Compare the Market is owned by the BGL Group (Budget Group Limited), which is a digital distributor of insurance and financial services. BGL is majority-owned (70%) by BHL (UK) Holdings Limited, a group established by entrepreneur Douw Steyn, with a minority stake (30%) held by the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board.
Compare the Market is owned by Budget Holdings Limited which also owns insurance underwriting giant Auto and General encompassing brand names such as Budget Direct.
Who owns GIO? GIO is part of Suncorp, which was owned by the Queensland government until 1997, and in 2000 the government sold its last shares in the company through a public offer. Next to GIO and Suncorp-branded policies, brands in Australia underwritten by Suncorp include: AAMI.
The main "Compare the Market scandal" involved the UK's Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) fining the price comparison site £17.9m in 2020 for breaching competition law via "most favoured nation" (MFN) clauses that prevented insurers from offering lower prices on rival sites, leading to potentially higher premiums for consumers and restricted competition. However, a tribunal later overturned this fine and awarded the company costs, revealing the initial ruling might have been flawed, though the practice itself highlighted issues with how comparison sites manage pricing and commissions.
Introducing Maurice, CEO and Founder of Compare The Market
How does Compare the Market make money?
How does Compare the Market make money? We make money when we find our customers a new deal on their household finances. For example, each time someone buys an insurance product or switches their gas or electricity tariff, having found their new supplier through us, we get paid a fee.
We do not sell, license or otherwise disclose your Personal Information to third parties unless such disclosure is for the purposes set out in this Privacy Policy. if you decide to enter into an agreement with that supplier or wish to obtain further information.
Registered Office: Pegasus House, Bakewell Road, Orton Southgate, Peterborough, PE2 6YS. Compare the Market Limited is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority for insurance distribution (Firm reference number: 778488).
In September 1999, AMP launched a successful takeover bid for the remaining shares. On 1 July 2001, Suncorp acquired AMP's Australian general insurance interests, including GIO.
The top insurance companies vary by category (life, health, home) and region (US, UK), but globally, UnitedHealth Group, Berkshire Hathaway, Ping An, China Life, and Prudential Financial often rank high by revenue/assets, while UK leaders include Aviva, LV=, Vitality, Bupa, and Legal & General, praised for customer satisfaction in specific areas like life and health, according to early 2026 data.
Four companies account for three-quarters of the general insurance market. They are Insurance Australia Group (IAG) with 29% of the market, Suncorp with 27%, QBE with 10%, Allianz with 8%. Some general insurance is provided by government schemes or government insurers.
“The Comparethemarket meerkats are fictional characters,” said a spokesperson for the company, which is owned by the Peterborough-based financial services firm BGL. “They have no association with Russia and the current situation.
An investigation by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has concluded that, between December 2015 and December 2017, the price comparison website ComparetheMarket breached competition law by imposing wide 'most favoured nation' clauses on providers of home insurance selling through its platform.
Yes, you can check if your data has been breached using free online tools like Have I Been Pwned (HIBP) and Firefox Monitor (via Responsum), which scan for your email, phone number, or passwords in known data dumps, and by monitoring accounts for suspicious activity, strange mail, or unauthorized logins. If you find your data was breached, immediately change passwords, enable two-factor authentication, and watch for phishing scams.
The Group is majority-owned by BHL (UK) Holdings Limited, with minority ownership by CPP Investments. BHL is part of a wider group established in 1992 and is a leading digital distributor of insurance and household financial services.
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