Office hours during Christmas and the New Year 2025/26
The following information is applicable to all former Quilter Isle of Man, Ireland and Guernsey policies and former AXA policies.
Isle of Man office opening hours (GMT time)
| Monday, 22 December 2025 | 09:00 – 17:00 |
| Tuesday, 23 December | 09:00 – 17:00 |
| Wednesday, 24 December | 09:00 – 12:30 |
| Thursday, 25 December | Closed |
| Friday, 26 December | Closed |
| Monday, 29 December | 09:00 – 17:00 |
| Tuesday, 30 December | 09:00 – 17:00 |
| Wednesday, 31 December | 09:00 – 12:30 |
| Thursday, 1 January 2026 | Closed |
| Friday, 2 January | Offices re-open and usual business hours apply henceforth |
Singapore and Hong Kong office opening hours (HKT time)
| Monday, 22 December 2025 | 09:00 – 17:30 |
| Tuesday, 23 December | 09:00 – 17:30 |
| Wednesday, 24 December | 09:00 – 13:00 |
| Thursday, 25 December | Closed |
| Friday, 26 December | Closed |
| Monday, 29 December | 09:00 – 17:30 |
| Tuesday, 30 December | 09:00 – 17:30 |
| Wednesday, 31 December | 09:00 – 13:00 |
| Thursday, 1 January 2026 | Closed |
| Friday, 2 January | Offices re-open and usual business hours apply henceforth |
Please see below a list of our cut-off dates during this period. We will aim to process any requests received after these dates prior to 31 December, however we cannot guarantee completion within this timeframe, in particular where the transaction is subject to third party action outside of our control.
New Business and Single Premium Top-ups
Approved ONLINE applications/top ups up to 17:00 (GMT) Friday, 12 December for Portfolio Bonds will be processed prior to year-end. This is subject to the following being received:
- Adequate anti-money laundering and client due diligence information including any documentation/evidence
- Premium from the applicant’s bank as detailed within the online application
- Supporting documentation uploaded which meets all requirements
- Tax self-certification documentation – individual or entity version
PAPER applications up to 17:00 (GMT) Monday, 8 December for Unit Linked and Portfolio Bonds will be processed prior to year-end. This is subject to the following being received:
- Original application (clean)
- Premium from the applicant’s bank as detailed on the application form
- Adequate anti-money laundering and client due diligence information including any documentation/evidence requested at trigger for top-ups
- Investment instructions (clear)
- Any other supporting documentation required
- Renewal premium method (U/L only)
- Tax self-certification documentation – individual or entity version
Incoming outstanding requirements including the premium for pending cases must be received by 17:00 (GMT) Monday, 8 December to enable the policy to be issued prior to year-end.
Please note that the above is subject to the incoming requirements and premium, including clear source of funds and client due diligence meeting our requirements.
Claim requests – partial and full surrender
Approved ONLINE Payment requests up to 17:00 (GMT) Friday, 12 December for Portfolio Bonds will be processed prior to year-end.
PAPER Payment requests up to 17:00 (GMT) Monday, 8 December for Unit Linked and Portfolio Bonds will be processed prior to year-end.
Any instructions received after this date will be completed on a best endeavors basis.
The payment of withdrawals is dependent on there being available cash or settlement of any asset sales together with no outstanding client due diligence information or evidence.
For the payment to be completed we will require:
- Fully completed withdrawal form (clean) – Paper only
- Sufficient cash must be available on the policy (i.e. existing cash balance or following receipt of proceeds from requested asset sales/the custodian). NOTE: Time taken for a trade to complete varies depending on the holding and how regularly it trades.
- All necessary customer due diligence is held in accordance with our regulatory requirements.
- Where paying to an account not previously paid, we may also complete a security call where we deem it necessary.
Anti-Money Laundering requirements
Isle of Man and Irish financial institutions have a regulatory obligation to constantly review information and documentation we hold for our policyholders.
For payments, a full file review may be required and any deficiencies in our customer due diligence files must be satisfied before payment can be released. To avoid the possibility of delay, we recommend submitting updated identification documents in accordance with our guidance:
AML Guide – https://www.utmostwealthdocs.com/mb/DYLuZV
We reserve the right to delay payment where settlement of any required sale is not received or where dealing criteria such as market value adjusters, weekly or monthly dealing timings or notice periods apply. This also applies to the switching of weekly valued funds (Unit Linked only).
The quickest way for an adviser/customer to get their New Business, Top Up, Dealing, One-off withdrawal and full surrender instructions to us is by submitting online via Wealth Interactive wherever possible. The time savings are considerable and our recommendation for the rest of this year is to submit online where possible to avoid queues of paperwork.
Switch Requests (Unit Linked)
Switches for daily dealing funds will be processed as normal. Any switches received on Wednesday, 31 December will be processed and priced on the next available working day.
Commission payments (Unit Linked and Portfolio Bond)
Commission/fees will continue to be paid as normal in accordance with individual adviser requirements. However, if the payment due date falls on a day when the Utmost International Isle of Man office is closed, then the commission/fees will be paid on the next working day.
The last available date for any advance commission requests before the holidays will be the 10:00 (GMT) Wednesday, 24 December. Any commission/fees generated after this point cannot be advanced and paid until Monday, 29 December.
Dealing
Although we will endeavour to execute trades within our service level agreement, it will not be guaranteed over the holidays and submitting requests early is encouraged.
Finally, we would like to take this opportunity to thank you for your support in 2025 and wish you all a Happy Christmas and prosperous New Year.