Standard Life

Standard Life/Standard Life Investment Management/Standard Life Investments Ltd is a major Scottish life insurer.

It is a shareholder in Vedanta Resources PLC, despite continuing heavy criticism of that company's operations over the past few years - and withdrawal of investment in Vedanta by a number of other shareholders, including the Norwegian Government Pension Fund, Martin Currie, the Church Of England and Dansk Bank.

In October 2010, Standard Life, along with Legal & General Investment Management Ltd and Fidelity were reported to be backing Vedanta's attempt to list its copper mining subsidiary, Konkola Deep, on the London Stock Exchange [The Observer 17 October 2010].

In 2008 it held a minor (3.243%) stake in Highland Gold Mining Ltd, one of the biggest companies exploring for gold within the Russian Federation [Hemscott 11 February 2008]; also 3.05% of the huge Kazakhstan copper mining company, Kazakhmys (see AXA SA) [Hemscott 1 February 2008]; and 2.2% of Talivivaara Mining (see Varma Mutual).

Standard Life Equity Income Trust PLC (in which Barclays holds 7.3%), as of September 2007, held £5.427 million of shares in Rio Tinto, slightly less (£5.020 million) in BHP Billiton, with a £3.708 million stake in Xstrata, £ 2.05 million in Kazakhmys, and £1.450 million in Lonmin.

£815,000 in Anglo American and its stake in Xstrata had dropped to £1,388,000.

Standard Life UK Smaller Companies Trust plc, as of 31 December 2007 also had an £896 million investment in First Quantum Minerals, and one of £835 million in Aquarius Platinum.

Although investment in the latter was not listed among the Trust's top twenty investments as of 30 June 2911, the firm's investment in First Quantum stood at £500 million.