Wink: Flat first-quarter annuity sales fall just short of $100B

Total annuity sales for the first quarter were flat year over year, Wink, Inc. reported Friday, and fell just short of the $100 billion mark.

Sales of $99.4 billion were up 0.8% over Q1 2025, Wink said, and down from $117 billion in the fourth quarter. Traditionally, the first quarter is the annual low-water mark for annuity sales.

All annuities include the multi-year guaranteed annuity, traditional fixed annuity, indexed annuity, structured annuity, variable annuity, immediate income annuity and deferred income annuity product lines.

Noteworthy highlights for all annuity sales in the first quarter include Athene USA ranking as the No. 1 carrier overall for annuity sales, with a market share of 7.3%. Jackson National Life came in second place, while New York Life, Equitable Financial and Nationwide completed the top five carriers in the market, respectively.

Total first-quarter sales for all deferred annuities were $96.9 billion, down 13.8% when compared to the previous quarter and up 1.5% when compared to the same period last year. All deferred annuities include the multi-year guaranteed annuity, traditional fixed, indexed annuity, structured annuity and variable annuity product lines.

Noteworthy highlights for all deferred annuity sales in the first quarter include Athene USA ranking as the No. 1 carrier overall for deferred annuity sales, with a market share of 7.4%. Jackson National Life continued in the second-ranked position, while Equitable Financial, Nationwide and New York Life completed the top five carriers in the market, respectively.

Equitable’s Structured Capital Strategies Plus 21, a structured annuity, was the No. 1 selling deferred annuity, for all channels combined, for the quarter.

Total first-quarter non-variable deferred annuity sales were $59.2 billion, down 18.1% when compared to the previous quarter and down 6.1% when compared to the same period last year. Non-variable deferred annuities include the MYG annuity, traditional fixed annuity, and indexed annuity product lines.

Noteworthy highlights for non-variable deferred annuity sales in the first quarter include Athene USA ranking as the No. 1 carrier overall for non-variable deferred annuity sales, with a market share of 11.3%. Corebridge Financial gained the second-ranked position, while New York Life, Nationwide and Brookfield Wealth Solutions (which combines sales of American Equity Investment Life, American National Insurance Company, American National Life Insurance Company of New York and Eagle Life Insurance Company underwriting companies) completed the top five carriers in the market, respectively.

Nationwide Life’s Nationwide Secure Growth 5-Year, a MYG annuity, was the No. 1 selling non-variable deferred annuity, for all channels combined, for the quarter.

Total first quarter variable deferred annuity sales were $37.4 billion, down 6.6% when compared
to the previous quarter and up 15.7% when compared to the same period last year. Variable deferred annuities include structured annuity and variable annuity product lines.

Noteworthy highlights for variable deferred annuity sales in the first quarter include Equitable Financial ranking as the No. 1 carrier overall for variable deferred annuity sales, with a market share of 15.8%. Jackson National Life moved into the second-place position, as Lincoln National Life, Allianz Life and Nationwide completed the top five carriers in the market, respectively.

Equitable’s Structured Capital Strategies Plus 21 was the No. 1 selling variable deferred annuity, for all channels combined, for the quarter.

Total first-quarter income annuity sales were $2.7 billion, down 23.9% when compared to the previous quarter and down 13.8% when compared to the same period last year. Income annuities include immediate income annuity and deferred income annuity product lines.

Noteworthy highlights for income annuity sales in the first quarter include New York Life ranking as the No. 1 carrier overall for income annuity sales, with a market share of 45.5%. Massachusetts Mutual Life Companies continued in the second-ranked position, as Penn Mutual, Nationwide and Brookfield Wealth Solutions completed the top five carriers in the market, respectively.

Multi-year guaranteed annuity sales in the first quarter were $32.1 billion, down 15% when compared to the previous quarter, and down 9.6% when compared to the same period last year. MYGAs have a fixed rate that is guaranteed for more than one year.

Noteworthy highlights for MYGAs in the first quarter include Athene USA ranking as the No. 1 seller, with a market share of 12.8%. New York Life moved into the second-ranked position, while Symetra Financial, Nationwide and Corebridge Financial concluded the top five carriers in the market, respectively. Nationwide Life’s Nationwide Secure Growth 5-Year product was the No. 1 selling multi-year guaranteed annuity, for all channels combined, for the quarter.

Traditional fixed annuity sales in the first quarter were $506.9 million, down 11% when compared to the previous quarter, and up 1.8% when compared with the same period last year. Traditional fixed annuities have a fixed rate that is guaranteed for one year only.

Noteworthy highlights for traditional fixed annuities in the first quarter include Nationwide ranking as the No. 1 seller, with a market share of 18.0%. Global Atlantic Financial Group ranked second, while Equitable Financial, EquiTrust and Modern Woodmen of America concluded the top five carriers in the market, respectively.

Forethought Life’s ForeCare Fixed Annuity was the No. 1 selling fixed annuity, for all channels combined, for the twenty-third consecutive quarter.

Indexed annuity sales for the first quarter were $26.5 billion, down 21.7% when compared to the
previous quarter, and down 1.7% when compared with the same period last year. Indexed annuities have a floor of no less than zero percent and limited excess interest that is determined by the performance of an external index, such as Standard and Poor’s 500.

Noteworthy highlights for indexed annuities in the first quarter include Athene USA ranking as the No. 1 seller, with a market share of 9.6%. Corebridge Financial ranked second, while Allianz Life, Brookfield Wealth Solutions and Sammons Financial Companies completed the top five carriers in the market, respectively. Fidelity and Guaranty Life’s Safe Income Advantage was the No. 1 selling indexed annuity, for all channels combined, for the quarter.

“This is the lowest indexed annuity sales have been in nearly three years," noted Sheryl Moore, CEO of both Wink, Inc., and Moore Market Intelligence. "With the market’s upward movement since the beginning of 2Q2026, I anticipate that indexed annuities will continue to lose market share to structured and variable annuities.”

Structured annuity sales in the first quarter were $20.3 billion, down 4.5% as compared to the previous quarter, and down 24.1% as compared to the same period last year. Structured annuities have a limited negative floor and limited excess interest, which is determined by the performance of an external index or subaccounts.

Noteworthy highlights for structured annuities in the first quarter include Equitable Financial ranking as the No. 1 seller, with a market share of 19.7%. Allianz Life ranked second, while Prudential, Jackson National Life and Brighthouse Financial completed the top five carriers in the market, respectively. Equitable’s Structured Capital Strategies Plus 21 was the No. 1 selling structured annuity, for all channels combined, for the eighth consecutive quarter.

“Structured annuities [also known as Registered Index Linked Annuities, or RILAs] have been trending upward over the last eight years,” Moore said. “I am curious how long it will be before structured sales account for more sales than indexed annuities, given the current market environment.”

Variable annuity sales in the first quarter were $17 billion, down 9% as compared to the previous quarter, and up 7.1% compared to the same period last year. Variable annuities have no floor, and the potential for gains/losses is determined by the performance of subaccounts that may be invested in an external index, stocks, bonds, commodities, or other investments.

Noteworthy highlights for variable annuities in the first quarter include Jackson National Life ranking as the No. 1 seller, with a market share of 21.8%. Equitable Financial ranked second while Nationwide, New York Life and Lincoln National Life finished as the top five carriers in the market, respectively. Jackson National’s Perspective II Flexible Premium Variable & Fixed Deferred Annuity was the No. 1 selling variable annuity for the twenty-eighth consecutive quarter, for all channels combined.

Immediate income annuity (also known as Single Premium Immediate Annuities, or SPIA) sales in the first quarter were $2.2 billion, down 20.2% as compared to the previous quarter and down 11.9% as compared to the same period last year.

Noteworthy highlights for SPIAs in the first quarter include New York Life ranking as the No. 1 seller, with a market share of 44.7%. Massachusetts Mutual Life Companies ranked second, while Penn Mutual, Nationwide and Brookfield Wealth Solutions finished as the top five carriers in the market, respectively.

Deferred income annuity sales in the first quarter were $531.3 million, down 36.2% compared to the previous quarter and down 20.9% as compared to the same period last year.

Noteworthy highlights for DIAs in the first quarter include New York Life ranking as the No. 1 seller, with a market share of 49%. Western-Southern Life Assurance Company ranked second, as Massachusetts Mutual Life Companies, Integrity Life Companies and Symetra Financial finished as the top five carriers in the market, respectively.

Wink's annuity data vault also includes a breakdown by company sales in the multi-year guaranteed, traditional fixed and indexed annuity categories:

Wink reports sales on all annuity lines of business, as well as all life insurance product lines.

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InsuranceNewsNet Senior Editor John Hilton has covered business and other beats in more than 20 years of daily journalism. John may be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @INNJohnH.