M&G


M&G plc is an investment manager in the United Kingdom and overseas. M&G invests in and manages a wide range of assets including Equities, Fixed Income and Real Estate. M&G also manages more esoteric assets within the private finance arena such as Structured Products, Leveraged Finance, Project and Infrastructure Finance. After its de-merger from Prudential it has been listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index. It is headquartered in the City of London.

History

Pre-2000

Municipal & General Securities Company Limited launched the first ever UK unit trust in 1931, the First British Fixed Trust.
It held the shares of 24 leading companies in a fixed portfolio that was not changed for the fixed lifespan of 20 years. The trust was relaunched as the M&G General Trust and later renamed as the Blue Chip Fund.
M&G Investments introduced its savings or "thrift" plans in 1954.
In March 1999 M&G Investments, which by then was the UK's largest unit trust group, was acquired by Prudential plc.

2000-2020

In May 2016, it announced it was to launch a direct online investment service for retail investors to invest directly in its range of funds.
In July 2016, M&G Investments suspended redemptions on its £4.4 billion Property Portfolio fund following heavy withdrawals after the referendum on the UK's exit from the European Union.
In August 2017, Prudential plc announced it would merge M&G Investments with its Prudential UK and Europe businesses to form a new division. The division would be called M&GPrudential, which the firm described as a savings and investments business. The business would control some £332 billion in assets with over six million customers. Then in August 2019 it announced that it would de-merge the investment business as "M&G plc". The de-merger was completed in October 2019.
In December 2019, M&G was forced to gate a £2.5 billion property fund after liquidity was challenged. The company said it was due to Brexit and Election uncertainty.

2020-

In 2020, it announced its intention to acquire Ascentric, a digital wealth management platform, from its competitor Royal London. The deal is expected to also transfer £14 billion in assets under management.

Current Operations

As of the FY 2019 end, M&G managed £352 billions in assets on behalf of its clients. The heritage insurance business accounted for £143 billions of those, with savings and investments making up the rest. Within the latter are the retail and institutional asset management business and the with-profit funds. The company is servicing 28 markets from its 22 locations. It still operates two fully owned subsidiaries: M&G Real Estate, providing global real estate investment services, and Infracapital, a specialised infrastructure investment firm.
M&G has also extended its offering by branching out into sustainable investing. In 2018, it launched a positive impact fund.

Sponsorship

M&G is the official sponsor of the RHS Chelsea Flower Show. It also has a long history of sponsoring ski schools and advertising in European ski resorts.

Notable current and former employees

Business