About us Sustainability Investors Newsroom Careers } else { } Our history Aegon's roots Aegon Corporate About us Who we are Our history From helping Dutch people pay for funerals 150 years ago to offering loans from a converted saloon in San Francisco; our history spans the world and stretches back all the way to 1844. Most of Aegon's Dutch predecessors hail from the mid-19th century, which saw a small boom in burial funds and insurance companies in the Netherlands. Funerals were (and are) expensive, not to mention an unexpected cost at a difficult time. Aegon's earliest predecessor was Algemeene Friesche Begrafenisfonds 'Memento Mori', a burial fund created by two civil servants, J. Oosterhoff and J.S. Spoelstra, in the northern Dutch province of Friesland in 1844. Oosterhoff was a former burial fund inspector, Spoelstra a tax inspector. Throughout our history, Aegon people helped finance new ventures and bright ideas. They fought in wars. They built businesses from scratch - frequently in foreign countries. They commissioned beautiful buildings, invested in profitable businesses on behalf of customers and assisted people in hard times. Aegon's head office is still in the Netherlands. But over time, through mergers and acquitions, Aegon grew to be a large global insurer, offering far more than funeral insurance. But just like back in 1844, we take our purpose of helping people achieve a lifetime of financial security seriously. You can read our full history per decade below. . OUR HISTORY Almost 200 years of our history in just 160 seconds Did you know? Predecessor, Bank of Italy was one of the first banks to issue loans to help rebuild San Francisco after the 1906 fire. Transamerica supplied Walt Disney with a loan, which allowed him to complete Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. The Aegon name was created after the merger of two Dutch predecessors: AGO and Ennia, on November 30, 1983. Alette Jacobs, suffragette and one of the first female doctors, donated her time to do physical exams for a low-cost pension fund for labourers - one of Aegon's predecessors. Extended history per decade Although we could never capture all of Aegon's rich history in a single document, we've given it a shot to write Aegon's story from 1759 to present day. 1759-1843: Unofficial predecessors 1844-1875: Aegon's roots 1875-1913: The birth of Transamerica 1914-1918: World War I 1919-1939: WWI aftermath and the Great Depression 1940-1945: World War II 1945-1982: Post-war years and economic growth 1983-1990: AGO and Ennia become Aegon 1990-1999: The largest purchase ever 2000-2007: Acquisitions and partnerships 2008: Financial crisis and aftermath Recent history (2015-now) . Who we are Our history Our customers Our brand Art at Aegon Into the future Aegon's strategy Aegon's Longevity Research Our businesses About us Governance Our businesses Contact Aegon Investors Financial results Analyst consensus Shareholders Dividends Financial calendar Newsroom News and updates Press releases Annual reports Sustainability Responsible investment Corporate citizenship Document library Careers Vacancy search Global careers Privacy Statement Cookie Statement Accessibility Disclaimer General terms and conditions Aegon 2021 We use cookies to make sure that our website works correctly and that you have the best experience possible. Cookies provide us important website use information. We also use cookies to provide tailored content, based on how you interact with our website and related emails.Read our Cookie Statement. Choose Cookies Accept All