Operator

Good day, ladies and gentlemen, and welcome to the Sanlam 2026 3-month Operational Update. [Operator Instructions] Please note that this event is being recorded. I will now hand the conference over to Paul Hanratty. Please go ahead, sir.

Paul Hanratty
Group CEO & Executive Director

Irene, thank you very much, and good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen, and thank you very much for joining us on this call today. I am joined on the call today by our Group Finance Director, Abigail Mukhuba; our Group Chief Risk Officer and Chief Actuary, Mlondolozi Mahlangeni; and our Head of Investor Relations, Tokelo Mulaudzi.

Earlier today, we released our operational update for the first 3 months of 2026. I'll provide a very brief overview of our strategic progress and operational performance before we'll open the line for questions.

The group is investing in organic growth. And while this puts some short-term pressure on earnings, it underpins future growth. Against this backdrop, I'm going to cover 5 points briefly in order, I hope, to assist you in making some sense of the quarter's performance.

First off, the group continued to make excellent progress in the execution of strategic priorities in the quarter. We closed the Ninety One transaction in early