Our history

Establishment of N.V. Maatschappij van Assurantie, Discontering en Beleening der Stad Rotterdam anno 1720

Stad Rotterdam, the oldest insurer on the European mainland, was a well-known name in the insurance world for almost three centuries. The company mainly dealt in marine insurance, which is not surprising in a city such as Rotterdam. In addition, lending, and discounting money, and to a lesser extent fire insurance, were key activities.

However, it is now clear that the history of this legal predecessor of a.s.r. also has another, painful side: research into its slavery past.

In 1816, the Onderlinge Brandwaarborg-maatschappij Woudsend U.A. set up. The principle of the mutual insurance company was something new at that time. The insured parties stood surety for each other in the event of damage. In 1950, the name Woudsend changed to N.V. Insurance Company Holland-Woudsend. Results deteriorated in the late 1960s. Woudsend ended up in the red and started looking for a partner. It was found in the city of Rotterdam.

There was hardly greater shame for people in the nineteenth century than having to be buried like a pauper.

With this in mind, D. Stolwerk and W.P. Ingenegeren established Let op Uw Einde, a funeral expenses fund, in Utrecht on 6 December 1847. In exchange for a small fee, members of the fund were guaranteed a decent burial. After just 25 years, Let op Uw Einde had become the largest funeral expenses insurer in the Netherlands.

In 1883, the Board of Let op Uw Einde established Levensverzekering Maatschappij Utrecht. De Utrecht, as it was known, focused mostly on newly created endowment insurance and annuities, which were calculated using complex actuarial principles. Let op Uw Einde was dissolved in 1894, at which time the insurance portfolio was transferred to De Utrecht.

The origins of Europeesche Verzekeringen can be traced back to Hungary. Timber merchant Max von Engel established Europäische Reisegepäck-Versicherungs A.G. in Budapest in 1907. Von Engel exclusively offered travel insurance. His aim was to create a network of branches throughout Europe, which he succeeded in doing. By 1928, he had no fewer than 22 branches in all major European cities.

The Dutch branch by the name of ‘Europeesche’ was established on 25 May 1920 in partnership with Müncher Rück and Dutch Railways.

De Amersfoortse was originally a Protestant non-profit initiative. Het Wit-Blauwe Kruis, a foundation whose aim was to promote the construction of Protestant hospitals in the Netherlands, was established in 1938. Insurance policies were sold as a way of raising funds for this purpose.

The foundation was converted into a public company by the name of N.V. Amersfoortse Algemene Verzekeringsmaatschappij – De Amersfoortse for short – in 1964.

Ardanta started out under the name Algemene Nederlandse Begrafenisverzekering en Verzorgingsmaatschappij (ANBV) in 1965. AMEV acquired Ardanta in 1982.

Falcon Life created from Mercator Life

AMEV and VSB Group were the first bancassurance groups to merge. Until 1990, the two-tier regime prevented insurance companies and banks from being members of the same group.

The merger between Belgian-based AG Group and AMEV/VSB was the first cross-border merger in the financial sector. The merger took place on the initiative of the CEOs of the two companies, i.e. Hans Bartelds and Maurice Lippens.

Merger between ASR Group and Fortis AMEV, Fortis's Dutch insurance operations.

2005 Integration of insurance operations of Stad Rotterdam, AMEV, Woudsend Verzekeringen into Fortis ASR.

The State of the Netherlands has been a.s.r.’s only shareholder since October 2008. Until 2008, a.s.r. was a division of Fortis and operated under the name Fortis Verzekeringen Nederland. The State’s participation in a.s.r. is the direct result of the nationalization of the Dutch divisions of Fortis, which collapsed in 2008.

Finance Minister Dijsselbloem sent a letter to the Lower House of Dutch Parliament informing the Members that the Cabinet had decided to initiate the selling process for a.s.r. The Minister plans to ask NLFI and a.s.r. to start preparing for an IPO, so that privatization will become an option from the first half of 2016.

10 June at 9:00 AM. From that moment on ASR Nederland N.V. is listed on Euronext Amsterdam. NL Financial Investments (NLFI) currently holds approximately 63,7% of the shares. Eventually all shares will be placed on het market in trances.

On the 14th of September, NLFI sells the last 20.5% stake in a.s.r. The Dutch State has completed the full divestment of a.s.r.and brings all the shares of a.s.r. back to the private market since October 2008.

a.s.r. acquires Generali Netherlands, including the insurance policies of 200,000 customers. Generali Netherlands serves the market with a wide range of property and life insurance products.

a.s.r. acquires Loyalis from pension administrator APG. With this acquisition, a.s.r. expands and strengthens its market position in the field of disability insurance and reinforces its leading position in providing comprehensive sustainable employability solutions for employers. The insurer based in Heerlen has approximately 450,000 policyholders.

a.s.r. acquires full ownership of Brand New Day PPI from Brand New Day. a.s.r. previously held a 50% stake in the company, which offers pension arrangements and has approximately 5,800 employers and 145,000 participants on its books.

De Amersfoortse will continue under the name a.s.r. a.s.r. says farewell to the brand De Amersfoortse. The income and health insurances for entrepreneurs and employers from now on will be offered under the a.s.r. brand. With this step, a.s.r. aims to further strengthen its brand. The name change has no impact on De Amersfoortse's customers. They will retain the products and service they are accustomed to, but will receive information about their insurance under the name of a.s.r.

On October 27, 2022, a.s.r. announces its intention to acquire the Dutch operations of Aegon. Following the merger, which will be finalized on July 4, 2023, a.s.r. becomes the second-largest insurer in the Netherlands with 6.5 million customers and over 9,500 employees. a.s.r. will retain its brand name, but the Aegon name will continue to be used for pensions and mortgages for a maximum of three more years. However, Bank Knab and pension administrator TKP will keep their respective names.

Discontinuation of brands De Europeesche, Ditzo and Ardanta

To strengthen the a.s.r. brand, the brands Ditzo, De Europeesche, and Ardanta will be discontinued. Ditzo sold various insurance types online, including health, car, home, and travel insurance. De Europeesche specialized in travel and recreation insurance. a.s.r. is also parting ways with the Ardanta brand and funeral insurances will now be offered under the name a.s.r. These changes in branding will not affect customers. They will retain the products and services they are accustomed to, only now receiving information about their insurances under the a.s.r. name.

a.s.r. gets the green light for combination with Aegon Nederland

ASR Nederland N.V. (a.s.r.) meets all the conditions set for the transaction to combine business activities of a.s.r. and Aegon Nederland. The Consumer & Market Authority has approved the new combination and the Dutch Central Bank and the European Central Bank have also issued a statement of no objection. The works councils of a.s.r. and Aegon N.V. (Aegon) had previously issued a positive opinion. Now that the transaction has been finalised, a.s.r. will start combining operations.

a.s.r. acquires all funeral insurance policies from De Onderlinge van 1719 and becomes the oldest insurer in the Netherlands.

a.s.r. becomes 100% shareholder of HumanTotalCare and strengthens its position in the field of occupational health services and reintegration.

a.s.r. has reached an agreement with BOVAG on the full acquisition of all insurance activities of Bovemij. Customers will continue to receive advice and insurance product distribution through the trusted Bovemij and ENRA brands.

The legal merger between ASR Levensverzekering N.V. (a.s.r. Leven) and AEGON Levensverzekering N.V. (Aegon Leven) marks the final step in the integration of Aegon Nederland into a.s.r.