Dutch pension provider, PME, has invested €25m in new investment fund, DeeptechXL.

DeeptechXL has also received investments from ASML and Philips, with a total size of around €100m. The fund will look to invest in Dutch companies that focus on high-quality new technology, and is expected to provide participating investors with digital expertise and knowledge, as well as financial returns. The investment is aligned with PME’s policy of investing in its own sector, as well as in companies that aim to make a positive social impact, with executive board chairman, Eric Uijen, suggesting that Deeptech can help develop solutions to societal challenges.

Danish pension fund, PKA, has praised the commitment by European politicians to significantly expand offshore wind projects in the North Sea.

Representatives from Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium, announced plans for a tenfold expansion in offshore wind projects to at least 150 gigwatts by 2050. This will require an investment of more than DKK100bn, with a large part of this to be financed by Danish pension money. In addition to this, the four countries have set an interim target to develop 65 gigawatts of offshore wind by 2030. In light of this, PKA’s CEO, Jon Johnsen, emphasised the need for an action plan to be presented as soon as possible to allow both developers and investors to begin bidding. “We have extensive experience in investing in offshore wind, and we have for a long time been ready with money for even more green energy. But we lack concrete projects to invest in," he stated. "The sooner we can realise the projects, the faster we can ensure Europe's energy security of supply and take the next steps in the development of green technologies.”

Dutch Pension Fund, APB, has voted against the reappointment of a board member at Amazon’s annual general meeting amid concerns over compensation and working conditions.

The fund suggested that the Amazon CEO’s compensation was disproportionate to company performance, also suggesting that the company has not yet sufficiently improved employee safety, having been previously criticised for unsafe working conditions in recent years. However, ABP has been in talks with Amazon for some time, and acknowledged that there has been a “clear improvement”, with the company seeming open to recommendations. In light of this, the fund confirmed that it will "continue to talk" with Amazon, and will abstain from voting on the reappointment of Daniel Huttenlocher, a member of the remuneration committee. However, the scheme clarified that it will vote against his reappointment next year, if further improvement isn't seen.

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