Isio has announced plans to acquire insurance and risk settlement specialist, K3 Advisory, subject to Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) regulatory approval.

The acquisition is intended to enhance Isio’s risk settlement capabilities, with a focus on overall value and efficiency, by incorporating K3's experience in broking transactions for small to medium schemes.

The K3 team and brand will continue to operate as a distinct service offering within the Isio group.

Isio partner, Steve Robinson, highlighted the acquisition as an "important part" of the group's strategy to accelerate its growth in an area of the market where it sees pension scheme demand increasing and where it already has a strong presence.

"Bringing the K3 team into the Isio Group will give us greater scale and depth of expertise, especially in small to medium sized transactions, where there is significant demand," he continued.

“The team is also a great cultural fit, sharing our challenger mentality, passion for innovation and fresh approach to problem-solving.

"K3 have built a great name and reputation in the buy-out market, and we look forward to supporting their continued growth, working alongside our existing team so clients benefit from our combined expertise and offering.”

Adding to this, K3 managing director, Adam Davis, said: “Over the last six years K3 has grown into one of the leading specialist providers in the bulk annuity market.

"As part of Isio we will now be able to offer an even wider range of services and skills to our clients, and our people will benefit from even more opportunities.

“The market is thriving as so many pension funds have found themselves in strong funding positions, seeking to secure the benefits of their members.

"We are looking forward to working with the team at Isio to do even more to support schemes in this critical phase, making endgame a real possibility.”

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