- BNP Paribas acted as sole sustainability co-ordinator and sole arranger on an inaugural Green Loan for Olatein, a Joint Venture between DSM, a global science-based company in Nutrition, Health and Sustainable Living and Avril.
- The bilateral Green Loan facility include a dedicated Green Loan framework which defines use of proceeds. Financing will support Olatein in the development of a production plant that will manufacture CanolaPRO® a non
- GMO high quality plant-based protein isolate extracted from canola/rapeseed meal. CanolaPRO® will be used in a variety of food products enhancing vegan
and vegetarian products such as meat and dairy alternatives, beverages, baked products, bars, and ready-to-mix drinks for sport nutrition.
- A second Green Loan supports the construction of a waste water treatment plant that will clean the wastewater of the manufacturing process and contribute to the production of biogas. The biogas facility will contribute to supplying the local energy network and minimize the environmental footprint of production. The total quantity of biogas energy produced will equate to heating about 500 homes on a yearly basis.
- The transaction adheres to the Green Loan Principles.
Bruné Singh, Head of Group Treasury DSM: “As purpose-led company, DSM is deeply committed to sustainability. It is a core value, a key responsibility, and an important business growth driver for us. We provide products and solutions that help to enhance the health of people and planet through sustainably produced food. Therefore, I am pleased that together with partners we’ve been able to conclude these innovative Green Loan financing arrangements in support of our Olatein joint venture. It underscores the importance of sustainability in everything we do, and that includes corporate finance.”
“In line with its purpose – Serving the Earth -Avril is committed to ensuring that by 2030, 100% of its investments, whether industrial or financial, are based on economic, environmental and social criteria.” says Aymeric Mongeaud, Chief Financial and Administrative Officer, Avril. “The financing of the Olatein and
Circulargaz projects through Green Loans is a first concrete step in this commitment; we are proud that the positive impact of these two projects on the environment has made it possible to set up this financing.”
Cecile Moitry, Co-head, sustainable finance markets at BNP Paribas said “these green loan transactions for Olatein demonstrate how sustainable finance can accelerate the circular economy, sustainable consumption, and support innovation in the transition to a low carbon economy”.
For more information please contact:
CFF Communications
Janneke Dijkstra
Tel: +31 (0)6 27 07 27 60
janneke.dijkstra@cffcommunications.n
BNP Paribas Real Estate Netherlands announces today that it has entered a strategic partnership with Quantum Projects, a distributor with global sales rights of amongst others air purifiers of ActivePure Technologies from technology company Aerus. These air purifiers are the only ones in the world that use certified aerospace technology and can actively remove bacteria, viruses and fungi from both the air and surfaces, including the COVID-19 virus. This new technology fits the RE\define housing programme of the future. RE\define is a knowledge platform developed by BNP Paribas Real Estate Netherlands, ARCADIS, G&S Vastgoed and MMEK to work together on a healthy and safe living environment.
After successful applications in government buildings, hospitals, schools and numerous other (public) buildings in the North American market, Aerus in cooperation with Quantum Projects will now also enter the Benelux market with its ActivePure technology. In 2017, ActivePure Technologies, formerly known as Aerus Holdings, was recognised by the Space Foundation[1] as the only surface and air-purification technology to effectively adapt and market technology originally developed for NASA to improve the quality of life for all humanity. The Aerus’ air purifiers produce submicroscopic hydroxyls and ions, so-called ActivePure molecules, that destroy contaminants. People who work or live in rooms where the air purifiers are installed are therefore less exposed to viruses, including RNA and DNA viruses, bacteria and fungi. Independent scientific studies repeatedly show that the patented ActivePure technology is the most powerful air and surface cleaning solution ever. More than 99% of micro-organisms and airborne contaminants on the surface are reduced.
“BNP Paribas Real Estate Netherlands has always been actively involved in creating better and safer working and living environments and this has been accelerated by the corona pandemic. As part of the RE\define programme, we work together with partners to create better and healthier places to live and to work, we equip organisations better for the challenges of today and of the future. The partnership with Quantum Projects enables us to make and keep spaces free of bacteria, fungi and viruses, including COVID-19. With Quantum and its ActivePure product line, we can further expand our service. We will soon offer the Aerus air purifiers to our clients and the clients of our RE\define partners,” said Sicco Posthumus, CEO BNP Paribas Real Estate Netherlands.
“We are pleased about the strategic partnership with a top ten international real estate provider such as BNP Paribas Real Estate Netherlands. Forward-looking, future-oriented and with an eye for social interest were important criteria in our search for a partner. BNP Paribas Real Estate Netherlands felt like a perfect match from the start. They have an innovative mindset and focus on advising their clients on the subject of safe working during the COVID era. Their focus on the future of the office environment is an extension of our ambition to help reopen the Netherlands and prevent new lockdowns,” said Roy de Ruiter, founder and managing director of Quantum Projects.
The performance of Aerus products has been scientifically proven for decades in independent FDA-certified laboratories. Testing of the ActivePure technology was conducted by one of the world’s best testing facilities, the University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB), which primarily tests for the US military and Centers for Disease Control (CDC). The UTMB study was conducted in late November 2020 at the Bio Safety Level (BSL) -3 and -4 laboratory that studies the world’s most deadly pathogens. In tests, the ActivePure technology deactivated more than 99.9% of the highly concentrated SARS-CoV-2 airborne virus in just 3 minutes, to below detectable levels.
[1] The inauguration in the Space Technology Hall of Fame occurred during a reception which was sponsored by SpaceX.
Active Pure Technology bij BNP Paribas Real Estate (c) Milan Hofmans
Sicco Posthumus, CEO BNP Paribas Real Estate (c) Milan Hofmans
Amsterdam, 5 March 2020 – With the arrival of Guido van den Brande and Peter Toutenhoofd, the Corporate & Institutional Banking team of BNP Paribas the Netherlands has been further strengthened. Guido van den Brande will become Co-Head Corporate Client Group the Netherlands on the first of April and Peter Toutenhoofd started as Head of Advisory the Netherlands on February the first.
Geert Lippens, CEO BNP Paribas the Netherlands: “Guido and Peter bring a lot of experience, a large network and will strengthen our offering as a major European player with a global platform. This will enable BNP Paribas to serve our clients on increasingly complex issues. In Europe, we have a leading position as a Corporate & Institutional Bank. We now want to actively expand this position. In addition to traditional Corporate Banking, where we are very strong in areas such as Financing, Trade Finance and Cash Management, our objective is to work more often with our clients on the strategic issues surrounding their business. I am looking forward to working with Guido and Peter to take advantage of the growth opportunities that the Dutch market offers.”
Guido van den Brande previously worked as Head of Corporate Clients RBS and in recent years as Managing Director Head of Coverage at HSBC. Peter Toutenhoofd comes over from Rabobank where he was Managing Director within the M&A team for the past 6 years. Both have over 25 years of Investment Banking and Corporate Finance experience.
Peter Toutenhoofd, Head of Advisory Nederland:“BNP Paribas occupies a special position in the Dutch market, with its Dutch roots dating back to 1863. Unlocking BNP Paribas’ global knowledge, expertise and opportunities for our Dutch clients is a challenge that I am happy to take up.”
Guido will lead the Corporate Client Group together with Matijn van Went as Co-Head. Matijn will focus specifically on Flow Banking, while Guido will focus on Strategic Dialogue.
Guido van den Brande, Co-Head Corporate Client Group Nederland: “I am happy to seize the opportunity with Matijn and our clients to realise the specific solutions for the complex assignments our clients are facing. With BNP Paribas’s strength, ambition and quality, we are well positioned to find those solutions and expand our market share in the Netherlands.”
Peter Toutenhoofd 
Guido van den Brande
BNP Paribas Securities Services, a leading custodian with EUR 10 trillion in assets under custody*, has been selected by Pensioenfonds PostNL to provide custody and value-added services.
Pensioenfonds PostNL is the company pension fund of PostNL, the leading mail and logistics solutions provider in the Netherlands and has a total asset base of EUR 8.6 billion **.
The mandate, effective from 1 January 2020, covers custody, investment accounting, investment compliance, regulatory reporting as well as performance and risk analytics services.
The award by Pensioenfonds PostNL reinforces BNP Paribas Securities Services’ position as a leading custody services provider in the Dutch institutional market. The bank has significantly grown its presence in the Netherlands in recent years, adding capacity, developing its local expertise and expanding its offering with a new pension fund dashboard enabling its Dutch institutional clients to monitor their investments daily for better oversight and enhanced risk monitoring.
René van de Kieft, Chairman of Pensioenfonds PostNL, said: “In the search for a new custodian, we selected BNP Paribas Securities Services, a stable, leading global provider with a solid infrastructure. Their Dutch team, which responded to our specific wishes for the fulfilment of the mandate, their capacity and set-up in the Netherlands, met our specific requirements. This gives us confidence in BNP Paribas Securities Services. The transition process that will take place in the coming months is of course exciting, but as a board we will be close to the process, ensuring that everything runs as smoothly as possible. ”
Mark Schilstra, Head of the Netherlands and Nordics at BNP Paribas Securities Services, added: “We are delighted to welcome Pensioenfonds PostNL as a client. This mandate win highlights our strong growth in the Dutch institutional market and our ability to deliver operational innovation and best-in-class service to major institutional investors. We look forward to our long-term partnership with Pensioenfonds PostNL.”
* as of 30 June 2019 Source: BNP Paribas Group q2 2019 results
** as of 31 December 2018 Source: 2018 in beeld
A BNP Paribas Securities Services survey of asset managers and owners* incorporating ESG strategies reveals further ESG integration by investors, with over 65% of respondents aligning their investment framework with the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Data and technology costs remain barriers to ESG integration, but investors are optimistic, with over 90% predicting more than 25% of their funds will be allocated towards ESG by 2021.
The key findings of the ESG Global Survey 2019 include:
- Stronger commitment to ESG investment vs 2017: 75% of asset owners and 62% of asset managers hold 25% or more of their investments in funds incorporating ESG (vs 48% and 53% in 2017).
- The UN SDGs are a new compass: 65% of respondents align their investment framework with the SDGs, mainly by setting SDG-related revenue targets for investee companies.
- Data and technology costs are barriers: As was the case in 2017, data remains the biggest barrier – ahead of costs, a lack of advanced analytical skills and greenwashing risks. One-third of respondents cite technology costs as a barrier to ESG integration (doubling from 16% in 2017).
- The outperformance factor: 52% of respondents ranked ‘improved long-term returns’ in their top three reasons for ESG investment. 60% of all respondents expect their ESG portfolios to outperform over the next five years.
- New jobs in ESG investing: Tendency to upskill employees and create new jobs by recruiting from non-traditional backgrounds (29% of respondents).
Florence Fontan, Head of Asset Owners at BNP Paribas Securities Services, said: “ESG investment is becoming increasingly important for investors, and our survey highlights investors’ appetite to pursue both purpose and performance. However, practical integration has its challenges due to data and technology barriers, and deep ESG investment is still finding its feet. The next two years will be critical to achieving the right investment mix, technology and skills in place.”
You can download the report here: ESG report
*347 institutional investors incorporating ESG strategies were interviewed for the survey
BNP Paribas appoints Geert Lippens as CEO & Country Head for The Netherlands, based in Amsterdam. Geert will oversee all Dutch Group entities of BNP Paribas The Netherlands, among which Corporate & Institutional Banking, Asset Management, Arval (car leasing), Leasing Solutions, Personal Finance (consumer credit), Factor (factoring), Cardif (insurances) and Real Estate (real estate advisory). On top of his Country Head role, Geert will be heading the BNP Paribas Corporate & Institutional Banking team. Geert succeeds Daniel Thielemans, who held the position of CEO & Country Head for the Netherlands since 2016.
Geert has over 25 years banking experience in Corporate & Institutional Banking. Over the past few years Geert held the position of Head Leveraged Debt Platform and Energy, Resources & Infrastructure Finance EMEA at BNP Paribas in Paris. Previously he worked in various management roles internationally within BNP Paribas and Fortis.
Yannick Jung, Head of Global Banking EMEA: “With a presence in the Netherlands for 150 years, BNP Paribas has a long standing commitment to the Dutch market, which is of strategic importance to us. We are determined to further support the Dutch corporate and institutional clients in their local and international activities. We are delighted to appoint Geert. His experience working in various positions in Corporate and Institutional Banking across multiple continents will be a fantastic asset to our clients and for accelerating our local development. I would like to thank Daniel for his contribution to BNP Paribas and I wish him all the best in his future endeavours.””
Geert Lippens : ‘I am looking forward to guide our Dutch clients in their international growth and to further develop the solid and diverse activity platform of the Bank in The Netherlands. The Dutch team is strong and I am confident that we will be able to continue our growth in the coming years.’
BNP Paribas Personal Finance, a subsidiary of BNP Paribas, launches a fully online consumer credit product today which consumers can adapt to their own financial situation. This ‘Personal Loan’ is offered via brokers. BNP Paribas Personal Finance is already the market leader in consumer credit in France and the rest of Europe.
The consumer credit market has changed considerably in recent years. Due to the improving economy and increasing consumer confidence, demand for consumer credit is growing, according to market research conducted by BNP Paribas Personal Finance. Market research also shows that consumers want to adapt a consumer loan as much as possible to their personal situation, for example via a flexible direct debit date.
BNP Paribas Personal Finance meets this market demand with the ‘Personal Loan’, a product that consumers can adapt to their personal and financial situation. Customers can determine the monthly direct debit date, adjusting the monthly amount or making a one-off payment themselves without paying extra costs. In addition, the application procedure is fully digital processed and is offered via (online) intermediaries.
Alexander Paklons, CEO at BNP Paribas Personal Finance:
“This launch reflects our commitment to the Dutch market. Due to recent changes in regulations and economic confidence, we believe that our ‘Most Personal Loan’ meets the credit needs of many consumers. We also believe that a fully digital offer fits the modern customer needs, with consumers who expect to be served quickly and want to have a product that fits their personal situation.”
The most personal loan
The ‘Most Personal Loan’ is a flexible product with the possibility of free full repayment before the end of the term. The term of the loan is fully aligned with the economic life of the loan target. When a customer deceases, up to € 25,000 will be remitted. . Extra flexible product characteristics ensure that the loan moves along with the consumer. The consumer can choose and change the desired debit date himself and increase and decrease the monthly repayments.
The loan can digitally be requested, and can also be signed, paid out and managed online. Both the customer and the intermediary have access to the portal where they can view current details and the current state of the loan. In this way the intermediary is always aware of the current customer’ situation and is able to fulfill his duty of care.
BNP Paribas Securities Services, a global custodian with EUR 9.3 trillion in assets under custody, has been appointed to provide global custody and value added services to Ahold Pensioenfonds, the 4.5 billion pension fund of Ahold Delhaize, the Netherlands’ leading food retailer.
The mandate covers custody, investment accounting, investment compliance, regulatory reporting, performance measurement and risk reporting and is effective from 1 January 2018.
This marks another milestone in the development of BNP Paribas Securities Services in the Netherlands. Earlier this year, the bank acquired a full-service local asset administration platform and a team of more than 50 specialists, which significantly increased its existing local expertise and capacity in the country.
John de Waal, Senior Director Finance & Risk of Ahold Pensioenfonds, said: “After an extensive selection process we selected BNP Paribas Securities Services as our new custodian. BNP Paribas Securities Services offers local services tailored to our needs and requirements, supported by a solid global custody organisation. Together with BNP Paribas Securities Services, we will be able to further improve our performance and risk reporting.”
Robert van Kerkhoff, Head of BNP Paribas Securities Services Netherlands, added: “We are delighted to welcome Ahold Pensioenfonds as a client. This mandate win underlines our growing strengths in the Dutch institutional market and our ability to deliver operational innovation and service quality to major institutional investors in the Netherlands.”
BNP Paribas Securities Services has completed the onboarding of ACTIAM’s middle and back office activities in the Netherlands, representing EUR 54.1 billion in assets under administration. The mandate was announced in April 2017.
As part of the mandate, 54 staff members from ACTIAM’s operations teams have now transferred to BNP Paribas Securities Services, increasing the bank’s existing local expertise and capacity in the Netherlands.
The onboarding required the migration of over 400 portfolios worth EUR 54.1 billion, which are now administered by BNP Paribas Securities Services.
In addition, the bank also implemented a global custody mandate from ACTIAM’s parent company VIVAT, representing EUR 27 billion in assets under custody.
Hans van Houwelingen, CEO of ACTIAM commented: “We are very pleased with the successful migration of our middle and back office asset management operations, fund and investment accounting and reporting services. By partnering with BNP Paribas Securities Services, we will be able to focus on our core business of responsible investing and on servicing our customers. Besides that, we can accelerate our international ambitions.”
Robert van Kerkhoff, Head of BNP Paribas Securities Services Netherlands, added: “We are delighted to be working with ACTIAM and to expand our team in the Netherlands. This mandate marks a major milestone in our development in the country and underlines our commitment to the Dutch institutional market.”
BNP Paribas announced today that it has appointed Daniel Thielemans as CEO & Country Head Netherlands. Effective immediately, he succeeds Anne Marie Verstraeten, who has been appointed as Head of UK of BNP Paribas. Daniel will oversee all the BNP Paribas Group entities in the Netherlands, including Corporate & Institutional Banking, Investment Partners (asset management), Arval (car leasing and fleet management), Leasing Solutions, Factor (factoring), Cardif (insurance), Real Estate (real estate advisory). Additionally, Daniel heads the BNP Paribas Corporate & Institutional Banking team in The Netherlands.
Daniel brings with him a wealth of experience in Corporate & Institutional Banking and a large international network. Daniel started his career in 1978 with Generale Bank in Belgium, where he was CEO of the London and New York branches between 1993 and 1997. Until 2007 he held several commercial positions with the Corporate & Investment Banking activity of Fortis Bank in the United Kingdom until he was appointed CEO of Fortis Bank in the UK in 2007. As of 2010 until his appointment as CEO & Country Head Netherlands, Daniel was General Auditor with BNP Paribas Fortis in Brussels.
Marc Carlos, Head of Corporate & Institutional Banking Country Management EMEA: “BNP Paribas is strongly committed to the Dutch market. Having had a presence here for 150 years, BNP Paribas will continue its support of the growth of the Dutch economy and the development of Dutch businesses in the future. In particular, we support Dutch corporates in realizing their international development, with our innovative, ethical financial products and our strong international network. We are confident that Daniel, with his strong international experience, will continue the successful growth of BNP Paribas in The Netherlands.”
Daniel Thielemans: ”I look forward to even better serve current and potential clients, together with the experienced team in The Netherlands. BNP Paribas has a strong and diverse activity platform in The Netherlands, with 10 businesses working in 13 offices across The Netherlands. I strongly believe that together we can make BNP Paribas’ growth story a success.”