The Netherlands’ NN Investment Partners (NN IP) says that as part of its increased focus on the Asia-Pacific region it will establish a responsible investing (RI) hub in Singapore – its first outside of its home country – to develop product offerings in environmental, social and governance (ESG)-integrated solutions.

Since the formation of the RI team in The Hague in early 2017, active involvement in sustainability-related matters and engagement with corporates and sovereigns in the region has accelerated, including the increased integration of ESG criteria into the investment processes of NN IP’s Asian credit and emerging-market debt strategies managed from Singapore.  

Three specialists will lead the company’s stewardship and engagement activities on RI-related trends and topics in the region, including a senior ESG expert to head up the responsible investing team. NN IP will also appoint dedicated ESG research analysts to engage with corporates on ESG topics and contribute to the deepening of research and reporting tools, particularly for the company's debt strategies managed from Singapore.

The head of the Asian RI team will report to Arnoud Diemers, head of innovation and RI platform in The Hague, and Gopi Mirchandani, CEO in Singapore. The RI team will be established at the beginning of 2022.

Adrie Heinsbroek, NN IP’s chief sustainability officer, says: “As one of the largest active green bond investors in the world, we anticipate growth in Asian financial markets and will work with local and regional issuers to make the transition to green financing a logical next step.”