Aviva

Insurer Aviva has launched a direct to consumer (D2C) platform giving consumers access to a general investment account, and ISA and a self-invested personal pension (SIPP).

A "combination of politics and pensions" contributed to slower sales across platforms in the first three months of the year, with the year-on-year (YOY) asset growth rate also receding, according to research.

The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) is set to be heavily criticised over its decision to leak details of an upcoming insurance probe to a national newspaper, inadvertently causing shares in several major life companies to plummet, according to reports....

Global macro funds could receive a performance boost following a difficult year, as divergent central bank policies create a favourable environment for top-down investing, according to GAM's Charles Hepworth.

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Platform inflows reached record highs in the fourth quarter of 2014 as upcoming pension freedoms and demand for income boosted inflows, according to Fundscape.

Aviva has said it expects its acquisition of rival Friends Life to generate extra revenue of £600m over the next two years, including and cost savings for the company of £225m.

The cost of launching new fund ranges and boosting distribution left Aviva Investors with flat performance in 2014, as the firm said its wider turnaround is far from completion.

Aviva head of platform Tim Orton says a D2C self-service proposition is "still on the cards" for the firm but ongoing regulatory guidance is delaying advisers' potential use of the offering.

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