Anneka Treon, global head of Private Banking, Wealth Management and Investments at Amsterdam-headquartered ING, shares her views on European wealth, and discusses the recent launch of ING’s Global Investment Centre designed to elevate investment capabilities across ING’s markets. 

Netherlands-headquartered ING remains constructive on equities – and that includes the US market – as debate continues whether the American stock market, or at least the tech-heavy parts of it, are heading into overheated territory. 

Anneka Treon (pictured), global head of Private Banking, Wealth Management and Investments, told WealthBriefing in a recent interview that she has not seen clients pull out of equities. The firm remains strong on US and European equities.

“Demand has been rising too for private market assets,” she said. “We see record levels of demand. It seems that ING’s approach to this asset class of providing transparency, education and opportunities for liquidity is resonating well. We believe that private markets are an important asset class to gain exposure to long term themes like energy transition...We recently added a global energy transition infrastructure fund to the platform.” 

“This addition aligns with our strategy of making innovative investment solutions accessible to a broader range of clients. It also aligns with ING’s vision of sustainable progress,” Treon added.

Closing Europe’s investment gap
With European households keeping less than a fifth of assets in capital markets compared with over half in the US, Treon highlighted that Europe lacks the investment culture that the US has: “The population is ageing and we have to take action. We can’t rely on government support alone. People need to start investing their savings to protect their wealth. And we, as a bank, have a responsibility to make that easier, more accessible and more relevant to their lives.”

Treon recently launched ING’s Global Investment Centre to accelerate plans to grow its Private Banking, Wealth Management & Investments business, which consists of over €260 billion ($303 billion) of invested assets and five million investing clients. The centre delivers a high-quality investment offering across all markets, built on a global philosophy while remaining responsive to local client needs, the firm said. The centre brings together ING’s investment offices in the Netherlands, Belgium, and Luxembourg, along with ING solutions investment management (ISIM) in Luxembourg, under one global structure. 

The launch comes amid growing calls for increased investment activity across Europe. Recent EU initiatives have highlighted the need to channel household savings – estimated at over €10 trillion ($1.16 trillion) – into investments that support economic growth.

Head to Heart 
Through a “Head to Heart” strategy, ING aims to shift people's attitudes about investing – from something purely rational and technical, to something personal and meaningful. 

Treon noted that traditional players struggle to balance human touch with digital capabilities, while ING is building a scalable, client-centric model with advisors focusing especially on clients’ 'moments of truth'. She sees a lot of demand for automation and digital capabilities while recognising that the human touch remains critical.  

Chris van Schuppen has been appointed head of the new Global Investment Centre, a newly-created role within Global Private Banking Wealth Management & Investments at ING. As a member of the management team, reporting to Treon, van Schuppen is bringing experience across wealth management, corporate, and investment banking.

Treon, who has 18 years of experience in the financial industry, has held senior roles at Van Lanschot Kempen, and prior to that she worked at Goldman Sachs, KPMG, and Rothschild. She is driving ING's first global strategic focus on PBWM & Investments as a third pillar of their retail banking strategy.