UK wealth manager Quilter bucks trend as Aberdeen and Liontrust hit by outflows

Wed, 22nd Apr 2026 08:51

* Quilter says recent market recovery lifted AUM from March-end levels

* Liontrust's AUM rises over 6% in April from March-end

* Aberdeen says ‌weak markets offset growth at interactive investor platform

April 22 (Reuters) - British money manager Quilter posted record net ⁠inflows of 3.1 billion pounds ($4.2 billion) in the ⁠first quarter, while rivals Aberdeen and Liontrust reported net outflows due to market volatility sparked by the Iran war.

Quilter shares were up 5.2% in early trade on Wednesday, while Liontrust was up 2% after it said ‌managed assets as at April 20 rose from end of March levels. Aberdeen shares were marginally higher.

Global markets have whipsawed since the Iran conflict began on February 28, with investor sentiment influenced by developments in the war. Money managers such as Schroders and Ashmore last week reported heavy client withdrawals in March.

However, Quilter said a recent ‌market recovery lifted its managed assets from the end of March levels, reporting 141.9 billion pounds in assets under management and ‌administration as of March 31, slightly up on the prior quarter, but gave no April update.

Liontrust echoed the sentiment as it said its managed assets as at April 20 rose a little over 6% from their March-end levels of 19.6 billion pounds.

The contrasting results highlight ‌how changing distribution and investment models are reshaping UK wealth management, with platform-based and advice-led firms drawing inflows while traditional active managers face pressure from low-margin equity outflows and cheaper ⁠index funds.

London-based ⁠Aberdeen posted net outflows of 2.9 billion pounds for ‌the first quarter, hit by anticipated lower-margin equities withdrawals of around 4 billion pounds.

Its managed assets fell to 547.7 billion pounds at the end of March, from the 556 billion ‌pounds reported at the end of December, as weak markets in March weighed on assets despite record growth at its interactive investor platform.