We’re setting the standard for annuity applications – faster, simpler, signature-free

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Back in what many children now savagely refer to as 'the olden days' of the 2000s - or even the 2010s - most people happily expected a bit of a wait to access many everyday products and services.  

That’s no longer the case. These days, we've moved on from a time when ‘on-demand’ services like Netflix used to come in the post.  

Thanks to the widespread adoption of technology, the majority of us are now used to the convenience of near-instant services - such as streaming, next-day delivery and contactless payments. In short, people have come to expect a digital, fast, joined-up service from the companies they do business with. 

That’s why we’re leading the way by transforming how advisers and their clients access our individual annuity products - the Standard Life Pension Annuity and Guaranteed Fixed-term Income.
 

Surge in demand for income certainty

We've seen significant growth in the annuities market recently as more people prioritise their need for a secure, reliable, income in retirement. In fact, the ABI reports that in 2024, pension annuity sales reached £7 billion, a 34% increase on 2023. And the number of annuity contracts jumped just under 25% in 2024 to almost 90,000 – reaching a new ten-year high.* 

At Standard Life, we’ve witnessed this growth first-hand, having helped an ever-increasing number of customers enjoy greater financial security since we re-entered the annuities market in 2023.  

As we saw customer demand continue to grow, we were aware that more needed to be done to help you serve this momentum in business in a smoother, more efficient way.
 

First provider with an integrated, digital approach

We’re the first provider in the market to offer a fully integrated, signatureless, digital journey that works seamlessly with IRESS, iPipeline and AMS.  

We’ve streamlined our online quote and apply process to eliminate many of the issues associated with paper-based delays. Once you have the necessary client information, the full end-to-end journey – with no printing, no posting and no wet signature - saves around 5-7 working days.  

Once a client is happy with their quote and the online annuity policy declaration, you can submit the application on their behalf - in just one click.  

And with real-time application tracking, you can instantly check the status of each submission, and know when funds have been requested or received without chasing paperwork or making phone calls for updates.