AXA Philippines vows uninterrupted service as AXA IM joins BNP Paribas
By Derco Rosal
AXA Philippines has assured customers that their investments remain secure following the €5.4-billion sale of AXA Group’s AXA Investment Managers (AXA IM) to French financial giant BNP Paribas.
While the transition is ongoing, AXA Philippines, a key market for the France-based AXA Group, assured customers that services will continue uninterrupted and operations will remain stable.
“Our customers can be assured that their investments remain in good hands and that there will be no disruption in fund performance monitoring, customer support, or access to investment insights,” said Ayman Kandil, president and CEO of AXA Philippines.
AXA Philippines said in a statement released on Monday, July 28, that AXA IM will remain the “target” fund provider for its investment-linked life insurance global funds.
Said products are the AXA Global Dynamic Allocation Fund, which comes in stable, multi-asset, and growth options, and the AXA Global Edge Equity Fund—both of which are available peso and United States (US) dollar.
For now, the insurance firm said there will be no immediate changes to AXA IM’s operations, name, fund managers, fund names, or investment strategies.
AXA Group, including AXA Philippines, “will also retain full authority over product design, asset allocation, and asset-liability management decisions, remaining committed to maintaining access to best-in-class asset management services.”
AXA Philippines noted that the multibillion-euro sale of AXA IM is intended to enhance AXA’s investment capabilities while still providing strong value to its customers.
It added that the acquisition aligns with AXA Group’s plan to streamline its operations and concentrate on its main insurance businesses: life and savings, property and casualty, and health.
“This strategic partnership allows us to tap into the global expertise of BNP Paribas while continuing to offer our customers the same expertise they expect from AXA. It aligns with our long-term vision to provide trusted, innovative, and effective solutions that will help Filipinos achieve their financial goals,” Kandil said.
The combination of AXA IM and BNP Paribas creates a new leading European asset manager with €1.5 trillion in assets under management, ranking it among the world’s top 10. BNP Paribas operates in 64 countries with nearly 178,000 employees.