Sanlam UK has acquired a 55% stake in Cheshire-based IFA firm Avidus Scott Lang (ASL), marking its fourth M&A deal of the year.
The financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. The deal doubles Sanlam’s footprint in the north of England to six offices.
ASL founders Dean Scott and Jimmy Lang will move to Sanlam UK, along with its 12 financial advisers and support staff.

An impeachment enquiry has formally begun in the US, with President Trump accused of seeking foreign help to smear the reputation of Democratic candidate Joe Biden. The controversy revolves around a phone call whereby Trump is heard trying to convince Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky to investigate claims of corruption involving Joe Biden’s son.

With the threat of a global recession hanging over equity markets, and many bond yields in negative territory, we find ourselves faced with something of a conundrum. While we want to shelter portfolios from potential volatility, safer assets are offering very low returns and are at risk should inflation  begin to rise.

Sanlam has officially taken over 100% of Rwanda’s insurance company (Soras) making Rwanda the 40th country in its global expansion drive.
The full merge was announced this Wednesday in Kigali by both officials of Soras and Sanlam following Sanlam’s entry into Rwanda in 2014,

An investor’s journey has always been one of facing the unknown in the quest for sufficient reward in return for taking on risk – primarily defined as uncertainty. And increasingly, clarity about the future is becoming rare. As we prepare to enter the next decade we turn to trends that are already visible to understand where our ultimate direction and focus should lie.