Folketrygdfondet

Folketrygdfondet is a private investment management firm based out of Oslo, Norway. The company was established in 1967 and acts as the manager for the Government Pension Fund of Norway. Folketrygdfondet, translated into the National Insurance Scheme Fund, was established to manage the surpluses of the National Insurance Scheme. The company would continue to manage the surpluses until 1979, when the surpluses in the National Insurance Scheme became deficits and the company decided to end transfers from the National Insurance Scheme. The National Insurance Scheme Fund’s management would then be consolidated, reorganizing its original five regions of management into a single entity under the Ministry of Finance. In 2006, the Government Pension Fund would be established, comprising the Government Pension Global Fund and the Government Pension Fund Norway. The Folketrygdfondet would then refer to the organization managing the Government Pension Fund Norway. In 2008, Folketrygdfondet would be transformed into an official company through a special statute under the Ministry of Finance, marking a clear delineation between the Government Pension Fund Norway and its manager, Folketrygdfondet. The company currently manages the equity and fixed income portfolios of the Government Pension Fund Norway, investing its held assets mainly in the markets of Norway, which alone makes up over three quarters of its investments, Denmark, Sweden, and Finland. Folketrygdfondet engages in active management with its investment strategy focusing on a higher capacity and tolerance for risk, a large focus on markets with occasional weak liquidity, an interest in responsible investment practices, and a high familiarity with companies. The company invests most heavily in the energy sector, which alone makes up almost two thirds of its total asset allocations, and also invests in the consumer staples, consumer discretionary, and health care sectors, among other sectors to a lesser degree, in order of decreasing allocation.