Mission and Strategy

a.s.r. is deeply rooted in society and we go to great lengths to understand the needs and wishes of our customers. Our products ensure the financial stability of customers and enable them to insure themselves against risks that they are unable or unwilling to bear themselves. Customer confidence is essential to a.s.r., and we value independent third-party advice to customers, as reflected in our strong position in the intermediary channel.

a.s.r. aspires to be a financially dependable and stable organization. A solid financial position enables a.s.r. to fulfil its short-term and long-term obligations to customers and stakeholders. Moreover, our philosophy of ‘value over volume’ helps us to create value in the long-term. 

a.s.r. sets great store by the expertise of our employees, and we aim to attract and retain talented people. We aim to offer our employees an exciting and inspiring work environment as well as opportunities for development. 

a.s.r. has a responsibility to society at large, to our customers in general and to vulnerable groups in particular. This is reflected in our HR policy (e.g. employing people with disabilities), our investment policy, the working environment (The New World of Work) and our CSR policy. 

The raison d'être of a.s.r. is to help people. We achieve this through projects aimed at enabling people to make informed financial choices. This is to ensure that an increasing number of people in the Netherlands become financially conscious, self-reliant, and resilient—now, in the future, and always. We accomplish this by funding educational programs and providing guest lectures in schools. Additionally, in five cities where a.s.r. has a presence, namely Utrecht, Heerlen, Enschede, Leeuwarden, and Groningen, we collaborate with partners to support projects and programs that assist individuals with (potential) problematic debts in achieving sustainable solutions. Furthermore, a.s.r. employees visit people's homes to help them get their financial affairs in order.

a.s.r. offers customers simple, transparent products that fulfil their wishes. Propositions are field-tested and changes in customers’ wishes and needs are closely monitored so that they can be satisfied. Moreover, we make constant improvements in our services to customers and the intermediaries that advise them.

Customer and intermediary satisfaction is closely monitored by means of feedback, including the Net Promoter Score. We also aim to make our organizational structure more straightforward so that we can respond quickly to changes in market conditions or customer needs.

a.s.r. seeks to maintain discipline in the areas of underwriting and pricing. We also aim to deepen our knowledge of customer behaviours and enhance our expertise in the areas of underwriting, pricing and claims handling. Historically, underwriting and claims handling skills have resulted in a strong combined ratio. We invest in experienced insurance specialists, who enable us to expand our underwriting expertise and skills.

a.s.r. continues to focus on effective cost control. We aim to achieve a further reduction in operating expenses over the coming years. In order to make our cost base flexible, we also want to increase the variable portion of our cost base as a proportion of overheads. Decentralizing distribution, product marketing and IT should help us simplify the organizational structure and achieve cost savings.

a.s.r. seeks to maintain a solid financial framework, backed by a prudent risk policy, a robust Solvency II position and a sound investment policy, in order to generate robust, high-quality earnings and strong capital growth. This results in what is known as a 'cash-generating business model'.