IHS Markit's thinkFolio investment management platform has been selected by APG Asset Management - the Dutch pension provider with €633bn in AuM - to transform front-office operations for its multi-asset portfolio globally. The firm will leverage thinkFolio as a managed service hosted on the Amazon Web Services (AWS) cloud.

As the manager of multiple major pension funds, APG maintains a complex portfolio structure that encompasses multiple asset classes and distinct alpha generation lifecycles across its investment canvas. The firm expects to consolidate, simplify and automate its operations by leveraging thinkFolio as its single, global platform for portfolio modelling, order management and trade compliance across asset classes. APG also hopes to benefit from the open, interoperable design of thinkFolio by incorporating risk analytics, ESG content and other key data sets into the compliance and investment decision-making processes.

Scaling APG's global operating platform
As part of this operating model delivery plan, IHS Markit will deploy and manage the infrastructure, thinkFolio application and operations via the AWS cloud. This will scale APG's global operating platform, provide agility and flexibility, and allow APG teams to focus on other high-value business initiatives.

The decision to adopt thinkFolio follows APG's experience as a customer of other IHS Markit products. The agreement demonstrates thinkFolio's continued growth in continental Europe and within the Netherlands specifically.

A combination of technology, services and domain expertise
"We are pleased to be building on our strong, longstanding relationship with IHS Markit," says Jan Mark van Mill, Head of Treasury & Trading at APG Asset Management. "The ability to consolidate our cross-asset front-office operations on a single global platform is compelling. It provides an opportunity to streamline our processes, increase efficiency, reduce operational risk and, ultimately, deliver the best results for our customers. We have selected IHS Markit because of the combination of technology, services and domain expertise they offer."

"Throughout the industry, investment managers are managing the twin pressures of delivering innovation and enhanced productivity for their business users while focusing on technology cost reduction and achieving economies of scale," said Brett Schechterman, Global Head of thinkFolio at IHS Markit. "The challenge is significant for multi-asset firms due to the complexity and heterogeneity of their operations. thinkFolio has been designed to address these requirements and is positioned to help these firms consolidate and streamline their operations. Our cross-asset capabilities are paired with an open, interoperable design philosophy, which empowers firms to integrate third-party applications and content into their investment ecosystems. We are excited to partner with APG to help them deliver the best results for their pension fund clients."

Media contacts:
Joanna Vickers
IHS Markit
+44 782 653 2708
joanna.vickers@ihsmarkit.com

Lot Folgering
APG Asset Management
+31 (0) 6 10821278
lot.folgering@apg.nl

About thinkFolio
thinkFolio from IHS Markit is a leading multi-asset investment management platform that delivers sophisticated capabilities across portfolio modelling, order management and trading, cash and FX management, compliance and the investment book of record (IBOR). The platform is delivered as a managed service, supporting investment firms that want to reduce costs, maximize flexibility, enhance scale and achieve time-to-market objectives.
IHS Markit provides industry-leading data, software and technology platforms and managed services to tackle some of the most difficult challenges in financial markets. We help our customers better understand complicated markets, reduce risk, operate more efficiently and comply with financial regulation.

About APG
As the largest pension provider in the Netherlands APG looks after the pensions of 4.7 million participants. APG provides executive consultancy, asset management, pension administration, pension communication and employer services. We work for pension funds and employers in the sectors of education, government, construction, cleaning, housing associations, sheltered employment organizations, medical specialists, and architects. APG manages approximately €633 billion (December 2021) in pension assets. With approximately 3,000 employees we work from Heerlen, Amsterdam, Brussels, New York, Hong Kong, Shanghai and Beijing.
www.apg.nl

S&P Global provides industry-leading data, software and technology platforms and managed services to tackle some of the most difficult challenges in financial markets. We help our customers better understand complicated markets, reduce risk, operate more efficiently and comply with financial regulation.

This article was published by S&P Global Market Intelligence and not by S&P Global Ratings, which is a separately managed division of S&P Global.