By Steve Anderson, Managing Director

As we welcome 2026, I’ve found myself reflecting on the path that brought us here. For those of you who have followed my career, you know that my commitment to the UK military financial market didn’t start with Absolute Military in 2020. It began much earlier, during a decade where the industry underwent its most significant transformation.

Many of you will remember the “consolidation era.” I had the privilege of leading Forces Mutual during a time when we brought together the legacy of Abacus and Forces Financial. It was a massive undertaking, and I am still incredibly proud of the teams we built and the field consultants who worked tirelessly to support the community.

But as the market grew more corporate, I saw something was being lost.
In the drive for scale, the “hyper-specialism” that soldiers and their families rely on started to fade. The personal touch of the field teams was being replaced by centralized call centers, and innovation seemed to take a back seat to “business as usual.” I realized that the community I cared about deserved more than just a policy; they deserved a partner that was as agile and dedicated as they are.

The Absolute Correction

That’s why I took the leap to start Absolute Military. I wanted to take the DNA of the original specialists-the face-to-face expertise, the deep jargon-free knowledge-and combine it with 21st-century technology.

I knew exactly where the “service gaps” were because I had seen them from the inside. We built Absolute to be the “correction” the market needed:

Fair Value: Moving away from corporate admin fees to risk-based pricing that actually saves personnel money (now averaging £250 a year).
Digital Agility: Building an app-first business because a soldier on exercise shouldn’t have to wait for “office hours” to manage their cover.
People First: Ensuring that over half our team are part of the wider military family, because you can’t fake an understanding of this lifestyle.

Looking Ahead to 2026

Today, we are the second-largest specialist broker in the UK with 16,000 members. This isn’t just a business milestone; it’s proof that the military community was ready for a change.

In 2026, we aren’t slowing down. We are expanding our “Forces Friendly” mortgage services and continuing to lead the way in financial resilience for service leavers. My goal remains what it was on day one: to ensure that no member of our Armed Forces is ever at a financial disadvantage because of their service.

To our 16,000 members: thank you for your trust. To my team: thank you for your relentless dedication. And to those who remember where we started-the journey is only just beginning.