Standard Life marks the fifth anniversary of its Sustainable Multi Asset strategy, recording a cumulative performance of 55.7% gross for its growth fund over five years since launch.
Launched in late December 2020, the Sustainable Multi Asset strategy was designed to help workplace pension members achieve good retirement outcomes by combining diversified growth, active risk management, and a strong sustainability focus. Five years on, the sustainability focused default has outperformed its CPI +3.5% benchmark despite periods of high inflation. With around £39 billion in assets under administration, the strategy has demonstrated its resilience and effectiveness by navigating periods of extreme market volatility while continuing to deliver competitive long-term returns with a focus on good outcomes for members.
Sustainable Multi Asset Universal SLP – Performance to December 2025
Gail Izat, Managing Director of Workplace and Retail Intermediary at Standard Life said: “Five years from launch, the strategy is doing exactly what we expected. It’s performed well across a number of periods of extreme market volatility and, as we’ve seen from the performance, it continues to deliver good outcomes. With the assurance of having a five-year track record we’ll maintain our proven approach, that combines a sustainability focus with built-in futureproofing, to ensure we can develop the solution further to continually improve the long-term outcomes for our members.”
Since launching the strategy, Standard Life has achieved a number of milestones from completing the transfer of around 1.5 million members to its sustainable default in 2023 to being the first mainstream pension provider to be granted the Sustainability Improverslabel under Sustainability Disclosure Requirements. It has also announced its intention to launch Future Opportunities in 2026 – a new default embracing Private Markets, which builds on the proven Sustainable Multi Asset blueprint and philosophy. Future Opportunities will provide an additional default option for those employers who would like to maintain the strengths of SMA but have access add private markets’ assets, with the potential benefits that brings.
Gail Izat continued: “The launch of the Sustainable Multi Asset strategy has coincided with a period of significant growth for our Workplace business. The investment we’ve made in the Workplace business’ people and proposition has led to a number of significant clients wins, a strong pipeline and a steady growth in assets which stood at £68.8bn as of the end of June 2025.”
Delivering outcomes through a turbulent economic cycle
The performance of Sustainable Multi Asset is set against a backdrop of challenging market conditions that saw the Covid-19 pandemic, the cost-of-living crisis, supply chain energy shocks, and geopolitical tensions all impact investment markets. Standard Life has delivered positive financial outcomes for members while reducing carbon intensity, increasing exposure to green revenues and enhancing ESG characteristics relative to traditional benchmarks.
Supporting members’ long-term retirement outcomes
The Sustainable Multi Asset strategy forms part of Standard Life’s broader commitment to a member outcomes first philosophy, designed to make pension investing simpler while delivering strong governance and value for money. As one of the UK’s largest sustainable default investment strategies, its Sustainable Multi-Asset strategy continues to support millions of workplace pension savers in building resilient retirement outcomes.
