Aegon Asset Management and ABN AMRO are working together on the development of an Impact Equity Fund offering for their clients. This will provide clients with the opportunity to invest in companies, organizations, and funds with a social and environmental impact alongside financial return.
Both Aegon Asset Management and ABN AMRO are deeply motivated to develop impact investing further. Companies to be included in the ABN AMRO Aegon Global Impact Equity Fund are selected on strong ESG performance and positive impact. Companies involved in controversial activities are excluded. With this partnership, we combine two extensive and distinctive distribution networks. It is expected the Impact Equity Fund will be live before the end of the year.
Pieter van Mierlo, CEO of ABN AMRO Private Banking: “Our clients increasingly ask for types of investments that ‘do good’. We already offer sustainable investments. More than half of our new private banking clients chose the sustainable option. And that is a great development. Some clients would like to realize more impact with their investments. We are very pleased to be introducing an Impact Equity Fund together with our partner Aegon Asset Management.”
Aegon Asset Management’s CEO Bas NieuweWeme says: “At Aegon Asset Management responsible investment is in our DNA. We have been pioneers in this market for more than 30 years, since we launched our first responsible investment fund. We are proud to be working with ABN AMRO on this exciting new ESG impact proposition, which allows investors to benefit from our rich experience in this area.”
Impact investment was considered a niche market but that is not the case nowadays as it is estimated that the overall impact investing industry has an AuM of USD 715 billion as of the end of 2019 (Global Impact Investment Network). Impact investors deploy capital through a range of asset classes. Investments in private markets remain the most common, but large growth is seen in allocations to public equity and public debt. According to the United Nations, however, available finance is not channelled towards sustainable development at the scale and speed required achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and goals of the Paris Agreement.
