Socially Responsible Investments

In the United Kingdom, the Netherlands and Hungary, AEGON offers specific Socially Responsible Investment (SRI) funds. These funds invest in companies that adhere to ethically and environmentally sound business practices. Certain AEGON companies in the United States offer similar SRI funds managed by third parties.

SRI funds typically avoid investing in certain sectors of the economy, including armaments, tobacco and gambling. They may also exclude investments in companies that have, in the past, made political donations, have been fined for pollution offenses or operate in countries with poor human rights records. AEGON's SRI funds also focus on 'positive screening' - investing in companies that, in individual sectors, offer the best sustainability records. 

Most SRI assets in both the United Kingdom and the Netherlands are managed on behalf of policyholders. AEGON offers advice to its customers about their investments in SRI funds. However, decisions on where to invest and how much to invest are taken by customers alone. AEGON cannot, therefore, influence the amounts invested in the company's SRI funds.

AEGON Industrial Fund Management (AIFMC), AEGON's asset management joint venture in China, operates a successful SRI fund, based on 'positive screening'.

At the end of 2009, AEGON had seven separate SRI funds - three in the United Kingdom, two in the Netherlands, one in Hungary and one in China.