OREANDA-NEWS. Fitch Ratings has affirmed BNP Paribas Investment Partners' (BNPP IP) Asset Manager Rating at 'Highest Standards'. The Outlook is Stable.

KEY RATING DRIVERS
The affirmation reflects BNPP IP's ability to deliver on its strategic plan, based on an effective new organisation and adjustments to changing industry dynamics. The rating is based on solid governance, in-depth staffing resources and a comprehensive, more autonomous, risk control framework. Efficient, globally-integrated operations and a robust streamlined technological platform also support the rating.

BNPP IP has a global and well established franchise across a broad range of investment capabilities, and a long-standing financially-sound shareholder. Major progress has been made to better align the business with evolving investors' needs and competitive environment. Enhancing its international institutional presence and consolidating positive asset flow momentum remain key challenges for the re-organised business.

BNPP IPs 'Highest Standards' rating is based on the following category scores:
Company: High
Controls: Highest
Investments: Highest
Operations: Highest
Technology: Highest

Asset manager operations in the 'Highest Standards' category demonstrate an investment platform and operational framework that Fitch considers superior relative to the standard applied by international institutional investors.

Company
BNPP IP's global set-up, broad investment capabilities and diversified investor mix support the company's resilience. Assets under management have stabilised since 2014, after several years of large net outflows, and Fitch notes positive new cash developments, notably in the fixed income institutional space and with internal distribution networks. Investments induced by BNPP IP's strategic development plan, combined with cost reduction benefits from greater operational efficiency, streamlined organisation and simplified technology, contributed to stable profitability in 2014.

Experienced and well-staffed teams are maintained throughout the organisation. The three business lines, institutional, distribution, and APAC and emerging, are managed under strong leadership with well-identified objectives to develop the business, foster a more cohesive approach and streamline the set-up. Selective hires have strengthened commercial and investment teams in the institutional space. Compensation policies support a strong alignment with investors' interests.

Controls
The risk control and governance framework is comprehensive and efficiently spans over the various business functions and locations. Greater autonomy and vertical integration of compliance and control functions within BNP Paribas group have strengthened the independence of these functions relative to BNPP IP's activities, as part of group-wide changes. Investment risk oversight rests on a central risk management team. Adjustments have been made to address new regulatory requirements and industrialise control process and filing. More generally, adequate, scalable, integrated tools support risk management and control.

Investments
Portfolio management teams operate autonomously but share a disciplined, risk-controlled approach under adequate management oversight. Greater cohesiveness and cross-team interactions are encouraged, notably in the institutional space under the impetus of the newly-named Chief Investment Officer and investment strategists. Investment processes are primarily fundamental, research-driven and draw on centralised financial engineering resources. Proprietary research is in-depth and well-documented across asset classes. Internal environmental, social and governmental research increasingly feeds into bottom-up selection, to various degrees depending on the investment processes. Decision-making is well formalised and generally team-based.

Operations
The operations set-up is solid, scalable and supports high transactions volumes. Back-office and certain middle-office functions continue to be outsourced to BNP Paribas Securities Services, under tight oversight. Major developments have been made to upgrade and internalise the production of institutional investor reporting within BNPP IP. Independent position-keeping, data quality and valuation are also performed by BNPP IP's investment operations team.

Technology
The technological platform is robust, largely built around third-party vendors. The core set-up is now global, well-homogenised and simplified thanks to large-scale IT projects that allowed efficiency gains and costs reduction. Planned IT enhancements include the upgrade of the product database, digital, more integration of certain remaining partners onto the central platform and supporting development needs for the institutional business line.

Company Profile
BNPP IP is the asset management arm of BNP Paribas banking group (A+/Stable/F1). Fitch's rating scope includes BNP Paribas AM (BNPP AM, focusing on equities, euro fixed income, credit and balanced solutions), FFTW (US and global fixed income) and THEAM (index, active systematic and guaranteed investments). At end-June 2015, BNPP IP managed EUR532bn of assets and employed more than 3,000 people.

RATING SENSITIVITIES
The rating may be downgraded as a result of material adverse changes to any of the rating drivers, notably through weakened financial conditions, heightened staff turnover or deterioration of processes and policies.