VOL. XCIV, NO. 247
★ WIDE MOAT STOCKS & COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGES ★
PRICE: 0 CENTS
Wednesday, December 31, 2025
Aon plc
AON · New York Stock Exchange
Weighted average of segment moat scores, combining moat strength, durability, confidence, market structure, pricing power, and market share.
Request update
Spot something outdated? Send a quick note and source so we can refresh this profile.
Overview
Aon plc is a global professional services firm providing Risk Capital (commercial insurance and reinsurance brokerage plus risk advisory) and Human Capital (benefits, retirement, and investment advisory) solutions. The moat is primarily relationship- and workflow-driven: high client retention and trust-based advisory, reinforced by proprietary data/analytics tools and global delivery capabilities. Competitive pressure remains high, with major peers investing in similar analytics and clients increasingly multi-sourcing brokers.
Primary segment
Risk Capital
Market structure
Oligopoly
Market share
—
HHI: —
Coverage
2 segments · 6 tags
Updated 2025-12-31
Segments
Risk Capital
Large-account commercial insurance & reinsurance brokerage and risk advisory
Revenue
67%
Structure
Oligopoly
Pricing
moderate
Share
—
Peers
Human Capital
Large-employer benefits brokerage, retirement consulting, and institutional investment advisory
Revenue
33.2%
Structure
Oligopoly
Pricing
moderate
Share
—
Peers
Moat Claims
Risk Capital
Large-account commercial insurance & reinsurance brokerage and risk advisory
Revenue share and operating profit share derived from FY2024 segment tables; operating profit share is calculated from segment operating income excluding corporate/eliminations.
Data Workflow Lockin
Demand
Data Workflow Lockin
Strength: 4/5 · Durability: medium · Confidence: 4/5 · 2 evidence
Proprietary placement datasets and analytics tools are embedded in the insurance/reinsurance placement process and advisory workflow, improving outcomes and raising switching friction for large accounts.
Erosion risks
- Competitors building comparable placement analytics tools
- AI-enabled commoditization of advisory outputs
- Clients unbundling brokerage/advisory services
Leading indicators
- Organic revenue growth in Commercial Risk Solutions and Reinsurance Solutions
- Client retention / renewal trends
- Usage/adoption of proprietary analytics tools in placement workflows
Counterarguments
- Peers are developing competing data/analytics tools, narrowing differentiation.
- Large clients may split accounts across multiple brokers, weakening lock-in.
Switching Costs General
Demand
Switching Costs General
Strength: 4/5 · Durability: durable · Confidence: 4/5 · 2 evidence
Large-account risk programs (multi-line, multi-jurisdiction, and reinsurance structures) create relationship/process switching friction; retention and ongoing service integration reinforce stickiness.
Erosion risks
- Increased client multi-sourcing of brokers
- Insurers pushing more direct distribution for certain lines
- Clients increasing self-insurance / captives / alternative capital
Leading indicators
- Net new business and retention commentary in filings/calls
- Client concentration and renewal dynamics
- Evidence of increased multi-broker engagement for large accounts
Counterarguments
- Broker services can be partially commoditized in softer markets as pricing pressure increases.
- Some clients actively use multiple brokers, reducing relationship lock-in.
Service Field Network
Supply
Service Field Network
Strength: 3/5 · Durability: durable · Confidence: 3/5 · 2 evidence
Global broking centers and reach support consistent delivery for multinational clients and access to specialty markets/capacity across geographies.
Erosion risks
- Remote delivery reducing advantage of physical hubs
- Talent retention challenges in key specialty markets
- Local competitors winning via price or relationships
Leading indicators
- Headcount/talent retention in key brokerage specialties
- Cross-border client win rates
- Share of revenue from multinational accounts
Counterarguments
- Major peers also have global networks and broking centers.
- Technology can reduce the marginal value of physical/global hubs.
Brand Trust
Demand
Brand Trust
Strength: 4/5 · Durability: durable · Confidence: 4/5 · 1 evidence
Advisory and brokerage outcomes are trust-based (fiduciary obligations, complex risk transfer), making reputation a meaningful demand-side moat for large clients.
Erosion risks
- High-profile E&O claims or reputational events
- Regulatory actions affecting perceived trust
- Service quality degradation during integration or restructuring
Leading indicators
- Major client losses or negative press related to advice quality
- E&O claims trend and insurance costs
- Regulatory investigations and outcomes
Counterarguments
- Brand matters less in commoditized lines where price dominates.
- Reputation can be damaged quickly by isolated high-profile failures.
Human Capital
Large-employer benefits brokerage, retirement consulting, and institutional investment advisory
Revenue share and operating profit share derived from FY2024 segment tables; operating profit share is calculated from segment operating income excluding corporate/eliminations.
Data Workflow Lockin
Demand
Data Workflow Lockin
Strength: 4/5 · Durability: medium · Confidence: 4/5 · 2 evidence
Benefits enrollment and consulting workflows can be embedded via Aon's proprietary digital platform and analytics, raising switching and integration costs for employers.
Erosion risks
- Competing platforms from peers/HR tech vendors
- Customer preference for best-of-breed point solutions
- Data portability and interoperability reducing lock-in
Leading indicators
- Platform adoption (covered lives / employers onboarded)
- Renewals and retention in Health Solutions and Wealth Solutions
- Integration depth with employer HR/payroll ecosystems
Counterarguments
- HR/benefits software vendors can disintermediate parts of enrollment and analytics.
- Large peers can match platform investments at scale.
Compliance Advantage
Legal
Compliance Advantage
Strength: 3/5 · Durability: durable · Confidence: 3/5 · 1 evidence
Global benefits and compliance support for multinationals benefits from regulatory knowledge and delivery capabilities across many jurisdictions, especially for complex programs.
Erosion risks
- Regulatory harmonization reducing differentiation
- Local specialists outcompeting in specific jurisdictions
- Increased compliance costs compressing margins
Leading indicators
- Growth in multinational accounts
- Expansion/contraction of licensed presence and compliance resources
- Regulatory changes affecting broker compensation/disclosure
Counterarguments
- Large competitors also operate globally and offer similar compliance support.
- Compliance expertise can be hired; not always a durable differentiator.
Switching Costs General
Demand
Switching Costs General
Strength: 4/5 · Durability: durable · Confidence: 4/5 · 2 evidence
Benefits and retirement programs are operationally embedded (annual cycles, data, vendors, communications), and relationship trust matters; this supports recurring retention and limits churn.
Erosion risks
- More frequent RFPs and procurement-driven vendor switching
- Unbundling of benefits/retirement vendors and advisors
- Fee compression in consulting
Leading indicators
- Client renewal/retention trends
- Net new wins in Health and Wealth solution lines
- Average fees per client / fee rate trends
Counterarguments
- Large clients can and do run competitive RFP cycles that reset pricing.
- Some advisory work is project-based and less sticky than ongoing administration.
Scale Economies Unit Cost
Supply
Scale Economies Unit Cost
Strength: 3/5 · Durability: medium · Confidence: 3/5 · 1 evidence
Scale supports broader talent pools, analytics investment, and delivery across plan types; can reduce unit cost of expertise for large programs and increase breadth of offering.
Erosion risks
- Talent inflation eroding cost advantage
- Technology reducing need for scaled human expertise in some tasks
- Boutique specialists winning high-value mandates
Leading indicators
- Operating margin trends in Human Capital
- Consultant productivity and utilization metrics
- Investment in analytics/technology per employee
Counterarguments
- Scale can add bureaucracy; boutiques can be faster and more specialized.
- Peers with similar scale can neutralize cost advantages.
Evidence
We have invested significantly ... in proprietary data and analytics tools including repositories of our global insurance and reinsurance placement information...
Direct support for proprietary datasets/tools used in placement workflows.
Commercial Risk Solutions uses ... extensive data and analytics capabilities to provide brokerage and consulting services...
Connects Risk Capital value proposition to analytics-enabled brokerage/advisory delivery.
Organic revenue growth ... driven by net new business and ongoing strong retention.
Retention supports the existence of switching frictions in core client relationships.
We depend, to a large extent, on our relationships with our clients...
Client-relationship dependence is consistent with relationship-driven switching costs.
Commercial Risk's global reach enables seamless client service ... Global Broking Centers in London, Bermuda and Singapore.
Supports a global delivery network advantage in large-account placement.
Showing 5 of 13 sources.
Risks & Indicators
Erosion risks
- Competitors building comparable placement analytics tools
- AI-enabled commoditization of advisory outputs
- Clients unbundling brokerage/advisory services
- Increased client multi-sourcing of brokers
- Insurers pushing more direct distribution for certain lines
- Clients increasing self-insurance / captives / alternative capital
Leading indicators
- Organic revenue growth in Commercial Risk Solutions and Reinsurance Solutions
- Client retention / renewal trends
- Usage/adoption of proprietary analytics tools in placement workflows
- Net new business and retention commentary in filings/calls
- Client concentration and renewal dynamics
- Evidence of increased multi-broker engagement for large accounts
Curation & Accuracy
This directory blends AI‑assisted discovery with human curation. Entries are reviewed, edited, and organized with the goal of expanding coverage and sharpening quality over time. Your feedback helps steer improvements (because no single human can capture everything all at once).
Details change. Pricing, features, and availability may be incomplete or out of date. Treat listings as a starting point and verify on the provider’s site before making decisions. If you spot an error or a gap, send a quick note and I’ll adjust.