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As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on 22 March 2019

UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM 20-F

Commission File Number: 1-15040

PRUDENTIAL PUBLIC LIMITED COMPANY
(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in its Charter)

England and Wales
(Jurisdiction of Incorporation)

12 Arthur Street,
London EC4R 9AQ, England
(Address of Principal Executive Offices)

Securities registered or to be registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act:

None

Securities for which there is a reporting obligation pursuant to Section 15(d) of the Act:

None

The number of outstanding shares of each of the issuer's classes of capital or common stock as of 31 December 2018 was:

2,593,044,409 Ordinary Shares, 5 pence par value each

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act.

Yes    X           No       

If this report is an annual or transition report, indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934.

Yes                 No    X 

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant: (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days.

Yes    X           No       

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically every Interactive Data File required to be submitted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§ 232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit and post such files).

Yes    X           No       

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, or a non-accelerated filer, or an emerging growth company. See definition of "large accelerated filer," "accelerated filer," and "emerging growth company" in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.

Large accelerated filer    X           Accelerated filer                 Non-accelerated filer               Emerging growth company       

If an emerging growth company that prepares its financial statements in accordance with U.S. GAAP, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected to not use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards† provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act.

Yes                 No       

† The term "new or revised financial accounting standard" refers to any update issued by the Financial Accounting Standards Board to its Accounting Standards Codification after April 5, 2012.

Indicate by check mark which basis of accounting the registrant has used to prepare the financial statements included in this filing:

U.S. GAAP      International Financial Reporting Standards as issued by the International Accounting Standards Board   X   Other        

If "Other" has been checked in response to the previous question, indicate by check mark which financial statement item the registrant has elected to follow:

Item 17               Item 18     

If this is an annual report, indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act).

Yes                 No    X 

*

Not for trading, but only in connection with the registration of American Depositary Shares.

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CROSS REFERENCES TO FORM 20-F REQUIREMENTS

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As used in this document, unless the context otherwise requires, the terms 'Prudential', the 'Group', 'we', 'us' and 'our' each refer to Prudential plc, together with its subsidiaries, while the terms 'Prudential plc', the 'Company' or the 'parent company' each refer to 'Prudential plc'.

This 2018 Annual Report may include references to our website. Information on our website or any other website referenced in the Prudential 2018 Annual Report is not incorporated into this Form 20-F and should not be considered to be part of the Form 20-F. We have included any website as an inactive textual reference only.

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FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This document may contain 'forward-looking statements' with respect to certain of Prudential's plans and its goals and expectations relating to its future financial condition, performance, results, strategy and objectives. Statements that are not historical facts, including statements about Prudential's beliefs and expectations and including, without limitation, statements containing the words 'may', 'will', 'should', 'continue', 'aims', 'estimates', 'projects', 'believes', 'intends', 'expects', 'plans', 'seeks' and 'anticipates', and words of similar meaning, are forward-looking statements. These statements are based on plans, estimates and projections as at the time they are made, and therefore undue reliance should not be placed on them. By their nature, all forward-looking statements involve risk and uncertainty. A number of important factors could cause Prudential's actual future financial condition or performance or other indicated results to differ materially from those indicated in any forward-looking statement. Such factors include, but are not limited to, the timing, costs and successful implementation of the demerger of the M&GPrudential business; the future trading value of the shares of Prudential plc and the trading value and liquidity of the shares of the to-be-listed M&GPrudential business following such demerger; future market conditions, including fluctuations in interest rates and exchange rates, the potential for a sustained low-interest rate environment, and the performance of financial markets generally; the policies and actions of regulatory authorities, including, for example, new government initiatives; the political, legal and economic effects of the UK's decision to leave the European Union; the impact of continuing designation as a Global Systemically Important Insurer or 'G-SII'; the impact of competition, economic uncertainty, inflation and deflation; the effect on Prudential's business and results from, in particular, mortality and morbidity trends, lapse rates and policy renewal rates; the timing, impact and other uncertainties of future acquisitions or combinations within relevant industries; the impact of internal projects and other strategic actions failing to meet their objectives; disruption to the availability, confidentiality or integrity of Prudential's IT systems (or those of its suppliers); the impact of changes in capital, solvency standards, accounting standards or relevant regulatory frameworks, and tax and other legislation and regulations in the jurisdictions in which Prudential and its affiliates operate; and the impact of legal and regulatory actions, investigations and disputes. These and other important factors may, for example, result in changes to assumptions used for determining results of operations or re-estimations of reserves for future policy benefits. Further discussion of these and other important factors that could cause Prudential's actual future financial condition or performance or other indicated results to differ, possibly materially, from those anticipated in Prudential's forward-looking statements can be found under the 'Risk Factors' heading of this document, as well as under the 'Risk Factors' heading of any subsequent Prudential Half Year Financial Report furnished to the US Securities and Exchange Commission on Form 6-K.

Any forward-looking statements contained in this document speak only as of the date on which they are made. Prudential expressly disclaims any obligation to update any of the forward-looking statements contained in this document or any other forward-looking statements it may make, whether as a result of future events, new information or otherwise except as required pursuant to the UK Prospectus Rules, the UK Listing Rules, the UK Disclosure and Transparency Rules, the Hong Kong Listing Rules, the SGX-ST listing rules or other applicable laws and regulations. Prudential may also make or disclose written and/or oral forward-looking statements in reports filed with or furnished to the US Securities and Exchange Commission, the UK Prudential Regulation Authority and UK Financial Conduct Authority or other regulatory authorities, as well as in its annual report and accounts to shareholders, periodic financial reports to shareholders, proxy statements, offering circulars, registration statements, prospectuses and, prospectus supplements, press releases and other written materials and in oral statements made by directors, officers or employees of Prudential to third parties, including financial analysts. All such forward-looking statements are qualified in their entirety by reference to the factors discussed under the 'Risk Factors' heading of this document, as well as under the 'Risk Factors' heading of any subsequent filing Prudential makes with the US Securities and Exchange Commission, including any subsequent Half Year Financial Report on Form 6-K. These factors are not exhaustive as Prudential operates in a continually changing business environment with new risks emerging from time to time that it may be unable to predict or that it currently does not expect to have a material adverse effect on its business.

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SUMMARY OF OUR BUSINESS

Group at A Glance

Prudential is an international financial services group serving over 26 million customers and with £657 billion of assets under management (as at 31 December 2018). Prudential plc is incorporated in England and Wales and its ordinary shares are listed on the stock exchanges in London, Hong Kong and Singapore, and its American Depository Receipts (ADRs) are listed on the New York Stock Exchange. Prudential plc is the parent company of the Prudential group (the 'Prudential Group', 'Prudential' or the 'Group'). Prudential is not affiliated in any manner with Prudential Financial, Inc. or its subsidiary, The Prudential Insurance Company of America, whose principal place of business is in the US.

We meet the long-term savings and protection needs of a growing middle-class and ageing population. We focus on markets where the need for our products is strong and growing and we use our capabilities, footprint and scale to meet that need. In 2018, the Group announced its intention to demerge its UK and Europe business, M&GPrudential, from Prudential plc, which will result in two separately listed companies, with different investment characteristics and opportunities. We have always been clear about the importance of creating optionality in our corporate structure, and decided to exercise one of those options in the interest of both the businesses and all of our stakeholders.

Our purpose

Prudential helps people de-risk their lives and deal with their biggest financial concerns.

Our strategy

Our strategy is to capture the long-term structural opportunities within our markets, operating with discipline and enhancing capabilities through innovation to deliver high-quality resilient outcomes for our customers.

We aim to do this by:

•

Serving the protection and investment needs of the growing middle class in Asia;

•

Providing asset accumulation and retirement income products to US baby boomers;

•

Offering products to new customers in Africa, one of the fastest-growing regions in the world; and

•

Meeting the savings and retirement needs of an ageing UK and continental European population.

We aim to generate attractive returns enabling us to provide financial security to our customers and deliver sustainable growth for our shareholders. Following rigorous review, we believe that this long-term strategy is best served through the intended demerger of M&GPrudential. The demerger will enable both businesses to continue to deliver on our customer and stakeholder commitments, but without the requirement to compete for resources and capital internally.