The $18bn (€17bn) London-headquartered sustainable asset manager Osmosis Investment Management plans to launch a new Dutch fixed income affiliate to be led by Victor Verberk, the former chief investment officer for fixed income and sustainability of asset management firm Robeco.
The new investment firm has applied for a licence with the Dutch Authority for the Financial Markets (AFM) as an alternative investment fund manager and provider of discretionary portfolio management services, which is currently in process with the AFM.
Subject to these regulatory approvals, Osmosis seeks to launch both an investment-grade fund and a high yield fund in the first year of trading.
Verberk, who will hold a majority interest in the new entity together with “other key investment professionals”, served as fixed income CIO at Robeco until December 2023, when he quit his job and embarked on a career break, according to his LinkedIn profile.
“With the support of our institutional shareholders, this venture will be a scale-up rather than a start-up and will leverage the brand, combined distribution networks and sustainable expertise of our sister company, Osmosis Investment Management UK,” Verberk said.
According to Verberk, the Netherlands is “a very attractive jurisdiction to attract fixed-income investment talent, to benefit from the Dutch no-nonsense and down to earth investment culture, and to service institutional investors who are interested in transition-focused management of their assets.”
Osmosis has been growing fast in recent years, winning, among others, a €4.5bn sustainable equity mandate from Dutch pension scheme PGB in 2023.
“Contrary to many peers that are reducing activity, headcount and commitment to sustainable investment we are seeing increased demand for our specialist research and investment expertise. And despite political rhetoric acting as headwinds, we believe that doubling down on our commitment is essential; political winds are transitory, but without accelerated activity the climate impact will be permanent,” said Ben Dear, chief executive officer of Osmosis.
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