News & Knowledge

2022, 19 April

Kempen Global Listed Infrastructure: Quarterly update

Our quarterly updates will give an overview of the main themes dominating the quarter, our outlook for these themes, and then an overview of the performance of the strategy, and development in strategy size.

2022, 11 April

Asset Allocation Outlook April

The war in Ukraine continues to rage but investors are looking to the future. The US S&P500 equity index is now higher than in the run-up to Russia’s invasion. Although the European STOXX index has not yet returned to its former level, it has rallied sharply. Equities from industrialised nations earned a plus of 2.5% in March. In local currency, US equities climbed by 3.6%, while Europe was still slightly negative at -0.4%. Yet this was still better than emerging markets, which lost 2.5%. This was primarily due to a downturn in the Chinese MSCI index of 6.1%, but a drop of 3.7% in Taiwan also stood out. Higher bond yields caused government bonds to note extremely negative returns: -2.8% in the US and -3.9% in the Eurozone.

2022, 07 April

BPFL renews contract for fiduciary services by Van Lanschot Kempen

The Dutch pension fund for the food sector (Bedrijfstakpensioenfonds voor het Levensmiddelenbedrijf, BPFL) has reappointed Van Lanschot Kempen as fiduciary manager. In the past year, the pension fund, assisted by KPMG Advisory, carried out a comprehensive and thorough selection process for a fiduciary manager. Based on its findings, the pension fund came to the conclusion that Van Lanschot Kempen offers the best fit with its ambitions and criteria.

2022, 06 April

Kempen European Private Equity Fund II reaches maximum capacity of €245 million at its second closing

Kempen European Private Equity Fund II, the private equity fund managed by Van Lanschot Kempen closed last week with total committed capital of €245 million. This means that the maximum target size of the fund has been reached.

2022, 05 April

Why Active is attractive: the case for engagement

How and when to engage with companies is a hotly contested topic on issues from wages to global warming. At Kempen, we believe active engagement makes a difference to building long-term value at companies, but on issues like climate it must drive down real-world emissions, not just the emissions in a portfolio.

2022, 01 April

Van Lanschot Kempen signs statement calling on oil and gas companies to accelerate the energy transition

In a joint statement, a group of seven Dutch asset managers, including Van Lanschot Kempen, calls on oil and gas companies to step up their actions to counter climate change. Van Lanschot Kempen has committed itself to the objective of limiting global warming to +1.5% and is urging companies and investors worldwide to do the same.

2022, 29 March

Van Lanschot Kempen announces the departure of CFRO Constant Korthout and the intended appointment of Wendy Winkelhuijzen as CRO and Jeroen Kroes as CFO

Van Lanschot Kempen today announces that Constant Korthout will leave the company on 1 September 2022, after having served 12 successful years as a member of the Management Board and CFRO.

2022, 23 March

Van Lanschot Kempen’s Anneka Treon appointed as ambassador of Bloomberg’s EU Women in Finance initiative

Bloomberg today – 23 March - launched a new EU Women in Finance initiative to promote greater gender diversity, inspire and empower the next generation of women to pursue and advance careers in finance. The initiative aims to open up and demystify the world of financial markets to young women. It is the first pan-EU program offering dedicated training on capital markets alongside the opportunity to learn from inspirational female leaders shaping the future of financial services in the EU.

2022, 22 March

Van Lanschot Kempen launches two new BestSelect equity funds with sustainable thematic investment objectives

Van Lanschot Kempen has launched two new sustainable equity funds under its BestSelect umbrella. The two funds have a distinct objective: to invest in companies that supply products and service that have a significant impact on people and the planet. With the introduction of these funds, Van Lanschot Kempen has taken a further step towards strengthening the sustainability profile of its portfolios for both its institutional and its private banking clients.

2022, 17 March

Investments in Russia and Belarus

Kempen has very limited direct investments in Russia and Belarus. Given the current upsetting events in Ukraine, we are investigating the possibilities for a careful and responsible divestment of the investment positions.

2022, 09 March

Asset Allocation Outlook March

Last month we said there was still hope for equity investors for 2022. We still think that, although investors will need to exercise patience. The reason is of course the Russian invasion of Ukraine which, aside from unimaginable human suffering and damage to infrastructure, is generating enormous uncertainty. Equity markets fell in February, globally by 2.7%, with Europe (-5.2%) hit harder than the US (-3.1%). That was nothing compared to the Russian market, however, which dived over 30% in a single day and was subsequently closed. The rouble has also plummeted. Investors sought safety in government bonds, causing US 10-year bond yields to fall to 1.7% and German yields to drop back below zero. The big winners were commodities, especially oil, the price of which climbed to 114 US dollars a barrel at the start of March, its highest level since February 2013. European gas prices shot up again.

2022, 03 March

Global Impact Pool Quarterly

We are pleased to report on the fourth quarter of 2021 for Kempen’s Global Impact Pool, in which we continued to deploy capital towards the Global Impact Pool’s mission, which is to make investments that positively contribute to solving global problems around the food, water and climate nexus and five Sustainable Development Goals.

2022, 03 March

Russia-Ukraine conflict: Macro update

On Thursday, 24 February 2022, Russia’s President Putin declared a general invasion of Ukraine. At the time, this was the worst-case scenario as predicted by strategists and analysts. After an initial shock reflected in stock markets, markets recovered on Friday, 25 February when the West’s initial sanctions were considered relatively minor. However, this picture has changed dramatically in recent days: the West, acting faster and more united than expected, is prepared for far-reaching sanctions, even if these have negative consequences for their own economies. Hopes for a de-escalation of the military conflict are currently low. Bright spots are the negotiations between Russia and Ukraine, and that China has indicated that it wants to mediate between the two countries.

2022, 04 July

Van Lanschot Kempen is aiming to further expand its Investment Management activities in Germany

Kempen Capital Management, the investment management arm of Van Lanschot Kempen, today appointed Michael Schlieper as Director Business Development Germany & Austria for its institutional Investment Management activities. Michael Schlieper will focus specifically on servicing banks, wealth managers and institutional investors in Germany and Austria.

2022, 30 June

Kempen Capital Management disapproves recent Board decisions at Fujitec

Kempen Capital Management N.V. (Kempen) disapproves recent Board decisions at Fujitec Co., Ltd. (Fujitec). This was expressed today in an open letter to Fujitec’s Board of Directors. Funds managed and accounts advised by Kempen currently own approximately 4.0% of the outstanding shares of Fujitec.

2022, 29 June

From Coal to Koalas

Kempen’s SDG Farmland Strategy has a new investment in farmland in Australia. The area had been purchased by a Chinese mining giant for mining coal, but protests highlighting the dangers of soil pollution and the threat to the local Koala population eventually led to the permit being withdrawn. Today, the area is being dedicated to long-term, sustainable agriculture, in a joint venture supported by the Kempen.

2022, 27 June

KLM cabin crew pension fund selects Van Lanschot Kempen as fiduciary advisor

Today we announce that the KLM cabin crew pension fund has selected Kempen Capital Management, the asset management arm of Van Lanschot Kempen, as strategic investment advisor for its investment policy and the sustainability enhancement of the pension fund’s portfolio.