LONDON, March 24, 2026, 19:18 GMT
- Aviva shares were up 0.85% at 617 pence on Tuesday, slightly ahead of the FTSE 100. 1
- The insurer said it will launch a ChatGPT app for home insurance quotes, its first product under an OpenAI partnership. 1
- A £350 million buyback and a March 26 ex-dividend date for a 26.2 pence final payout kept capital returns in view. 2
Aviva’s London-listed shares rose on Tuesday after the insurer unveiled a ChatGPT app that will let new customers get an initial home insurance quote in a few minutes. The stock was up 0.85% at 617 pence, a touch ahead of the FTSE 100’s 0.7% gain. 1
The timing matters. Aviva is trying to add a technology and distribution story just as investors focus again on cash returns, with the stock due to go ex-dividend on March 26 — the date after which new buyers no longer qualify for the payout — for a 26.2 pence final dividend, while the company’s £350 million buyback is already under way. 3
The ChatGPT app, due in the next few weeks, will be Aviva’s first collaboration under its OpenAI partnership and will initially offer quotes for Aviva Signature home insurance before sending customers to Aviva’s website to complete a purchase. Owen Morris, chief executive of Aviva UK Personal Lines, said it would be a “brilliant new addition” to the group’s distribution channels. 1
The announcement lands against a sector backdrop that has been uneasy about AI rather than relaxed. In February, Aviva, Admiral and AXA were among European insurers sold off on fears new AI tools could disrupt how policies are sold, so Tuesday’s move gives investors a clearer example of how an incumbent insurer is trying to use that shift rather than just absorb it. 4
A filing on Tuesday showed Aviva bought back 20,000 shares on March 23 at prices between 592.20 pence and 622.40 pence, with a volume-weighted average price of 609.41 pence, and intends to cancel them. The repurchases form part of a programme announced on March 5 that is scheduled to run until Aug. 6. 5
That buyback restarted after a pause linked to Aviva’s takeover of Direct Line, the biggest deal of Chief Executive Amanda Blanc’s tenure. When the insurer reported full-year results on March 5, it said operating profit rose 25% to 2.2 billion pounds, declared the 26.2 pence final dividend and reiterated targets that include 11% annual growth in earnings per share through 2028. 6
Blanc said then that Aviva was “highly committed” to growing the dividend and beginning the 350 million pound buyback. The company also said it had hit its 2026 group targets a year early, helped by stronger insurance premiums, wealth inflows and the addition of Direct Line. 7
Matt Britzman, senior equity analyst at Hargreaves Lansdown, called Aviva a “top-class outfit” after the results, though he also warned of “softer market signals” for 2026. That sums up the current case around the shares: steady capital returns and decent operating momentum, but not a clean macro backdrop. 8
Still, there are clear risks. Aviva’s Solvency II shareholder cover ratio — a regulatory measure of capital strength — fell to 180% from 203% after the Direct Line deal, and UK markets are now pricing almost three quarter-point Bank of England rate hikes this year as Middle East tensions feed inflation worries. 7
For now, investors have near-term markers rather than a single decisive catalyst. Thursday’s ex-dividend date, more daily buyback filings and the rollout timing of the ChatGPT app should give the next clues on whether Tuesday’s modest rise can turn into steadier momentum. 3
