Aviva reports trading boost

Insurance giant Aviva sought to ease concerns over trading today after it reported a 5% rise in sales and described demand as “resilient”.

The firm, which will ditch its UK trading name of Norwich Union in June, posted worldwide sales of £10.3bn (€11.4bn) in the three months to March 31, with life and pension sales climbing 11% to £9.57bn (€10.5bn).

Aviva said it had significantly enhanced its capital position over the past three months, with a regulatory surplus of £2.5bn (€2.7bn) at the end of last month, up from £2 billion (€2.2bn) in December.