Filing

This document contains Aegon’s Annual Report as filed on Form 20-F (also referred to in this document as ‘Annual Report’) with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

About this report

This report serves as Aegon’s Annual Report for the year ended December 31, 2016. It presents the consolidated financial statements of Aegon pages 131-303 and the stand-alone financial statements of Aegon N.V. pages 305-320, both prepared in accordance with the International Financial Reporting Standards as issued by the International Accounting Standards Board (IFRS), and Part 9 of Book 2 of the Dutch Civil Code.

Aegon N.V. is referred to in this document as ‘Aegon’, or ‘the Company’, and is together with its member companies referred to as ‘Aegon Group’ or ‘the Group’. For such purposes, ‘member companies’ means, in relation to Aegon N.V., those companies required to be consolidated in accordance with the Netherlands legislative requirements relating to consolidated accounts.

Presentation of certain information

References to the ‘NYSE’ are to the New York Stock Exchange and references to the SEC are to the US 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, and ‘PLN’ when referring to the lawful currency of Poland.

Aegon prepares its consolidated financial statements in accordance with IFRS and with Part 9 of Book 2 of the Netherlands Civil Code for purposes of reporting with the U.S. 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.

 

From the Brexit referendum in the UK to the presidential election in the US, 2016 was a year defined by a series of events that had profound effects on the global economy. Uncertainty and instability led to considerable volatility on financial markets, interest rates decreased to historically low levels before rising later in the year, and the trend of governments retreating from providing retirement security continued. Against this backdrop, Aegon’s work of bringing certainty in an uncertain world has never been more important, and I’m proud of how we delivered on our promises to our many millions of customers worldwide during the year – paying out over EUR 59 billion in claims, benefits and plan withdrawals.

Our financial performance

I am pleased that Aegon’s Solvency II ratio remained well within our target range of 140 to 170 percent throughout the year – despite the widespread economic volatility. The ratio on December 31, 2016, of 157 percent was above the midpoint of our target range, and this consistent performance throughout the year is a demonstration of our company’s diligent approach to managing risk and protecting our balance sheet. There is nonetheless potential for renewed volatility and uncertainty around the calculation of this ratio, and we remain mindful and focused on such risks.

2016 was once again a year of strong sales – especially in terms of our fee businesses, in particular Asset Management – and I am therefore happy that we reached over EUR 100 billion of gross deposits for the very first time, which contributed to EUR 3 billion net deposits. This strong performance was above all a reflection of the need and relevance of our products and services, the strength of our franchise, and the trust our loyal customers continue to place in us.

While we experienced some significant headwinds this year in the form of market volatility and some adverse claims experience – both of which had an impact on earnings – we are on track to deliver on our 2018 financial targets. Moreover, I am pleased that we successfully increased capital returns to our shareholders this year as part of our commitment to return EUR 2.1 billion to shareholders in the period 2016-2018.

Transforming our company

Meeting our purpose of helping people achieve a lifetime of financial security demands that we constantly evolve as a business so that we can continue to serve our customers’ changing needs. For this reason we, once again, invested significantly in developing innovative digital solutions – from new apps and customer-friendly platforms that enable people to better understand their finances, to exploring the future of the insurance industry through co-launching the Blockchain Initiative B3i.

The environment in which we operate is changing fast, and over the course of the year we continued to demonstrate how we are adapting to the new landscape. In the UK, we divested our annuity book and acquired Cofunds and BlackRock’s defined contribution recordkeeping business. This successfully completed the transformation of our UK business from a largely traditional pension business into a market-leading, cost efficient and scalable platform business, with over 3 million customers and approximately 100 billion pounds of assets under administration. We also continued the very significant restructuring of our US business, which has brought all of Transamerica’s business units together into a single, customer-facing company, and gives our customers easier access to all our different products and services.

By transforming Aegon’s US operations from distinct business lines into one, functionally-organized business, we identified potential for cost savings. These savings constituted the bulk of the group’s original 2018 expense savings target of EUR 200 million, announced in January 2016. Meeting these expense reductions was a key priority for our business throughout the year as we continued to focus on becoming more efficient, more profitable, raising our returns, investing in new digital solutions, and deploying our capital in the best way for our company and stakeholders. By accelerating the execution of our strategy, we were able to exceed our expense savings target for the year, achieving a total of EUR 110 million in run-rate savings. As a result, this enabled us to announce that our group 2018 run-rate expense savings target would rise to EUR 350 million.

 

Our communities

Although this Annual Report focusses primarily on Aegon’s financial performance, we also choose to publish an integrated annual review. This outlines our company’s wider impact on all the communities on which we have an impact, and how Aegon creates and shares value for stakeholders by letting customers, investors, business partners, local communities and employees tell their story.

Our employees and shareholders

On behalf of Aegon’s Management Board, I would like to express my sincere thanks to over 29,000 colleagues for all that they do. 2016 was a year of significant change for our company, and it would have been impossible to continue to provide the very best service to our millions of customers around the world without their extraordinary professionalism, ingenuity and dedication.

I would also like to thank our many shareholders around the world. We value your continued interest, and are grateful for the trust you place in our company. Aegon achieved much over the last twelve months, and I am confident that by successfully executing our strategy we will continue to become a more efficient and customer-centric organization. By doing so we will be able to secure long-term, sustainable growth, and thereby meet our commitments to all our valued stakeholders.

 

Alex Wynaendts

Chief Executive Officer and

Chairman of the Executive Board of Aegon N.V.

 

Alex Wynaendts (1960, Dutch)

CEO and Chairman of the Executive and Management Boards of Aegon N.V.

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. He was appointed as a member of Aegon’s Executive Board in 2003,

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 Board and Management Board. Mr. Wynaendts was reappointed at the Annual General Meeting of Shareholders in 2015. His third term of office ends in 2019. Mr. Wynaendts has been an Independent Director of the Board of Air France-KLM S.A. since May 2016. Mr. Wynaendts has held no other external board memberships in the past five years.

 

Darryl Button (1969, Canadian)

CFO and member of the Executive and Management Boards of Aegon N.V. (until December 1, 2016) ¹

Darryl Button began his career at Mutual Life Insurance Co. of Canada, joining Aegon in 1999 as Director of Product Development and Risk Management at Aegon USA’s Institutional Markets business unit. He was appointed Corporate Actuary of Aegon USA in 2002 and became CFO of Aegon Americas in 2005. From 2008 to 2011, Mr. Button also took on the responsibilities

of Chairman and executive management of Aegon’s Canadian operations, before joining Aegon’s Corporate Center in 2012 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. In addition, Mr. Button is a Board member at the American Chamber of Commerce in the Netherlands. He has held no other external board memberships in the past five years.

 

Alex Wynaendts: see above

Darryl Button: see above

 

Mark Bloom (1964, American)

Global Chief Technology Officer and member of the Management Board, Aegon N.V.

Mark Bloom has over 30 years’ experience in information technology. He joined Aegon from Citi in February 2016, where he served as Global Head of Consumer Digital and Operations Technology, responsible for Digital, Data and Operations technology solutions and innovations, including Citi’s online and mobile banking applications, ATMs, and Call Center technologies.

Prior to that, he held a number of technology leadership positions in financial services and the aerospace industry. At Aegon, as Global Chief Technology Officer, Mr. Bloom is responsible for leading the Company’s technology and innovation activities, including leadership of Aegon’s digital initiatives, leveraging technology to drive efficiency and focus on improving the customer experience. Mr. Bloom was appointed as a member of Aegon’s Management Board in August 2016. Mr. Bloom has held no other external board memberships in the past five years.

 

Adrian Grace (1963, British)

CEO of Aegon UK and member of the Management Board Aegon N.V.

Adrian held various roles within GE capital, Sage Group Inc. and joined Barclays Bank in 2004 as Chief Executive of the Insurance Business. In 2007 he joined HBOS after which he started with

Aegon as CEO of the UK in 2011. He became member of the Management Board of Aegon in 2012 and is a non-executive Director at Clydesdale Bank and a member of the Financial Conduct Authority practitioners panel. Mr. Grace was member of the Board of Scottish Financial Enterprise up until June 2013 and held no other external board memberships in the past five years.

 

Allegra van Hövell-Patrizi (1974, Italian)

Chief Risk Officer of Aegon N.V. and member of the Management Board Aegon N.V.

Allegra van Hövell-Patrizi began her career in 1996 at McKinsey & Company, specializing in financial institutions. After several years as a partner there, she joined F&C Asset Management in 2007 as a member of the Management Committee. In 2009, she joined Prudential plc where she became Group Risk Director,

and a member of the Group Executive Risk Committee, as well as the PUSL Board (within the Prudential plc group). Ms. Van Hövell-Patrizi joined Aegon at the end of 2015. She was appointed Chief Risk Officer of Aegon N.V. and a member of Aegon’s Management Board in January 2016. Ms. Van Hövell-Patrizi has held no other external board memberships in the past five years.

 

Marco Keim (1962, Dutch)

CEO of Aegon the Netherlands and member of the Management Board Aegon N.V.

Marco Keim began his career with accountancy firm Coopers & Lybrand / Van Dien. He has also worked at 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, and was appointed CEO three years later.

Mr. Keim was appointed CEO of Aegon the Netherlands and member of Aegon’s Management Board in June 2008. Mr. Keim was a member of the Supervisory Board of AMVEST Vastgoed B.V. until June 2013, and is a member of the Supervisory Board of Eneco Holding N.V. In addition, Mr. Keim holds board positions at VNO-NCW and at Verbond van Verzekeraars. Mr. Keim has held no other external board memberships in the past five years ¹ .

 

Gábor Kepecs (1954, Hungarian)

CEO of Aegon Central & Eastern Europe and member of the Management Board Aegon N.V.

Gábor Kepecs began his career with the Hungarian government before joining former state-owned insurance company Állami Biztosító. He was appointed CEO in 1990, two years before Állami Biztosító was privatized and acquired by Aegon. Mr. Kepecs

was the CEO of Aegon Hungary from 1992 to 2009, during which time he headed the expansion of Aegon’s businesses in Hungary and across the wider Central & Eastern European region. Mr. Kepecs has been a member of Aegon’s Management Board since 2008. Mr. Kepecs has not held any external board memberships in the past five years ² .

 

Onno van Klinken (1969, Dutch)

General Counsel and member of the Management Board, Aegon N.V.

Onno van Klinken has over 20 years’ experience providing legal advice to a range of companies and leading Executive Board offices. Mr. Van Klinken started his career at Allen & Overy, and previously worked for Aegon between 2002 and 2006. He then served as Corporate Secretary for Royal Numico, the Dutch baby food company, before it was acquired by Groupe Danone. His next position was as General Counsel for the Dutch global mail and

express group TNT, where he served from 2008 until the legal demerger of the group in 2011. This was followed by General Counsel positions at D.E. Master Blenders 1753 and Corio N.V. Mr. Van Klinken rejoined Aegon in 2014 as General Counsel responsible for Group Legal, Regulatory Compliance, the Executive Board Office and Supervisor Relations. Mr. Van Klinken has been a member of Aegon’s Management Board since August 2016. He has not held any external board memberships in the past five years.

 

Carla Mahieu (1959, Dutch)

Global Head Human Resources and member of the Management Board Aegon N.V.

Carla Mahieu started her career in 1984 at Royal Dutch Shell, where she held various management positions within Human Resources, Communications and Corporate Strategy. Following several years as a consultant – during which time she worked for Spencer Stuart, among other companies – Ms. Mahieu was

appointed Senior Vice President Corporate Human Resource Management at Royal Philips Electronics in 2003. Ms. Mahieu joined Aegon in 2010 as Global Head Human Resources, and has been a member of Aegon’s Management Board since August 2016. Ms. Mahieu is a former Board member of Duisenberg School of Finance and has been a member of the non-executive Board of the Royal BAM Group since 2011. Ms. Mahieu has held no other external board memberships in the past five years.

 

Mark Mullin (1963, American)

CEO of Aegon Americas and member of the Management Board Aegon N.V.

Mark Mullin has spent more than 20 years with Aegon in various management positions in both the United States and Europe. Mr. Mullin served as President and CEO of one of Aegon’s US

subsidiaries, Diversified Investment Advisors, and as head of the Company’s US annuity and mutual fund businesses. He was named President of Aegon Americas in 2009, and became President and CEO of Aegon Americas and a member of the Management Board in 2010. Mr. Mullin has not held any external board memberships in the past five years.

 

Sarah Russell (1962, Australian)

CEO of Aegon Asset Management and member of the Management Committee

Sarah Russell has 25 years’ experience in international finance and asset management. Ms. Russell began her career at Toronto Dominion in Melbourne before joining ABN AMRO in 1994. She moved to the Netherlands in 2000, where she held a number of various roles, leading to her appointment as CEO of ABN AMRO’s

asset management operations. Ms. Russell joined Aegon Asset Management as CEO in 2010, and has been a member of Aegon’s Management Board since August 2016. Ms. Russell is a non-executive director of Nordea Bank AB since 2010 and also holds a Supervisory Board member position at Nederlandse Investeringsinstelling, and is Vice Chairman of the Supervisory Board of La Banque Postale Asset Management. Ms. Russell has held no other external board memberships in the past five years.

 

Aegon’s ambition

Aegon’s purpose – to help people achieve a lifetime of financial security – forms the basis of the Company’s strategy. The central focus of the strategy is to further change the Company by shifting from a product-based company to a customer need-driven one. This means serving diverse and evolving needs across the customer life cycle (‘right time, right solution’); aligning Aegon’s brand promise with being a trusted partner for financial solutions that are relevant, simple, rewarding, and convenient; and developing long-term customer relationships by providing guidance and advice, and identifying additional financial security needs at every stage of customers lives.

The aim of Aegon’s strategy is that the Company be a truly international enterprise with a common culture across its businesses of working together; that Aegon’s respective businesses learn from each other and replicate best practices to benefit customers; that it recognizes and addresses opportunities in rapidly changing markets in a timely and nimble way; and that it attracts, develops, and retains the best people who share its values and are committed to its purpose.

In order to do so, Aegon will focus on reducing complexity, eliminating duplication, improving accuracy, and increasing automation to realize cost efficiencies, allowing investments in its transformation to a digitally enabled, customer-centric company. Furthermore, the Company will focus on driving scale and establishing strong market positions in its current footprint, and strictly adhering to comprehensive standards that support the efficient use of capital by all businesses. The different market segments, the different geographies, and the different starting positions of Aegon’s businesses nonetheless mean that they will experience different paths to meet the same goals. Expertise and knowledge available in Aegon’s established markets will be utilized to position its businesses in emerging markets.

In summary, it is Aegon’s ambition to be regarded as a trusted partner for financial solutions at every stage of life in all its markets. That means: being recognized by its customers, business partners, and society as a company that puts the interests of its customers first in all that it does; and being regarded as an employer of choice by employees, engaging and enabling them to succeed. In addition, the Company will strive to generate the returns, earnings, and dividends that fulfil shareholders’ expectations.

Aegon’s strategic objectives

Aegon believes that it will achieve its ambition of becoming a trusted partner for financial solutions at every stage of life if it realizes the following strategic objectives:

◆

Serving customers’ need for financial security throughout their lifetimes by providing digitally- enabled, omni-channel, accessible solutions and superior customer experience (‘ Loyal Customers ’);

◆

Delivering excellent service to customers at competitive cost levels by increasing scale and improving quality, efficiency, and accuracy of processes with technology (‘ Operational Excellence ’);

◆

Valuing and supporting Aegon employees as the Company’s greatest asset by engaging and enabling them with the tools, training, and culture needed to exceed customers’ expectations (‘ Empowered Employees ’); and

◆

Ensuring that the Company always meets its long-term commitments to stakeholders by delivering sustainable financial results and maintaining a strong and stable balance sheet (‘ Optimized Portfolio ’).

To realize these objectives, Aegon needs to be more focused and more forward-looking, and it needs to accelerate and improve the quality of execution.

Acquisitions & divestments

Acquisitions can accelerate the implementation of Aegon’s strategy, provide it with access to new technologies and provide the scale needed in markets in which it is already active. Aegon is selective when determining which businesses it would like to acquire, generally targeting acquisitions that fit the Company’s mission of securing the financial future of its customers, and that are aligned with its four strategic objectives. The Company uses several financial criteria for determining the attractiveness of acquisitions including: return on capital, internal rate of return, capital generation, and capital fungibility. Similar strategic and financial criteria are applied when considering the potential divestment of existing activities.

 

The Company’s history dates back over 170 years. Aegon N.V. was formed in 1983 through the merger of AGO and Ennia, both of which were successors to insurance companies founded in the 1800s.

Aegon is headquartered in the Netherlands, and through its subsidiaries and joint ventures it employs over 29,000 people worldwide. Aegon’s common shares are listed on stock exchanges in Amsterdam (Euronext) and New York (NYSE). Aegon’s main operating units are separate legal entities that operate under the laws of their respective countries. The shares of these 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 a number of its asset management entities.

Aegon exists to help people achieve a lifetime of financial security. It uses a multi-brand, multichannel distribution approach to meet its customers’ needs, and fosters an entrepreneurial spirit within its businesses, encouraging the development of innovative products and services.

Aegon has the following operating segments: the Americas, which includes the United States, Mexico and Brazil; the Netherlands; the United Kingdom; Central & Eastern Europe; Spain & Portugal; Asia and Aegon Asset Management.

The separate operating segments of the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Central & Eastern Europe and Spain & Portugal may be referred together as ‘Europe’, but Europe is not an operating segment.

 

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 (see pages 131-303) of this Annual Report.

 

Dividends

Aegon declared interim and final dividends on common shares for the years 2012 through 2016 in the amounts set forth in the following table. The 2016 interim dividend amounted to EUR 0.13 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 16, 2016. At the General Meeting of Shareholders on May 19, 2017, the Supervisory Board will, absent unforeseen circumstances, propose a final dividend

of EUR 0.13 per common share (at each shareholders option in cash or in stock), which will bring the total dividend for 2016 to EUR 0.26. Proposed final dividend for the year and proposed total dividend 2016 per common share B are EUR 0.00325 and EUR 0.00650 respectively. Dividends in US dollars are calculated based on the foreign exchange reference rate (WM/Reuters closing spot exchange rate fixed at 5.00 pm Central European Summer Time (“CEST”)) on the US-ex dividend day.

 

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 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 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 15, 2017, the USD exchange rate was EUR 1 = USD 1.0630.

The high and low exchange rates for the US dollar per euro for each of the last six months through February 2017 are set forth below:

 

The average exchange rates for the US dollar per euro for the five years ended December 31, 2016, calculated by using the average of the exchange rates on the last day of each month during the period, are set forth below:

 

Americas

Life

Products offering protection against mortality, morbidity and longevity risks, including traditional and universal life, in addition to endowment, term, and whole life insurance products.

Accident & health

Products offering supplemental health, accidental death and dismemberment insurance, critical illness, cancer treatment, credit/disability, income protection, travel and long-term care insurance.

Mutual funds

Wide range of specialized mutual funds, including asset allocation, US equity, global/international equity, alternative investments, hybrid allocation, fixed income and target date funds.

Retirement plans

Comprehensive and customized retirement plan services to employers across the entire spectrum of defined benefit, defined contribution and non-qualified deferred compensation plans. Includes services to individuals rolling over funds from other qualified retirement funds or Individual Retirement Accounts (IRAs).

Variable annuities

Variable annuities allow the holder to accumulate assets for retirement on a tax-deferred basis and to participate in equity or bond market performance, in addition to receiving one of many payout options designed to provide income in retirement.

Fixed annuities

Fixed annuities allow customers to make a lump-sum payment or a series of payments and receive income in the form of periodic payments that can begin immediately or after a period of time.

Stable value solutions

Synthetic Guaranteed Investment Contracts (GICs) in the United States offered primarily to tax-qualified institutional entities such as 401(k) plans and other retirement plans.

Latin America

◆

Brazil: Life and critical illness insurance; private and company pensions; pension scheme administration; and investment funds.

◆

Mexico: Individual life, group life, and health insurance; and saving plans.

 

 

Europe

The Netherlands

◆

Life: Products with mortality, morbidity, and longevity risks, including traditional and universal life, in addition to employer, endowment, term, whole life insurance products; mortgages; annuity products; and banking products, including saving deposits.

◆

Pensions: Individual and group pensions usually sponsored by, or obtained via, an employer. Administration-only services are offered to company and industry pension funds.

◆

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: Individual protection products, such as annuities, term insurance, critical illness, income protection and international/ offshore bonds.

◆

Pensions: Individual pensions, including self-invested personal pensions and drawdown products, such as guaranteed income drawdown products; group pensions, sponsored by, or obtained via, an employer. Also includes the tied-agent distribution business.

Central & Eastern Europe

Activities in the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, and Turkey. This business line includes life insurance, individual and group pension products, savings and investments, in addition to general insurance.

Spain & Portugal

Distribution partnerships with Santander in Spain & Portugal and with Liberbank in Spain. This business line includes life insurance, accident and health insurance, general insurance and investment products.

 

 

 

Asia

High net worth businesses

Life insurance marketed to high-net-worth individuals in Hong Kong and Singapore.

Aegon Insights

Full range of direct insurance solutions from product design, customer analytics insights, marketing campaign design and multi-channel product distribution to policy administration and claims management.

Strategic partnerships

Joint ventures in China and India offering (term) life insurance and savings products, and in Japan offering variable annuities.

 

Aegon Asset Management

Americas

Investment products covering third-party customers, insurance-linked solutions, and Aegon’s own insurance companies.

The Netherlands

Investment products covering third-party customers, insurance-linked solutions, and Aegon’s own insurance companies in addition to manager selection and tailored advice on balance sheet solutions for the pension market.

United Kingdom

Fixed income, equities, real estate and multi-asset solutions to Aegon’s own insurance companies as well as external UK and international customers.

Rest of World

Asset management activities in Central & Eastern Europe and Spain & Portugal, in addition to results of the asset management holding.

Strategic partnerships

◆

In China, Aegon Asset Management owns 49% of the shares of Aegon Industrial Fund Management Company, a Shanghai-based asset manager.

◆

In France, Aegon Asset Management has a strategic asset management partnership with La Banque Postale, through a 25% equity stake in La Banque Postale Asset Management.

 

 

 

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 below in addition to note 5 Segment information 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 the Netherlands, Mexico, Spain, Portugal, China and Japan and Aegon’s associates in India, Brazil, the Netherlands, United Kingdom 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 below. Aegon believes that these non-IFRS measures provides meaningful supplemental 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 measures presented in this report. While many other insurers in Aegon’s peer group present substantially similar non-IFRS measures, the non-IFRS measures 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 making a comparison. Aegon believes the non-IFRS measures present within this report, when read together with Aegon’s reported IFRS financial statements, provide meaningful supplemental information for the investing public. This enables them 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 (as companies may use different local generally accepted accounting principles (GAAPs)), and this may make the comparability difficult between time periods.