Robeco

Robeco is a Dutch asset managing company headquartered in Rotterdam, Netherlands. As in December 2017, Robeco had AuM to the value of €191 billion under management. Both private and institutional investors are catered to by a professional team of 877 people working from 15 offices across the globe.

About Robeco

Robeco manages a wide range of active investments ranging from bonds to equities. From the time the company was launched their approach has been ‘pioneering but cautious’. Robeco believes in sustainable investments, continuous innovation and in using quantitative techniques to achieve optimum results.

Brief History

Founded in 1929, Robeco was originally known as Rotterdamsch Belleggings Consortium (Rotterdam Investment Consortium) but was later shortened to Robeco. It was formed by seven business executives from Rotterdam who started a syndicate to manage people’s invested savings. Although they lost half their money in the first two years, Robeco persevered. The company survived World War II through heavy investment into the United States. In the 1950s Robeco introduced a share-saving offer which gave people with more modest means the option to invest. Between 1959 and 1976 Robeco obtained listings in Paris, Brussels, London, Hong Kong and Tokyo. By 1969 Robeco was the biggest European mutual fund. The 1980s saw Robeco open offices across Europe and by the 1990s the company started expanding abroad.

Geographically

Robeco was launched in The Netherlands but has since expanded across the globe with offices throughout Europe, in Asia-Pacific, Central Asia, Africa, The United States, Canada and Latin America. ORIX Corporation, a Japanese business conglomerate owns Robeco. The company has a far-reaching global presence with activities in:

Australia – Robeco Hong Kong in Sydney
China – Robeco Greater China and South East Asia in Hong Kong
Germany – Robeco Germany in Frankfurt
Spain – Robeco Spain in Madrid
France – Robeco France in Paris
UAE – Robeco Middle East in Dubai
Switzerland – RobecoSAM and Corestone Investment Managers in Zurich
Japan – Robeco Japan in Tokyo
India – Canara Asset Management in Mumbai
The Middle East and Africa
The United States – Robeco Investment Management in New York City, Boston, Los Angeles and San Francisco and Harbor Capital Advisors in Chicago and Boston
The United Kingdom – Robeco UK in London

The Robeco head office remains in Rotterdam, The Netherlands.

Significant Investments

Robeco was one of the first investors to enter the Japanese stock market. This pioneering step was taken in 1963. In March 2018 Robeco launched a QI Global Developed Active Equities fund – an actively-managed quant fund. It was started with the aim of outperforming the MSCI World Index through using an integrated multi-factor stock selection model. Robeco is also significantly invested in industry giants like Alphabet Inc. and General Electric, both American multinational conglomerates.

Robeco in the News

In April 2018 it was reported that Robeco launched an investment fund aimed at attracting institutional investors to finance mortgages for residences in the Netherlands. The deal was struck with Vista Hypotheken, a subsidiary of Rabobank. In the first quarter of 2018, it was also reported that Robeco increased its stake in Intel Co. by 33.6% in the 4th quarter of 2017.