Annual Report - BNP Paribas

2007 was marked by the launch in May of BNP Paribas
Investment Partners, a brand which encompasses
all the expertise of BNP Paribas’ asset management
businesses.
This brand shows how, building on the existing know-how
of BNP Paribas Asset Management in fundamental asset
management, the business has progressively developed
new areas of expertise through a multi-specialisation strategy
based on setting up innovative partnerships with leading
specialists in each new domain.
BNP Paribas Investment Partners therefore combines
the best of both worlds: the fi nancial security and highly
effi cient control systems of a large organisation and the
proximity of a large distribution network, combined with
the responsiveness, specialisation and entrepreneurial
spirit of smaller asset management companies.
In 2007, this unique model once again enabled
BNP Paribas Investment Partners to achieve strong
growth, despite a sharp deterioration in market conditions
in the third quarter. Strong international development in
recent years has provided BNP Paribas Investment
Partners with a solid source of growth:
In Italy, where synergies between local teams and
BNP Paribas Asset Management teams in Paris resulted
in the successful launch and placement through the
BNL network of numerous structured products. At the
BNP Paribas, Mumbai
same time, the range of products distributed by BNL
was entirely reworked in 2007 to respond to the needs of
differing client categories;
The portfolio of managed assets in the Middle East grew
by more than 60% in 2007 thanks in particular to numerous
mandates from large institutions;
The “new markets”, particularly South Korea and Turkey,
enjoyed solid momentum which led to a greater than
50% increase in their managed assets. In addition to local
demand which remained very buoyant, foreign investors
showed a keen interest in these countries as they sought
to improve their geographical diversifi cation.
Impax, BNP Paribas
Investment Partners’
specialist in
environmental funds
BNP Paribas Investment
Partners has enriched its
range of products and
services by acquiring
29.4% of Impax, an asset
management company
specialised in environmental
markets and listed on the
London Stock Exchange.
The partnership between
the two companies began
eighteen months ago
with the launch of the
Parworld Environmental
Opportunities fund and will
be strengthened to cover the
management and distribution
of funds in certain parts of
Europe, Asia-Pacifi c and the
Middle East.
BNP Paribas Asset
Management confi rms
progress in the fi eld
of sustainable and
responsible investment
With more than
EUR 8 billion in assets under
management and advisory
at the end of December
2007, BNP Paribas Asset
Management is a major
player in sustainable and
responsible investment. This
commitment is illustrated
by the driving role played
by BNP Paribas Asset
Management in numerous
global initiatives focusing on
key issues such as climate
change and supporting
extra-fi nancial research.
Thus in 2007 BNPP AM
became a partner to the
Carbon Disclosure Project
after signing the United
Nations Principles for
Responsible Investment
at the end of 2006.
Furthermore, BNPP AM
holds the vice-presidency
of the Institutional Investors
Group on Climate Change
(IIGCC) and is a founder
member of the Enhanced
Analytics Initiative (EAI).
BNP Paribas Investment
Partners: unique
knowledge of new
markets
The asset portfolios
managed by partners of
BNP Paribas Investment
Partners in new markets
(Brazil, Argentina, India,
China, South Korea, Turkey
and Morocco) grew by more
than 50% in 2007, refl ecting
growing investor interest in
these regions. South Korea
stands at the top of the list
among these countries,
having reported record net
infl ows over the year. At the
end of December 2007,
BNP Paribas Investment
Partners was one of the
largest global players in
these new markets with
EUR 33 billion
in managed assets.