Robeco Indices

Your active strategy, in index form

We co-design a strategy with you, combining decades of quantitative investment experience with proprietary factor, forward-looking climate and sustainability research, smart index construction and independent governance. The result: a transparent, investable and cost-efficient index that evolves with your needs.

  • 121
    bn EUR

    assets under licence (as of June 2026)

  • 34
    indices

    across a full range of capabilities

  • 20+
    years

    of quantitative research at Robeco

An index is more than a calculation

Every design choice shapes the exposures, risks and costs investors end up with, so we design each index the way a portfolio manager would.

Our starting point is a conversation about what you want the index to achieve. We draw on decades of factor and quantitative research, alongside proprietary, forward-looking climate insights grounded in Robeco’s longstanding sustainable investing expertise.

We then combine that investment expertise with smart index construction and established calculation and delivery processes. The result is a transparent, investable index designed around your priorities, and able to evolve as those priorities, the data and the investment landscape change.

You get the conviction of an active strategy with the transparency, rules and governance of an index.

Explore our index capabilities

Start with an established methodology or combine building blocks to create a custom index.

Five building blocks behind every index solution

Together, we define your objectives and turn the right research and building blocks into an investable index that can evolve with your needs.

  • Proprietary factor research

    Draw on decades of quantitative research into established return drivers such as value, momentum, low volatility, and quality. Our enhanced factor definitions are designed to capture factor premiums while limiting unrewarded risks and unintended exposures.

  • Proprietary sustainability research

    Go beyond traditional ESG measures. Our proprietary research and frameworks provide a forward-looking view of sustainability risks and opportunities across environmental, social and governance themes, helping clients identify leaders and laggards and align indices with their sustainability goals.

  • Smart index construction

    Turn investment ideas into investable rules. We balance target exposures with diversification, tracking error, concentration, liquidity, capacity and turnover, and test how the methodology behaves across different market environments.

  • Efficient implementation

    Design decisions affect the cost and ease of replication. We build with implementation in mind and use established infrastructure for index calculation, maintenance and delivery. Detailed methodology transparency for clients, without publishing upcoming rebalances to the wider market, can help limit front-running and overcrowding.

  • Customizable by design

    Choose the relevant universe, benchmark, sustainability objectives, exclusions*, factor tilts, tracking-error range and delivery route. We shape the index around your priorities and can review it with you as those priorities evolve.

Built on research. Designed for implementation.

Robeco's index capabilities combine decades of quantitative investing expertise with recognized sustainable investment research. Our dedicated indices team works closely with quantitative researchers and sustainability specialists to develop innovative, investable index solutions for clients.

Research-driven innovation
We combine academic evidence, proprietary research and real-world client insights to develop differentiated index methodologies. Our approach is forward-looking, continuously evolving as markets, data and client needs change.

Designed for real portfolios
As an active asset manager, we understand that successful indices must work in practice, not just in theory. Every methodology is assessed through the lens of risk, diversification, capacity, turnover, liquidity and implementation costs to ensure it can be scaled effectively.

Independent governance and oversight
Robeco Indices B.V. acts as the independent index administrator, supported by robust governance, oversight and control frameworks. Index calculation and daily maintenance are performed by an external calculation agent, ensuring transparency, independence and operational resilience.

Meet the team

Our dedicated indices team combines expertise in econometrics, climate finance, computer science and financial economics. It draws on Robeco’s wider quantitative research, sustainable-investing, risk, technology, compliance and client teams.

This combination allows us to bring specialist index design and the broader perspective of an asset manager to each client partnership.

  • PhD, Head of Robeco Indices
  • PhD, Portfolio Manager Robeco Indices
  • PhD, Portfolio Manager Robeco Indices 
  • PhD, Portfolio Manager Robeco Indices
  • Researcher Robeco Indices
  • PhD, Researcher Robeco Indices
  • Researcher Robeco Indices

See our thinking in action

What would your index look like?

Reach out to us if you want more information or want to discuss a custom index.

Contact

*The materiality of the exclusion is limited. Read more information with regard to the impact of the exclusions on the fund’s universe.

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Robeco aims to enable its clients to achieve their financial and sustainability goals by providing superior investment returns and solutions.

Important information This disclaimer applies to any documents and the verbal or written comments of any person in presentations or webinars on this website and taken together is referred to herein as the “Information”. The services to which the Information relate are NOT FOR RETAIL CLIENTS - The information contained in the Website is solely intended for professional investors, defined as investors which (1) qualify as professional clients within the meaning of the Markets in Financial Instruments Directive (MiFID), (2) have requested to be treated as professional clients within the meaning of the MiFID or (3) are authorized to receive such information under any other applicable laws and must not be relied or acted upon by any other persons. This Information does not constitute an offer to sell, or a solicitation of an offer to buy, any financial product, and may not be relied upon in connection with the purchase or sale of any financial product. You are cautioned against using this Information as the basis for making a decision to purchase any financial product. To the extent that you rely on the Information in connection with any investment decision, you do so at your own risk. The Information does not purport to be complete on any topic addressed. The Information may contain data or analysis prepared by third parties and no representation or warranty about the accuracy of such data or analysis is provided.
In all cases where historical performance is presented, please note that past performance is not a reliable indicator of future results and should not be relied upon as the basis for making an investment decision. Investors may not get back the amount originally invested. Neither Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. nor any of its affiliates guarantees the performance or the future returns of any investments. If the currency in which the past performance is displayed differs from the currency of the country in which you reside, then you should be aware that due to exchange rate fluctuations the performance shown may increase or decrease if converted into your local currency. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. (“Robeco”) expressly prohibits any redistribution of the Information without the prior written consent of Robeco. The Information is not intended for distribution to, or use by, any person or entity in any jurisdiction or country where such distribution or use is contrary to law, rule or regulation. Certain information contained in the Information includes calculations or figures that have been prepared internally and have not been audited or verified by a third party. Use of different methods for preparing, calculating or presenting information may lead to different results. Robeco Institutional Asset Management UK Limited (“RIAM UK”) is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. RIAM UK, 30 Fenchurch Street, Part Level 8, London EC3M 3BD (FCA Reference No:1007814). The company is registered in England and Wales under Ref No. 15362605.

In all cases where historical performance is presented, please note that past performance is not a reliable indicator of future results and should not be relied upon as the basis for making an investment decision. Investors may not get back the amount originally invested. Neither Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. nor any of its affiliates guarantees the performance or the future returns of any investments. If the currency in which the past performance is displayed differs from the currency of the country in which you reside, then you should be aware that due to exchange rate fluctuations the performance shown may increase or decrease if converted into your local currency. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. (“Robeco”) expressly prohibits any redistribution of the Information without the prior written consent of Robeco. The Information is not intended for distribution to, or use by, any person or entity in any jurisdiction or country where such distribution or use is contrary to law, rule or regulation. Certain information contained in the Information includes calculations or figures that have been prepared internally and have not been audited or verified by a third party. Use of different methods for preparing, calculating or presenting information may lead to different results. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. is authorised as a manager of UCITS and AIFs by the Netherlands Authority for the Financial Markets and subject to limited regulation in the UK by the Financial Conduct Authority. Details about the extent of our regulation by the Financial Conduct Authority are available from us on request.