Local language publications most popular among Dutch intermediaries

While print readership has declined, research by Fundamental Media found an increase in desktop and phone readership 

Key findings: 

• Print readership has declined in general among Dutch intermediaries, but some print titles’ decline has been offset by an increase in desktop and phone readership.  
• LinkedIn remains the most used social media channel for business purposes, followed by WhatsApp. 
• Cost, transparency and investment philosophy are the most important factors when selecting funds. 

Financial intermediaries in the Netherlands mainly read Dutch publications, according to research by Fundamental Media.  

While print readership has declined in general among Dutch intermediaries (43% state they do not read print media), some print titles’ decline has been offset by an increase in desktop and phone readership.  

From June to September 2023, we surveyed 54 financial intermediaries in the Netherlands about their investment views, satisfaction with asset managers and media consumption. The Netherlands engagement report is part of our European financial intermediaries research, which also includes reports on the UK, Germany, France, Spain, Switzerland and Italy. 

LinkedIn remains the most used social media channel for business purposes, followed by WhatsApp, with reading/watching industry news, networking and reading/watching asset manager content being the main reasons for using them.  

The majority of financial intermediaries listens to podcasts, but less than half do so on a weekly basis, with asset managers’ and independent expert podcasts the most listened to.  

Cost, transparency and investment philosophy remain the most important factors when selecting funds. Since 2019, the fund manager’s tenure and service have become more important, but the top four factors are the same, suggesting that the approach to fund selection has not changed substantially over time. In the Netherlands, the importance of ESG as a selection factor is the highest across all marketers surveyed. Client requests, recommendations from peers and asset managers’ websites are the main triggers for research on new funds, with the latter two having become more important over the years.   

Other findings from the 2023 Netherlands engagement survey include:  

• Dutch financial intermediaries are most likely to increase their clients’ exposure to fixed income, North American equities and global equities as well as ESG, ETFs and active management. The expected increase in private equities is the highest of all European markets surveyed. 
• The overall level of satisfaction with asset managers is high, with 87% of respondents being very or quite satisfied with the asset managers they work with. Communications, client-facing support and online events are the areas where satisfaction is the highest, while intermediaries feel improvements could be made in training and development, and insights and thought leadership.   
• Financial intermediaries use several sources to meet their professional development requirements (CPD). More than 60% of respondents receive training from membership/professional bodies and employer-provided in-house training, while only 10% use asset managers for training purposes.  

For access to the full reports, contact [email protected]