Our Investment Process
In the multi-stage investment process of our sustainable asset management, we bring together the expertise of internal and external specialists. This includes capital market specialists such as analysts, portfolio managers, and strategists from Bethmann HAL and ABN AMRO, who utilize external databases for sustainability analysis. An independent sustainability advisory board contributes its social-ethical and scientific expertise to the investment process. In addition, we involve other providers of corporate engagement and proxy voting services in the investment process.
Various guidelines and policies specify and formalize the framework conditions for implementing the sustainable investment process. At the Group level, the “Sustainability Guidelines for Investment Products and Services” and the “Sustainability Risk Policy” govern the handling of sustainable investment products. Among other things, they clarify the use of corporate engagement, the implementation of exclusion lists, and the calculation of sustainability indicators.
The “Principles of Sustainable Investment Policy” can be found here (german). (PDF, 636 KB)
You can find information about our investment process on the following websites:
List of Prohibited Weapons
Regulations regarding the exclusion of manufacturers and producers of controversial weapons, as well as a list of the companies affected.
Principles of Corporate Engagement and Proxy Voting
Information on Bethmann HAL’s engagement policy is available here (german) (PDF, 123 KB) .
A report on our firm’s engagement activities in 2023 can be found here (german) (PDF, 212 KB) .
Investors can also find information on the bank’s engagement process on the ABN AMRO website.
KVG Universal Investment conducts proxy voting for Bethmann HAL’s public funds. General information on the engagement policy can be found here (german).
Information on the exercise of voting rights in Bethmann HAL’s funds during the last calendar year can be found here (german) (PDF, 277 KB) .
What principles, ESG strategies, and criteria are applied?
Bethmann HAL funds are managed with sustainability criteria in mind. Environmental, social, and corporate ethics criteria are incorporated into the sustainability analysis of companies, countries, and organizations. Taking the sustainability profile into account when analyzing companies enables the identification of high-value companies that demonstrate attractive, long-term stable earnings potential due to their responsible business practices.
Our sustainable asset management investment process comprises several stages and integrates the full research and portfolio management capabilities of the Global Investment Center, as well as the strategic and tactical guidelines of the Global Investment Committee regarding the allocation of asset classes, regions, sectors, and sub-asset classes. In individual stock selection, however, specific ESG criteria and investment principles come into play. In this context, the fund management places particular emphasis on products and services, corporate governance and business ethics, as well as environmental management and eco-efficiency when evaluating companies. In country analysis, the focus is on institutions and politics, social conditions, infrastructure, environmental protection, and environmental impacts.
Unser Managementansatz beinhaltet die folgenden Komponenten:
- Best-in-class: We analyze companies based on, among other factors, an ESG risk rating compiled by Sustainalytics, and invest exclusively in companies whose ratings are above average within their industry group.
- Exclusion criteria: We define criteria for excluding investments in certain companies, sectors, themes, or countries.
- Controversy Monitoring: We monitor companies whose behavior raises concerns and respond by selling their securities in the event of serious controversies.
- Review: Our portfolios undergo a review process conducted by an independent sustainability advisory board, whose members possess specialized expertise in the areas of ecology, social issues, and society.
- Engagement: We seek to engage in active dialogue with companies that particularly violate our set of values.
- Proxy voting: We selectively utilize the services of our service providers to exercise voting rights on behalf of the companies in which we have invested.
Our management approach includes clearly defined exclusion criteria
Our sustainability approach employs multiple screening criteria that result in the exclusion of investments in certain companies, sectors, or countries. For companies, revenue thresholds apply to controversial products and business practices.
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