Aegon UK announces its commitment to biodiversity protection and restoration by signing the Finance for Biodiversity Pledge. This global initiative brings together financial institutions from 25 countries that are committed and contribute through their investments and finance activities to reversing nature loss in 2030.
Aegon UK’s decision to sign the Pledge aligns with a growing trend of investors prioritising environmental considerations. Research earlier this year conducted by Aegon UK highlights that over half (51%) of Aegon UK customers believe impacts on nature, including biodiversity, to be an important consideration when investing in a company1.
The Finance for Biodiversity Pledge commits signatories to undertake a number of actions, including:
- Collaborating and sharing knowledge
- Engaging with companies
- Assessing impact
- Setting targets
- Reporting publicly before 2025
Hilkka Komulainen, Head of Responsible Investing at Aegon UK, comments:
“We are proud to sign the Finance for Biodiversity Pledge and take a stand for the protection of our planet.
“Our customers are increasingly aware of the environmental impact their investments can have, and we believe that financial institutions have a responsibility to take action to address this critical issue.
“By understanding and taking ownership of the nature impact of our pension schemes, we are committed to being a force for good and use our influence to help protect the planet, on behalf of our customers.”
1 Data source - Aegon Responsible Investment Customer Panel Survey conducted in July 2023.
About the Finance for Biodiversity Pledge
In total, 163 financial institutions representing 25 countries and over 21.7 trillion euro in combined assets (under management) signed the Finance for Biodiversity Pledge in 2023. The Pledge was initiated by a group of 26 financial institutions calling on global leaders and committing to protect and restore biodiversity through their finance activities and investments and launched during the Nature for Life Hub at 25 September 2020 and the Biodiversity Summit of the United Nations General Assembly at 30 September 2020.
About Aegon UK
In the UK, Aegon offers pension and investment solutions to over 4 million customers. Aegon employs over 2,000 people in the UK and together with around 600 people employed by Atos, we serve the needs of our customers. Figures correct as at 31/12/2022. More information: www.aegon.co.uk
Aegon UK is part of the wider Aegon Group, based in the Netherlands, whose roots go back to the first half of the nineteenth century. Since then, Aegon has grown into an international business, with over 29 million customers in multiple countries and over 747.4 billion EUR of revenue generating investments (as at 30/12/2022). More information on www.aegon.com
The information in this press release is intended solely for journalists and shouldn’t be relied upon by any other persons to make financial decisions.