Prudential plc is the Prudential group holding company.
Origins
The company was originally established in 1848 as the The Prudential Mutual Assurance Investment and Loan Association . Prudential made its first acquisitions in the 1860s and as a result was renamed The British Prudential and Consolidated Assurance Company . This was shortened to The Prudential Assurance Company (PAC) in 1867.
PAC became a limited company in 1881, following the Limited Liability Act (1880). At this time the company was owned by fewer than 100 shareholders and most of these were related to the directors. Even after registration the number of shareholders remained small - there were only 170 in 1893. Prudential shares were floated on the London Stock Exchange in 1924.
Prudential Corporation
Prudential had made several new acquisitions by the 1970s, including Vanbrugh Life and M&G Reinsurance. It became impractical to manage these diverse units within the Prudential Assurance Company so Prudential Corporation plc was established in 1978 to enable more flexible management.
Prudence Relaunched
The company image was revitalised during the 1980s, due to a new focus on new marketing initiatives. As part of these efforts a new Prudence emerged as the figurehead for the whole corporation. Modern Prudence looks forward, but she still retains the symbols for wisdom, clear thinking and prudent action that were incorporated in the original company seal in 1848.
Prudential plc
From 1 October 1999 the name of the corporation changed from Prudential Corporation plc to Prudential plc. In June 2000 Prudential shares were listed on the New York Stock Exchange, to reflect the increasingly international nature of the Group's business.
Prudential today includes over 21,500 employees around the world, more than 18 million customers, policyholders and unit holders and maintains strong positions in three of the largest and most attractive markets in the world.
![Skip to main content [Access key M]](/prudential-plc/images/spacer.gif){kind=small}
