Our history
Heritage, expertise and ambition
Aberdeen can trace its roots back to 1825 with the establishment of the Life Insurance Company of Scotland.
The Group has changed quite a bit since then, but our Scottish heritage and financial expertise remain.
Today, Aberdeen has c.4,500 employees worldwide and c.£580bn of assets under management and administration (as at 30 June 2026). Our ambition is to be the UK's leading Wealth and Investments group.
Find out more about what we do and our business today, or read on to learn about our journey so far.
Exterior of our Edinburgh headquarters in George St, c1900
Building the Aberdeen Group
The Aberdeen Group comprises three core businesses:
interactive investor
interactive investor is our direct-to-consumer investment platform.
We acquired the business in 2022, and it has since grown to be the UK's second largest D2C platform by AUMA and the largest subscription-based platform.
Aberdeen Adviser
Our Adviser business can be traced back to 2006 with the launch of the Wrap platform, one of the UK's first adviser platforms.
Now we're one of the UK's largest platforms for advisers, providing financial planning solutions and technology for UK IFAs.
Aberdeen Investments
Building on Aberdeen Asset Management and Standard Life Investments' heritage, our specialist asset manager business has grown organically and through strategic acquisitions.
Today our Investments business manages c.£400bn (as at 30 June 2026) on behalf of global clients.
The Aberdeen name
While our heritage goes back to 1825, the Group's name is more recent.
It originates from Aberdeen Fund Managers Ltd (founded in 1983), which, after changing its name to Aberdeen Asset Management, merged with Standard Life in 2017 to create Standard Life Aberdeen. Following the sale of the Standard Life brand in 2021, the Group was renamed abrdn before becoming Aberdeen Group in 2025.
Learn more about our history in our timeline below.
Aberdeen's journey
Key milestones from 1825 to present
From the archives
Aberdeen Group maintains one of the most comprehensive archives of a European financial services company, with substantial entries dating from 1825 to the present day. Below is a small selection of documents and items we care for.
To learn more contact our archives team
Learn more about us
Our purpose and values
At Aberdeen, we believe investing is about more than numbers - it's about ambitions, dreams, and the confidence to shape your future.
Leadership
Learn more about the Board of Directors and Executive Team, driving our ambition to be the UK's leading Wealth and Investments group.
Responsible business
We want to help shape a sustainable future by supporting inclusive growth and a just transition to a low-carbon economy. For our clients, people and future generations.
FAQs
Aberdeen Group in its current form was created in 2017. However, our heritage stretches back more than 200 years.
Yes, two of the three companies that came together to form today’s Aberdeen were established in Scotland. We remain proud of our Scottish roots and are deeply connected to our Scottish history with our global headquarters in Edinburgh, Scotland. Today, Aberdeen is a global FTSE 100 Wealth and Investments company, with operations and clients around the world.
Yes, historically. Standard Life was Aberdeen Asset Management’s merger partner in 2017, creating Standard Life Aberdeen. The insurance business was subsequently sold to Phoenix Group in 2018, followed by the Standard Life brand in 2021. In early 2026, Phoenix rebranded its entire business to become Standard Life plc. Standard Life plc operates entirely separately from Aberdeen, although it remains one of Aberdeen’s most significant clients.
Aberdeen completed its acquisition of interactive investor in May 2022, following shareholder approval in March 2022.
Yes. Aberdeen adopted the abrdn brand name in 2021 and changed its name to Aberdeen Group in 2025. Today, the company operates under the Aberdeen brand.
Aberdeen Group is listed on the London Stock Exchange under the ticker ABDN.