 

50 
50 

Ordinary 

100 

Limited Partnership 

100 

Ordinary 

50 

GP 

100 

Limited Partnership 

100 

GP 

Ordinary 

Limited Partnership 

Ordinary 

Ordinary 

Unit Trust 

Limited Partnership 
Ordinary 

Ordinary 

Ordinary 

Ordinary 

Ordinary 

50 

50 

50 

50 

50 

50 

50 
50 

50 

50 

50 

50 

Ordinary 

100 

Ordinary 

100 

Ordinary 

100 

Ordinary 

Ordinary 

50 

50 

Ordinary 

100 

Ordinary 
Limited by Guarantee 

Unit Trust 
Ordinary 

100 
100 

100 
100 

 
 
 
 
 
Strategic report 

Governance 

IFRS financial statements 

Other information 

Notes to the consolidated financial statements 

 Continued  

Company name 
Aviva Plc 
Aviva Investors 40 Spring 
Gardens (General Partner) 
Limited 
Aviva Investors Commercial 
Asset GP Limited 
Aviva Investors Pensions 
Limited 
Aviva Investors Energy Centres 
No 1 Limited Partnership 
Aviva Investors Ground Rent 
Holdco Limited 
Aviva Investors Infrastructure 
GP Limited 
Aviva Investors Infrastructure 
Income No 1 Limited 
Aviva Investors Infrastructure 
Income No 2 Limited 
Aviva Investors Infrastructure 
Income No 3 Limited 
Aviva Investors Infrastructure 
Income No 4A Limited 
Aviva Investors Infrastructure 
Income No 4B Limited 
Aviva Investors Polish Retail GP 
Limited 
Aviva Investors Polish Retail 
Limited Partnership 
Aviva Investors Property Fund 
Management Limited 
Ascot Real Estate Investments 
LP2 
Ascot Real Estate Investments 
GP LLP2 
Aviva Group Holdings Limited 
Aviva Staff Pension Trustee 
Limited 
Aviva Brands Limited 
Aviva Commercial Finance 
Limited 
Aviva Company Secretarial 
Services Limited 
Aviva Credit Services UK 
Limited 
Aviva Employment Services 
Limited 
Aviva Europe SE 
Aviva Insurance Services UK 
Limited 
Aviva International Holdings 
Limited 
Aviva International Insurance 
Limited 
Aviva Investors Global Services 
Limited 
Aviva Investors Ground Rent GP 
Limited 
Aviva Investors Holdings 
Limited 
Aviva Investors EBC Limited 
Partnership 
Aviva Investors EBC GP Limited 
Aviva Investors UK Fund 
Services Limited 
Aviva Investors UK Funds 
Limited 
Aviva Overseas Holdings 
Limited 
Aviva Public Private Finance 
Limited 

Share Class1 
Ordinary 
GP 

% held 
100 
100 

GP 

100 

Ordinary 

100 

GP 

100 

Ordinary 

100 

GP 

100 

Ordinary 

100 

Ordinary 

100 

Ordinary 

100 

Ordinary 

100 

Ordinary 

100 

GP 

100 

Limited Partnership 

100 

Ordinary 

100 

Limited Partnership 

Limited Partnership 

Ordinary 
Ordinary 

Ordinary  
Ordinary  

50 

50 

100 
100 

100 
100 

Ordinary  

100 

Ordinary  

100 

Ordinary  

100 

Ordinary  
Ordinary  

100 
100 

Ordinary  

100 

Ordinary  

100 

Ordinary  

100 

Ordinary  

100 

Ordinary  

100 

LP 

100 

GP 
Ordinary  

100 
100 

Ordinary  

100 

Ordinary  

100 

Ordinary  

100 

Company name 
Aviva UK Digital Limited 
Aviva UKLAP De-risking Limited 
Aviva Investors Real Estate 
Limited 
Aviva Investors Realm Energy 
Centres GP Limited 
Aviva Investors Social Housing 
Limited 
Aviva Investors Social Housing 
GP Limited 
Aviva Investors UK CRESD GP 
Limited 
Aviva Investors UK Equity Ex 
Tobacco 
Aviva Investors 30 70 Global 
Equ Ccy Hedged Ind Fund 
Aviva Investors 40 60 Global 
Equity Index Fund 
Aviva Investors 50 50 Global 
Equity Index Fund 
Aviva Investors 60 40 Global 
Equity Index Fund 
Aviva Investors Asia Pacific ex 
Japan Fund 
Aviva Investors Asia Pacific 
Property Fund 
Aviva Investors Balanced Life 
Fund 
Aviva Investors Balanced 
Pension Fund 
Aviva Investors Cautious 
Pension Fund 
Aviva Investors Continental 
Euro Equity Index Fund 
Aviva Investors Continental 
European Eq Alpha Fund 
Aviva Investors Corporate Bond 
Fund 
Aviva Investors Dev Asia Pacific 
Ex Japan Eq Ind Fund 
Aviva Investors Dev Euro Ex UK 
Equity Index Fund 
Aviva Investors Dev World Ex 
UK Equity Index Fund 
Aviva Investors Developd 
Overseas Gov Bd Ex UK Ind Fd 
Aviva Investors Distribution Life 
Fund 
Aviva Investors Europe Equity 
ex UK Fund 
Aviva Investors European 
Property Fund 
Aviva Investors Global Equity 
Alpha Fund 
Aviva Investors Global Equity 
Endurance Fund 
Aviva Investors Global Equity 
Fund 
Aviva Investors Equity Income 
Fund 
Aviva Investors High Yield Bond 
Fund 
Aviva Investors Index Linked 
Gilt Fund 
Aviva Investors Idx-Lkd Gilts 
Ovr 5 Yrs Idx Fund 
Aviva Investors International 
Index Tracking Fund 
Aviva Investors Japan Equity 
Alpha Fund 

Aviva plc Annual report and accounts 2019 
258 

Share Class1 
Ordinary  
Ordinary  
Ordinary 

% held 
100 
100 
100 

GP 

100 

Ordinary 

100 

Ordinary 

100 

GP 

100 

Collective Investment Scheme 

100 

Collective Investment Scheme 

100 

Collective Investment Scheme 

100 

Collective Investment Scheme 

100 

Collective Investment Scheme 
Collective Investment Scheme 
Collective Investment Scheme 
Collective 
OEIC 

Collective Investment Scheme 
Collective 
Collective Investment Scheme 
Collective 
Collective Investment Scheme 
Collective 
Collective Investment Scheme 
Collective 
Collective Investment Scheme 
Collective 
OEIC 

Collective Investment Scheme 
Collective 
Collective Investment Scheme 
Collective 
Collective Investment Scheme 
Collective 
Collective Investment Scheme 
Collective 
Collective Investment Scheme 
Collective 
Collective Investment Scheme 
Collective 
OEIC 

Collective Investment Scheme 
Collective 
OEIC 

Collective Investment Scheme 
Collective 
OEIC 

OEIC 

100 

100 

80 

100 

100 

100 

100 

100 

93 

100 

100 

100 

100 

100 

100 

77 

100 

100 

100 

78 

40 

Collective Investment Scheme 

100 

Collective Investment Scheme 

100 

Collective Investment Scheme 

70 

Collective Investment Scheme 

100 

 
Strategic report 

Governance 

IFRS financial statements 

Other information 

Notes to the consolidated financial statements 

 Continued  

Company name 
Aviva Investors Japan Equity 
Fund 
Aviva Investors Japan Equity 
MoM 1 Fund 
Aviva Investors Japanese 
Equity Index Fund 
Aviva Investors Managed High 
Income Fund  
Aviva Investors Money Market 
VNAV Fund 
Aviva Investors Multi-Asset 40 
85 Shares Index Fund 
Aviva Investors Multi-Asset III 
Fund 
Aviva Investors Multi-Asset V 
Fund 
Aviva Investors Multi-Manager 
20-60% Shares Fund 
Aviva Investors Multi-Manager 
40-85% Shares Fund 
Aviva Investors Multi-Manager 
Flexible Fund  
Aviva Investors Multi-Strategy 
Target Income Fund – OEIC 
Aviva Investors Multi-Strategy 
Target Return Fund - OEIC 
Aviva Investors Non-Gilt Bond 
AII Stocks Index Fund 
Aviva Investors Non-Gilt Bond 
Over 15 Yrs Index Fund 
Aviva Investors Non-Gilt Bond 
up to 15 Yrs Index Fund 
Aviva North American Equity 
Fund 
Aviva Investors North American 
Equity Index Fund 
Aviva Investors Pacific Ex 
Japan Equity Index Fund  
Aviva Investors Pre-Annuity 
Fixed Interest Fund 
Aviva Investors Sterling 
Corporate Bond Fund 
Aviva Investors Sterling Gilt 
Fund 
Aviva Investors Stewardship 
Fixed Interest Fund 
Aviva Stewardship 
International Equity Fund 
Aviva Investors Stewardship UK 
Equity Fund 
Aviva Investors Strategic Bond 
Fund 
Aviva Investors Strategic Global 
Equity Fund 
Aviva Investors UK Eq Ex Aviva 
Inv Trusts Index Fund 
Aviva Investors UK Equity Alpha 
Fund 
Aviva Investors UK Equity 
Dividend Fund 
Aviva Investors UK Equity Fund 
Aviva Investors UK Equity Index 
Fund 
Aviva Investors UK Gilts All 
Stocks Index Fund 
Aviva Investors UK Gilts Over 15 
Years Index Fund 
Aviva Investors UK Gilts Up to 5 
Yrs Index Fund 

Share Class1 
Collective Investment Scheme 

% held 
100 

Collective Investment Scheme 

100 

OEIC 

100 

OEIC 

62 

Collective Investment Scheme 

100 

Collective Investment Scheme 

100 

OEIC 

OEIC 

OEIC 

OEIC 

OEIC 

OEIC 

OEIC 

50 

75 

75 

82 

82 

88 

48 

Collective Investment Scheme 

100 

Collective Investment Scheme 

100 

Collective Investment Scheme 

100 

Collective Investment Scheme 

100 

Collective Investment Scheme 

100 

Collective Investment Scheme 

100 

Collective Investment Scheme 

100 

Collective Investment Scheme 

100 

Collective Investment Scheme 

100 

Collective Investment Scheme 

100 

Collective Investment Scheme 

100 

Collective Investment Scheme 

100 

OEIC 

43 

Collective Investment Scheme 

100 

Collective Investment Scheme 

100 

Collective Investment Scheme 

100 

Collective Investment Scheme 

100 

Collective Investment Scheme 
Collective Investment Scheme 

100 
100 

Collective Investment Scheme 

100 

Collective Investment Scheme 

100 

Collective Investment Scheme 

100 

Company name 
Aviva Investors UK Index 
Tracking Fund 
Aviva Investors UK Listed 
Equity Income Fund 
Aviva Investors UK Listed MoM 
1 Fund 
Aviva Investors UK Listed High 
Alpha Fund 
Aviva Investors US Equity Index 
Fund 
Aviva Investors US Large Cap 
Equity Fund 
Aviva Special PFI GP Limited 
Aviva Special PFI Limited 
Partnership 
Axcess 10 Management Limited 
Axa Sun Life Private 
Barratt House LP 
Barratt House Nominee 1 
Limited 
Barratt House Nominee 2 
Limited 
Barwell Business Park 
Nominee Limited 
Biomass UK No 2 Limited 
Biomass UK No 3 Limited 
Biomass UK No 1 Limited 
Boston Biomass Limited 
Boston Wood Recovery Limited 
Cambridge Research + 
Innovation 
Cannock Designer Outlet (GP 
Holdings) Limited 
Cannock Designer Outlet (GP) 
Limited  
Cannock Designer Outlet 
(Nominee 1) Limited 
Cannock Designer Outlet 
(Nominee 2) Limited  
Capital Residential Fund 
Cardiff Bay GP Limited 
Chesterford Park (General 
Partner) Limited 
CGU International Holdings BV 
Commercial Union Corporate 
Member Limited 
Commercial Union Life 
Assurance Company Limited 
Commercial Union Trustees 
Limited 
Cornerford Limited 
Chesterford Park Limited 
Partnership 
Chesterford Park (Nominee) 
Limited 
COW Real Estate Investment 
Nominee Limited 
DIF Infrastructure III Off-Shore 
Open Ended 
EES Operations 1 Limited 
EIF USPF IV Blocker Fund 
Closed 
Friends Life Funds Limited 
Fitzroy Place GP 2 Limited 
Fitzroy Place Management Co 
Limited 
Fitzroy Place Residential 
Limited 
Fppe Private Equity 

Aviva plc Annual report and accounts 2019 
259 

Share Class1 
OEIC 

% held 
60 

OEIC 

47 

OEIC 

100 

OEIC 

94 

Collective Investment Scheme 

100 

Collective Investment Scheme 

100 

Ordinary 
Limited Partnership 

Ordinary 
Unit Trust 
Limited Partnership 
Nominee 

100 
94 

100 
100 
50 
50 

Ordinary 

50 

Ordinary 

100 

Ordinary 
Ordinary 
Ordinary 
Ordinary 
Ordinary 
Ordinary 

100 
100 
100 
100 
100 
100 

Nominee 

100 

GP 

100 

Ordinary 

100 

Nominee 

100 

Ordinary 
Ordinary 
Limited Partnership 

Ordinary  
Ordinary  

88 
100 
50 

100 
100 

Ordinary  

100 

Ordinary  

100 

Ordinary  
Ordinary 

100 
50 

Ordinary 

100 

Ordinary 

100 

Unit Trust 

100 

Ordinary 
Unit Trust 

Ordinary  
Ordinary 
Ordinary 

100 
100 

100 
50 
50 

Ordinary 

50 

Unit Trust 

100 

 
Strategic report 

Governance 

IFRS financial statements 

Other information 

Notes to the consolidated financial statements 

 Continued  

Company name 
General Accident Executor and 
Trustee Company Limited 
Gobafoss General Partner 
Limited 
Gobafoss Partnership Nominee 
No 1 Limited 
GS Mezzainine Partners V 
Offshore LP 
Hemel Hempstead Estate 
Management Limited 
Hillswood Management 
Limited 
Houlton Commercial 
Management Company 
Limited 
Houlton Community 
Management Company 
Limited 
Igloo Regeneration (Nominee) 
Limited 
Igloo Regeneration 
Developments (General 
Partner) Limited 
Igloo Regeneration 
Developments (Nominees) 
Limited 
Igloo Regeneration 
Developments LP 
Igloo Regeneration Partnership 
LP 
Igloo Regeneration Property 
Unit Trust 
Igloo Regeneration (Butcher 
Street) Limited 
Igloo Regeneration (General 
Partner) Limited 
Irongate House LP2 
Irongate House Nominee 1 
Limited2 
Irongate House Nominee 2 
Limited 
Lime Property Fund (General 
Partner) Limited 
Lime Property Fund (Nominee) 
Limited 
Lombard (London) 1 Limited 
Lombard (London) 2 Limited 
Matthew Parker Street 
(Nominee No1) Limited 
Matthew Parker Street 
(Nominee No 2) Limited 
Medium Scale Wind No 1 
Limited 
Mortimer Street Associated Co 
1 Limited 
Mortimer Street Associated Co 
2 Limited 
Mortimer Street Nominee 1 
Limited  
Mortimer Street Nominee 2 
Limited 
Mortimer Street Nominee 3 
Limited 
New Broad Street House LP 
New Broad Street House 
Nominee 1 Limited 
New Broad Street Nominee 2 
Limited 
Norwich Union (Shareholder 
GP) Limited 

Share Class1 
Ordinary  

% held 
100 

Ordinary 

100 

Ordinary 

100 

Unit Trust 

100 

Ordinary 

100 

Ordinary 

Limited by Guarantee 

24 

50 

Limited by Guarantee 

50 

Nominee 

Ordinary 

50 

50 

Ordinary 

50 

Ordinary 

Ordinary 

Ordinary 

Ordinary 

50 

40 

50 

50 

Ordinary  

50 

Limited Partnership 
Ordinary  

Ordinary 

50 
50 

50 

Ordinary  

100 

Ordinary  

100 

Ordinary 
Ordinary 
Ordinary 

100 
100 
100 

Ordinary 

100 

Ordinary 

100 

Ordinary 

Ordinary 

Ordinary 

Ordinary 

Ordinary 

Ordinary 
Ordinary 

Ordinary 

50 

50 

50 

50 

50 

50 
50 

50 

Ordinary 

100 

Company name 
Norwich Union Public Private 
Partnership Fund 
NU 3PS Limited 
NU Developments (Brighton) 
Limited 
NU Library For Brighton 
Limited 
NU Offices for Redcar Limited 
NU Schools for Redbridge 
Limited 
NU Technology and Learning 
Centres (Hackney) Limited 
NUPPP (Care Technology and 
Learning Centres) Limited 
NUPPP (GP) Limited 
NUPPP Nominees Limited 
Opus Park Management 
Limited 
Paddington Central III Limited 
Partnership 
Paddington Central III (GP) 
Limited 
Porth Teigr Management 
Company Limited 
Pegasus House and Nuffield 
House LP 
Pegasus House and Nuffield 
House Nominee 1 Ltd 
Pegasus House and Nuffield 
House Nominee 2 Limited 
Property Management 
Company (Croydon) Limited 
NU Local Care Centres 
(Farnham) Limited 
Quaryvale One Limited 
Quaryvale Three Limited 
Renewable Clean Energy 
Limited 
Rugby Radio Station (General 
Partner) Limited 
Rugby Radio Station Limited 
Partnership2 
Rugby Radio Station 
(Nominee) Limited 
Capital Residential Fund 
Slas Axa Private Equity 
Slas Venture Capital Ye Cash  
Solar Clean Energy Limited 
Southgate General Partner 
Limited 
Southgate Limited Partnership 
Southgate LP (Nominee 1) 
Limited 
Southgate LP (Nominee 2) 
Limited 
Station Road Cambridge LP 
NPV 
Stonebridge Cross 
Management Limited 
Swan Valley Management 
Limited 
SUE Developments Limited 
Partnership 
SUE GP Nominee Limited 
SUE GP LLP  
Stonebridge Cross 
Management Limited 
Southgate LP (Nominee 2) 
Limited 

Aviva plc Annual report and accounts 2019 
260 

Share Class1 
Ordinary 

% held 
100 

Ordinary  
Ordinary 

100 
100 

Ordinary  

100 

Ordinary  
Ordinary  

100 
100 

Ordinary  

100 

Ordinary  

100 

Ordinary  
Ordinary  
Limited By Guarantee  

100 
100 
100 

Limited Partnership 

100 

Ordinary 

100 

Ordinary 

Ordinary 

Ordinary 

Ordinary 

50 

50 

50 

50 

Ordinary 

100 

Ordinary  

100 

Ordinary 
Ordinary 
Ordinary 

100 
100 
100 

Ordinary 

Limited Partnership 

Ordinary 

Limited Partnership 
Unit Trust 
Ordinary  
Ordinary 
Ordinary 

Ordinary 
Ordinary 

Ordinary 

Unit Trust 

50 

50 

50 

88 
100 
100 
100 
50 

50 
50 

50 

50 

Limited by Guarantee 

100 

Ordinary 

100 

Limited Partnership 

50 

Nominee 
GP 
Limited by Guarantee 

50 
50 
100 

Ordinary 

50 

 
Strategic report 

Governance 

IFRS financial statements 

Other information 

Notes to the consolidated financial statements 

 Continued  

Company name 
Stichting Aviva Infrastructure 
Debt Europe 1 
Stichting European Secondary 
Infrastructure Credit 
The Designer Retail Outlet 
Centres (Mansfield) General 
Partner Limited 
The Designer Retail Outlet 
Centres (Mansfield) Limited 
Partnership  
The Designer Retail Outlet 
Centres (York) General Partner 
Limited 
The Designer Retail Outlet 
Centres (York) Limited 
Partnership 
The Gobafoss Partnership 
The Ocean Marine Insurance 
Company Limited 
The Square Brighton Limited 
Tyne Assets (No2) Limited 
Tyne Assets Limited 
Undershaft Limited 
W Nine LP 
W Nine Nominee 1 Limited 
W Nine Nominee 2 Limited 
The Welsh Insurance 
Corporation Limited 
The Yorkshire Insurance 
Company Limited  
Swan Court Waterman’s 
Business Park, Kingsbury 
Crescent, Staines, Surrey, 
TW18 3BA 
Healthcode Limited 
Wellington Row, York,  
YO90 1WR 
Aviva (Peak No.2) UK Limited 
Aviva Annuity UK Limited 
Aviva Client Nominees UK 
Limited 
Aviva Equity Release UK 
Limited 
Aviva ERFA 15 UK Limited 
Aviva Life & Pensions UK 
Limited 
Aviva Life Holdings UK Limited 

Aviva Life Investments 
International (Recovery) 
Limited 
Aviva Life International 
(General Partner) Limited 
Aviva Life Services UK Limited 
Aviva Pension Trustees UK 
Limited 
Aviva Trustees UK Limited 
Aviva Wrap UK Limited 
CGNU Life Assurance Limited 
Friends Provident Pension 
Scheme Trustees Limited 
IFSL Tilney Bestinvest Global 
Income Portfolio 
The Lancashire and Yorkshire 
Reversionary Interest Company 
Limited 
The Norwich Union Life 
Insurance Company Limited 
Synergy Sunrise (Sentinel 
House) Limited 

Share Class1 
Ordinary 

% held 
100 

Ordinary 

100 

Ordinary 

100 

Ordinary 

97 

Ordinary 

100 

Ordinary 

97 

Ordinary 
Ordinary  

Ordinary 
Ordinary 
Ordinary 
Ordinary  
Limited Partnership 
Ordinary 
Ordinary 
Ordinary  

100 
100 

100 
100 
100 
100 
50 
50 
50 
100 

Ordinary  

100 

Ordinary C, Ordinary E  

20 

Ordinary  
Ordinary  
Ordinary  

100 
100 
100 

Ordinary  

100 

Ordinary  
Ordinary  

100 
100 

Ordinary 

100 

Ordinary  

100 

Ordinary 

100 

Ordinary  
Ordinary  

Ordinary  
Ordinary  
Ordinary  
Ordinary  

100 
100 

100 
100 
100 
100 

OEIC 

22 

Ordinary  

100 

Ordinary  

100 

Ordinary  

100 

Company name 
Undershaft (NULLA) Limited 
Voyager Park South 
Management Company 
Limited 
12 Throgmorton Avenue 
BlackRock Market Advantage 
Fund 
Artemis Fund Managers 
Limited, 57-59 St James’s 
Street, London SW1A 1LD 
Artemis UK Special Situations 
Fund 
Liontrust Fund Partners LLP, 
2 Savoy Court London WC2R 
0EZ 
Liontrust Sustainable Future 
Corporate Bond Fund 
Liontrust Sustainable Future 
UK Growth Fund 
Liontrust Sustainable Future 
Global Growth Fund 
Liontrust Sustainable Future 
Absolute Growth Fund 
Liontrust UK Ethical Fund 
Liontrust Future European 
Growth Fund 
Liontrust Sustainable Furture 
Managed Fund 
47 Bermondsey Street, 
London SE1 3XT  
Neos Venures Limited 
1020 Eskdale Road, 
Winnersh, Wokingham RG41 
5TS 
Serviced Offices UK GP Limited 
Norwich Union Life Insurance 
Company Limited 
Synergy Sunrise (Sentinel 
House) Limited 
1 London Wall Place, London, 
UK 
Schroder QEP US Core Fund 
BlackRock Pensions, 33 King 
William Street 
Undrly Aquila Cnt CcyH Glb 
Eq108010 2L 
Samuel House , 6 St Albans 
Street, 4th Floor, SW1Y 4SQ 
Acre Platforms Limited 
15 Canada Square, E14 5GL 
LUC Holdings Limited 
Tec Marina Terra Nova Way, 
Penarth, Wales 
United Kingdom 
CF64 1SA 
Wealthify Group Limited 

Wealthify Limited 
United States 
1209 Orange Street, City of 
Wilmington DE 19801,  
Aviva Investors Americas LLC 
2222 Grand Avenue, Des 
Moines IA 50312 
Aviva Investors North America 
Holdings, Inc 
2711 Centreville Road, Suite 
400, Wilmington, New Castle, 
DE, 19808 
UKP Holdings Inc. 

Aviva plc Annual report and accounts 2019 
261 

Share Class1 
Ordinary  
Ordinary 

% held 
100 
52 

Unit Trust 

52 

Unit Trust 

24 

OEIC 

OEIC 

OEIC 

OEIC 

OEIC 
OEIC 

OEIC 

36 

47 

45 

53 

68 
56 

68 

Ordinary 

91 

GP 
Ordinary 

50 
100 

Ordinary 

100 

Unit Trust 

40 

OEIC 

65 

Ordinary 

Ordinary 

40 

20 

A Ordinary  
B Ordinary  
Ordinary  

60 

60 

Sole Member 

100 

Common Stock Of No Par Value 
Shares 

100 

Common Stock Shares 

100 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Strategic report 

Governance 

IFRS financial statements 

Other information 

Notes to the consolidated financial statements 

 Continued  

Company name 
AI-RECAP GP I, LLC 
National Corporate Research 
Limited, 850 New Burton 
Road, Suite 201, Dover, 
Delaware Kent County 19904 
Exeter Properties Inc. 
Winslade Investments Inc. 
Vietnam 
10th Floor, Handi Resco 
Building, No. 521 Kim Ma, Ba 
Dinh, Hanoi 
Aviva Vietnam Life Insurance 
Company Limited 

Share Class1 
Limited Partnership 

% held 
100 

Common Stock Wpv Shares 
Common Stock Wpv Shares 

95 
100 

Non-listed Shares 

100 

1 

Investment Company with Variable Capital (‘ICVC’) 
Fond Common de Placement (‘FCP’) 
Open Ended Investment Fund (‘OEIC’) 
Société d ‘Investment à Capital Variable (‘SICAV’) 
Undertaking for Collective Investment in Transferrable Securities (‘UCITS’) 
Irish Collective Asset Management Vehicle (‘ICAV’) 
Authorised Contractual Scheme (‘ACS’) 
Organisme de Placement Collectif Immobilier (‘OPCI’) 
Sociétés Civiles de Placement Immobilier (‘SCPI’) 

2  Please see accounting policies (D) Consolidation principles, for further details on Joint Ventures and the 

factors on which joint management is based.

Aviva plc Annual report and accounts 2019 
262 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Strategic report 

Governance 

IFRS financial statements 

Other information 

Notes to the consolidated financial statements 

 Continued  

66 – Subsequent events 
2020 has begun with the outbreak of a new strain of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) in China, with confirmed cases in more than 50 countries, 
including all of those in which Aviva has material businesses. There is a risk of a significant global pandemic and economic disruption. We 
have reviewed the exposure of our balance sheet and are taking actions to further reduce our sensitivity to economic shocks. Notwithstanding 
our robust capital and liquidity position and the operational and financial actions that we are taking, a deterioration in the situation would 
have  adverse  implications  for  our  businesses  arising  from  the  potential  impacts  on  financial  markets,  our  insurance  exposures  and  our 
operations. As the situation is rapidly evolving it is not practicable to quantify the potential financial impact of the outbreak on the Group. 

Aviva plc Annual report and accounts 2019 
263 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Strategic report 

Governance 

IFRS financial statements 

Other information 

Financial statements of the Company  

Income statement 
For the year ended 31 December 2019 

Income 
Net investment income 

Expenses  
Operating expenses 
Other expenses1  
Finance costs 

Profit for the year before tax 
Tax credit 

Profit for the year after tax 

Note 

2019 
£m 

2018 
£m 

A 

B 

C 

D 

1,688  

1,688 

(195) 
— 
(537) 

(732) 

956 
92 

1,048 

2,874  

2,874  

(246) 
(8) 
(519) 

(773) 

2,101  
96  

2,197  

1  Other expenses in 2018 include a charge of £8 million relating to goodwill payments to preference shareholders, which was announced on 30 April 2018 and associated administration costs (see note 36). 

Statement of comprehensive income  
For the year ended 31 December 2019 

Profit for the year 

Items that will not be reclassified to income statement 
Remeasurements of pension schemes 
Forfeited dividend income 

Other comprehensive income, net of tax 

Total comprehensive income for the year 

Note 

2019 
£m 

2018 
£m 

1,048 

2,197  

H 

H 

(1) 
4  

3 

2  
4  

6  

1,051 

2,203  

Where applicable, the accounting policies of the Company are the same as those of the Group on pages 117 to 131. The notes identified 
alphabetically on pages 268 to 273 are an integral part of these separate financial statements. Where the same items appear in the Group 
financial statements, reference is made to the notes (identified numerically) on pages 139 to 263. 

Aviva plc Annual report and accounts 2019 
264 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Strategic report 

Governance 

IFRS financial statements 

Other information 

Financial statements of the Company 

Continued  

Statement of changes in equity 
For the year ended 31 December 2019 

Ordinary 
share capital 
£m 

Preference 
share capital 
£m 

Share 
premium 
£m 

Note 

Capital 
redemption 
reserve 
£m 

Balance at 1 January 
Profit for the year 
Other comprehensive income 
Total comprehensive income for the year 
Dividends and appropriations 
Reserves credit for equity compensation plans 
Shares issued under equity compensation plans 
Shares purchased in buy-back 
Reclassification of tier 1 notes to financial liabilities1  
Aggregate tax effect 

Balance at 31 December 

16 

34 

33 

33 

37,L 

D 

975  
— 
— 
— 
— 
— 
5  
— 
— 
— 

980  

200  
— 
— 
— 
— 
— 
— 
— 
— 
— 

200  

1,214  
— 
— 
— 
— 
— 
25  
— 
— 
— 

1,239  

44  
— 
— 
— 
— 
— 
— 
— 
— 
— 

44  

Merger 
reserve 
£m 

6,438  
— 
— 
— 
— 
— 
— 
— 
— 
— 

6,438  

Equity 
compensation 
reserve 
£m 

Direct capital 
instrument 
and fixed rate 
tier 1 notes 
£m 

Retained 
earnings 
£m 

120  
— 
— 
— 
— 
62  
(62) 
— 
— 
— 

120  

4,026  
1,048  
3  
1,051  
(1,244) 
— 
55  
— 
14  
8  

3,910  

Total equity 
£m 

13,741  
1,048  
3  
1,051  
(1,244) 
62  
23  
— 
(210) 
8  

724  
— 
— 
— 
— 
— 
— 
— 
(224) 
— 

500  

13,431  

1  On 17 October 2019, notification was given that the Group would redeem the £210 million tier 1 notes. At that date, the instrument was reclassified as a financial liability of £210 million, representing its fair value at that date. On 

21 November 2019 the instrument was redeemed in full at a cost of £210 million. See note 37 for further details. 

For the year ended 31 December 2018 

Balance at 1 January  
Profit for the year 
Other comprehensive loss 
Total comprehensive income for the year 
Dividends and appropriations 
Reserves credit for equity compensation plans 
Shares issued under equity compensation plans 
Shares purchased in buy-back1  
Reclassification of tier 1 notes to financial liabilities 
Aggregate tax effect 

Balance at 31 December 

Ordinary share 
capital 
£m 

Preference 
share capital 
£m 

Share 
premium 
£m 

Note 

Capital 
redemption 
reserve 
£m 

1,003  
— 
— 
— 
— 
— 
2  
(30) 
— 
— 

975  

16 

34 

33 

33 

37,L 

D 

200  
— 
— 
— 
— 
— 
— 
— 
— 
— 

200  

1,207  
— 
— 
— 
— 
— 
7  
— 
— 
— 

1,214  

14  
— 
— 
— 
— 
— 
— 
30  
— 
— 

44  

Merger 
reserve 
£m 

6,438  
— 
— 
— 
— 
— 
— 
— 
— 
— 

6,438  

Equity 
compensation 
reserve 
£m 

111  
— 
— 
— 
— 
64  
(55) 
— 
— 
— 

120  

Direct capital 
instrument 
and fixed rate 
tier 1 notes 
£m 

Total equity 
£m 

724   13,252  
2,197  
6  
2,203  
(1,189) 
64  
3  
(600) 
— 
8  

— 
— 
— 
— 
— 
— 
— 
— 
— 

724   13,741  

Retained 
earnings 
£m 

3,555  
2,197  
6  
2,203  
(1,189) 
— 
49  
(600) 
— 
8  

4,026  

1  On 1 May 2018, the Group announced a share buyback of ordinary shares for an aggregate purchase price of up to £600 million. On completion in 2018 of this buy-back, £600 million of shares had been purchased and shares with 

a nominal value of £30 million have been cancelled, giving rise to an additional capital redemption reserve of an equivalent amount. See note 33 for further details of the shares purchase in buy-back. 

Where applicable, the accounting policies of the Company are the same as those of the Group on pages 117 to 131. The notes identified 
alphabetically on pages 268 to 273 are an integral part of these separate financial statements. Where the same items appear in the Group 
financial statements, reference is made to the notes (identified numerically) on pages 139 to 263. 

Aviva plc Annual report and accounts 2019 
265 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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Governance 

IFRS financial statements 

Other information 

Financial statements of the Company 

Continued  

Statement of financial position 
As at 31 December 2019 

Assets 
Non-current assets 
Investments in subsidiaries 
Investment in joint venture 
Receivables and other financial assets 
Deferred tax assets 
Current tax assets 

Current assets 
Receivables and other financial assets 
Prepayments and accrued income 
Cash and cash equivalents 

Total assets 

Equity 
Ordinary share capital 
Preference share capital 
Called up capital 
Share premium 
Capital redemption reserve 
Merger reserve 
Equity compensation reserve 
Retained earnings 
Direct capital instrument and tier 1 notes 

Total equity 

Liabilities 
Non-current liabilities 
Borrowings 
Payables and other financial liabilities 
Pension deficits and other provisions 

Current liabilities 
Borrowings 
Payables and other financial liabilities 
Other liabilities 

Total liabilities  

Total equity and liabilities 

Approved by the Board on 4 March 2020 

Jason Windsor 
Chief Financial Officer 

Note 

2019 
£m 

2018 
£m 

E 

E 

F 

G 

G 

F 

33 

36 

33(b) 

33(b) 

H 

H 

H 

37,L 

J 

K 

I 

J 

K 

31,788  
123  
5,025  
9  
85  

37,030  

241  
13  
74  

31,788  
123  
5,401  
9  
89  

37,410  

414  
10  
15  

37,358  

37,849  

980  
200  
1,180  
1,239  
44  
6,438  
120  
3,910  
500  

975  
200  
1,175  
1,214  
44  
6,438  
120  
4,026  
724  

13,431  

13,741  

6,534  
12,675  
47  

19,256  

238  
4,344  
89  

23,927  

37,358  

6,699  
12,815  
45  

19,559  

251  
4,206  
92  

24,108  

37,849  

Where applicable, the accounting policies of the Company are the same as those of the Group on pages 117 to 131. The notes identified 
alphabetically on pages 268 to 273 are an integral part of these separate financial statements. Where the same items appear in the Group 
financial statements, reference is made to the notes (identified numerically) on pages 139 to 263. 

Aviva plc Annual report and accounts 2019 
266 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Strategic report 

Governance 

IFRS financial statements 

Other information 

Financial statements of the Company 

Continued  

Statement of cash flows 
For the year ended 31 December 2019 

All the Company’s operating cash requirements are met by subsidiary companies and settled through intercompany loan accounts. As the 
direct method of presentation has been adopted for these activities, no further disclosure is required. In respect of financing and investing 
activities, the following items pass through the Company’s own bank accounts. 

Cash flows from investing activities 
Dividends received from subsidiaries 

Net cash from investing activities 

Cash flows from financing activities 
Proceeds from issue of ordinary shares 
Shares purchased in buy-back 
Treasury shares purchased for employee trusts 
New borrowings drawn down, net of expenses 
Repayment of borrowings1  
Net repayment of borrowings 
Interest paid on borrowings 
Preference dividends paid 
Ordinary dividends paid 
Forfeited dividend income 
Coupon payments on direct capital instrument and tier 1 notes 
Funding provided from subsidiaries 
Other2  

Net cash generated from/(used in) financing activities 

Net increase/(decrease) in cash and cash equivalents 

Cash and cash equivalents at 1 January 
Exchange gains on cash and cash equivalents 

Cash and cash equivalents at 31 December 

2019 
£m 

5  

5  

27  
— 
(9) 
505  
(696) 
(191) 
(316) 
(17) 
(1,184) 
4  
(43) 
1,807  
(5) 

73  

78  

15  
(19) 

74 

2018 
£m 

— 

— 

8  
(600) 
(4) 
3,023  
(3,536) 
(513) 
(335) 
(17) 
(1,128) 
4  
(44) 
2,564  
(13) 

(78) 

(78) 

87  
6  

15 

1  2019 includes redemption of 6.875% £210 million tier 1 notes.  
2  2019 includes a £5 million (2018: £3 million) donation of forfeited dividend income to a charitable foundation. 2018 also includes £10 million relating to goodwill payments to preference shareholders, which was announced on 

30 April 2018, and associated administration costs (see note 36). 

Where applicable, the accounting policies of the Company are the same as those of the Group on pages 117 to 131. The notes identified 
alphabetically on pages 268 to 273 are an integral part of these separate financial statements. Where the same items appear in the Group 
financial statements, reference is made to the notes (identified numerically) on pages 139 to 263. 

Aviva plc Annual report and accounts 2019 
267 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Strategic report 

Governance 

IFRS financial statements 

Other information 

Notes to the financial statements of the Company   

A – Net investment income 

Dividends received from subsidiaries 
Interest receivable from group company loans held at amortised cost 
Other income 

Total 

B – Operating expenses 
(i)  Operating expenses  
Operating expenses comprise: 

Staff costs and other employee related expenditure (see (ii) below) 
Other operating costs 
Net foreign exchange losses 

Total 

(ii)  Staff costs  
Total staff costs were: 

Equity compensation plans (see (iii) below) 

Total 

Note 

O(iii) 

O(i) 

2019 
£m 

1,595  
92  
1  

1,688  

2018 
£m 

2,780  
92  
2  

2,874  

2019 
£m 

19  
175  
1  

195  

2019 
£m 

19  

19  

2018 
£m 

19  
227  
— 

246  

2018 
£m 

19  

19  

The Company is no longer charged staff costs directly by the UK employing entity. Staff costs are included within other operating costs as 
part of the overall recharges from the service company within the Group. 

(iii) Equity compensation plans 
All  transactions  in  the  Group’s  equity  compensation  plans,  which  involve  options  and  awards  for  ordinary  shares  of  the  Company,  are 
included in other operating costs. Full disclosure of these plans is given in the Group consolidated financial statements, note 34. The cost of 
such options and awards is borne by all participating businesses and, where relevant, the Company bears an appropriate charge. As the 
majority  of  the  charge  to  the  Company  relates  to  directors’  options  and  awards,  for  which  full  disclosure  is  made  in  the  directors’ 
remuneration report, no further disclosure is given here. 

C – Finance costs  

Interest payable on borrowings 
Interest payable to group companies 

Total 

D – Tax  
(i)  Tax credited to the income statement 
The total tax credit comprises: 

Current tax 
For this year 
Prior year adjustments 

Total current tax 

Total tax credited to income statement 

Note 

O(ii) 

2019 
£m 

325  
212  

537  

2019 
£m 

(90) 
(2) 

(92) 

(92) 

2018 
£m 

325  
194  

519  

2018 
£m 

(94) 
(2) 

(96) 

(96) 

(ii)  Tax credited to other comprehensive income 
There was no tax credited or charged to other comprehensive income in either 2019 or 2018.  

(iii) Tax credited to equity  
Tax  credited  directly  to  equity  in  the  year,  in  respect  of  coupon  payments  on  the  direct  capital  instrument  and  fixed  rate  tier  1  notes, 
amounted to £8 million (2018: £8 million). 

Where applicable, the accounting policies of the Company are the same as those of the Group on pages 117 to 131. The notes identified 
alphabetically on pages 268 to 273 are an integral part of these separate financial statements. Where the same items appear in the Group 
financial statements, reference is made to the notes (identified numerically) on pages 139 to 263. 

Aviva plc Annual report and accounts 2019 
268 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Strategic report 

Governance 

IFRS financial statements 

Other information 

Notes to the financial statements of the Company 

Continued  

D – Tax continued 
(iv) Tax reconciliation 
The tax on the Company’s profit before tax differs from the theoretical amount that would arise using the tax rate of the home country of the 
Company as follows: 

Profit before tax 
Tax calculated at standard UK corporation tax rate of 19.00% (2018: 19.00%) 
Reconciling items 

Adjustment to tax charge in respect of prior years 
Non-assessable dividend income 
Disallowable expenses 
Losses surrendered intra-group for nil value 

Total tax credited to income statement 

2019 
£m 

956  

182  

(2) 
(303) 
— 
31  

(92) 

2018 
£m 

2,101  

399  

(2) 
(528) 
7  
28  

(96) 

Finance Act 2016, which received Royal Assent on 15 September 2016, will reduce the rate of corporation tax to 17% from 1 April 2020. The 
reduction in rate from 19% to 17% has been used in the calculation of the Company’s deferred tax assets and liabilities at 31 December 2019.  

During 2019, the UK Government indicated that it would reverse the reduction in the rate of corporation tax to 17% due from 1 April 2020. As 
at  31  December  2019  this  measure  has  not  been  substantively  enacted  and  therefore  no  impact  is  reflected  in  the  calculation  of  the 
Company’s deferred tax assets and liabilities at 31 December 2019. 

E – Investments in subsidiaries and joint venture 
(i)  Subsidiaries 
At 31 December 2019, the Company has two wholly owned subsidiaries, both incorporated in the UK. These are General Accident plc and 
Aviva Group Holdings Limited. Aviva Group Holdings Limited is an intermediate holding company, while General Accident plc has preference 
shares listed on the London Stock Exchange. At 31 December 2019, the Company’s investments in subsidiaries have a cost of £31,788 million 
(2018: £31,788 million). The principal subsidiaries of the Aviva Group at 31 December 2019 are set out in note 64 to the Group consolidated 
financial statements.  

(ii)  Joint venture 
At 31 December 2019, the Company’s investment in the joint venture, Aviva-COFCO Life Insurance Co. Limited has a cost of £123 million  
(2018: £123 million).  

F – Receivables and other financial assets 

Loans due from subsidiaries held at amortised cost 
Amount due from subsidiaries held at amortised cost 

Total 
Expected to be recovered in less than one year 
Expected to be recovered in more than one year 

Fair value of these assets approximate to their carrying amounts. 

G – Tax assets and liabilities 
(i)  Current tax 
Current tax assets recoverable in more than one year are £85 million (2018: £89 million). 

(ii)  Deferred tax 
(a)  The balance at 31 December comprises: 

Deferred tax assets 

Net deferred tax assets 

(b)  The net deferred tax asset arises on the following items: 

Pensions and other post retirement obligations 

Net deferred tax assets 

Note 

O(i) 

O(iii) 

2019 
£m 

5,025  
241  

5,266  

241  
5,025  

5,266  

2018 
£m 

5,401  
414  

5,815  

414  
5,401  

5,815  

2019 
£m 

9  

9  

2019 
£m 

9  

9  

2018 
£m 

9  

9  

2018 
£m 

9  

9  

Where applicable, the accounting policies of the Company are the same as those of the Group on pages 117 to 131. The notes identified 
alphabetically on pages 268 to 273 are an integral part of these separate financial statements. Where the same items appear in the Group 
financial statements, reference is made to the notes (identified numerically) on pages 139 to 263. 

Aviva plc Annual report and accounts 2019 
269 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Strategic report 

Governance 

IFRS financial statements 

Other information 

Notes to the financial statements of the Company 

Continued  

H – Reserves 

Balance at 1 January 2018 
Arising in the year: 
Profit for the year 
Remeasurements of pension schemes 
Forfeited dividend income2  
Dividends and appropriations 
Reserves credit for equity compensation plans 
Issue of share capital under equity compensation scheme 
Shares purchased in buy-back 
Reclassification of tier 1 notes to financial liabilities (note L) 
Aggregate tax effect 

Balance at 31 December 2018 
Arising in the year: 
Profit for the year 
Remeasurements of pension schemes 
Forfeited dividend income2  
Dividends and appropriations 
Reserves credit for equity compensation plans 
Issue of share capital under equity compensation scheme 
Shares purchased in buy-back 
Reclassification of tier 1 notes to financial liabilities3 (note L) 
Aggregate tax effect 

Balance at 31 December 2019 

Merger reserve 
£m 

Equity 
compensation  
reserve1 
£m  

Retained 
earnings 
£m 

6,438  

111  

3,555  

— 
— 
— 
— 
— 
— 
— 
— 
— 

— 
— 
— 
— 
64  
(55) 
— 
— 
— 

6,438 

120 

— 
— 
— 
— 
— 
— 
— 
— 
— 

— 
— 
— 
— 
62  
(62) 
— 
— 
— 

2,197  
2  
4  
(1,189) 
— 
49  
(600) 
— 
8  

4,026 

1,048  
(1) 
4  
(1,244) 
— 
55  
— 
14  
8  

6,438  

120  

3,910  

1  See notes 34(d) and 39 for further details of balances included in the equity compensation reserve. 
2  The Company has commenced a shareholder forfeiture programme, where the shares of shareholders who Aviva has lost contact with over the last 12 years will be forfeited and sold on. Any associated unclaimed dividends will 

be reclaimed by the Company. After covering administration costs, the majority of the money will be put into a charitable foundation. 

3  On 17 October 2019, notification was given that the Group would redeem the 6.875% £210 million tier 1 notes. At that date, the instrument was reclassified as a financial liability of £210 million, representing its fair value at that 
date. On 21 November 2019 the instrument was redeemed in full at a cost of £210 million. The difference of £14 million between its carrying amount of £224 million and fair value of £210 million has been charged to retained 
earnings. See note L for further details. 

The tax effect of £8 million (2018: £8 million) is recognised in respect of coupon payments of £43 million (2018: £44 million) on the direct capital 
instrument and tier 1 notes.  

I – Pension deficits and other provisions 
(i)  Carrying amounts 

Total IAS 19 obligations to staff pension schemes 

Total provisions 

J – Borrowings 
The Company’s borrowings comprise: 

Subordinated debt 
Senior notes 
Commercial paper 

Total 

All the above borrowings are stated at amortised cost. 

2019 
£m 

47  

47  

2018 
£m 

45  

45  

2019 
£m 

5,482  
1,052  
238  

6,772  

2018 
£m 

5,586  
1,113  
251  

6,950  

Aviva plc Annual report and accounts 2019 
270 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Strategic report 

Governance 

IFRS financial statements 

Other information 

Notes to the financial statements of the Company 

Continued  

J – Borrowings continued 
Maturity analysis of contractual undiscounted cash flows: 

Within 1 year 
1 – 5 years 
5 – 10 years 
10 – 15 years 
Over 15 years 

Total contractual undiscounted cash flows 

Principal 
£m 

238  
686  
635  
— 
5,251  

6,810  

Interest 
£m 

311  
1,194  
1,451  
1,417  
2,636  

2019 

Total 
£m 

549  
1,880  
2,086  
1,417  
7,887  

7,009  

13,819  

Principal 
£m 

251  
708  
673  
— 
5,365  

6,997  

Interest 
£m 

315  
1,231  
1,490  
1,441  
2,923  

7,400  

2018 

Total 
£m 

566  
1,939  
2,163  
1,441  
8,288  

14,397  

Where subordinated debt is undated, the interest payments have not been included beyond 15 years. Annual interest payments in future 
years for these borrowings are £49 million (2018: £49 million). 

The fair value of the subordinated debt at 31 December 2019 was £6,446 million (2018: £5,831 million), calculated with reference to quoted 
prices. The fair value of the senior debt at 31 December 2019 was £1,134 million (2018: £1,113 million), calculated with reference to quoted 
prices. The fair value of the commercial paper is considered to be the same as its carrying value.  

Further details of these borrowings and undrawn committed facilities can be found in the Group consolidated financial statements, note 53, 
with details of the fair value hierarchy in relation to these borrowings in note 24. 

K – Payables and other financial liabilities 

Loans due to subsidiaries 
Amount due to subsidiaries 

Total 
Expected to be recovered in less than one year 
Expected to be recovered in more than one year 

Note 

O(ii) 

O(iii) 

2019 
£m 

12,675  
4,344  

17,019  

4,344  
12,675  

17,019  

2018 
£m 

12,815  
4,206  

17,021  

4,206  
12,815  

17,021  

L – Direct capital instrument and tier 1 notes 
The 6.875% £210 million tier 1 notes were redeemed on 21 November 2019 at a cost of £210 million, see details in note 37. These were 
reflected in the Company financial statements at a value of £224 million following the transfer at fair value from Friends Life Holdings plc on 
1 October 2015. The resulting difference of £14 million between their carrying amount of £224 million and fair value of £210 million has been 
charged to the Company retained earnings. These were cancelled on 25 November 2019. 

M – Contingent liabilities 
Details of the Company’s contingent liabilities are given in the Group consolidated financial statements, note 56. 

N – Risk management  
Risk management in the context of the Group is considered in the Group consolidated financial statements, note 60. 

The business of the Company is managing its investments in subsidiaries and joint venture operations. Its risks are considered to be the same 
as those in the operations themselves, and full details of the major risks and the Group’s approach to managing these are given in the Group 
consolidated  financial  statements,  note  60.  Such  investments  are  held  by  the  Company  at  cost  in  accordance  with  accounting  
policy D. 

Financial assets, other than investments in subsidiaries and joint ventures, largely consist of amounts due from subsidiaries. As at the balance 
sheet  date,  these  receivable  amounts  were  neither  past  due  nor  impaired.  The  credit  quality  of  receivables  and  other  financial  assets  is 
monitored by the Company, and provisions are made for expected credit losses. There are no material expected credit losses over the lifetime 
of the financial assets. 

Financial liabilities owed by the Company as at the balance sheet date are largely in respect of borrowings (details of which are provided in 
note J and the Group consolidated financial statements, note 53) and loans owed to subsidiaries. Loans owed to subsidiaries were within 
agreed credit terms as at the balance sheet date. 

Interest rate risk 
Loans to and from subsidiaries are at either fixed or floating rates of interest, with the latter being exposed to fluctuations in these rates. The 
choice of rates is designed to match the characteristics of financial investments (which are also exposed to interest rate fluctuations) held in 
both the Company and the relevant subsidiary, to mitigate as far as possible each company’s net exposure. 

All of the Company’s long-term external borrowings are at fixed rates of interest and are therefore not exposed to changes in these rates. 
However,  for  short  term  commercial  paper,  the  Company  is  affected  by  changes  in  these  rates  to  the  extent  the  redemption  of  these 
borrowings  is  funded  by  the  issuance  of  new  commercial  paper  or  other  borrowings.  Further  details  of  the  Company’s  borrowings  are 
provided in note J and the Group consolidated financial statements, note 53. 

Aviva plc Annual report and accounts 2019 
271 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Strategic report 

Governance 

IFRS financial statements 

Other information 

Notes to the financial statements of the Company 

Continued  

N – Risk management continued 
Interest rate risk continued 
The effect of a 100 basis point increase/decrease in interest rates on floating rate loans due to and from subsidiaries and on refinancing short 
term  commercial  paper  as  it  matures  would  be  a  decrease/increase  in  profit  before  tax  of  £104  million  (2018:  decrease/increase  of  
£104 million). The net asset value of the Company’s financial resources is not materially affected by fluctuations in interest rates. 

Currency risk 
The  Company’s  direct  subsidiaries  are  exposed  to  foreign  currency  risk  arising  from  fluctuations  in  exchange  rates  during  the  course  of 
providing insurance and asset management services around the world. The exposure of the subsidiaries to currency risk is considered from 
a Group perspective in the Group consolidated financial statements, note 60(c)(v). 

The Company faces exposure to foreign currency risk through some of its borrowings which are denominated in Euros. However, most of 
these borrowings have been on-lent to a subsidiary which holds investments in Euros, generating the net investment hedge described in the 
Group consolidated financial statements, note 61(a). 

Liquidity risk 
Liquidity risk is the risk of not being able to make payments as they become due because there are insufficient assets in cash form. The 
Company’s  main  sources  of  liquidity  are  liquid  assets  held  within  the  Company  and  its  subsidiary  Aviva  Group  Holdings  Limited,  and 
dividends received from the Group’s insurance and asset management businesses. Sources of liquidity in normal markets also include a 
variety of short and long-term instruments including commercial papers and medium and long-term debt. In addition to the existing liquid 
resources  and  expected  inflows,  the  Company  maintains  significant  undrawn  committed  borrowing  facilities  from  a  range  of  leading 
international banks to further mitigate this risk. 

Maturity analysis of external borrowings and amounts due to and by subsidiaries are provided in notes J and F respectively. 

O – Related party transactions 
The Company had the following related party transactions. 

Loans  to  and  from  subsidiaries  are  made  on  normal  arm’s-length  commercial  terms.  The  maturity  analysis  of  the  related  party  loans  
is as follows: 

(i)  Loans owed by subsidiaries 

Maturity analysis 

1 – 5 years 
Over 5 years 

Total 

2019 
£m 

3,792  
1,233  

5,025  

2018 
£m 

3,485  
1,916  

5,401  

The interest received on these loans is £92 million (2018: £92 million). See note A. 

On  1  January  2013,  Aviva  International  Holdings  Limited,  an  indirect  subsidiary,  transferred  an  unsecured  loan  with  the  Company  of  
€250 million to Aviva Group Holdings Limited, its direct subsidiary. The loan, originally entered into on 7 May 2003, accrues interest at a fixed 
rate of 5.5% with settlement to be paid at maturity in May 2033. As at the statement of financial position date, the total amount drawn down 
on the facility was £212 million (2018: £224 million). 

On 23 December 2014, the Company provided an unsecured revolving credit facility of £2,000 million to Aviva Group Holdings Limited, its 
subsidiary, with an initial maturity date of 3 September 2018 which was subsequently extended to 31 December 2023. The facility accrues 
interest at 75 basis points above 6 month LIBOR. As at the statement of financial position date, the total amount drawn down on the facility 
was £1,563 million (2018: £1,752 million). 

On 27 June 2016, the Company provided an unsecured loan of C$446 million to Aviva Group Holdings Limited, its subsidiary, with a maturity 
date of 27 June 2046. The loan accrues interest at 348 basis points above 6 month CDOR. As at the statement of financial position date, the 
total amount drawn was £259 million (2018: £256 million). 

On 30 September 2016, the Company provided the following loans to Aviva Group Holdings Limited, its subsidiary: 
•  An  unsecured  loan  of  €850  million  with  a  maturity  date  of  30  September  2021.  The  loan  accrues  interest  at  115  basis  points  above  
12 month EURIBOR with settlement to be paid at maturity. As at the statement of financial position date, the total amount drawn was  
£661 million (2018: £700 million).  

•  An unsecured loan of €650 million with a maturity date of 5 July 2023. The loan accrues interest at a fixed rate of 1.54% with settlement to 
be  paid  at  maturity.  As  at  the  statement  of  financial  position  date,  the  total  amount  drawn  down  on  the  facility  was  
£551 million (2018: £584 million).  

•  An unsecured loan of €700 million with a maturity date of 3 July 2024. The loan accrues interest at a fixed rate of 1.64% with settlement to 
be  paid  at  maturity.  As  at  the  statement  of  financial  position  date,  the  total  amount  drawn  down  on  the  facility  was  
£593 million (2018: £628 million).  

•  An unsecured loan of €900 million with a maturity date of 4 December 2025. The loan accrues interest at a fixed rate of 1.74% with settlement 
to  be  paid  at  maturity.  As  at  the  statement  of  financial  position  date,  the  total  amount  drawn  down  on  the  facility  was  
£762 million (2018: £808 million). 

Aviva plc Annual report and accounts 2019 
272 

 
 
 
 
Strategic report 

Governance 

IFRS financial statements 

Other information 

Notes to the financial statements of the Company 

Continued  

O – Related party transactions continued 
(i)  Loans owed by subsidiaries continued 
On 21 November 2016, the Company provided an unsecured loan of €500 million to Aviva Group Holdings Limited, its subsidiary, with a 
maturity date of 27 October 2023. The loan accrues interest at a fixed rate of 1.75% with settlement to be paid at maturity. As at the statement 
of financial position date, the total amount drawn was £424 million (2018: £449 million). 

(ii)  Loans owed to subsidiaries 

Maturity analysis of contractual undiscounted cash flows: 

Within 1 year 
1 – 5 years 

Total 

Principal 
£m 

— 
12,675  

12,675  

Interest 
£m 

182  
395  

577  

2019 

Total 
£m 

182  
13,070  

13,252  

Principal 
£m 

— 
12,815  

12,815  

Interest 
£m 

131  
514  

645  

2018 

Total 
£m 

131  
13,329  

13,460  

The interest paid on these loans is £212 million (2018: £194 million). See note C. 

On  3  September  2013  Aviva  Group  Holdings  Limited,  its  subsidiary,  provided  an  unsecured  rolling  credit  facility  of  £5,000  million  to  the 
Company,  accruing  interest  at  75  basis  points  above  6  month  LIBOR  and  with  an  initial  maturity  date  of  3  September  2018,  which  was 
subsequently  extended  to  31  December  2023.  The  total  amount  drawn  down  on  the  facility  at  31  December  2019  was  £3,045  million 
(2018: £3,045 million). 

On 14 December 2017, the Company renewed its facility with GA plc, its subsidiary, of £9,990 million and the Board approved the extension 
of the maturity of the loan by five years from 31 December 2017 to 31 December 2022. The other terms of the loan will remain unchanged, 
including the rate of interest payable by the Company to GA plc (65 basis points above 3 month LIBOR and in the event that the LIBOR rate is 
less  than  zero,  the  rate  shall  be  deemed  to  be  zero).  As  at  31  December  2019,  the  loan  balance  outstanding  was  £9,630  million  
(2018:  £9,770 million).  This  loan  is  secured  against  the  ordinary  share  capital  of  Aviva  Group  Holdings  Limited.  The  loan  agreement  also 
includes a penalty interest charge of 1% above the interest rate if any amounts payable under the loan agreement remain outstanding. 

(iii) Other transactions 
Services provided to related parties 

Subsidiaries 

Income  
earned 
 in year 
£m 

1,595  

2019 

Receivable 
 at year end 
£m 

Income  
earned 
 in year 
£m 

2018 

Receivable 
 at year end 
£m 

241  

2,780  

414  

Income earned relates to dividends. The Company incurred expenses in the year of £0.5 million (2018: £0.5 million) representing audit fees 
paid by the Company on behalf of subsidiaries. The Company did not recharge subsidiaries for these expenses. 

The  related  parties’  receivables  are  not  secured  and  no  guarantees  were  received  in  respect  thereof.  The  receivables  will  be  settled  in 
accordance with normal credit terms.  

Services provided by related parties 

Subsidiaries 

Expense 
incurred 
in year 
£m 

2019 

Payable 
 at year end 
£m 

Expense 
incurred 
in year 
£m 

2018 

Payable 
 at year end 
£m 

175  

4,344  

224  

4,206  

Expenses  incurred  relates  to  operating  expenses.  All  the  Company’s  operating  cash  requirements  are  met  by  subsidiary  companies  and 
settled through intercompany loans.  

The related parties’ payables are not secured and no guarantees were given in respect thereof. The payables will be settled in accordance 
with normal credit terms. Details of guarantees, indemnities and warranties given by the Company on behalf of related parties are given in 
note 56(f).  

Key management 
The directors and key management of the Company are considered to be the same as for the Group. Information on both the Company and 
Group key management compensation can be found in note 63. 

P – Subsequent events 
There are no subsequent events to report. 

Aviva plc Annual report and accounts 2019 
273 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Strategic report 

Governance 

IFRS financial statements 

Other information 

Other information 

In this section 
Alternative Performance Measures  
Shareholder services 

Page 
275 
284 

Aviva plc Annual report and accounts 2019 
274 

 
 
 
 
 
 
Overview 

Income & expenses 

IFRS 

Analysis of assets 

Other information 

Alternative Performance Measures 

Alternative 
Performance 
Measures 

In order to fully explain the performance of our business, we discuss 
and analyse our results in terms of financial measures which include 
a  number  of  Alternative  Performance  Measures  (APMs).  APMs  are 
non-GAAP measures which are used to supplement the disclosures 
prepared in accordance with other regulations such as International 
Financial  Reporting  Standards  (IFRS)  and  Solvency  II.  We  believe 
these  measures  provide  useful 
information  to  enhance  the 
understanding of our financial performance. However, APMs should 
be viewed as complementary to, rather than as a substitute for, the 
amounts determined according to other regulations. 

The APMs utilised by Aviva may not be the same as those used by 
other insurers and may change over time.  

At  our  capital  markets  day  in  November  2019,  we  announced  new 
financial  targets  focussed  on  economic  value,  to  measure  our 
progress  in  meeting  our  key  strategic  initiatives.  Consequently,  we 
have introduced four APMs in 2019, that are based on Solvency II: 
•  Solvency II return on equity (ROE) ‡ 
•  Operating own funds generation 
•  Solvency II net asset value (NAV) per share‡ 
•  Solvency II debt leverage ratio 

These capital measures provide useful information as they are based 
on  economic  value  which 
is  used  by  the  Group  to  assess 
performance and growth. 

In addition, we have made certain changes to existing APMs to ensure 
that they remain relevant and useful for stakeholders. 

The  Group  adjusted  operating  profit  APM  has  been  amended  and 
now includes amortisation and impairment of internally generated 
intangible  assets  to  provide  more  relevant  information  by  better 
reflecting  their  operational  nature.  2018  comparatives  have  been 
restated.  For  consistency  with  the  change  in  Group  adjusted 
operating  profit,  the  combined  operating  ratio, operating  earnings 
per share, operating expenses and IFRS return on equity have also 
been amended.  

Furthermore,  controllable  costs  is  a  new  APM  in  2019,  based  on 
operating expenses adjusted to exclude premium related costs such 
as  premium  based  taxes,  fees  and  levies  that  vary  directly  with 
premium volumes.   

Further  details  on  APMs  derived  from  IFRS  measures  and  APMs 
derived from Solvency II measures including changes that have been 
made  in  2019,  are  provided  in  the  following  sections.  A  further 
section describes Other APMs. 

APMs derived from IFRS measures 
A  number  of  APMs  relating  to  IFRS  are  utilised  to  measure  and 
monitor  the  Group’s  performance.  Definitions  and  additional 
information, including reconciliations to the relevant amounts in the 
IFRS Financial Statements and, where appropriate, commentary on 
the material reconciling items are included within this section. 

Group adjusted operating profit‡#  
Group  adjusted  operating  profit  is  an  APM  that  supports  decision 
making  and  internal  performance  management  of  the  Group’s 
operating  segments  that  incorporates  an  expected  return  on 
investments  supporting  the  life  and  non-life  insurance  businesses. 
The Group considers this measure meaningful to stakeholders as it 
enhances the understanding of the Group’s operating performance 
over time by separately identifying non-operating items. The various 
items excluded from Group adjusted operating profit, but included 
in IFRS profit before tax, are: 

Investment variances, economic assumption changes and short-
term fluctuation in return on investments 
Group  adjusted  operating  profit  for  the  life  insurance  business  is 
based  on  expected  investment  returns  on  financial  investments 
backing  shareholder  and  policyholder  funds  over  the  reporting 
period, with allowance for the corresponding expected movements 
in  liabilities.  The  expected  rate  of  return  is  determined  using 
consistent assumptions between operations, having regard to local 
economic  and  market  forecasts  of  investment  return  and  asset 
classification.  

For fixed interest securities classified as fair value through profit or 
loss,  the  expected  investment  returns  are  based  on  average 
prospective yields for the actual assets held less an adjustment for 
credit risk. Where such securities are classified as available for sale 
the  expected  return  comprises  interest  or  dividend  payments  and 
amortisation of the premium or discount at purchase. The expected 
return  on  equities  and  properties  is  calculated  by  reference  to  the 
opening  10-year  swap  rate  in  the  relevant  currency  plus  an 
appropriate risk margin.  

Group  adjusted  operating  profit  includes  the  effect  of  variances  in 
experience  for  non-economic  items,  such  as  mortality,  persistency 
and  expenses,  and  the  effect  of  changes 
in  non-economic 
assumptions. Changes due to economic items, such as market value 
movement  and  interest  rate  changes,  which  give  rise  to  variances 
between actual and expected investment returns, and the impact of 
changes  in  economic  assumptions  on  liabilities,  are  disclosed 
separately outside Group adjusted operating profit.  

Group adjusted operating profit for the non-life insurance business is 
based  on  expected  investment  returns  on  financial  investments 
backing  shareholder  funds  over  the  period.  Expected  investment 
returns are calculated for equities and properties by multiplying the 
opening  market  value  of  the  investments,  adjusted  for  sales  and 
purchases during the year, by the long-term rate of return. This rate 
of  return  is  the  same  as  that  applied  for  the  long-term  business 
expected  returns.  The  long-term  return  for  other  investments 
(including  debt  securities)  is  the  actual  income  receivable  for  the 
period. Actual income and long-term investment return both contain 
the  amortisation  of  the  discounts/premium  arising  on  the 
acquisition of fixed income securities.

‡ denotes APMs which are key performance indicators.  
# denotes key performance indicators used as a base to determine or modify remuneration. 

Aviva plc Annual report and accounts 2019 
275 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Strategic report 

Governance 

IFRS financial statements 

Other information 

Alternative performance measures 

  Continued 

Changes due to market value movements and interest rate changes, 
which give rise to variances between actual and expected investment 
returns, are disclosed separately outside Group adjusted operating 
profit. The impact of changes in the discount rate applied to claims 
provisions is also disclosed outside Group adjusted operating profit. 

The  exclusion  of  short-term  investment  variances  from  this  APM 
reflects  the  long-term  nature  of  much  of  our  business.  The  Group 
adjusted  operating  profit  which 
in  managing  the 
performance  of  our  operating  segments  excludes  the  impact  of 
economic variances, to provide a comparable measure year on year. 

is  used 

intangible  assets  acquired 

Impairment, amortisation and profit or loss on disposal 
Group  adjusted  operating  profit  also  excludes  impairment  of 
joint  ventures;  amortisation  and 
goodwill,  associates  and 
impairment  of  other 
in  business 
combinations; amortisation and impairment of acquired value of in-
force business; and the profit or loss on disposal and remeasurement 
of subsidiaries, joint ventures and associates. These items principally 
relate to merger and acquisition activity which we view as strategic 
in  nature,  hence  they  are  excluded  from  the  Group  adjusted 
operating  profit  APM  as  this  is  principally  used  to  manage  the 
performance of our operating segments when reporting to the Group 
chief operating decision maker. 

In 2019, the Group adjusted operating profit APM has been amended 
and  now  includes  amortisation  and  impairment  of  internally 
generated intangible assets to provide more relevant information by 
better  reflecting  their  operational  nature.  These  assets  include 
advisor platforms, digital distribution channels and claims and policy 
administration  systems  which  are  used  to  support  operational 
activities.  Comparative  amounts  have  been  restated  resulting  in  a 
reduction in the prior year Group adjusted operating profit of £112 
million. Amortisation and impairment of intangible assets acquired 
in  business  combinations  will  continue  to  be  excluded  from  the 
Group  adjusted  operating  profit  as  these  relate  to  merger  and 
acquisition activity. 

In addition, integration and restructuring costs are now included in 
Group  adjusted  operating  profit.  There  is  no  impact  on  2018 
comparative figures. 

Other items 
These  items  are,  in  the  Directors’  view,  required  to  be  separately 
disclosed  by  virtue  of  their  nature  or  incidence  to  enable  a  full 
understanding of the Group’s financial performance. Other items at 
2019 comprise: 
•  A  charge  of  £45  million  relating  to  a  change  in  the  discount  rate 
used  for  estimating  lump  sum  payments  in  settlement  of  bodily 
injury claims (see note 44(b)). Consistent with the presentation of 
the  change  in  the  Ogden  discount  rate  in  2016  and  2018,  this  is 
disclosed outside of Group adjusted operating profit; and 

•  A charge of £2 million relating to the negative goodwill which arose 
on the acquisition of Friends First in 2018, which is excluded from 
Group adjusted operating profit for consistency with the treatment 
of impairment of goodwill. 

Other items at 2018 comprised: 
•  A  movement  in  the  discount  rate  used  for  estimating  lump  sum 
payments in settlement of bodily injury claims which resulted in a 
gain  of  £190  million  (see  note  44  (b)).  Consistent  with  the 
presentation of the change in the Ogden discount rate in 2016, this 
was disclosed outside of Group adjusted operating profit; 

•  A charge of £63 million relating to the UK defined benefit pension 
scheme  as  a  result  of  the  requirement  to  equalise  members’ 
benefits for the effects of Guaranteed Minimum Pension (see note 
52(b)).  This  was  disclosed  outside  of  Group  adjusted  operating 
profit as the additional liability arose as a consequence of a High 

Court  judgement  in  October  2018  in  the  case  involving  Lloyds 
Banking Group; and does not reflect the financial performance of 
the Group for the year; 

•  A charge of £10 million relating to goodwill payments to preference 
shareholders,  which  was  announced  on  30  April  2018,  and 
associated administration costs (see note 35); 

•  A release of a provision of £78 million relating to the sale of Aviva 
USA in 2013, which represents the reversal of an item previously 
excluded from Group adjusted operating profit; and 

•  A  gain  of  £36  million  relating  to  negative  goodwill  on  the 
acquisition of Friends First (see note 3), which was excluded from 
Group adjusted operating profit for consistency with the treatment 
of impairment of goodwill. 

The  Group  adjusted  operating  profit  APM  should  be  viewed  as 
complementary to IFRS measures. It is important to consider Group 
adjusted  operating  profit  and  profit  before  tax  together  to 
understand the performance of the business in the period.  

The table below presents a reconciliation between our consolidated 
operating  profit  and  profit  before  tax  attributable  to  shareholders’ 
profits. 

United Kingdom – Life 
United Kingdom – General Insurance  
Canada 
Europe 
Asia 
Aviva Investors 
Other Group activities 

2019 
£m 

1,855  
250  
191  
981  
275  
96  
(464) 

Restated1   
2018 
£m 

1,886  
383  
27  
1,008  
261  
148  
(709) 

Group adjusted operating profit before tax attributable 

to shareholders’ profit  

3,184  

3,004  

Adjusted for the following: 
Investment return variances and economic assumption 

changes on long-term business 

Short-term fluctuation in return on investments on non 

long-term business 

Economic assumption changes on general insurance 

and health business 

Impairment of goodwill, associates and joint ventures 

and other amounts expensed 

Amortisation and impairment of intangibles acquired in 

business combinations 

Amortisation and impairment of acquired value of in-

force business 

(Loss)/profit on the disposal and re-measurement of 

subsidiaries, joint ventures and associates 

Other  

Adjusting items before tax  

654  

(197) 

167  

(476) 

(54) 

(15) 

(87) 

1  

(13) 

(97) 

(406) 

(426) 

(22) 
(47) 

190  

102  
231  

(875) 

Profit before tax attributable to shareholders’ profits 

3,374  

2,129  

1  During 2019 the Group adjusted operating profit APM has been revised, and now includes the amortisation 
and  impairment  of  internally  generated  intangible  assets  to  better  reflect  the  operational  nature  of  these 
assets (see note 1 (b)). Group adjusted operating profit continues to exclude amortisation and impairment of 
intangible assets acquired in business combinations. Comparative amounts have been restated resulting in 
a reduction in the prior period Group adjusted operating profit of £112 million. There is no impact on profit 
before tax. 

Combined operating ratio (COR)‡ 
A  financial  measure  of  general  insurance  underwriting  profitability 
calculated  as  total  underwriting  costs  in  our  insurance  entities 
expressed  as  a  percentage  of  net  earned  premiums.  A  COR  below 
100% indicates profitable underwriting.  

In  2018  and  2019,  the  COR  does  not  include  the  impact  of  any 
changes in the discount rate used for estimating lump sum payments 
in settlement of bodily injury claims.

Aviva plc Annual report and accounts 2019 
276 

 
 
 
 
 
 
Strategic report 

Governance 

IFRS financial statements 

Other information 

Alternative performance measures 

  Continued 

In  2019,  following  the  change  in  the  definition  of  Group  adjusted 
operating  profit,  the  COR  has  been  amended  to  include  the 
amortisation  and  impairment  of  internally  generated  intangible 
assets  to  better  reflect  their  operational  nature.  Comparative 
amounts have been restated resulting in an increase in the prior year 
underwriting  costs  of  £53  million  and  an  increase  in  COR  of  0.6%. 
Amortisation  and  impairment  of  intangible  assets  acquired  in 
business combinations will continue to be excluded from the COR as 
these relate to merger and acquisition activity. 

The Group COR is shown below. 

Incurred claims – GI & Health (as per note 5)2  
Adjusted for the following: 
Incurred claims – Health 
Change in discount rate assumptions 
Impact of change in the discount rate used in 

settlement of bodily injury claims 
Total Incurred claims (included in COR)3 

Commission and expenses – GI & Health  

(as per note 5)4 

Adjusted for the following: 

Amortisation and impairment of intangibles 

acquired in business combinations 

Foreign exchange gains/losses 
Commission income 
Other 

Commission and Expenses –  

Health & Other Non GI 

Total commission and expenses (included in 

COR)5  

Total underwriting costs 

Net earned premiums – GI & Health (as per note 5) 
Adjusted for: 

Net earned premiums – Health 

Net earned premiums (included in COR)6 

2019 
£m 

(6,620) 

651  
54  

45  

(5,870) 

Restated1   
2018  
£m 

(6,400) 

633  
— 

(190) 

(5,957) 

(3,321) 

(3,188) 

19  
(45) 
20  
5  

300  

(3,022) 

(8,892) 

10,015  

(895) 

9,120  

31  
7  
19  
4  

309  

(2,818) 

(8,775) 

9,887  

(857) 

9,030  

Combined operating ratio 

97.5% 

97.2% 

1  Following the change in the definition of Group adjusted operating profit, COR now includes the amortisation 
and  impairment  of  internally  generated  intangible  assets  to  better  reflect  the  operational  nature  of  these 
assets. Comparative amounts have been restated resulting in an increase in the prior period underwriting 
costs of £(53) million and an increase in COR of 0.6%. 

2  Corresponds  to  the  sum  of  claims  and  benefits  paid,  net  of  recoveries  from  reinsurers  and  the  change  in 

insurance liabilities, net of reinsurance per note 5. 
Includes £(6) million (2018: £1 million) relating to incurred claims for Aviva Re. 

3 
4  Commission and expenses consists of fee and commission expense and other operating expenses included 
within the general insurance & health segmental income statement (per note 5) adjusted to an earned basis 
and to remove the health business. 
Includes £(1) million (2018: £3 million) relating to commission and expenses for Aviva Re. 
Includes £nil (2018: £(5) million) relating to net earned premiums for Aviva Re. 

5 
6 

Claims ratio  
A  financial  measure  of  the  performance  of  our  general  insurance 
business  which  is  calculated  as  incurred  claims  expressed  as  a 
percentage of net earned premiums, which can be derived from the 
COR table above. 

Commission and expense ratio 
A  financial  measure  of  the  performance  of  our  general  insurance 
business which is derived from the sum of earned commissions and 
expenses expressed as a percentage of net earned premiums from 
the COR table above. 

Operating earnings per share (EPS)‡#  
Operating EPS is calculated based on the Group adjusted operating 
profit  attributable  to  ordinary  shareholders  net  of  tax,  deducting 
non-controlling interests, preference dividends and the direct capital 
instrument  (DCI)  and  tier  1  note  coupons  divided  by  the  weighted 
average number of ordinary shares in issue, after deducting treasury 
shares.  Operating  EPS  is  considered  meaningful  to  stakeholders 
because  it  enhances  the  understanding  of  the  Group’s  operating 
performance over time by adjusting for the effects of non-operating 
items. 

Following  the  change  in  the  definition  of  the  Group  adjusted 
operating profit APM in 2019, operating EPS has been amended and 
the  2018  comparative  amount  has  been  restated  resulting  in  a 
reduction in the prior year from 58.4 pence to 56.2 pence.  

A reconciliation between operating EPS and basic EPS can be found 
in note 15. 

Controllable costs‡ and operating expenses 
Controllable  costs  are  the  controllable  operational  overheads 
associated with maintaining our businesses. Controllable costs are 
calculated  as  operating  expenses,  less  premium  based  taxes,  fees 
and levies that vary directly with premiums. These costs are by their 
nature  a  direct  cost  incurred  as  a  result  of  generating  premium 
income,  and  therefore  not  a  controllable  operational  overhead. 
Operating  expenses  continues  to  be  a  useful  measure  alongside 
controllable costs.  

Following the change in the definition of Group adjusted operating 
profit,  operating  expenses  has  been  amended  to  include  the 
amortisation  and  impairment  of  internally  generated  intangible 
assets  to  better  reflect  their  operational  nature.  Comparative 
amounts  have  been  restated  resulting  in  an  increase  in  prior  year 
operating expenses of £112 million. Amortisation and impairment of 
intangible assets acquired in business combinations will continue to 
be excluded from operating expenses as these relate to merger and 
acquisition activity. 

A reconciliation of other expenses in the IFRS consolidated income 
statement to operating expenses (restated) and controllable costs is 
set out below:  

Other expenses (IFRS income statement) 
Less: impairment of goodwill, associates and joint 

ventures and other amounts expensed 

Less: amortisation and impairment of intangibles 

acquired in business combinations1 

Less: amortisation and impairment of acquired value of 

in-force business 

Less: foreign exchange gains/(losses) 
Add: other acquisition costs 
Add: claims handling costs 
Less: other costs 
Operating expenses1 
Less: premium based income taxes, fees and levies 

Controllable costs 

2019 
£m 

2018 
£m 

3,329  

3,843  

(15) 

(87) 

(406) 
109 
1,001 
339 
(151) 

4,119  

(180) 

3,939  

(13) 

(97) 

(426) 
(28) 
954  
336  
(431) 

4,138  

(170) 

3,968  

1  Following the change in the definition of Group adjusted operating profit, operating expenses now include 
the amortisation and impairment of internally generated intangible assets to better reflect the operational 
nature of these assets. Comparative amounts have been restated resulting in an increase in the prior period 
operating expenses of £112 million. 

Operating expenses exclude impairment of goodwill, associates and 
joint  ventures;  amortisation  and  impairment  of  other  intangible 
assets  acquired 
in  business  combinations;  amortisation  and 
impairment of acquired value of in-force business; and the profit or 
loss on disposal and remeasurement of subsidiaries, joint ventures 
and associates. These items relate to merger and acquisition activity 
which we view as strategic in nature, hence they are excluded from 
operating  expenses  as  this  is  principally  used  to  manage  the 
performance of our operating segments.  

Operating  expenses  include  indirect  acquisition  costs,  such  as 
underwriting  overheads,  and  claims  handling  costs.  These  are 
considered  to  be  controllable  by  the  operating  segments  and  are 
therefore also included in controllable costs.

Aviva plc Annual report and accounts 2019 
277 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Strategic report 

Governance 

IFRS financial statements 

Other information 

Alternative performance measures 

  Continued 

Operating expenses exclude other amounts that, in management’s 
view,  are  not  representative  of  underlying  day-to-day  expenses 
involved in running the business, and that would distort the year on 
year  operating  expenses  trend, 
including  historical  product 
governance  costs  and  GI  instalment  income.  In  2019  other  costs 
includes an additional £175 million product governance provision in 
our UK Life business relating to past communications to a specific 
sub-set  of  pension  policyholders  that  may  not  have  adequately 
informed them of switching options into with-profits funds that were 
available to them (see note 51). 

Other costs in 2018 included movements in provisions set aside in 
respect of ongoing regulatory compliance as well as an increase of 
£175  million  product  governance  provision  relating  to  a  historical 
issue over pension arrangement sales by Friends Provident (of which 
over 90% of cases related to pre-2002). 

IFRS Return on Equity (RoE)  
The IFRS RoE calculation is based on Group adjusted operating profit 
after  tax  attributable  to  ordinary  shareholders  expressed  as  a 
percentage  of  weighted  average  ordinary  shareholders’  equity 
(excluding  non-controlling  interests,  preference  share  capital  and 
direct capital instrument and tier 1 notes).  

Following  the  change  in  the  definition  of  the  Group  adjusted 
operating profit APM in 2019, IFRS RoE has been amended and the 
2018 comparative amount has been restated resulting in a reduction 
in the prior year from 13.3% to 12.8%. 

IFRS net asset value (NAV) per share  
IFRS  NAV  per  share  is  calculated  as  the  equity  attributable  to 
shareholders of Aviva plc, less preference share capital (both within 
the  consolidated  statement  of  financial  position),  divided  by  the 
actual number of shares in issue at the balance sheet date. IFRS NAV 
per share monitors the value generated by the Company in terms of 
the equity shareholders’ face value per share investment. 

Assets Under Management (AUM) and Assets Under Administration 
(AUA) 
AUM represent all assets managed or administered by or on behalf of 
the Group, including those assets managed by Aviva Investors and by 
third parties. AUM include managed assets that are reported within 
the  Group’s  statement  of  financial  position  and  those  assets 
belonging  to  external  clients  outside  the  Aviva  Group  which  are 
therefore not included in the Group’s statement of financial position.  

Consistent with previous years, Aviva Investors AUA comprises AUM 
plus £36 billion (2018: £29 billion) of assets managed by third parties 
on platforms administered by Aviva Investors. 

Both  AUM  and  AUA  are  monitored  as  they  reflect  the  potential 
earnings  arising  from  investment  returns  and  fee  and  commission 
income  and  measure  the  size  and  scale  of  the  Group’s  fund 
management business. 

A reconciliation of amounts appearing in the Group’s statement of 
financial position to AUM is shown below: 

Assets managed on behalf of Group companies 
Assets included in statement of financial position2  
Financial investments 
Investment properties 
Loans 
Cash and cash equivalents 
Other 

Less: third party funds included above 

Assets managed on behalf of third parties4  
Aviva Investors 
UK Platform5  
Other 

Total AUM3 

2019  
£bn 

Restated1   
2018  
£bn 

351 
11 
39 
20 
1 

422 

(17) 

405 

67 
29 
9 

105 

510 

327 
11 
36 
17 
1 

392 

(17) 

375 

64 
23 
9 

96 

471 

1  Following a review of the Group’s presentation of consolidated investment funds, comparative amounts have 

been restated from those previously reported. 
Includes assets classified as held for sale.  
Includes AUM of £346 billion (2018: £331 billion) managed by Aviva Investors. 

2 
3 
4  AUM managed on behalf of third parties cannot be directly reconciled to the financial statements. 
5  UK Platform relates to the assets under management in the UK long-term savings business. 

Net fund flows 
Net  fund  flows  is  one  of  the  measures  of  growth  used  by 
management and is a component of the movement in the life and 
platform business managed assets (excluding UK with-profits) during 
the period. It is the difference between the inflows (being IFRS net 
written  premiums  plus  deposits  received  under 
investment 
IFRS  net  paid  claims  plus 
contracts)  and  outflows 
It 
investment  contracts). 
redemptions  and  surrenders  under 
excludes market and other movements. 

(being 

APMs derived from Solvency II measures 
The Solvency II regime requires insurers to hold own funds in excess 
of the Solvency Capital Requirement (SCR). Own funds are available 
capital  resources  determined  under  Solvency  II.  This  includes  the 
excess  of  assets  over  liabilities  in  the  Solvency  II  balance  sheet, 
calculated  on  best  estimate,  market  consistent  assumptions  and 
include  transitional  measures  on  technical  provisions  (TMTP), 
subordinated liabilities that qualify as capital under Solvency II, and 
off-balance sheet own funds. 

The SCR is calculated at Group level using a risk-based capital model 
which  is  calibrated  to  reflect  the  cost  of  mitigating  the  risk  of 
insolvency to a 99.5% confidence level over a one-year time horizon 
–  equivalent  to  a  1  in  200  year  event  –  against  financial  and  non-
financial  shocks.  As  a  number  of  subsidiaries  utilise  the  standard 
formula  rather  than  a  risk-based  capital  model  to  assess  capital 
requirements,  the  overall  Group  SCR  is  calculated  using  a  partial 
internal  model,  and  it  is  shown  after  the  impact  of  diversification 
benefit. 

Aviva plc Annual report and accounts 2019 
278 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Strategic report 

Governance 

IFRS financial statements 

Other information 

•  Pro  forma  adjustments  are  made  if  the  Solvency  II  shareholder 
cover ratio does not fully reflect the effect of transactions or capital 
actions  that  are  known  as  at  each  reporting  date.  Such 
adjustments  may  be  required  in  respect  of  planned  acquisitions 
and  disposals,  group  reorganisations  and  adjustments  to  the 
Solvency II valuation basis arising from changes to the underlying 
regulations or updated interpretations provided by EIOPA. These 
adjustments are made in order to show a more representative view 
of the Group’s solvency position. 

A reconciliation of the Solvency II regulatory surplus to the Solvency 
II shareholder surplus is provided below: 

Estimated Solvency II regulatory surplus  
Adjustments for: 
Fully ring-fenced with-profit funds  
Staff pension schemes in surplus 
Notional reset of TMTP 
Pro forma adjustments1 

Own funds  
2019 
£m 
28,347 

SCR  
2019 
£m 
(15,517) 

Surplus  
2019 
£m 
12,830 

(2,501) 
(1,181) 
— 
(117) 

2,501 
1,181 
— 
(75) 

— 
— 
— 
(192) 

Estimated Solvency II shareholder surplus 

24,548 

(11,910) 

12,638 

1  The 31 December 2019 Solvency II position includes three pro forma adjustments that relate to the disposal 
of FPI (£nil impact on surplus), the disposal of Hong Kong (£nil impact on surplus) and the potential impact 
of an expected change to Solvency II regulations on the treatment of equity release mortgages (£0.2 billion 
decrease in surplus as a result of an increase in SCR). 

2018 

Estimated Solvency II regulatory surplus  
Adjustments for: 
Fully ring-fenced with-profit funds  
Staff pension schemes in surplus 
Notional reset of TMTP 
Pro forma adjustments1 

Own funds  
2018 
£m 

SCR  
2018 
£m 

Surplus  
2018 
£m 

27,567 

(15,339) 

12,228 

(2,634) 
(1,142) 
(127) 
(113) 

2,634 
1,142 
— 
(6) 

— 
— 
(127) 
(119) 

Estimated Solvency II shareholder surplus 

23,551 

(11,569) 

11,982 

1  The 31 December 2018 Solvency II position includes the pro forma impact of the disposals of FPI (£0.1 billion 
increase  in  surplus)  and  the  potential  impact  of  an  expected  change  to  Solvency  II  regulations  on  the 
treatment of equity release mortgages (£0.2 billion reduction in surplus as a result of an increase in SCR). 

A  summary  of  the  shareholder  view  of  the  Group’s  Solvency  II 
position is shown in the table below: 

Own Funds 
Solvency Capital Requirement 

Estimated Solvency II Shareholder Surplus  

at 31 December 

2019 
£m 

2018 
£m 

24,548 
(11,910) 

23,551 
(11,569) 

12,638 

11,982 

Estimated Shareholder Cover Ratio 

206% 

204% 

Alternative performance measures 

  Continued 

The  reconciliation  from  total  Group  equity  on  an  IFRS  basis  to 
Solvency II own funds is presented below. 

Total Group equity on an IFRS basis 
Elimination of goodwill and other intangible 

assets1  

Insurance assets and liabilities valuation 

differences (net of transitional deductions)2 

Inclusion of risk margin (net of transitional 

deductions) 

Net deferred tax on valuation differences3  
Revaluation of subordinated liabilities4   
Other accounting differences4 

Estimated Solvency II net assets (gross of 

non-controlling interests) 

Difference between Solvency II net assets and 

own funds5 

Estimated Solvency II regulatory own funds6 

2019 
£m 
18,685 

2018 
£m 
18,455 

(8,424) 

(7,828) 

19,564 

19,293 

(3,122) 
(1,220) 
(716) 
(99) 

(3,256) 
(1,149) 
(649) 
(286) 

24,668 

24,580 

2019 

3,679 

28,347 

2,987 

27,567 

1 

2 

Includes  £1,855  million  (2018:  £1,872  million)  of  goodwill  and  £6,569  million  (2018:  £5,956  million)  of  other 
intangible  assets  comprising  acquired  value  of  in-force  business  of  £2,479  million  (2018:  £2,916  million), 
deferred  acquisition  costs  (net  of  deferred  income)  of  £3,221  million  (2018:  £2,858  million)  and  other 
intangibles of £869 million (2018: £182 million). 
Includes valuation adjustments to reflect insurance assets and liabilities valued on a best estimate basis using 
market-implied assumptions. 

3  Net deferred tax includes the tax effect of all other reconciling items in the table above which are shown gross 

of tax. 

4.  Includes  valuation  adjustments  and  the  impact  of  the  difference  between  consolidation  methodologies 

under Solvency II and IFRS.  

5  Regulatory  adjustments  to  bridge  from  Solvency  II  net  assets  to  own  funds  include  recognition  of 
subordinated debt capital, non-controlling interests and adjustments for ring-fenced funds restrictions. 
6  Regulation was introduced in France that allows French insurers to place the Provision pour Participation aux 
Excedents (PPE) into Solvency II own funds. The PPE has been included in the France local regulatory own 
funds in 2019 but it is not included in the Group regulatory own funds. 

A number of APMs relating to Solvency II are utilised to measure and 
monitor the Group’s performance, growth and financial strength: 
•  Solvency II shareholder cover ratio‡  
•  Value of new business on an adjusted Solvency II basis (VNB)‡ 
•  Operating Capital Generation (OCG) ‡# 
•  Operating own funds generation 
•  Solvency II return on equity (ROE)‡ 
•  Solvency II net asset value (NAV) per share‡ 
•  Solvency II debt leverage ratio 

Solvency II shareholder cover ratio‡ 
The estimated Solvency II shareholder cover ratio, which is derived 
from own funds divided by the SCR using a ‘shareholder view’, is one 
of  the  indicators  of  the  Group’s  balance  sheet  strength.  The 
shareholder  view  is  considered  by  management  to  be  more 
representative  of  the  shareholders’  risk-exposure  and  the  Group’s 
ability  to  cover  the  SCR  with  eligible  own  funds  and  aligns  with 
management’s approach to dynamically manage its capital position. 
In arriving at the shareholder position, the following adjustments are 
typically made to the regulatory Solvency II position: 
•  The contribution to the Group’s SCR and own funds of the most 
material  fully  ring  fenced  with-profits  funds  and  staff  pension 
schemes in surplus are excluded. These exclusions have no impact 
on  Solvency  II  surplus  as  these  funds  are  self-supporting  on  a 
Solvency  II  capital  basis  with  any  surplus  capital  above  SCR  not 
recognised. 

•  A notional reset of the transitional measure on technical provisions 
(TMTP),  calculated  using  the  same  method  as  used  for  formal 
TMTP  resets.  This  presentation  avoids  step  changes  to  the 
Solvency  II  position  that  arise  only  when  the  formal  TMTP  reset 
points are triggered. The 31 December 2019 position is based on a 
formal reset of the TMTP, in line with the requirement to reset the 
TMTP at least every two years and hence no adjustment is required. 
The TMTP is amortised on a straight-line basis over 16 years from 1 
January 2016 in line with the Solvency II rules. 

Aviva plc Annual report and accounts 2019 
279 

 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Strategic report 

Governance 

IFRS financial statements 

Other information 

Alternative performance measures 

  Continued 

Value of new business on an adjusted Solvency II basis (VNB)‡ 
VNB measures the additional value to shareholders created through 
the writing of new life business in the period. It reflects Solvency II 
assumptions and allowance for risk, and is defined as the increase in 
Solvency  II  own  funds  resulting  from  life  business  written  in  the 
period,  including  the  impact  of  interactions  between  in-force  and 
new business, adjusted to:  
•  remove  the  impact  of  the  contract  boundary  restrictions  under 

Solvency II; 

•  include businesses which are not within the scope of Solvency II 
own funds (e.g. UK and Asia Healthcare, Retail fund management 
and UK equity release); and  

•  reflect  a  gross  of  tax  and  non-controlling  interests  basis,  include 
the  impact  of  ‘look  through  profits’  in  service  companies  (where 
not  included  in  Solvency  II)  and  reflect  the  difference  between 
locally  applicable  capital  requirements  for  the  smaller  Asian 
markets  (Indonesia,  Vietnam,  Hong  Kong)  and  the  value  of  new 
business on an adjusted Solvency II basis.  

A reconciliation between VNB and the Solvency II own funds impact 
of new business is provided below: 

2019 

VNB (gross of tax and non-
controlling interests) 

Solvency II contract boundary 
restrictions – new business 
Solvency II contract boundary 

restrictions – increments / renewals 
on in-force business 

Businesses which are not in the scope 

of Solvency II own funds 

Tax and Other1  

Solvency II own funds impact of new 

business (net of tax and non-
controlling interests) 

UK 
£m 

Europe 
£m 

Asia & 
Other 
£m 

Group 
£m 

592 

414 

218 

1,224 

(71) 

(148) 

(45) 

(264) 

98 

73 

25 

196 

(138) 
(100) 

(1) 
(171) 

(19) 
(68) 

(158) 
(339) 

381 

167 

111 

659 

VNB  is  calculated  using  economic  assumptions  as  at  the  point  of 
sale,  taken  as  those  appropriate  to  the  start  of  each  quarter.  For 
contracts  that  are  repriced  more  frequently,  weekly  or  monthly 
economic assumptions have been used. The economic assumptions 
follow Solvency II rules for risk-free rates, volatility adjustment and 
matching  adjustment.  The  operating  assumptions  are  consistent 
with  the  Solvency  II  balance  sheet,  when  these  assumptions  are 
updated,  the  year-to-date  VNB  will  capture  the  impact  of  the 
assumption change on all business sold that year. 

Matching Adjustment (MA) 
A  MA  is  applied  to  certain  obligations  based  on  the  expected 
allocation of assets backing new business at each year-end date. This 
allocation may be different to the MA applied at the portfolio level. 
Aviva  applies  a  MA  to  certain  obligations  in  UK  Life,  using 
methodology  which  is  set  out  in  the  Solvency  and  Financial 
Condition Report. 

The  matching  adjustment  used  for  2019  UK  new  business  (where 
applicable) was 95 bps (2018: 105 bps). 

New business margin 
New business margin is calculated as value of new business on an 
adjusted Solvency II basis (VNB) divided by the present value of new 
business premiums (PVNBP) and expressed as a percentage. 

Present value of new business premiums (PVNBP) 
PVNBP measures sales in the Group’s life insurance business. PVNBP 
is derived from the present value of new regular premiums expected 
to be received over the term of the new contracts plus 100% of single 
premiums from new business written in the financial period and is 
expressed  at  the  point  of  sale.  The  discounted  value  of  regular 
premiums  is  calculated  using  the  same  methodology  as  for  VNB. 
PVNBP also includes any changes to existing contracts which were 
not anticipated at the outset of the contract that generate additional 
shareholder risk and associated premium income of the nature of a 
new policy.  

UK  
£m 

Europe 
£m 

Asia & 
Other 
£m 

Group  
£m 

The table below presents a reconciliation of sales to IFRS net written 
premiums: 

20181 Restated 

VNB (gross of tax and non-
controlling interests) 

Solvency II contract boundary 
restrictions – new business 
Solvency II contract boundary 

restrictions – increments / renewals 
on in-force business 

Businesses which are not in the scope 

of Solvency II own funds 

Tax and Other1  

Solvency II own funds impact of new 

business (net of tax and non-
controlling interests) 

481 

517 

204 

1,202 

(51) 

(131) 

(31) 

(213) 

126 

83 

21 

230 

(117) 
(92) 

(4) 
(212) 

(36) 
(69) 

(157) 
(373) 

347 

253 

89 

689 

1  Other includes the impact of ‘look through profits’ in service companies (where not included in Solvency II) of 
£(78) million (2018: £(63) million), the reduction in value when moving to a net of non-controlling interests 
basis of £(57) million (2018: £(81) million) and the difference between locally applicable capital requirements 
for the smaller Asian markets (Indonesia, Vietnam, Hong Kong) and the value of new business on an adjusted 
Solvency II basis of £(37) million (2018 restated: £(46) million). 

The  methodology  underlying  the  calculation  of  VNB  remains 
unchanged  from  the  prior  year.  For  2018,  new  business  written 
contributed to the calculation of the UK Life’s transitional measures 
(in line with the clarification issued by the PRA in 2017), but this is no 
longer applicable to the Group in 2019.

Present value of new business premiums 
Investment sales  
General insurance and health net written premiums  
Long-term health and collectives business 

Total sales 
Effect of capitalisation factor on regular premium long-

term business1  
JVs and associates2  
Annualisation impact of regular premium long-term 

business3  

Deposits4  
Investment sales5  
IFRS gross written premiums from existing long-term 

business6  

Long-term insurance and savings business premiums 

ceded to reinsurers 

Total IFRS net written premiums 

Analysed as: 
Long-term insurance and savings net written premiums 
General insurance and health net written premiums 

2019 
£m 

2018 
£m 

45,665 
4,621 
10,224 
(3,563) 

40,763 
4,799 
9,968 
(3,840) 

56,947 

51,690 

(15,294)  (12,726) 
(257) 

(286) 

(327) 

(247) 
(10,917)  (10,329) 
(4,799) 

(4,621) 

5,057 

4,776 

(2,879) 

(1,775) 

27,680 

26,333 

17,456 
10,224 

16,365 
9,968 

27,680 

26,333 

1  Discounted value of regular premiums expected to be received over the term of the new contract, adjusted 

for expected levels of persistency.  

2  Total long-term new business sales include our share of sales from joint ventures and associates. Under IFRS, 

premiums from these sales are excluded. 

3  The  impact  of  annualisation  is  removed  in  order  to  reconcile  the  non-GAAP  new  business  sales  to  IFRS 

premiums. 

4  Under IFRS, only the margin earned from non-participating investment contracts is recognised in the IFRS 

5 

income statement. 
Investment  sales  included  in  total  sales  represent  the  cash  inflows  received  from  customers  investing  in 
mutual fund type products such as unit trusts and OEICs. 

6  The non-GAAP measure of sales focuses on new business written in the period under review while the IFRS 

income statement includes premiums received from all business, both new and existing. 

Aviva plc Annual report and accounts 2019 
280 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Strategic report 

Governance 

IFRS financial statements 

Other information 

Alternative performance measures 

  Continued 

Operating capital generation (OCG)‡#  
OCG measures the amount of Solvency II capital the Group generates 
from  operating  activities  and  incorporates  an  expected  return  on 
investments  supporting  the  life  and  non-life  insurance  businesses. 
The Group considers this measure meaningful to stakeholders as it 
enhances the understanding of the Group’s operating performance 
over  time  by  separately  identifying  non-operating  items.  The 
calculation of OCG is consistent with previous periods. 

The expected investment returns assumed within OCG are consistent 
with the returns used for Group adjusted operating profit.  

OCG includes the effect of variances in experience for non-economic 
items,  such  as  mortality,  persistency  and  expenses,  the  effect  of 
changes  in  non-economic  assumptions  (for  example,  longevity), 
model changes that are non-economic in nature and the impact of 
capital actions, for example, strategic changes in asset mix including 
changes  in  hedging  exposure.  Consistent  with  the  Group  adjusted 
operating profit APM, OCG is determined on start of period economic 
assumptions  and  therefore  excludes  economic  variances  and 
economic assumption changes. 

An analysis of the components of OCG is presented below, including 
an analysis of Solvency II operating own funds generation which is 
the own funds component of OCG (see the section below): 

Solvency II own funds impact of new business 
(net of tax and non-controlling interests) 
Operating own funds generation from Life existing 

business 

Operating own funds generation from non-life 
Other own funds generation1  
Group debt costs 

Solvency II operating own funds generation 

Solvency II operating SCR impact 

Solvency II OCG 

2019  
£m 

659 

507 

431 
944 
(284) 

2,257 

2 
2,259 

2018  
£m 

689 

835 

299 
497 
(298) 

2,022 

1,176 
3,198 

1  Other includes the impact of capital actions and non-economic assumption changes. 

OCG is a key component of the movement in Solvency II shareholder 
surplus.  The  tables  below  provide  an  analysis  of  the  change  in 
Solvency II shareholder surplus.  

2019 Shareholder view 

Own funds  
2019 
£m 

SCR  
2019 
£m 

Surplus  
2019 
£m 

Group Solvency II shareholder surplus  

23,551 

(11,569) 

11,982 

at 1 January 

Operating capital generation 
Non-operating capital generation 
Dividends1 
Share buy-back 
Hybrid debt repayments 
Acquired/divested business 
Estimated Solvency II shareholder surplus at 

31 December 

2,257 
178 
(1,222) 
— 
(210) 
(6) 

2 
(362) 
— 
— 
— 
19 

2,259 
(184) 
(1,222) 
— 
(210) 
13 

24,548 

(11,910) 

12,638 

1  Dividends includes £17 million (2018: £17 million) of Aviva plc preference dividends and £21 million (2018: £21 

million) of General Accident plc preference dividends. 

2018 Shareholder view 

Own funds  
2018 
£m 

SCR  
2018 
£m 

Surplus  
2018 
£m 

Group Solvency II shareholder surplus  

24,737 

(12,506) 

12,231 

at 1 January 

Operating capital generation 
Non-operating capital generation 
Dividends1 
Share buy-back 
Hybrid debt repayments 
Acquired/divested business 

2,022 
(777) 
(1,166) 
(600) 
(875) 
210 

1,176 
(231) 
— 
— 
— 
(8) 

3,198 
(1,008) 
(1,166) 
(600) 
(875) 
202 

Estimated Solvency II shareholder surplus at 

23,551 

(11,569) 

11,982 

31 December 

1  Dividends includes £17 million (2018: £17 million) of Aviva plc preference dividends and £21 million (2018: £21 

million) of General Accident plc preference dividends. 

Solvency II future surplus emergence  
Solvency  II  future  surplus  emergence  is  a  projection  of  the  capital 
generation  from  existing  long-term  in-force  life  business.  The 
projection is a static analysis as at a point in time and hence it does 
not  include  the  potential  impact  of  future  new  business  or  the 
potential impact of active management of the business (for example, 
active  management  of  market,  demographic  and  expense  risk 
through  investment,  hedging,  risk  transfer,  operational  risk  and 
expense management), which may affect the actual amount of OCG 
earned from existing business in future periods.   

For business subject to short contract boundaries under Solvency II, 
allowance  has  been  made  for  the  impact  of  renewal  premiums  as 
and when they are expected to occur.  

The projected surplus, which is primarily expected to arise from the 
release of risk margin (including transitional measures) and solvency 
capital requirement as the business runs off over time, is expected to 
emerge through OCG in future years. The cash flows are real-world 
cash  flows,  i.e.  they  are  based  on  best  estimate  non-economic 
assumptions  used  in  the  Solvency  II  valuation  and  real-world 
investment  returns  rather  than  risk-free.  The  expected  investment 
returns are consistent with the returns used in IFRS. 

Operating own funds generation 
Operating own funds generation measures the amount of Solvency II 
own funds generated from operating activities. Operating own funds 
generation  is  the  own  funds  component  of  OCG  and  follows  the 
methodology and assumptions outlined in OCG. 

Solvency II Return on Equity (RoE)‡  
Solvency II ROE is calculated as: 
•  Operating own funds generation less preference dividends, direct 

capital instrument (DCI) and tier 1 note coupons divided by; 
•  Opening value of unrestricted tier 1 shareholder own funds  

Unrestricted  tier  1  shareholder  own  funds  represents  the  highest 
quality  tier  of  capital  and  includes  instruments  with  principal  loss 
absorbing  features  such  as  permanence,  subordination,  undated, 
incentives,  mandatory  costs  and 
absence  of 
encumbrances. The tables below provide a summary of the Group’s 
regulatory Solvency II own funds by tier and a reconciliation between 
unrestricted  tier  1  regulatory  own  funds  and  unrestricted  tier  1 
shareholder own funds: 

redemption 

Regulatory view 

Unrestricted regulatory tier 1 own funds 
Restricted Tier 1 
Tier 2 
Tier 31 
Estimated Solvency II regulatory own funds2 

2019  
£m 

20,377 
1,839 
5,794 
337 

28,347 

2018 
 £m 

19,312 
2,096 
5,811 
348 

27,567 

1  Tier  3  regulatory  own  funds  at  31  December  2019  consists  of  £259  million  subordinated  debt  (2018:  £253 

million) plus £78 million net deferred tax assets (2018: £95 million). 

2  Regulation was introduced in France that allows French insurers to place the Provision pour Participation aux 
Excedents (PPE) into Solvency II own funds. The PPE has been included in the France local regulatory own 
funds in 2019 but it is not included in the Group regulatory own funds. 

Shareholder view 

Unrestricted regulatory tier 1 own funds  
Adjustments for: 
Fully ring-fenced with-profit funds  
Staff pension schemes in surplus 
Notional reset of TMTP 
Pro forma adjustments 1 

2019  
£m 

2018 
 £m 

20,377 

19,312 

(2,501) 
(1,181) 
— 
(117) 

(2,634) 
(1,142) 
(127) 
(113) 

Unrestricted shareholder tier 1 own funds  

16,579 

15,296 

1  The 31 December 2019 Solvency II position includes two pro forma adjustments that relate to the disposal of 
FPI (£0.1 billion reduction in own funds) and the disposal of Hong Kong (£nil impact on own funds). The 31 
December 2018 Solvency II position includes the pro forma impact of the disposal of FPI (£0.1 billion reduction 
in own funds). 

Aviva plc Annual report and accounts 2019 
281 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Strategic report 

Governance 

IFRS financial statements 

Other information 

Alternative performance measures 

  Continued 

Solvency  II  RoE  provides  useful  information  as  it  is  used  as  an 
economic  value  measure  by  the  Group  to  assess  growth  and 
performance. 

The Solvency II return on equity is shown below: 

Solvency II operating own funds generation 
Less preference share dividends 
Less DCI and tier 1 note coupons 

Opening Unrestricted tier 1 shareholder Solvency II  

own funds 

Solvency II Return on Equity 

2019  
£m 

2,257 
(38) 
(34) 

2,185 

2018  
£m 

2,022 
(38) 
(36) 

1,948 

15,296  15,550 
14.3%  12.5% 

Solvency II return on capital (unlevered) 
Solvency II return on capital (unlevered) is calculated as operating 
own  funds  generation  excluding  interest  costs  divided  by  opening 
shareholder Solvency II own funds. It is used as an economic value 
measure by business divisions to assess growth and performance. 

Solvency II net asset value (NAV) per share‡   
Solvency II NAV per share is used to monitor the value generated by 
the Group in terms of the equity shareholders’ face value per share 
investment.  This  is  calculated  as  the unrestricted  tier  1  Solvency  II 
shareholder  own  funds,  divided  by  the  actual  number  of  shares  in 
issue as at the balance sheet date. Consistent with Solvency II ROE, it 
is an economic value measure used by the Group to assess growth. 

The Solvency II NAV per share is shown below: 

2018 
Unrestricted tier 1 shareholder Solvency II own funds (£m)  16,579  15,296 
3,902 
Number of shares in issue at 31 December (in millions) 

3,921 

2019 

Solvency II NAV per share  

423p 

392p 

Solvency II debt leverage ratio 
Solvency  II  debt  leverage  ratio  is  calculated  as  Solvency  II  debt 
expressed as a percentage of Solvency II regulatory own funds plus 
senior debt and commercial paper. Where Solvency II debt includes 
subordinated  debt,  preference  share  capital  and  direct  capital 
instrument  and  tier  1  notes.  The  Solvency  II  debt  leverage  ratio 
provides a measure of the Group’s financial strength. 

Solvency II regulatory debt 

Senior notes 

Commercial paper 

Total Solvency II debt 

Estimated Solvency II regulatory own funds,  

senior debt and commercial paper 

Solvency II debt leverage 

2019  
£m 

7,892 

1,052 

238 

9,182 

2018 
 £m 

8,160 

1,113 

251 

9,525 

29,637 

28,931 

31% 

33% 

A  reconciliation  from  IFRS  sub-ordinated  debt  to  Solvency  II 
regulatory debt is provided below: 

IFRS borrowings 
Less borrowings not classified as Solvency II regulatory debt 

2019  

£m 

2018 

 £m 

9,067 

9,420 

Senior notes 
Commercial paper 
Operational borrowings 
Less: Amounts held by Group Companies 

IFRS sub-ordinated debt 
Revaluation of subordinated liabilities 
Other movements 

Solvency II subordinated debt 

Preference share capital, deferred capital instrument 

and tier 1 notes 

Solvency II regulatory debt 

(1,052) 
(238) 
(1,571) 
— 

6,206 
716 
20 

6,942 

950 

7,892 

(1,113) 
(251) 
(1,721) 
5 

6,340 
649 
(10) 

6,979 

1,181 

8,160 

Other APMs 
Cash remittances‡ # 
Cash paid by our operating businesses to the Group, comprised of 
dividends  and  interest  on  internal  loans.  Dividend  payments  by 
operating businesses may be subject to insurance regulations that 
restrict  the  amount  that  can  be  paid.  The  business  monitors  total 
cash remittances at a Group level and in each of its markets.  

Cash  remittances  eliminate  on  consolidation  and  hence  are  not 
directly reconcilable to the Group’s IFRS consolidated statement of 
cash flows. 

Centre liquidity  
Centre liquidity represents cash remitted by the business units to the 
Group  centre  less  centre  operating  expenses  and  debt  financing 
costs. It includes cash disposal proceeds and capital injections. This 
provides  meaningful  information  because  it  shows  the  liquidity  at 
the Group centre available to meet debt interest and central costs 
and to pay dividends to shareholders. 

Excess centre cash flow 
This  represents  the  cash  remitted  by  business  units  to  the  Group 
centre  less  central  operating  expenses  and  debt  financing  costs. 
Excess  centre  cash  flow  is  a  measure  of  the  cash  available  to  pay 
dividends,  reduce  debt  or  invest  back  into  our  business.  Excess 
centre cash flow does not include cash movements such as disposal 
proceeds or capital injections.  

These  amounts  eliminate  on  consolidation  and  hence  are  not 
directly reconcilable to the Group’s IFRS consolidated statement of 
cash flows. 

Annual Premium Equivalent (APE)  
APE  is  a  measure  of  sales  in  our  life  insurance  business.  APE  is 
calculated  as  the  sum  of  new  regular  premiums  plus  10%  of  new 
in  the  period.  This  provides  useful 
single  premiums  written 
information on sales and new business when considered alongside 
VNB. 

Operating expense ratio 
The operating expense ratio expresses expenses as a percentage of 
operating income.  

Operating income is calculated as Group adjusted operating profit 
before Group debt costs and operating expenses.

Aviva plc Annual report and accounts 2019 
282 

 
 
 
 
 
 
Strategic report 

Governance 

IFRS financial statements 

Other information 

Alternative performance measures 

  Continued 

Spread margin 
The  spread  margin  represents  the  return  made  on  the  Group’s 
annuity  and  other  non-linked  business,  based  on  the  expected 
investment return, less amounts credited to policyholders. While not 
a key performance metric of the Group, the spread margin is a useful 
indicator of the expected investment return arising on this business. 

Underwriting margin 
The underwriting margin represents the release of reserves held to 
cover claims, surrenders and administrative expenses less the cost of 
actual claims and surrenders in the period. 

Unit-linked margin  
The unit-linked margin represents the annual management charges 
on unit-linked business. This is an indicator of the return arising on 
this business. 

Aviva plc Annual report and accounts 2019 
283 

 
 
Strategic report 

Governance 

IFRS financial statements 

Other information 

Shareholder services 

Shareholder  
services 

2020 Financial Calendar 

Ordinary dividend timetable: 

Final 

Interim** 

Ordinary ex-dividend date 

23 April 2020 

13 August 2020  

Dividend record date 

24 April 2020 

14 August 2020  

Last day for Dividend Reinvestment 

11 May 2020 

3 September 2020  

Plan and currency election 

Dividend payment date*  

2 June 2020  24 September 2020  

Other key dates: 

Annual General Meeting  

2020 interim results announcement 

1:30pm on 26 May 2020 

6 August 2020 

*  Please note that the ADR local payment date will be approximately four business days after the proposed 

dividend date for ordinary shares.  

**  These dates are provisional and subject to change  

Dividend payment options 
Shareholders can receive their dividends in the following ways: 
•  Directly into a nominated UK bank account; 
•  Directly into a nominated Eurozone bank account; 
•  The  Global  Payment  Service  provided  by  our  Registrar, 
Computershare  Investor  Services  PLC  (Computershare).  This 
enables shareholders living outside of the UK and the Single Euro 
Payments  Area  to  elect  to  receive  their  dividends  or  interest 
payments in a choice of over 125 international currencies; or 

•  The Dividend Reinvestment Plan enables eligible shareholders to 
reinvest their cash dividend in additional Aviva ordinary shares.  

You  can  find  further  details  regarding  these  payment  options  at 
www.aviva.com/dividends  and  register  your  choice  by  contacting 
Computershare  using  the  contact  details  opposite,  online  at 
www.aviva.com/online or by returning a dividend mandate form. You 
must  register  for  one  of  these  payment  options  to  receive  any 
dividend payments from Aviva. 

Manage your shareholding online 
www.aviva.com/shareholders 
General information for shareholders. 

www.aviva.com/online 
Log in to the Computershare Investor Centre to: 
•  Change your address 
•  Change payment options 
•  Switch to electronic communications 
•  View your shareholding 
•  View any outstanding payments 

Annual General Meeting (AGM) 
The 2020 AGM will be held at The Queen Elizabeth II Centre, Broad 
Sanctuary,  Westminster,  London  SW1P  3EE,  on  Tuesday,  26  May 
2020, at 1.30pm. 

Details of each resolution to be considered at the meeting and voting 
instructions are provided in the Notice of AGM, which is available on 
the Company’s website at www.aviva.com/agm  

The  voting  results  of  the  2020  AGM  will  be  accessible  on  the 
Company’s  website  at  www.aviva.com/agm  shortly  after  the 
meeting. 

Aviva plc Strategic report 
The Strategic report sets out a review of Aviva’s business, addressing 
key issues such as its business model, strategy and principal risks and 
uncertainties facing the business. The Strategic report forms part of 
the  annual  report  and  accounts.  However,  shareholders  can  also 
elect to receive Aviva’s standalone Strategic report as an alternative 
to the full annual report and accounts by contacting Computershare 
using the contact details below. 

Shareholder contacts: 
Ordinary and preference shares – Contact: 
For  any  queries  regarding  your  shareholding,  please  contact 
Computershare: 
•  By telephone: 0371 495 0105 

We’re  open  Monday  to  Friday,  8.30am  to  5.30pm  UK  time, 
excluding  public  holidays.  Please  call  +44  117  378  8361  if  calling 
from outside of the UK. 

•  By email: AvivaSHARES@computershare.co.uk 
•  In  writing:  Computershare  Investor  Services  PLC,  The  Pavilions, 

Bridgwater Road, Bristol, BS99 6ZZ. 

American Depositary Receipts (ADRs) – Contact: 
For  any  queries  regarding  Aviva  ADRs,  please  contact  Citibank 
Shareholder Services (Citibank): 
•  By telephone: 1 877 248 4237 (1 877-CITI-ADR) 

We  are  open  Monday  to  Friday,  8.30am  to  6pm  US  Eastern 
Standard Time, excluding public holidays. Please call +1 781 575 
4555 if calling from outside of the US. 

•  By email: Citibank@shareholders-online.com 
•  In  writing:  Citibank  Shareholder  Services,  PO  Box  43077, 

Providence, Rhode Island, 02940-3077 USA. 

Group Company Secretary 
Shareholders may contact the Group Company Secretary: 
•  By email: Aviva.shareholders@aviva.com 
•  In writing: Kirstine Cooper, Group Company Secretary, St Helen’s, 

1 Undershaft, London, EC3P 3DQ. 
•  By telephone: +44 (0)20 7283 2000

Aviva plc Annual report and accounts 2019 
284 

 
 
 
Strategic report 

Governance 

IFRS financial statements 

Other information 

Cautionary statement  

This document should be read in conjunction with the documents 
distributed  by  Aviva  plc  (the  ‘Company’  or  ‘Aviva’)  through  The 
Regulatory News Service (RNS).  

‘goal’, 

‘likely’, 

‘target’, 

‘trends’, 

‘guidance’, 

This  announcement  contains,  and  we  may  make  other  verbal  or 
written  ‘forward-looking  statements’  with  respect  to  certain  of 
Aviva’s plans and current goals and expectations relating to future 
financial  condition,  performance,  results,  strategic  initiatives  and 
objectives.  Statements  containing  the  words  ‘believes’,  ‘intends’, 
‘expects’,  ‘projects’,  ‘plans’,  ‘will’,  ‘seeks’,  ‘aims’,  ‘may’,  ‘could’, 
‘future’, 
‘outlook’, 
‘estimates’,  ‘potential’  and  ‘anticipates’,  and  words  of  similar 
meaning,  are  forward-looking.  By  their  nature,  all  forward-looking 
statements involve risk and uncertainty. Accordingly, there are or will 
be  important  factors  that  could  cause  actual  results  to  differ 
materially from those indicated in these statements. Aviva believes 
factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those 
indicated  in  forward-looking  statements  in  the  announcement 
include,  but  are  not  limited  to:  the  impact  of  ongoing  difficult 
conditions  in  the  global  financial  markets  and  the  economy 
generally;  the  impact  of  simplifying  our  operating  structure  and 
activities;  the  impact  of  various  local  and  international  political, 
regulatory  and  economic  conditions;  market  developments  and 
government actions (including those arising from the outcome of the 
negotiations  on  the  future  economic  relationship  between  the  UK 
and the EU); the effect of credit spread volatility on the net unrealised 
value of the investment portfolio; the effect of losses due to defaults 
by  counterparties,  including  potential  sovereign  debt  defaults  or 
restructurings, on the value of our investments; changes in interest 
rates  that  may  cause  policyholders  to  surrender  their  contracts, 
reduce the value of our portfolio and impact our asset and liability 
matching; the impact of changes in short or long-term inflation; the 
impact  of  changes  in  equity  or  property  prices  on  our  investment 
portfolio;  fluctuations  in  currency  exchange  rates;  the  effect  of 
market  fluctuations  on  the  value  of  options  and  guarantees 
embedded in some of our life insurance products and the value of 
the  assets  backing  their  reserves;  the  amount  of  allowances  and 
impairments taken on our investments; the effect of adverse capital 
and credit market conditions on our ability to meet liquidity needs 
and our access to capital; changes in, or restrictions on, our ability to 
initiate capital management initiatives; changes in or inaccuracy of 
assumptions 
insurance  business 
(particularly  with  regard  to  mortality  and  morbidity  trends,  lapse 
rates and policy renewal rates), longevity and endowments; a cyclical 
downturn of the insurance industry; the impact of natural and man-
made catastrophic events (including the impact of COVID-19) on our 
business  activities  and  results  of  operations;  our  reliance  on 
information and technology and third-party service providers for our 
inability  of  reinsurers  to  meet 
operations  and  systems;  the 
obligations  or  unavailability  of  reinsurance  coverage;  increased 
competition  in  the  UK  and  in  other  countries  where  we  have 

in  pricing  and  reserving  for 

significant operations; the impact of actual experience differing from 
estimates used in valuing and amortising deferred acquisition costs 
(DAC) and acquired value of in-force business (AVIF); the impact of 
recognising  an  impairment  of  our  goodwill  or  intangibles  with 
indefinite lives; changes in valuation methodologies, estimates and 
assumptions used in the valuation of investment securities; the effect 
of  legal  proceedings  and  regulatory  investigations;  the  impact  of 
operational  risks,  including  inadequate  or  failed  internal  and 
external processes, systems and human error or from external events 
(including  cyber  attack);  risks  associated  with  arrangements  with 
third  parties,  including  joint  ventures;  our  reliance  on  third-party 
distribution  channels  to  deliver  our  products; 
funding  risks 
associated  with  our  participation  in  defined  benefit  staff  pension 
schemes; the failure to attract or retain the necessary key personnel; 
the effect of systems errors or regulatory changes on the calculation 
of  unit  prices  or  deduction  of  charges  for  our  unit-linked  products 
that may require retrospective compensation to our customers; the 
effect  of  fluctuations  in  share  price  as  a  result  of  general  market 
conditions  or  otherwise;  the  effect  of  simplifying  our  operating 
structure and activities; the effect of a decline in any of our ratings by 
rating agencies on our standing among customers, broker-dealers, 
agents,  wholesalers  and  other  distributors  of  our  products  and 
services;  changes  to  our  brand  and  reputation;  changes 
in 
government  regulations  or  tax  laws  in  jurisdictions  where  we 
conduct business, including decreased demand for annuities in the 
UK due to changes in UK law; the inability to protect our intellectual 
property; the effect of undisclosed liabilities, integration issues and 
other 
the 
risks  associated  with  our  acquisitions;  and 
integration  risk  and  other 
impact, 
timing/regulatory  approval 
uncertainties,  such  as  non-realisation  of  expected  benefits  or 
diversion of management attention and other resources, relating to 
announced acquisitions and pending disposals and relating to future 
acquisitions,  combinations  or  disposals  within  relevant  industries, 
the  policies,  decisions  and  actions  of  government  or  regulatory 
authorities  in  the  UK,  the  EU,  the  US  or  elsewhere,  including  the 
implementation  of  key  legislation  and  regulation.  For  a  more 
detailed description of these risks, uncertainties and other factors, 
please see the ‘Risk and risk management’ section of the strategic 
report. 

Aviva  undertakes  no  obligation  to  update  the  forward  looking 
statements  in  this  announcement  or  any  other  forward-looking 
statements we may make. Forward-looking statements in this report 
are current only as of the date on which such statements are made. 

This report has been prepared for, and only for, the members of the 
Company,  as  a  body,  and  no  other  persons.  The  Company,  its 
directors,  employees,  agents  or  advisers  do  not  accept  or  assume 
responsibility to any other person to who this document is shown or 
into whose hands it may come, and any such responsibility or liability 
is expressly disclaimed. 

Produced by MerchantCantos  
www.merchantcantos.com

The cover of this report is printed on Revive Silk 
100 and the text on Revivce Offset, made from 
100% genuine de-inked post consumer waste 
and is FSC® certified. This report was printed 
using vegetable oil based inks by Pureprint 
Group a CarbonNeutral® printer certified to 
ISO 14001 environmental management system.

Aviva plc Annual report and accounts 2019 
285 

 
 
 
Aviva plc
St Helen’s, 1 Undershaft
London EC3P 3DQ
+44 (0)20 7283 2000
www.aviva.com

Registered in England
Number 2468686

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