Investments go Dutch

Dutch asset-management company Robeco, part of the Rabobank Group, has begun operations on the Polish market. The company is starting off by offering four foreign investment funds that will be sold through the network of 212 Bank Gospodarki Żywnoœciowej (BGŻ) outlets. The management believes that following the boom on the Polish investment-fund market, customers will try to diversify their portfolios.

"Poland is a very promising market for us and we believe that in the coming years its economy will grow faster than the economy in the eurozone," said Willem van Someren Greve, deputy president of Robeco.

At the moment Robeco offers four investment funds: Global Value Equities, investing in American and European companies; Emerging Markets Equities; Global Bonds; and a High Yield fund, investing in high-yield bonds.

"Robeco is becoming our strategic partner. For the time being we're the only distributor of Robeco's products, we act as its clearance bank and the bank representing Robeco to customers and the regulator," says Maciej Trybuchowski, director of BGŻ's brokerage house.

Robeco is counting on the biggest interest coming from retail customers in accordance with BGŻ's profile, but the company is already in talks with other potential partners.

"BGŻ will not be our only distribution partner, we're already discussing possible cooperation with other institutions. We will also introduce more funds next year," said Ton Kentgens, Robeco's development manager for Poland.

The company didn't reveal its target for the value of assets it would like to obtain in Poland. Worldwide, Rabobank manages assets worth EUR 132 (zł.523) billion.