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Insurance intelligence for markets, regulation, companies, and risk.

Company profile

Great-West Lifeco

TypeStandard insurer holding groupHeadquarters / anchor marketCanadaLinesLife and healthThemesCompany referencesInsurance groupsSource reviewLast reviewed

Great-West Lifeco is a Canadian listed holding company whose principal franchises include Canada Life, Empower and Irish Life. Its ownership within the Power Corporation group and its mix of insurance, retirement administration and wealth activity make parent, subsidiary and segment labels especially important.

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Company at a glance

  • Headquarters: Winnipeg, Canada
  • Listed/legal parent: Great-West Lifeco Inc., listed in Toronto and controlled within the Power Corporation group
  • Core insurance businesses: life and health insurance; retirement; wealth and asset management
  • Main markets: Canada, the United States and Europe
  • Reporting currency: CAD
  • Financial year-end: 31 December
  • Regulatory context: Canadian holding-company and operating-insurer supervision, with local regimes applying outside Canada

Business and operating structure

Great-West Lifeco Inc. consolidates businesses in Canada, the United States and Europe. Canada Life is a major insurance operating group, Empower is the principal US retirement and wealth franchise, and Irish Life anchors much of the European operation. The listed parent is not itself interchangeable with those regulated subsidiaries.

Key insurance activities

The group provides life, health and disability cover, workplace benefits, individual and group retirement products, and investment services. Fee-based retirement and asset-management balances sit beside insurance liabilities, so assets under administration or management are not measures of premium volume.

Scale and current reporting context

The consolidated financial year is the calendar year and presentation currency is Canadian dollars. FY2025 results are the current frame for insurance revenue, base earnings and capital commentary. Local subsidiaries may publish in US dollars, sterling or euros under different statutory rules.

Legal-entity, brand and subsidiary distinctions

Canada Life, Empower and Irish Life are operating franchises with their own entities and regulated activities. Great-West Lifeco's ultimate ownership context does not make Power Corporation totals measures of this insurance group. Geographic segments can combine insurance and fee businesses with different economics.

Capital, ratings and regulatory context

Canadian life-insurer capital is assessed under the LICAT framework for the perimeter disclosed, while overseas insurers follow local solvency regimes. Holding-company ratings, insurer financial-strength ratings and subsidiary capital ratios answer separate questions. Comparisons should isolate retirement recordkeeping and asset management from risk-bearing insurance.

What matters when comparing Great-West Lifeco

For Great-West Lifeco, comparison turns on the different economics of insurance, retirement administration and asset management.

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Sources and methodology