Shares of Preston-based life and pensions consolidator Chesnara plc rose as much as 4% on Tuesday after it published its half-year financial report showing assets under administration (AuA) up 38% to £21 billion (FY25: £15bn).

Chesnara said its HSBC Life (UK) acquisition was completed in January 2026 and subsequently rebranded as Chesnara Life UK. This represents Chesnara’s largest transaction to date and has significantly increased the scale of the group.

Chesnara said its proposed acquisition of Scottish Widows Europe SA was announced in February 2026 and is expected to “add a further €250m of lifetime Cash Generation, ~€1.7bn of AuA and ~46,000 policies.”

The Preston firm said: “This establishes a presence in Luxembourg to support future European consolidation. The regulatory Change in Control application has been submitted and is expected to complete around the end of 2026.”

Chesnara is declaring a 6% increase in the interim dividend to 8.16p per share.  

Chesnara CEO Steve Murray said: “Chesnara has delivered a very strong financial performance in the first half of 2026 with Operating Capital Generation up 79% and a 6% increase in the interim dividend.

“The integration of Chesnara Life UK, our largest acquisition to date, continues at pace with strong capital generation already delivered from our first five months of ownership. 

“The regulatory Change in Control for the proposed acquisition of Scottish Widows Europe SA is anticipated around the end of 2026, and we continue to see attractive opportunities to grow the business, underpinned by a healthy M&A pipeline and disciplined execution across the Group.”