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.’