Netherlands

It was when the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg signed the customs union that a geographical area at the heart of Europe was defined. The aim was to promote economic integration and cooperation between the three member states. 

Since then, Benelux has been one of the most successful regional integration models, both in terms of economic growth and political stability. This success is also rooted in the creation of a solid legal framework that provides a stable and transparent business environment.

San Lie is to succeed Bas-Jan Blom as Chairman of the Management Board of ASN Impact Investors, the asset management arm of Dutch retail bank ASN. Lie has been head of portfolio management of the asset manager, which has approximately 4.7 billion euro under management, since autumn 2019. “We have formulated ambitious targets for 2030. The central question now is how we are going to get there,” says Lie.

“It is no secret that we at BlackRock have embraced sustainability rather late. The turnaround came with top executive Larry Fink’s letters to shareholders about creating long-term value, then purpose, and then sustainability in 2020.

La Financière de L’Echiquier (LFDE) wants to gain a foothold in the Netherlands, following in the footsteps of Belgium and Luxembourg. The boutique manager from France focuses on medium-sized pension funds and wholesale in the Netherlands. The French argue that their niche thematic strategies can offer added value as a ‘satellite’ in the asset allocation of such parties.

CapitalatWork is investigating the possibility of making small acquisitions in the Netherlands. The Belgian asset manager states it already has sufficient critical mass in its home market and the Luxembourg market, but is also looking at acquisition opportunities there.

This according to CEO Maarten Rooijakkers and CIO Erwin Deseyn (photo) of CapitalatWork in an interview with Investment Officer.