abrdn plc is a Uk-based global asset manager that’s roots go back to the early 1800s. The company traded today first came to life in 1983 after a buyout of an investment trust. It was launched on the London Stock Exchange as Aberdeen Asset Management and it existed under that name for several decades. In 2017 Standard Life agreed to be merged with Aberdeen Asset Management resulting in a new company called Standard Life Aberdeen.
Standard Life Aberdeen had more than 36.4 billion pounds under management at the end of its 1st year and that figure has only grown. Ironically, by 2018 the new company had the Standard Life segment of the business up for sale in an effort to focus more fully on asset management. Then, in 2021, the company rebranded to abrdn which is a stylized and vowelless form of Aberdeen. As of 2022, the company listed more than 500 billion pounds under management.
abrdn provides an assortment of asset management services globally. The company claimed more than 5,000 employees, 800 investment professionals and 30 locations as of November 2022. abdrn is the UK's largest asset management firm.
The company offers its solutions through 3 channels that are Investments, Adviser and Personal. The Investments segment connects retail and institutional clients with equity, debt and derivative markets around the world. The Adviser solutions are a suite of tools to aid financial professionals to interface with and serving their clients in a productive manner. The Personal segment provides a full range of advisory and financial services to individuals, families, businesses, and institutions. The company’s website and service quality earned it a 5-star rating from the independent rating agency Defaqto.
abrdn provides its products and services through a variety of channels. The firm serves institutional, wholesale, and retail clients. The firm's self-directed brokerage platform is called Interactive Investor, it is well-known as the lowest-fee brokerage in the UK. Clients can open all forms of accounts approved for their jurisdiction including retirement and pension accounts. Investors can purchase shares, mutual funds, ETFs, and bonds. The platform had nearly 60,000 million pounds in deposits in 2022 and more than 400,000 active users.
Among the many products available to clients is a range of managed funds. Funds vary in scope and strategy but include currency, equity, and commodity-based investments. The website also includes several tools and calculators for investors to plan their savings and retirement income needs. The company brought in more than $1.69 billion in revenue in 2022.