Who owns Momentum Life in New Zealand?

Written by Henry Smith · Reviewed by Smiths Insurance & KiwiSaver, licensed Financial Advice Provider (FSP712931) · Updated 2026-10-20 · Reviewed quarterly, when the underlying data is restated.

Financial advice is provided by Craig Smith Business Services Limited, trading as Smiths Insurance & KiwiSaver, a licensed Financial Advice Provider (FSP712931). QuoteHub is a trading name.

Momentum Life Limited (FSP472286) is a New Zealand life insurer licensed by the Reserve Bank. Since July 2025 it has been 100% owned by DCG Invest Limited, which A.M. Best describes as a New Zealand-domiciled investment holding company. Momentum underwrites its own policies and administers them itself. Its financial strength rating is B (Fair) from A.M. Best, in that agency's "vulnerable" range.

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Insurer: Momentum Life Limited. Financial strength rating B (Fair) from AM Best, affirmed 11 February 2026; B ratings sit in AM Best's 'vulnerable' range. The rating scale is available for inspection at every Momentum Life office in New Zealand. What this means

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Opens Momentum Life's online application; its guidance only covers eligibility. QuoteHub is a Momentum Life partner. Smiths Insurance & KiwiSaver may receive a commission if you buy. General information, not advice.

This page answers who owns Momentum Life, who is liable to pay a claim, and how the company is regulated. It uses Momentum's own pages, its policy wordings and A.M. Best's published rating actions, read between 17 and 20 October 2026. It does not cover the products in detail; those are on the Funeral Insurance and Quick Life pages.

Who owns Momentum Life

A.M. Best's 11 February 2026 rating release says Momentum is wholly owned by DCG Invest Limited and that "the acquisition of Momentum Life by DCG closed in July 2025." The sale was announced in the trade press in mid-August 2025, and the price was not disclosed. Before that, A.M. Best's April 2024 release names the owner as Blue Inc Group Pty Limited, an Australian company.

We have not seen DCG Invest's shareholder register, and we know of no public source that lists it, so this page does not name the people behind DCG. Trade coverage in August 2025 linked senior Momentum executives to the buyer; treat that as press reporting, not a verified shareholder list. Momentum keeps the Momentum Life brand.

Momentum's leadership page, read on 20 October 2026, lists Michael Stiassny as Chairman, Greg Main as CEO, Theo de Koster as CFO, Christopher Francis as Executive Director and Head of Distribution, and Vaughn Wellington as National Director, Adviser Distribution.

Who pays a claim

The insurer is Momentum Life Limited. Both wordings say so: Momentum "is the underwriter of this Policy and is responsible for the assumption of insurance risk", and it also administers the policy, including premium collection, claims assessment and payment of valid claims. A.M. Best's February 2026 release notes Momentum's "high reliance on third-party reinsurance for risk transfer". Momentum's own About us page says it was established in 2018 with the support of one of the largest reinsurance groups in the world, and it does not name the reinsurer, so we do not either. Reinsurance is the insurer's protection, not yours: a claim is made on Momentum.

An adviser or website that helps you apply is an intermediary. Both wordings say advisers "act as intermediaries only and are not the insurer".

Its licence and regulation

Momentum Life Limited holds a Reserve Bank of New Zealand licence as a life insurer, effective 12 March 2018 according to trade press at the time (Insurance Business NZ, 14 March 2018). The Insurance (Prudential Supervision) Act 2010 is the law that licenses and supervises insurers. It is about the insurer's financial soundness, not about individual claims; it does not decide whether your claim is paid.

Two parts of that Act matter to a reader. First, section 64 requires an insurer (or an intermediary) to disclose its financial strength rating, the rating agency and the rating scale in writing before you contract, which is one reason you will see Momentum's B (Fair) rating wherever Momentum is discussed (see the Act's rating disclosure provisions). Second, a licence is a legal permission to carry on insurance business, not an endorsement.

Momentum Life Limited is also a licensed Financial Advice Provider, and it advises only on its own products. Complaints about a Momentum policy go to Momentum first and then to the Insurance & Financial Services Ombudsman Scheme (IFSO), which the wordings say is free to you and binding on Momentum. See complaints.

Policies bought before 14 March 2018

Momentum's FAQ says "If you purchased a Policy prior to 14th March 2018, the insurer is Fidelity Life Assurance Company Limited." So the insurer depends on when the policy was bought. Fidelity Life is a separate insurer with its own rating and ownership; Momentum has no ownership link to Fidelity today. If you hold an older policy, check the schedule for the insurer's name. Our Fidelity Life review covers that company.

Is it the same as other "Momentum" companies?

No source we read links Momentum Life Limited to any overseas company that uses the Momentum name. Search results for "Momentum" also bring up financial businesses in other countries. Credit life insurance is cover tied to a loan, and Momentum Life's two New Zealand products are not tied to a loan: the benefit goes to the policy owner, or in the event of the owner's death to the nominated beneficiary or the owner's executor. When you check a policy, use the exact legal name Momentum Life Limited and the financial services provider number FSP472286. The FSP number is the one printed in both wordings.

What the owner does not tell you

Ownership is not a measure of financial strength. For that, look at the rating and the solvency figures.

Measure	What it says	Source
A.M. Best financial strength	B (Fair), affirmed 11 February 2026, outlook stable	Momentum's financial strength page and A.M. Best
A.M. Best band	B ratings sit in the "Vulnerable" range on Momentum's own table	Momentum
Solvency ratio	107% at 30 June 2026, a margin of about $0.6 million; 117% a year earlier	Momentum
Operating performance	"Marginal", with pre-tax losses in fiscal 2023 to 2025 and the first half of 2026	A.M. Best, 11 February 2026

A.M. Best says the rating "should not be read as a recommendation". Momentum states that its rating scale is available for inspection at every Momentum Life office in New Zealand. Read what the rating means and our review for the trade-offs.

How QuoteHub is connected to Momentum

QuoteHub is a Momentum Life partner. That is a commercial arrangement, not ownership: Momentum's online application is Momentum's own, and you apply, choose and pay there. Smiths Insurance & KiwiSaver may receive a commission if you buy a Momentum policy; see how we are paid and our disclosure. Because of that, we state the rating and the early-claim limits on every page: Funeral Insurance pays only for accidental death in the first 24 months, with premiums refunded otherwise; Quick Life excludes pre-existing conditions and suicide for the first 2 years; and in both cases total premiums can exceed the benefit. The buttons on this page open Momentum's application. Neither product accepts new applicants over 75.

Advice is provided by Craig Smith Business Services Limited, trading as Smiths Insurance & KiwiSaver, a licensed Financial Advice Provider (FSP712931). This is general information, not advice. Written by the QuoteHub Editorial Team and reviewed by the QuoteHub Adviser Team on 20 October 2026.