The main distribution channels for funds are via banks and direct selling. Robeco built its large market share primarily through direct selling. Robeco also distributes their funds internationally by listing them on the stock exchanges of 39 countries. Additionally, many of the banks and insurance companies have overseas offices which they use to market their products to other countries. Shareholder servicing is generally done by the sponsor.
Commissions charged on purchases and sales of shares are generally low.
These low fees have traditionally given little incentive to the market for development beyond plain vanilla types of products. The ASII is the most important underlying regulatory document affecting the funds industry. Investment institutions in the Netherlands are defined as those institutions which solicit or obtain funds with the purpose of investing them collectively. Investment institutions can either be investment companies, an incorporated investment institution where the shares in the company are units in the investment institution, or, they can take the shape of a unit trust which is not a legal entity. Robeco Groep 2.