Our history

In 1804, the year of our foundation, a young Johann Heinrich Schröder went into partnership in London with his elder brother.  Over the next 80 years, Schroders became one of London’s leading merchant banks, arranging bonds for transformative infrastructure across Europe, the Americas and Asia. We also backed visionary initiatives – recognising Japan’s potential by issuing a bond in 1870 to support the country's first railway.

In 1924, we formed our first investment trust and started managing investments for clients, with the Investment Department being created in 1926. Our listing on the London Stock Exchange followed in 1959. The share offering was oversubscribed eighteen times, and the Schroder family retained a significant holding, preserving our long-term outlook and stable ownership structure, which continues to this day.

In 2000, we sold our investment banking arm to specialise in asset and wealth management. Today, we’ve also expanded into private markets, opening up a new dimension to our clients. 

Acquisitions have always been part of our growth story, adding key capabilities and helping us to meet the evolving needs of our clients and drive growth in an ever-changing world. 

With more than a dozen transactions since 2016 alone, we’ve expanded our expertise in private assets, from real estate to infrastructure financing. We’ve expanded our wealth management offering, including a market-leading offering for financial advisers.

Our secret to success? We only make acquisitions that fit with our overall culture and values. It’s about adding to our expertise, rather than simply buying for growth.

Innovation has been a constant driver of our evolution. We’re always thinking of new ways to use active management to get our clients where they want to go.   

Like winning our first pension fund mandate in the UK in 1947. Or launching our first property fund in 1971 to access the world of alternative products. We offered the first of our diversified growth strategies in 2006.  A year later we introduced our Global Climate Change Equity fund. And in 2009 we launched GAIA, a platform designed to give investors easier access to hedge fund expertise. 

Today, our multi award-winning sustainability investment framework - designed in-house - is embedded into our investment processes. And our data scientists bring cutting edge insights to our investment teams, so we’re at the forefront of active investing. We have continually adapted to meet changing client needs and have expanded our reach in major global markets, positioning ourselves close to our clients. 

Partnerships have further broadened our horizons, coupling our investment expertise with our clients’ distribution networks, to meet the needs of their customers. Our partnership strategy gives us access to new distribution opportunities around the world, including some of the world’s highest growth markets. 

Like our 2005 joint venture with the Bank of Communications in China, our 2012 partnership with India’s Axis Asset Management, our relationship with Hartford Funds in the US with ten sub-advised strategies tailored for US customers, our joint venture with Nippon Life delivering benchmark-beating returns for clients in 2021. In 2024, we announced a strategic partnership with Phoenix Group to launch Future Growth Capital in the UK, a new private markets investment manager.

We’re proud to say that our commitment to sustainability is well established; we published our first responsible investment policy in 2001.

Our role as an active investment manager gives us the ability to drive significant change through engaging with companies on strategic capital allocation decisions, seeking to protect and enhance our clients’ capital. In 2019 we acquired a majority stake in BlueOrchard, a leading impact investment manager and pioneer in microfinance. And a year later, we integrated environmental, social and governance – or ESG – analysis into our investment strategies.   

These moves support our ongoing strategy of helping our clients meet their investment and climate goals.

Today, our focus is on active asset management – responding to changing dynamics with an intelligent investment approach that enables us to help clients achieve their ambitions in a complex world.

Private markets and wealth management remain integral to Schroders, forming a core part of our ability to serve individuals, families and family offices globally. Our approach is rooted in values shaped by centuries of family stewardship: we believe in serving our clients with the same care, continuity and personal commitment that have long defined the Schroders family way.

We are proud of our heritage and remain inspired by our purpose: “creating prosperity together” – with our clients, people and society – for generations to come. As we look ahead, we draw confidence from our past and remain committed to navigating the future – together.