Monday, September 12, 2011

SNS Asset Management has come up with a score of almost 100% in the annual United Nations-backed Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI) assessment. This gives SNS Asset Management, SNS REAAL’s Dutch asset manager, a leading position in responsible institutional asset management. Other investors reached an average score of 79%.

This year, SNS Asset Management was compared to 345 asset managers worldwide. According to the PRI, SNS AM scored in the top quartile in all subjects, surpassing all other national and international competitors in the individual scores. SNS AM even earned the perfect score of 100 percent in a number of fields, such as in the integration of aspects related to the environment, social concerns and public governance (ESG) in asset management, cooperation with co-signatories, active shareholdership and reporting.

“The feedback we received from the PRI this year, is recognition for SNS REAAL’s forerunner’s role in the field of responsible investment. SNS Asset Management, which manages the portfolios of REAAL and Zwitserleven, has been pursuing an active policy for many years. We are now reaping the rewards of this”, says Manuel Adamini, Head of ESG Research at SNS Asset Management.

The Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI), supported by the United Nations, is a global initiative. The aim is to stimulate responsible investment among institutional asset owners and asset managers. By now, more than 850 institutional investors have joined the PRI, their assets under management representing some USD 25,000 billion. SNS Asset Management has been an active member since PRI’s establishment in 2006. Signatories are held to report annually on their progress on the six principles of this initiative.

“It will be a challenge to maintain this very high rank. Our competitors are not sitting still either”, says Adamini. “We are already working on living up to this high-ranking position next year too. Think, for instance, of our efforts in the field of responsible fixed-interest investments”.

Impact investing too, was only included in the assessment to a limited extent this year. This form of responsible investing is about investments that add both financial and social value. SNS Asset Management has taken a lead in this respect. Examples of investments are micro finance, responsible agriculture, clean tech and renewable energy. SNS Impact Investing has built up a leading position in the field of micro financing and is viewed as one of the forerunners of the Principles for Investors in Inclusive Finance. This initiative, which has in the meantime been embraced by the PRI, will certainly contribute to maintaining SNS Asset Management’s leading position in the world top next year.

For more information

Marike Andringa, SNS REAAL Corporate Communication.

Mobile: +31 - 6 53 94 19 00 or mail corporatecommunicatie@snsreaal.nl.

About SNS Asset Management

SNS Asset Management is the asset manager of SNS REAAL and enjoys a leading position in responsible institutional asset management. SNS Asset Management manages the portfolios of REAAL, ASN Bank, ASN Investment Funds, SNS Investment Funds and the Zwitserleven Investment Funds and all separate accounts. Next to this SNS Asset Management also manages assets for external clients and the participants in the funds of SNS AM. In total, SNS AM manages assets amounting to 42.4 billion euro.

Scoring disclosure clause

Scores have been calculated based on signatories’ self-assessment and using the scoring methodology approved by the PRI Assessment Group. Although a limited verification exercise was undertaken with a proportion of signatories, responses have not been independently audited by the PRI Secretariat, PRI Assessment Group, or any other third party. Individual results including comparisons to the overall results (quartiles) are indicative and do not imply an endorsement of signatory activity. While this information is believed to be reliable, no representations or warranties are made as to the accuracy of information presented, and no responsibility or liability can be accepted for any error, omission or inaccuracy in this information.