Edinburgh-based investment giant Aberdeen Group plc said its assets under management and administration rose 4% to £579.4 billion in the six months ended June 30, 2026, despite net outflows of £3 billion.

First-half net operating revenue rose 2% to £643 million. 

Profit before tax for the six months was up 2% to £276 million, including “gains of £100m (H1 2025: gains of £155m) from the change in fair value of our Standard Life plc stake and lower restructuring and corporate transaction expenses.”

The group’s retail investment platform interactive investor again performed very strongly, delivering record net inflows in the first half, with customer numbers up 14% to 525,000.

Aberdeen presented its first-half results from interactive investor’s headquarters in Manchester, where it ​has hired 100 staff ​this year, bringing the total to 800 in ‌the city.

Aberdeen completed the acquisition of interactive investor for £1.49 billion under former CEO Stephen Bird about four years ago. It has been a transformative deal for Aberdeen. Currently, the group’s other two business are its Investments arm and its Adviser unit.

The group said: “interactive investor continues to perform very strongly across all key measures. Customer numbers increased by 14% year-on-year to 525k, with SIPP customers up 35% to 125k. ii’s highest-ever net inflows of £6.8bn were recorded for H1, with AUMA reaching £107.7bn (FY 2025: £97.5bn) … Adjusted operating profit for the first half was £84m (H1 2025: £71m) …

“In Adviser, adjusted operating profit was broadly stable at £41m (H1 2025: £42m), with higher net operating revenue driven by growth in AUMA, offset by higher costs following the end of a temporary third-party outsourcing discount. AUMA increased to £84.8bn (FY 2025: £80.4bn) reflecting positive market movements, partially offset by net outflows of £1.3bn (H1 2025: £0.9bn), within which gross inflows increased by £0.3bn and redemptions by £0.7bn …

“Investments showed improving performance in the first half of 2026, with adjusted operating profit up 9% to £38m (H1 2025: £35m). This was driven by our continued focus on operational efficiency, with expenses down 3%, partly offset by slightly lower revenue that reflected the timing of performance and development fees.

“Investments AUM increased to £397.5bn (FY 2025: £390.4bn), benefiting from positive markets. Net outflows in Institutional and Retail Wealth (I&RW), excluding liquidity, were £5.6bn, which included the c.£4bn of lower margin equities withdrawals previously flagged.

“Insurance Partner outflows improved substantially to £0.8bn, which includes the benefit of asset allocation changes and DC workplace pension-related business from Standard Life. We are also seeing strong momentum across a number of our specialist areas, with £1.4bn of net inflows in Real Assets, positive flows in Wholesale in 10 of the last 12 months, and growing demand for geographic diversification benefiting our strategic focus on Emerging Markets …”

Aberdeen Group CEO Jason Windsor said: “In a dynamic market, the group produced a strong performance. Adjusted operating profit is up 21% year-on-year and net capital generation is up 47%.

“interactive investor performed very strongly, delivering record net inflows in the first half of the year, with customer numbers up by 14% to 525k. With clear plans to further deepen customer engagement in a fast growing and attractive market, I am excited by the significant momentum we have in the UK D2C market.

“In Adviser, adjusted operating profit was broadly stable on H1 last year at £41m. We have made significant improvements to service, the proposition and client experience, however we have more work to do to achieve growth in flows. Rich Denning, the new CEO, is focused on actions to drive sustainable and profitable growth in the business.

“Within Investments, focus on efficiency helped to drive a 9% increase in adjusted operating profit to £38m. We have continued to see improvements in investment performance, and we are seeing positive momentum across a number of our specialist areas which, together with a number of bolt-on acquisitions, will support future earnings growth.

“Our focus for the second half of the year is on delivering more for our customers and achieving the 2026 targets that we have set for the group. Looking ahead, we see substantial headroom for further growth across the business.”

Aberdeen Group shares fell around 5% on Wednesday morning, but are up around 20% for the past year. The firm recently rejoined the FTSE 100 index.