BNP Paribas AM launches European strategic autonomy bond fund
BNP Paribas Asset Management has expanded its European strategic autonomy investment range with a new bond fund focused on defence, infrastructure, resilience and cybersecurity.
BNP Paribas Asset Management has launched a new bond fund focused on European strategic autonomy, extending an existing equity strategy into fixed income.
The BNP Paribas Europe Strategic Autonomy Bond fund invests in issuers from the euro aggregate universe and is built around four investment themes: defence, infrastructure, resilience, and cybersecurity and digitalisation. BNPP AM said the strategy is intended to capture investment opportunities arising from Europe’s increasing focus on security, resilience and self-sufficiency.
The asset manager cited more than €1.8 trillion in European commitments supporting the region’s drive towards greater strategic autonomy. Areas identified by the firm include defence capabilities, critical infrastructure such as electricity networks and energy systems, crisis-response capabilities and technological independence.
The new fund follows the BNP Paribas Europe Strategic Autonomy equity fund, which was launched just over a year ago. BNPP AM said that strategy had reached €975 million in assets as of 25 June 2026.
The expansion demonstrates how a thematic investment strategy can be extended across asset classes rather than being limited to equities.
BNPP AM said portfolio managers across the equity and bond strategies would work closely together, allowing the firm to express a broader view of companies and issuers considered strategically important to Europe’s resilience.
The bond fund is classified as Article 8 under the EU Sustainable Finance Disclosure Regulation.
The launch comes as European governments and institutions seek to strengthen domestic capabilities across defence, energy, infrastructure and technology. Those policy priorities are increasingly creating investment themes that can be accessed through different types of investment products.
For asset managers, the development also highlights the growing use of specialist thematic funds to connect long-term European policy objectives with investor demand across multiple asset classes.