BNP Paribas AM brings European strategic autonomy to fixed income
23 SEPT, 2026
By Joanna Piwko from RankiaPro Europe
BNP Paribas Asset Management today presents its entry into thematic fixed income on European strategic autonomy with the BNP Paribas Europe Strategic Autonomy Bond. The fund invests in issuers from the aggregate universe of fixed income in euros and relies on the track record of its equity counterpart, which already amounts to 975 million euros.
Fadi Berbari, senior fixed income manager of the management company, presents it as a liquid and active management solution to position itself in the transition towards a safer and more resilient Europe.
Four pillars to finance Europe's autonomy
The European Union has assumed commitments of more than 1.8 trillion euros to promote greater autonomy in the region. On this basis, the fund is structured around four investment pillars: defense, infrastructure, resilience, and cybersecurity and digital technology.
The goal is to reduce the continent's external dependence, which requires investments in defensive capacity, equipment manufactured in Europe, critical infrastructure (electricity networks, cables, gas and oil pipelines), energy systems, crisis response mechanisms and technological autonomy.
To select issuers whose financing needs are linked to this transition, the manager combines a top-down macroeconomic allocation, which positions the portfolio by duration, maturity, sector, country and credit rating, with a bottom-up analysis aimed at identifying the companies most exposed to this structural transformation.
"Europe must focus on its strategic priorities. This new fund offers a unique opportunity for investors to contribute to the transition towards a safer and more resilient Europe through a liquid and actively managed fixed income solution, with a diversified thematic approach, leveraging the experience of our team in fundamental analysis and security selection. We have the strong backing of the BNP Paribas Group, and we are the first management company to offer a complete proposal in the competition for Europe's strategic autonomy, both in fixed income and equity".
Fadi Berbari, senior fixed income manager, BNP Paribas Asset Management
The precedent of the equity fund
The new vehicle arrives following the good reception of the BNP Paribas Europe Strategic Autonomy, launched just over a year ago, which reached 975 million euros as of June 25, 2026 and is among the largest active management funds on this theme, according to Morningstar.
"The first year of the equity fund's trajectory has demonstrated the value of its proposal as a unique opportunity to benefit from the momentum aimed at strengthening Europe's resilience against geopolitical instability and supply chain tensions. Our forward-looking approach based on fundamental analysis allows us to identify those companies that play an essential role in Europe's strategic autonomy".
Lazare Hounhouayenou, manager of the BNP Paribas Europe Strategic Autonomy, BNP Paribas Asset Management
The teams of both portfolios work closely together and share a common vision on the theme, which allows the manager to cover European autonomy from complementary approaches in fixed income and equity.
The fund is classified as Article 8 according to the SFDR and is listed on nine European markets, including Spain. The launch coincides with a time of internal changes in the manager, which has just premiered its new global organization and executive committee, and has appointed Sol Hurtado de Mendoza as its CEO in Spain.
