Our investments

Investment guidelines drawn up by our parent company Munich Re and the Principles for Responsible Investments (PRI) which we signed up to in 2006, provide the framework for our sustainable investment strategy across the Group.

The primary objective of our investment management is to be in a position to meet our commitments to customers at all times. The following objective applies to all lines of business: maximum security for the investors. The investment strategies are based on the differing insurance benefits. For example, in a traditional life insurance the guaranteed benefits must be generated alongside the bonus, whereas health insurance demands the ability to pay ongoing costs and making provision to pay for any higher health benefits as customers get older. We therefore need to ensure in all lines that the maturities for our investments match the terms for our commitments.

MEAG, the joint asset manager of ERGO and Munich Re, manages the investments of ERGO. The company is one of the major investors in the European finance sector. A comprehensive, joint controlling system operated by ERGO and MEAG ensures that we meet the commitments to our customers over the long term. A dedicated early-warning system at the ERGO Group monitors compliance with the mandate specifications to MEAG every day. This also takes account of the investment categories, quality and limits.

We favor to invest in shares, corporate and government bonds as well as in public interest-bearing securities which comply with sustainability criteria – meaning ecological and social standards and the rules of good corporate governance, known as ESG criteria. To this end, our asset manager MEAG is relying on data by MSCI, a leading provider of ESG ratings and research. MEAG invests the capital according to the provisions and guidelines of our process for responsible investments.

In line with our corporate responsibility strategy, we strive to contribute to mitigating the impact of climate change with our investments, too. Consequently, we support the energy transformation and the renunciation of fossil fuels, and have taken the Group decision not to invest in companies that generate more than 30 percent of their revenues from coal extraction or coal-fired power generation.