Innovation fuels growth Creating new product and market initiatives is integral to the ongoing success of AEGON Institutional Markets. To that end, our New Initiatives team focuses on introducing market and product opportunities that leverage AEGON's core capabilities in the institutional spread business. These opportunities are identified in a variety of ways, but tend to leverage the deep relationships AEGON Institutional Markets has with clients, external dealers, banks and consultants, among others. New Initiatives -- working in partnership with AEGON's marketing personnel and these external constituents -- carefully assesses opportunities that are either presented to us or developed within the organization by "connecting the dots" on past experiences in various markets. If an opportunity is deemed to bring enough positive attributes to AEGON Institutional Markets and the clients we serve, New Initiatives will work with internal partners within the organization and the AEGON Group to ensure the best risk-adjusted returns are generated. The opportunity is then further evaluated through a test transaction and, if successful, mainstreamed within AEGON Institutional Markets' product or market offerings. These opportunities will cover the spectrum, from a material change to an existing product to developing a new market opportunity to creating a new platform such as the AEGON Global Institutional Markets initiative in Ireland. Throughout all of this, the core strategic values of AEGON Institutional Markets' business model are at the forefront as a means to create beneficial opportunities for AEGON and its customers over the long term. To learn more about how we turn ideas into initiatives, please contact us.