Filing

This document contains Aegon’s Annual Report 2013 and will also be filed as Aegon’s Annual Report on Form 20-F with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

About this report

This report serves as Aegon’s Annual Report prepared in accordance with International Financial Reporting Standards, as issued by the International Accounting Standards Board (IFRS), and with Part 9 of Book 2 of the Dutch Civil Code for the year ended December 31, 2013, for Aegon N.V. (the company) and its subsidiaries (collectively known as Aegon). This report presents the Consolidated Financial Statements of Aegon (pages 122-288) and the Parent Company Financial Statements of Aegon (pages 291-305).

Presentation of certain information

Aegon N.V. is referred to in this document as “Aegon”, or “the company”. Aegon N.V. together with its member companies are referred to as “Aegon Group”. For such purposes, “member companies” means, in relation to Aegon N.V., those companies that are required to be consolidated in accordance with the legislative requirements of the Netherlands relating to consolidated accounts.

References to the “NYSE” are to the New York Stock Exchange and references to the “SEC” are to the Securities and Exchange Commission. Aegon uses “EUR” and “euro” when referring to the lawful currency of the member states of the European Monetary Union; “USD”, and “US dollar” when referring to the lawful currency of the United States of America; “GBP”, “UK pound” and “pound sterling” when referring to the lawful currency of the United Kingdom; “CAD” and “Canadian dollar” when referring to the lawful currency of Canada; “PLN” when referring to the lawful currency of Poland; “CNY” when referring to the lawful currency of the People’s Republic of China; “RON” when referring to the lawful currency of Romania; “HUF” when referring to the lawful currency of Hungary; “TRY” when referring to the lawful currency of Turkey; “CZK” when referring to the lawful currency of Czech Republic and “UAH” when referring to the lawful currency of Ukraine.

Aegon prepares its consolidated financial statements in accordance with International Financial Reporting Standards as issued by the International Accounting Standards Board (IFRS) and with Part 9 of Book 2 of the Netherlands Civil Code for purposes of reporting with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (‘SEC’), including financial information contained in this Annual Report on Form 20-F. Aegon’s accounting policies and its use of various options under IFRS are described in note 2 to the consolidated financial statements.

Other than for SEC reporting, Aegon prepares its Annual Accounts under International Financial Reporting Standards as adopted by the European Union, including the decisions Aegon made with regard to the options available under International Financial Reporting Standards as adopted by the EU (IFRS-EU). IFRS-EU differs from IFRS in respect of certain paragraphs in IAS 39 ‘Financial Instruments: Recognition and Measurement’ regarding hedge accounting for portfolio hedges of interest rate risk. Under IFRS-EU, Aegon applies fair value hedge accounting for portfolio hedges of interest rate risk (fair value macro hedges) in accordance with the EU ‘carve out’ version of IAS 39. Under IFRS, hedge accounting for fair value macro hedges cannot be applied to mortgage loans and ineffectiveness arises whenever the revised estimate of the amount of cash flows in scheduled time buckets is either more or less than the original designated amount of that bucket.

This information is prepared by reversing the hedge accounting impacts that are applied under the EU ‘carve out’ version of IAS 39. Financial information under IFRS accordingly does not take account of the possibility that had Aegon applied IFRS as its primary accounting framework it might have applied alternative hedge strategies where those alternative hedge strategies could have qualified for IFRS compliant hedge accounting. These decisions could have resulted in different shareholders’ equity and net income amounts compared to those indicated in this Annual Report on Form 20-F.

A reconciliation between IFRS-EU and IFRS is included in note 2.1 to the consolidated financial statements.

 

In each of our chosen markets, profound and lasting market changes are driving increased demand for reliable financial solutions. People are living longer than at any time in history; the post-war (“baby boomer”) generation is now entering retirement with an immense pool of accumulated and still-growing assets that will need to be managed for an increasingly longer retirement; governments are continuing to withdraw from traditional means of publicly-provided pension support; and companies have considerably decreased, or ended altogether, their contributions to employee retirement plans. In many developing markets, strong economic growth is creating a sizable and growing affluent middle class that will inevitably seek the same financial protection and long-term security solutions as those in more mature economies. All of these factors provide excellent growth opportunities for our business and confirm that our products and services have never been more needed. Moreover, they provide the basis for the broad range of actions we are taking to further transform our businesses and enhance our ability to interact better and more frequently with those who depend on us.

During 2013, we expanded our reach through promising new distribution agreements in our key markets. We continued to invest in our businesses in Central & Eastern Europe, Asia and Latin America, given the strong demand for protection and savings products in these developing economies. Meanwhile, we continued to review our products and services, broadening and deepening our capabilities in order to target opportunities, and ensuring that the products we offer deliver value for both our customers and Aegon, given our long-term risk-return criteria.

In the United States, we have brought nearly all of our businesses together under the well-recognized Transamerica brand, furthering the strategic integration of our operations which began three years ago. In what continues to be the largest market in the world for life insurance and retirement products and services, we have enhanced our leadership positions with new distribution partners, and developed new digital capabilities that will allow us to better serve our current and future customers’ diverse financial needs across their life-cycle.

At the center of our strategy is our focus on getting closer to our customers through an accelerated investment in technology. The nature of many of our products necessitates professional advice and, as such, we believe the financial advisor will continue to play an essential role in our business. New digital platforms have been introduced to provide intermediaries with the tools to operate more efficiently in a rapidly changing landscape. In the United Kingdom for instance, Aegon’s new pension platform, known as Aegon Retirement Choices, is demonstrating early success. We recognize that consumers increasingly research and wish to purchase financial services products online, as they do many other products and services. Consequently, we are committed to enabling our current and future customers to interact with us in the ways they choose. In the Netherlands, we launched new digital channels aimed at specific customer segments more likely to purchase life insurance and retirement solutions through digital rather than traditional channels.

In addition to enabling our businesses to connect and engage with customers better and with greater frequency, technology also delivers the tools to create a truly distinctive and relevant customer experience. We are committed to providing greater ease of interaction with our businesses, simplifying product explanations, and empowering customers with practical online tools that will both enable them to better understand their financial needs and provide greater clarity about the products and services available to address these needs. This approach, we believe, is essential to our focus on building customer loyalty and strengthening our competitive advantage in an increasingly crowded market.

Consistent with our strict risk-return discipline, we further strengthened Aegon’s risk profile by maintaining a solid balance sheet and further improving our capital position. The strong financial performance, combined with our actions to reduce costs across our organization during 2013, enabled us to continue the momentum of recent years. Clearly, our strategic priorities have delivered their intended benefits to our customers and businesses, and to our valued shareholders who have every reason to expect an attractive and growing return on their investment.

 

Essential to our long-term success is creating an internal culture of customer-centricity, innovation and shared responsibility. Equipping our leaders with the resources they require to promote this culture is among our most important objectives. During the past year, we have introduced a number of training and development programs to enhance the professional skills and competencies of employees at all levels. Mindful of the pace of technological advances in today’s digital environment, we also recognize the need to attract talented individuals from outside our industry who are able to embrace and accelerate the changes we are implementing. Encouraging new ways of thinking and responding to the considerable opportunities we have identified is a pre-requisite of management, and key to our long-term success.

Beyond what we have done to fulfil our commitments to our customers over the past year – paying just over EUR 20 billion in claims and benefits – our businesses have also contributed financially and our employees given generously of their time and talents to make a difference in the communities in which they live and work. Aegon takes seriously its broader commitments to the communities where we operate and to society at large. In addition to maintaining sound corporate governance standards and practices, we believe this can have a positive impact on issues related to the environment, responsible investment, financial literacy, and other socially sustainable concerns. This, we believe, is as critical to our long-term business success as our disciplined risk and financial management.

My Management Board colleagues and I wish to express our gratitude to the dedicated men and women of Aegon who have contributed to our solid results and strategic progress over the past year. Through their focused and determined efforts, we have enhanced our ability to better serve our current and future customers by delivering consistently high quality products and services, while strengthening our prospects for sustainable, profitable growth going forward. We also wish to reaffirm our commitment to you, our valued shareholders, who have likewise made possible the achievements of recent years through your abiding confidence and support.

Thank you for your ongoing interest in Aegon and in all that we are doing to assist our current and future customers in planning and achieving a secure financial future. Ensuring that we continue to be in a strong position to deliver on our promises remains our most important priority.

Sincerely,

 

Alex Wynaendts

Chairman of the Executive Board of Aegon N.V.

and Chief Executive Officer

 

Alex Wynaendts (1960, Dutch)

Chief Executive Officer

Chairman of the Executive Board

Chairman of the Management Board

Alex Wynaendts began his career in 1984 with ABN AMRO Bank, working in Amsterdam and London in the Dutch bank’s capital markets, asset management, corporate finance and private banking operations. In 1997, Mr. Wynaendts joined Aegon as Senior Vice President for Group Business Development. Since 2003, he has been a member of Aegon’s Executive Board, overseeing the company’s international growth strategy. In April 2007, Mr. Wynaendts was named Aegon’s Chief Operating Officer. A year later, he became CEO and Chairman of Aegon’s Executive and Management Boards.

 

 

Darryl Button (1969, Canadian)

Chief Financial Officer

Member of the Executive Board

Member of the Management Board

Darryl Button began his career by Mutual Life Insurance Co. of Canada and joined Aegon in 1999 as Director of Product Development and Risk Management of Aegon USA’s Institutional Markets operation unit. He was appointed Corporate Actuary of Aegon USA in 2002, followed by CFO of Aegon Americas in 2005. Between 2008-2011, Mr. Button took on the responsibilities of Chairman and executive management of Aegon’s Canadian operations, and in 2012 he joined Aegon’s Corporate Center as Executive Vice President and Head of the Corporate Financial Center. In 2013, Mr. Button was appointed as CFO and member of the Executive Board of Aegon. He is also a member of the Management Board.

 

 

Adrian Grace (1963, British)

Member of the Management Board

Chief Executive Officer of Aegon UK

Adrian Grace started his career with Leeds Permanent Building Society in 1979, before joining Mercantile Credit in 1984. In 2001, Mr. Grace joined Sage Group PLC as Managing Director of the Small Business Division. In 2004, Barclays Insurance asked him to join them as Chief Executive. Mr. Grace joined HBOS in 2007 as Managing Director of Commercial within the Corporate Division. In 2009, he joined Aegon UK as Group Business Development Director and on April 4, 2011, he became the Chief Executive Officer. Mr. Grace has been a member of Aegon’s Management Board since February 2012. He sits on the Board of the Association of British Insurers.

 

 

Tom Grondin (1969, Canadian)

Member of the Management Board

Chief Risk Officer of Aegon N.V.

Tom Grondin was appointed Chief Risk Officer of Aegon N.V. in August 2003 and a member of Aegon’s Management Board on January 1, 2013. His current responsibilities include managing the Risk and Compliance functions. In this role, Mr. Grondin is responsible for development and oversight of Aegon’s Enterprise Risk Management framework and Aegon’s internal Economic Framework. The Economic Framework has helped guide Aegon’s risk and business strategy over the years. He joined Aegon in 2000 in one of Aegon USA’s larger operations. Mr. Grondin had overall responsibility for pricing, profitability and risk management for the business. Prior to joining Aegon, he was employed as a consultant at Tillinghast–Towers Perrin and before that as asset liability manager at Manulife Financial.

 

 

 

Marco Keim (1962, Dutch)

Member of the Management Board

Chief Executive Officer of Aegon the Netherlands

Marco Keim began his career with accountants Coopers & Lybrand/Van Dien. Mr. Keim has also worked for aircraft manufacturer Fokker Aircraft and NS Reizigers, part of the Dutch railway company, NS Group. In 1999, he joined Swiss Life in the Netherlands as a member of the Board. Three years later, Mr. Keim was appointed CEO. In June 2008, he became CEO of Aegon the Netherlands and a member of Aegon’s Management Board.

 

 

Gábor Kepecs (1954, Hungarian)

Member of the Management Board

Chief Executive Officer of Aegon Central & Eastern Europe

Gábor Kepecs began his career with the Hungarian government before joining former state-owned insurance company Állami Biztosító. In 1990, he was appointed CEO, two years before Állami Biztosító was privatized and acquired by Aegon. Between 1992 and 2009, Mr. Kepecs was the CEO of Aegon Hungary. In that time, he has headed the expansion of Aegon’s businesses not only in Hungary but also across the Central & Eastern European region. Mr. Kepecs has been a member of Aegon’s Management Board since it was established in 2007.

 

 

Mark Mullin (1963, American)

Member of the Management Board

Chief Executive Officer of Aegon Americas

Mark Mullin has spent more than 20 years with Aegon in various management positions in both the United States and Europe. Mr. Mullin has served as President and CEO of one of Aegon’s US subsidiaries, Diversified, and as head of the company’s annuity and mutual fund businesses. In January 2009, he was named President of Aegon Americas and he became President and CEO of Aegon Americas and a member of the Management Board one year later.

 

 

 

Aegon’s purpose is to help people take responsibility for their financial future . To achieve this, the company strives to provide easy-to-understand products that help customers make better financial decisions for themselves and their families. As a company, Aegon believes that everyone, regardless of their income, deserves to retire with dignity and peace of mind.

Aegon’s ambition is to become a leader in all of its chosen markets. This means being the most recommended provider of life insurance and pensions among customers, the preferred partner among intermediaries and distributors, and the employer of choice for both current and prospective employees.

Recognizing the increasing demand for asset protection, accumulation and long-term retirement security products and services, Aegon is investing in new approaches to better serve the full range of customers’ financial needs throughout their life cycle. This includes accelerating investment in technology to enable Aegon’s businesses to interact directly with customers.

Fostering a truly customer-centric culture throughout the organization is at the core of Aegon’s strategy. This entails ensuring that every employee understands how he or she can contribute to a distinctive and consistently positive customer experience. To support this essential cultural mindset, a new coordinated approach to performance management has been implemented across Aegon’s businesses, with a strong emphasis on talent development and customer centricity. Compensation and incentives have been aligned accordingly. Aegon encourages new thinking and innovative approaches as it continues to transform its businesses.

In recent years, Aegon has taken steps to reduce costs, lower risk and free up capital for reinvestment in its businesses. It has divested businesses no longer considered core, or which have failed to provide sufficient returns or prospects for long-term growth. These actions have enabled Aegon to achieve a solid capital position, deal effectively with economic and market volatility, and position its businesses for future growth. At the same time, Aegon has invested in key areas of growth, such as emerging markets in Central & Eastern Europe, Asia and the Americas, while also restructuring its businesses to achieve greater operational efficiency and deliver a higher level of customer service. Better leveraging the broad expertise that

exists within Aegon across various businesses and geographies continues to be a key strategic objective.

Aegon’s strategy is supported by its ambition: to be a leader in all of its chosen markets . To support this ambition, Aegon has implemented four strategic objectives:

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To optimize its portfolio by investing in businesses that offer attractive returns and strong prospects for growth and, if necessary, closing or divesting business that do not meet Aegon’s risk-return requirements, or contribute to its long-term ambitions;

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To enhance customer loyalty by improving customer service, investing in new distribution capabilities, and expanding the company’s online presence to connect better and more frequently with its customers;

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To deliver operational excellence by improving efficiency and reducing costs, innovating and making better use of its resources around the world;

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To empower employees by providing the tools, training and internal culture necessary to better serve the developing needs of its customers, while also enabling employees to realize their full potential.

In 2013, Aegon took clear steps toward each of these objectives, helping position the company’s businesses for the future, and meet the risks and opportunities presented by long-term industry trends.

Optimize portfolio

Aegon targeted opportunities in its core markets in the Americas, Europe and Asia by:

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Investing in the rapidly-expanding ‘at-retirement’ market of people in their fifties and sixties who are actively preparing for retirement in the United States, the United Kingdom and the Netherlands. In the United Kingdom, Aegon is seeking to increase its share of the workplace savings and non-advised markets;

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Repositioning in Central & Eastern Europe – by channeling other resources into new products and services, ceasing new investment in mandatory private pensions due to government restrictions, selling off pension operations in the Czech Republic, and expanding the life and pensions business in Romania;

 

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Expanding into new markets – through the acquisition of Fidem Life, one of Ukraine’s leading providers in the emerging life insurance market, and the opening of a new office in Germany in the second half of 2013 to market variable annuities;

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Re-pricing, redesigning and withdrawing products, improving Aegon’s overall product mix to reduce capital requirements and improve profitability;

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Restructuring in Spain – by securing a twenty-five year joint venture and distribution partnership with Banco Santander, the country’s largest bank, and exiting some former joint ventures;

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Entering new distribution partnerships with other key banks, including Barclays Bank in the United Kingdom.

Enhance customer loyalty

Aegon is expanding digital distribution capability and improving understanding of customers’ changing needs by:

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Launching new online products in Spain and Turkey. Aegon now retails online in nearly all its markets, and has also expanded its digital marketing and social media efforts;

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Investing in emerging new business models. In the Netherlands, Aegon launched Kroodle, a social media platform to sell general insurance, and in recent years has begun distribution through the drugstore chain Kruidvat;

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Expanding the company’s variable annuities business, and launching other related products, such as a new series of mutual funds in the United States, and new additional risk riders with products in Central & Eastern Europe;

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Implementing a common measurement for customer loyalty. Aegon has implemented the Net Promoter Score (NPS) across its businesses, and is using NPS methodology to drive long-term improvements in products and customer service. The company has also established a Customer Intelligence Council to improve analysis of customer data and statistics, and launched the not-for-profit Transamerica Center for Health Studies to research and contribute to important health issues in the United States.

Deliver operational excellence

Aegon improved efficiency, supported intermediaries and expanded distribution through traditional channels by:

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Continuing to reduce costs where possible to allow for increased investments. Cost saving initiatives included the creation of a shared service center in the Americas, further cost reduction in the Netherlands, and restructuring both in the United Kingdom and at Aegon’s Corporate Center;

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Pursuing value over volume through a strict pricing discipline, an approach aimed at securing profitable, sustainable growth – while making sure that, before any new product or service is introduced, customer benefits are fully assessed and taken into account through an updated Pricing & Product Development Policy;

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Investing in a new online platform in the United Kingdom, called Aegon Retirement Choices. The platform provides independent financial advisors with a clear overview of Aegon’s product range, and helps them to provide the right advice to Aegon’s customers;

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Opening up access to Aegon’s Global Ethics Line to make it easier for outside parties to report suspected misconduct and violations of the company’s Code of Conduct;

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Completing a second transaction to reduce the risk associated with longer life expectancy in the Netherlands and cover EUR 1.4 billion in longevity reserves.

Empower employees

Aegon strengthened employee engagement, and improved the working environment by:

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Introducing limited paid time off for volunteer work. By the end of 2013, 91% of Aegon’s employees worldwide had access to this benefit;

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Helping employees establish new affinity groups in the United States and the Netherlands in support of broader efforts to improve workforce diversity;

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Deepening Aegon’s regular talent review, which maps employees’ skills against the company’s long-term requirements;

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Supporting employees impacted by company restructuring with social plans and programs to find new employment within and outside the company;

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Implementing local action plans based on the findings from the 2013 Global Employee Engagement Survey. Aegon identified three main priorities: do more to explain the company’s business strategy to employees; strengthen employees’ focus on customers; provide additional opportunities for career development;

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Developing an Employer Value Proposition, which sets out the advantages of working for Aegon among prospective employees. The Employer Value Proposition will support wider efforts in new recruitment.

Market conditions

The global economy continued to recover in 2013, but growth was low in many countries, and business confidence remained depressed. Overall, world output expanded by 2.9%, the lowest annual rate of growth since the end of the previous recession in 2009. Growth is forecast to accelerate in 2014, but the global economy still faces significant downside risks.

In the United States, economic growth improved. There was further improvement in the US housing market. Unemployment decreased – though much of the decline in reported rates was attributed to people withdrawing from the labor force rather than to job creation. Cuts in government spending subdued economic growth, however.

 

In Europe, growth rates continued to lag behind those of the United States and other developed economies. High rates of unemployment persisted, particularly in those countries hit hardest by the recent eurozone crisis. The German and French economies showed modest growth, while those of Spain and Italy remained in recession. Meanwhile, the UK economy showed stronger growth. In the Netherlands, the economy contracted. Many European countries continued to struggle with structural, economic and financial sector reform.

Overall growth in emerging markets was relatively strong, though at a much lower rate than in previous years. In China, the world’s second largest economy, growth slowed to 7.6%, with export markets sluggish and the Chinese economy re-focusing on internal consumption. In Central & Eastern Europe, growth rates improved, due in part to a stronger performance from the region’s main trading partners in Western Europe.

Share prices in both the United States and Europe rose to new highs on signs of renewed economic growth. The Dow Jones Industrial Average ended the year up nearly 26%; over the same period, the FTSE-100 gained almost 15%. The long-term yield on US bonds also increased significantly on expectations of tapered debt purchases by the Federal Reserve. Short-term interest rates remained at historical lows of close to zero. In the United States, the Federal Reserve began to tighten monetary policy at the end of the year in response to further significant improvement in unemployment rates. Yields on 10-year German bonds improved, due in part to increased demand from eurozone banks.

Increased financial stability in the eurozone strengthened the euro. By the end of 2013, the euro had gained just over 3.6% against the US dollar, and more than 3% against sterling. Slower economic growth brought depreciation in many emerging market currencies, including the Brazilian real, the Indian rupee and the South African rand.

Economists are optimistic about further economic growth in 2014. Nevertheless, the global economy faces considerable risks, particularly from the future direction of Federal Reserve monetary policy and the management of the US government budget. Uncertainty also persists with regard to structural economic reform in Europe, and continued weak labor markets on both sides of the Atlantic. Emerging market growth remains relatively high, but may be impacted as the global economy adjusts to historically low GDP growth rates, especially in China and India.

Long-term industry trends

The life insurance and pensions industry is in a period of significant change for several reasons. These include shifts in the global economic balance, aging populations, changing demographics, new legislation, and the increasing trend of customers who research financial services products and then purchase online.

The world’s population is growing older. By the middle of the century, the United Nations estimates that worldwide almost 1.5 billion people will be over the age of 65. More than three quarters will live in less developed economies. Rising life expectancy will increase the length of retirement. At the same time, governments are no longer able to afford generous state pensions. This means greater demand for life insurance, pensions and other long-term savings and investment products as individuals seek ways to achieve a secure financial future.

There is change in the way insurance and pension products are sold and purchased. The regulatory environment has changed significantly in many of Aegon’s markets. In the United States, for example, there has been major healthcare and financial services reform. In the United Kingdom and the Netherlands, new legislation has effectively ended commissions for brokers and other intermediaries. As a result, financial services providers like Aegon, and financial advisors and intermediaries, are seeking to interact better and more regularly with their customers to serve their broader needs. Meanwhile, new technology is increasing the ability of customers to research and buy financial products online. Emerging competition from online-only providers has begun to challenge established business models.

The economic recovery remains uncertain. Despite improvement, economic growth remains uncertain. Financial volatility has increased, and interest rates are at historical lows, which may restrict profits for insurance companies and other financial service providers. Increased volatility means customers are more aware of financial risk.

Companies are held to higher standards of corporate behavior. There is increasing pressure on companies to be responsible employers, investors and purchasers of goods and services. Many companies increasingly recognize the connection between financial performance and responsible resources management.

 

Aegon N.V., through its member companies that are collectively referred to as Aegon or the Aegon Group, is an international life insurance, pensions and asset management company. Aegon is headquartered in the Netherlands and employs, through its subsidiaries, nearly 27,000 people worldwide. Aegon’s common shares are listed on stock exchanges in Amsterdam (NYSE Euronext) and New York (NYSE).

Aegon N.V. is a holding company. Aegon’s businesses focus on life insurance, pensions and asset management. Aegon is also active in accident, supplemental health, and general insurance, and has some limited banking activities. The company’s operations are conducted through its operating subsidiaries.

The main operating units of Aegon are separate legal entities organized under the laws of their respective countries. The shares of those legal entities are directly or indirectly held by three intermediate holding companies incorporated under Dutch law: Aegon Europe Holding B.V., the holding company for all European activities; Aegon International B.V., which serves as a holding company for the Aegon Group companies of all non-

European countries; and Aegon Asset Management Holding B.V., the holding company for some of its asset management entities.

Aegon operates in more than 25 countries in the Americas, Europe and Asia, and serves millions of customers. Its main markets are the United States, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom.

The company encourages product innovation and fosters an entrepreneurial spirit within its businesses. New products and services are developed by local business units with a continuous focus on helping people take responsibility for their financial future. Aegon uses a multi-brand, multichannel distribution approach to meet its customers’ needs.

Aegon has the following reportable operating segments: the Americas, which includes the United States, Canada, Brazil and Mexico; the Netherlands; the United Kingdom; and New Markets, which includes a number of countries in Central & Eastern Europe, and Asia, Spain, France, Variable Annuities Europe, and Aegon Asset Management.

 

Application of the accounting policies in the preparation of the financial statements requires management to apply judgment involving assumptions and estimates concerning future results or other developments, including the likelihood, timing or amount of future transactions or events. There can be no assurance that actual results will not differ materially from those estimates. Accounting policies that are critical to the presentation of the financial statements and that require

complex estimates or significant judgment are described in the notes to the financial statements.

A summary of historical financial data is provided in the table below. It is important to read this summary in conjunction with the consolidated financial statements and related notes included elsewhere in this Annual Report.

 

Dividends

Aegon declared interim and final dividends on common shares for the years 2010 through 2013 in the amounts set forth in the following table. The 2013 interim dividend amounted to EUR 0.11 per common share. The interim dividend was paid in cash or stock at the election of the shareholder. The interim dividend was payable as of September 13, 2013. At the General Meeting of Shareholders on May 21, 2014, the Supervisory Board will, absent unforeseen circumstances, propose a final dividend of

EUR 0.11 per common share (at each shareholders option in cash or in stock), which will bring the total dividend for 2013 to EUR 0.22. Dividends in US dollars are calculated based on the foreign exchange reference rate as published each working day at 14:15 hours by the European Central Bank on the business day following the announcement of the interim dividend or on the business day following the General Meeting of Shareholders approving the relevant final dividend.

 

From May 2003 to May 2013, Aegon had common shares and class A and class B preferred shares. The annual dividend on Aegon’s class A and class B preferred shares was calculated on the basis of the paid-in capital on the preferred shares using a rate equal to the European Central Bank’s fixed interest percentage for basic refinancing transactions plus 1.75%, as determined on NYSE Euronext Amsterdam’s first working day of the financial year to which the dividend relates. Apart from this, no other dividend was paid on the preferred shares. This resulted in a rate of 2.75% for the year 2012. Applying this rate to the weighted average paid-in capital of its preferred shares during 2012, the total amount of annual dividends Aegon made in 2013 on its preferred shares for the year 2012 was EUR 59 million. In addition, Aegon paid a 2013 interim dividend on the preferred shares of EUR 24 million, covering the period from January 1, 2013 until the cancellation of all preferred shares in May 2013.

Exchange rates

Fluctuations in the exchange rate between the euro and the US dollar will affect the dollar equivalent of the euro price of Aegon’s common shares traded on NYSE Euronext Amsterdam and, as a result, are likely to impact the market price of Aegon’s common shares in the United States. Such fluctuations will also affect any US dollar amounts received by holders of common shares upon conversion of any cash dividends paid in euros on Aegon’s common shares.

As of March 3, 2014, the USD exchange rate was EUR 1 = USD 1.3763.

The high and low exchange rates for the US dollar per euro for each of the last six months through February 2014 are set forth below:

 

The average exchange rates for the US dollar per euro for the five years ended December 31, 2013, calculated by using the average of the exchange rates on the last day of each month during the period, are set forth below:

 

 

Americas

Includes Aegon’s businesses and operating units in the United States, Canada, Brazil, and Mexico.

—  Life & Protection

Products with mortality, morbidity and longevity risks, including traditional and universal life, as well as endowment, term, and whole life insurance products. Accident and health business, including supplemental health, accidental death and dismemberment insurance, critical illness, cancer treatment, credit/disability, income protection, and long-term care insurance.

—  Individual Savings & Retirement

Primarily variable annuity products and retail mutual funds. Currently fixed annuities are not actively sold.

—  Employer Solutions & Pensions

Includes both individual and group pensions, as well as 401(k)-type of pension plans, and stable value solutions.

 

The Netherlands

—  Life & Savings

Products with mortality, morbidity, and longevity risks, including traditional and universal life, as well as employer, endowment, term, whole life insurance products, mortgages, saving deposits, and annuity products.

—  Pensions

Individual and group pensions usually sponsored by, or obtained via, an employer.

—  Non-life

General insurance, consisting mainly of automotive, liability, disability, household insurance, and fire protection.

—  Distribution

Independent distribution channel, offering both life and non-life insurance solutions.

 

United Kingdom

—  Life

Immediate annuities, individual protection products, such as term insurance, critical illness, and income protection.

—  Pensions

Individual pensions, including self-invested personal pensions and income drawdown products. Group pensions, sponsored by, or obtained via, an employer. Also includes the tied-agent distribution business.

 

 

New Markets

Includes all businesses and operating units in Central & Eastern Europe, Asia, Spain and France, as well as Aegon’s variable annuity activities in Europe and Aegon Asset Management.

—  Central & Eastern Europe

Active in the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Turkey, and Ukraine. Includes life insurance, individual and group pension products, savings and investments, as well as general insurance.

—  Spain

Distribution partnerships with Spanish banks, offering life insurance, accident and health, and general insurance and investment products.

—  France

Partnership with French insurer and pension specialist AG2R La Mondiale.

—  Asia

Direct and affinity products are marketed in Asia through Aegon Direct & Affinity Marketing Services. Aegon offers life insurance to high-net-worth individuals via the Transamerica brand. Aegon has joint ventures in China, India, and Japan. Products include (term) life insurance in China and India, and variable annuities in Japan.

—  Variable Annuities Europe

Variable annuities offered by Aegon companies operating in Europe and international/offshore bonds for the UK market.

—  Aegon Asset Management

Asset management products, including equity and fixed income, covering third party clients, insurance-linked solutions, and Aegon’s own insurance companies.

 

This Annual Report includes the non-IFRS financial measure: underlying earnings before tax. The reconciliation of this measure to the most comparable IFRS measure is presented in the table above as well as in note 5 of the consolidated financial statements. This non-IFRS measure is calculated by consolidating on a proportionate basis the revenues and expenses of Aegon’s joint ventures in Spain, China and Japan and Aegon’s associates in India, Brazil and Mexico.

The table also includes the non-IFRS financial measure: net underlying earnings. This is the after-tax equivalent of underlying earnings before tax. The reconciliation of net underlying earnings to the most comparable IFRS measure is presented in the table above. Aegon believes that its non-IFRS measure provides meaningful information about the underlying operating results of Aegon’s businesses, including insight into the financial measures that senior management uses in managing the businesses.

Aegon’s senior management is compensated based in part on Aegon’s results against targets using the non-IFRS measure

presented herein. While many other insurers in Aegon’s peer group present substantially similar non-IFRS measures, the non-IFRS measure presented in this document may nevertheless differ from the non-IFRS measures presented by other insurers. There is no standardized meaning to these measures under IFRS or any other recognized set of accounting standards and readers are cautioned to consider carefully the different ways in which Aegon and its peers present similar information before comparing them. Aegon believes the non-IFRS measure shown herein, when read together with Aegon’s reported IFRS financial statements, provides meaningful supplemental information for the investing public to evaluate Aegon’s businesses after eliminating the impact of current IFRS accounting policies for financial instruments and insurance contracts, which embed a number of accounting policy alternatives that companies may select in presenting their results (that is, companies may use different local generally accepted accounting principles (GAAPs)), and this may make the comparability difficult from period to period.

 

Net income

Net income decreased to EUR 980 million compared to EUR 1,543 million in 2012. Higher underlying earnings, realized gains on investments, lower impairments and other charges were more than offset by losses from fair value items.

Underlying earnings before tax

Aegon’s underlying earnings before tax in 2013 increased 5% to EUR 1,945 million compared to EUR 1,851 million in 2012. Underlying earnings before tax rose from business growth, deleveraging, the positive effects of favorable equity markets and the net positive impact of one-time items. These positive one-time items were only partly offset by the loss of earnings due to divestments in Spain and Aegon Asset Management, and the impact of unfavorable currency exchange rates.

 

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Underlying earnings before tax in the Americas improved slightly to EUR 1,369 million. Growth in Variable Annuities and Pensions offset the impact of unfavorable currency exchange rates, lower earnings from Fixed Annuities, higher sales and employee related expenses, and additional investments in technology. At constant currencies, underlying earnings increased by 3%.

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In the Netherlands, underlying earnings before tax increased 9% to EUR 355 million. Higher Pension earnings, driven mostly by a benefit resulting from observed mortality of EUR 25 million and improvement in Non-life more than offset lower earnings in Life & Savings, due mostly to reduced policy charges on unit-linked products of EUR 28 million as part of the acceleration of product improvements to unit-linked insurance policies.

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Underlying earnings before tax in the United Kingdom amounted to EUR 98 million in 2013, a decline of 11% compared to 2012. The positive impact of higher equity markets was more than offset by adverse persistency of EUR 22 million following the implementation of the Retail Distribution Review and investment in technology.

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Underlying earnings before tax from New Markets declined 14% to EUR 236 million. Higher earnings in Asia and Aegon Asset Management, which benefitted from higher asset

balances, were more than offset by lower earnings in Central & Eastern Europe due to the introduction of the insurance tax in Hungary and divestments in Spain and Aegon Asset Management.

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Total holding costs decreased 50% to EUR 113 million, mainly as a result of lower net interest costs following debt redemptions, lower operating expenses and a gain of EUR 18 million related to interest on taxes.

Fair value items

The results from fair value items amounted to a loss of EUR 1,133 million. The loss was mainly driven by equity macro hedges (EUR 590 million) and long-term economic assumption changes (EUR 405 million) in the Americas and a loss of EUR 118 million in the guarantee portfolio in the Netherlands, which mainly the result of the tightening of Aegon’s credit spread and model refinements.

In 2013, to reflect the low interest rate environment, Aegon lowered its long-term assumption for 10-year US Treasury yields by 50 basis points to 4.25% and extended the uniform grading period from 5 years to 10 years. Aegon also changed its assumed returns for US separate account bond fund to 4% over the next 10 years and 6% thereafter from its previous assumptions of 4% over the next 5 years and 6% thereafter. In addition, Aegon changed its long-term equity market return assumption for the estimated gross profit in variable life and variable annuity products in the Americas from 9% to 8%. In total, these assumption changes led to a negative impact on earnings of EUR 405 million in 2013. Both the assumptions for the bond fund and that for the long-term equity market are gross assumptions from which asset management and policy fees are deducted to determine the policyholder return.

The loss on fair value hedges in the Americas was mainly driven by the loss on the equity macro hedges, which have been set up to protect Aegon’s capital position, as a result of strong US equity market performance in 2013. Aegon restructured its equity hedges as the equity collar hedge expired at the end of the year.

 

Realized gains on investments

Realized gains on investments amounted to EUR 502 million and were driven primarily by adjustments to the asset mix in the Netherlands during the second half of the year to bring it in line with the new regulatory yield curve, as well as normal trading activity.

Impairment charges

Impairment charges improved by EUR 55 million to EUR 121 million in 2013, mostly due to recoveries on investments in subprime residential mortgage-backed securities in the United States.

Other charges

Other charges amounted to EUR 52 million, which is a 68% improvement from 2012 and included a charge of EUR 192 million related to a write-off of intangibles related to the Polish pension fund business following a legislation change coming into force in January 2014. In addition, 2013 included a charge of EUR 71 million due to increased accruals in connection with Aegon’s use of the U.S. Social Security Administration’s death master-file and a EUR 25 million charge in the Netherlands following the Koersplan court verdict and restructuring charges mainly in the Americas and the United Kingdom (EUR 108 million in total). These charges were partly offset by gains from the sale of joint ventures with Unnim and CAM of EUR 102 million and EUR 74 million respectively, and gains from the recapture of certain reinsurance contracts amounting to EUR 200 million in the Americas.

Run-off businesses

The results of run-off businesses improved to EUR 14 million, mainly due to a deferred policy acquisition cost (DPAC) true-up of EUR 11 million in BOLI/COLI (bank/corporate owned life insurance).

Income tax

Income tax amounted to EUR 174 million resulting in an effective tax rate of 15%, driven mostly by the combined effects of negative fair value items taxed at nominal rates, tax credits, and tax exempt items. There was also a tax charge of EUR 50 million in the Americas related to hedging losses in 2013, and a benefit of EUR 93 million in the United Kingdom from a reduction in the corporate tax rate from 23% to 20%.

The effective tax rate on underlying earnings for 2013 was 21%

Commissions and expenses

Commissions and expenses in 2013 increased 1% compared to 2012 to EUR 5,809 million. Operating expenses increased 5% to EUR 3,328 million, driven mainly by higher sales and employee performance related expenses due to growth in the Americas, restructuring costs in the Americas and United Kingdom, and higher investments in technology to support future growth.

Production

Compared to 2012, Aegon’s total sales increased 6% to EUR 7.2 billion as higher gross deposits more than offset lower new life sales. Gross deposits increased 12% to EUR 44.3 billion, driven by variable annuities and mutual funds in the United States and Aegon Asset Management. New life sales were down 2%. Higher pension production in the United Kingdom was offset primarily by lower universal life sales in the Americas due to product withdrawals and product redesign, resulting from focus on value creation, as well as adverse currency movements.

Capital management

The 2013 gross leverage ratio, which is calculated by dividing the total gross financial leverage by the total capitalization, was 30.0%.

Aegon’s Insurance Group Directive (IGD) ratio decreased to 212%, mainly due to the impact of IAS 19 and the switch to the swap curve for regulatory solvency calculations in the Netherlands. The combined risk-based capital ratio of Aegon’s life insurance subsidiaries in the United States was approximately 440% of the Company Action Level (CAL) risk-based capital. The IGD ratio in the Netherlands, excluding Aegon Bank, was approximately 240%. The Pillar I ratio in the United Kingdom, including the With Profit fund, was approximately 150% at the end of 2013.

On February 10, 2014, Aegon called for the redemption of the USD 550 million in junior perpetual capital securities with a coupon of 6.875% issued in 2006. The redemption was effective March 15, 2014, when the principal amount of USD 550 million was repaid with accrued interest.

Dividends from business units

Aegon received EUR 1.5 billion of dividends from its business units during 2013, split between EUR 0.9 billion from the Americas, EUR 0.5 billion from the Netherlands and EUR 0.1 billion from Aegon Asset Management and Central & Eastern Europe. Capital contributions of EUR 0.5 billion were paid to Aegon’s operating units, including EUR 0.4 billion to the United Kingdom.