Latest news with #JosBaeten
Reuters
21 hours ago
- Business
- Reuters
ASR Nederland beats first-half forecasts on strong life insurance business
Aug 20 (Reuters) - Insurer ASR Nederland ( opens new tab said on Wednesday it realised an organic capital creation of 721 million euros ($839 million) in the first half of 2025, above the 696 million euros analysts it had polled were expecting. "The operating result amounts to 826 million euros, with an operating return on equity of 14.4%, well above our target," CEO Jos Baeten said in a press release. The stronger than expected results were mainly driven by robust performances across all business areas, and most notably in ASR's life insurance division, it said. The company added the results benefited from the absence of severe weather events in the reporting period, as the global insurance sector faces potentially $150 billion in losses for the year and Southern Europe grapples with devastating wildfires. ASR also said it would pay an interim dividend of 1.27 euros per share, 9.5% higher than the interim payout for the first half of 2024. The group's Solvency II ratio, which determines capital requirements insurers must hold, stood at 203%. ($1 = 0.8596 euros)
Reuters
a day ago
- Business
- Reuters
Insurer ASR Nederland beats expectations for half-year capital generation
Aug 20 (Reuters) - Insurer ASR Nederland ( opens new tab said on Wednesday it realised an organic capital creation of 721 million euros ($839 million) in the first half of 2025, above the 696 million euros analysts it had polled were expecting. "The operating result amounts to 826 million euros, with an operating return on equity of 14.4%, well above our target," CEO Jos Baeten said in a press release. The group's Solvency II ratio, which determines capital requirements insurers must hold, stood at 203%. ($1 = 0.8596 euros)
Reuters
19-02-2025
- Business
- Reuters
Global tensions drive Dutch insurer ASR Nederland to invest in defence
Feb 19 (Reuters) - Dutch insurer ASR Nederland ( opens new tab could invest up to 100 million euros ($104.24 million) per investment case in the country's defence industry, its CEO said on Wednesday, responding to government efforts to bolster European defence. The government has called for private capital to help build a stronger European arms industry, as the Ukraine-Russia war has underlined the threat to European security. At the same time, the U.S. administration, under the presidency of Donald Trump, has threatened to withdraw its support for European defence. The Netherlands' second-largest insurer said in December it would consider investing in Dutch defence companies, ending a long-held policy of avoiding the sector as part of its efforts towards socially responsible investment. "It depends on the opportunity and need. In some cases, it could be 50 million. In other cases, it could be 100 million," ASR CEO Jos Baeten told Reuters when talking about investing in defence companies. He said he was in close contact with the Dutch Ministry of Defence and mentioned the first investment in the area was a done deal, adding the company had asked not to be named. "It would be naive to think we don't need to invest further in our own defence," Baeten said, adding Europe needed to stand together given "the way the new presidency of the U.S. is treating Europe". "France can't do it on their own. Germany can't do it on their own. The Netherlands can't do it on their own," he said. ($1 = 0.9593 euros) Make sense of the latest ESG trends affecting companies and governments with the Reuters Sustainable Switch newsletter. Sign up here.
