A strategic approach to investment grade credit for enhanced yield and downside protection
Aviva Investors has a long history of credit investing. We manage $16.5 billion of global investment grade assets (as of 30 June 2025) across a range of pooled and bespoke solutions in global and regional credit. Our investment style is underpinned by a fundamentally driven approach and powered by advanced data analytics, aiming to deliver consistent outperformance throughout the market cycle.
Credit markets are inherently inefficient and prone to volatility, making beta-dependent strategies vulnerable during periods of macro stress. Our beta-neutral framework is designed to enhance yield and provide downside protection across market cycles, balancing stable income with selective capital appreciation opportunities.
Why invest?
Investment grade bonds offer the potential benefits of attractive yields and enhanced diversification. Our unique approach leverages diversified sources of alpha and robust portfolio construction with the aim to capture these benefits and deliver consistent returns relative to the benchmark.
Connected across capabilities
Our global, integrated platform enables active cross-team collaboration, unlocking synergies to access diverse return sources across the fixed income investment grade universe.
Robust portfolio construction
We leverage proprietary technology and disciplined portfolio construction to build robust, high-conviction credit portfolios. Our approach seeks to deliver consistent excess returns across both risk-on and risk-off credit environments.
Bottom-up value seeking
We look to build portfolios around resilient, high-conviction credits identified through rigorous bottom-up fundamental analysis. This approach allows us to prioritise quality and durable income, while tactically seeking to capture capital appreciation and relative value opportunities.
Investment insights
Investment thinking that brings together the collective insight of Aviva Investors’ teams from across the globe on the key themes influencing markets.
Views
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Taking the leap: Incorporating climate in core investment-grade allocations
16 Jun 2026
How can investors align their credit allocations to net-zero commitments and maintain returns?
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Confidence in a changing climate
15 Jun 2026
How can institutions forge impactful climate strategies that are right for them and their end beneficiaries? Our “Confidence in a changing climate” guide showcases some of the solutions we have developed to help.
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The week in markets: Investors search for firmer ground
12 Jun 2026
Investors searched for firmer ground as strong jobs data and simmering geopolitical tensions unsettled equities, before a late-week rally helped restore some stability.
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Bond Voyage: Why repo is quietly becoming one of the most important issues for investors
9 Jun 2026
As central banks unwind quantitative easing (QE), liquidity is increasingly being provided through repo operations instead of continuous asset purchases by the banks. How resilient is this new approach?
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Blockchain: The quiet technology reshaping financial infrastructure
8 Jun 2026
Tokenisation is more than a technical novelty. Our simple guide explains how blockchain turns assets into digital tokens and examines the potential benefits and risks.
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Sustainability review 2025
2 Jun 2026
We believe understanding sustainability factors and trends is fundamental to effective asset management. This report sets out our approach and includes an overview of our holistic stewardship activities over the past year
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Clarity and resilience: New guidance for European Money Market Funds
21 May 2026
New guidance on the rules governing European money market funds should strengthen the market’s foundations and provide a firm footing for innovation and growth, argues Alastair Sewell.
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Bond Voyage: Emerging markets have changed: why markets shouldn’t price them like it's 2013
11 May 2026
Emerging markets have increasingly forged for themselves a path less dependent on external conditions, making local currency debt one of the most mispriced narratives in global markets.
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Contemporary alchemy
5 May 2026
Precious metals such as gold and silver, rare earth minerals, and industrial metals such as copper have been making headlines in recent months. We talked to a team of experts to discover what’s been driving investors’ appetite.
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The case for ReturnPlus: A capital efficient enhanced liquidity strategy
30 Apr 2026
The ReturnPlus strategy invests in a broad range of liquidity sub-asset classes, while consuming limited regulatory capital. Our ReturnPlus team explains why investors should consider an allocation to the strategy.
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The case for ReturnPlus: A capital-efficient enhanced liquidity strategy
30 Apr 2026
The ReturnPlus strategy invests in a broad range of liquidity sub-asset classes, while consuming limited regulatory capital. Our ReturnPlus team explains why investors should consider an allocation to the strategy.
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Bond Voyage: Oil shocks without the drama
9 Apr 2026
The reaction to the latest oil price shock provides further evidence that those countries which have taken steps to strengthen their financial position are being rewarded by bond investors.
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Bond Voyage: Markets repricing as Gulf conflict threatens energy shock
12 Mar 2026
The ongoing conflict in the Middle East continues to impact the markets while inflation expectations are recalibrated.
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Bond Voyage: Dancing to a new tune: How Japan’s Lifers are adapting to a market in flux
9 Feb 2026
Japan’s bond markets enter 2026 transformed and recent structural shifts have changed the behaviour of the country’s powerful life insurers.
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Bond Voyage: Industrialised alpha meets fixed income fragility
13 Jan 2026
Could the proliferation of short-term leverage strategies be the next hidden challenge for fixed income markets?
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Benchmarking cash, part two: A survey of cash trends
19 Dec 2025
In the second of a two-part series on cash trends, our liquidity team examines European corporate cash holdings and the increasing appeal of money market funds (MMFs).
Bond Voyage
Bond Voyage: A journey into fixed income
Each month, our freewheeling fixed-income newsletter gathers insights from our high-yield, investment-grade, emerging-market and global sovereign bond teams.
House view
House View
No one can predict the future. But our quarterly House View sets out the collective wisdom of our investment teams on the current state of global markets – and where they might be heading.
Key risks
These represent some of the key risks; however, they are not exhaustive. For comprehensive details, please refer to the KIID and the prospectus.
Investment risk
The value of an investment and any income from it can go down as well as up. Investors may not get back the original amount invested.
Credit and interest rate risk
Bond values are affected by changes in interest rates and the bond issuer's creditworthiness. Bonds that offer the potential for a higher income typically have a greater risk of default.
Illiquid securities risk
Some investments could be hard to value or to sell at a desired time, or at a price considered to be fair (especially in large quantities). As a result, their prices can be volatile.
Sustainability risk
The level of sustainability risk may fluctuate depending on which investment opportunities the Investment Manager identifies. This means that the fund is exposed to Sustainability Risk which may impact the value of investments over the long term.
Derivatives risk
Investments can be made in derivatives, which can be complex and highly volatile. Derivatives may not perform as expected, meaning significant losses may be incurred.
Investor in funds
Investments can be made in other funds; this could mean the overall charges are higher.
Global investment grade credit team
James Vokins
Head of Investment Grade Credit and Core Income
Justine Vroman
Senior Portfolio Manager
Chris Higham
Senior Portfolio Manager
Explore
Fixed income
Fixed income is an indispensable building block for meeting a variety of investment goals, including income, inflation protection, liability management and capital appreciation.
Important Information
THIS IS A MARKETING COMMUNICATION
Unless stated otherwise any opinions expressed are those of Aviva Investors. They should not be viewed as indicating any guarantee of return from an investment managed by Aviva Investors nor as personalised advice of any nature. This document should not be taken as a recommendation or offer by anyone in any jurisdiction in which such an offer is not authorised or to any person to whom it is unlawful to make such an offer or solicitation. The legal documentation and the subscription documents should be read before an investment is made. Portfolio holdings are subject to change at any time without notice and information about specific securities should not be construed as a recommendation to buy or sell any securities.
For Investors located in EU/EEA countries, the Prospectus and Key Information Document (‘KID’), as well as the latest annual and semi-annual reports of Aviva Investors SICAV are available, free of charge from the registered office of the fund located at 2 rue du Fort Bourbon .L-1249 Luxembourg, Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, or from www.eifs.lu/aviva-investors. The Prospectus is available in English. Where a sub-fund of Aviva Investors SICAV is registered for public distribution in a jurisdiction, a KID in the official language of that jurisdiction will be available.
For investors located in France the Fund documentation is also available at the registered office of the local centralised agent: BNP Paribas Securities Services, 3 rue d’Antin, 75002 Paris, France.
For investors located in Italy, the Fund documentation is available at the following local paying agents’ offices:
- Allfunds Bank S.A.U, Milan Branch, via Bocchetto, 6, 20123 Milan, Italy
- Société Générale Secrities Services S.p.A, Via Benigno Crespi 19/A, 20159 Milano, Italy
- Banca Monte dei Paschi di Siena S.p.A., Piazza Salimbeni 3, 53100 Siena SI
For investors located in Spain, the Fund documentation is available at the office of Allfunds Bank S.A.U., Calle de los Padres Dominicos 7, 28050 Madrid, Spain.
For investors located in Switzerland, the Fund documentation is available at the Swiss representative’s office BNP PARIBAS, Paris, Zurich branch, Selnaustrasse 16, 8002 Zurich, Switzerland.
For Investors located in United-Kingdom, the Fund documentation is also available at the UK facilities agent registered office: Aviva Investors Global Services Limited, 80 Fenchurch Street, London, EC3M 4AE, United Kingdom.
Where relevant, information on our approach to the sustainability aspects of the fund and the Sustainable Finance disclosure regulation (SFDR) including policies and procedures can be found on the following link: https://www.avivainvestors.com/en-gb/capabilities/sustainable-finance-disclosure-regulation/
In Europe this document is issued by Aviva Investors Luxembourg, acting as the Management Company of the fund, with its registered office located 2 rue du Fort Bourbon, L-1249 Luxembourg, Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. Aviva Investors Luxembourg is supervised by the Commission de Surveillance du Secteur Financier, R.C.S Luxembourg B25708. In the UK this document is issued by Aviva Investors Global Services Limited, registered in England and Wales No. 1151805, with its registered office located at 80 Fenchurch Street, London, EC3M 4AE. Aviva Investors Global Services Limited is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. Firm Reference No. 119178.
In Switzerland, this document is issued by Aviva Investors Schweiz GmbH.
Note for UK Investors: This Fund is domiciled in Luxembourg and is authorised by the Commission de Surveillance du Secteur Financier (CSSF). The Fund is recognised in the UK under the Overseas Funds Regime but is not a UK-authorised Fund and therefore is not subject to UK sustainable investment labelling disclosure requirements. UK investors should be aware that they can make a complaint about the fund, its management company, or its depositary. However, complaints may not be eligible for resolution by the UK’s Financial Ombudsman Service and any claims for losses related to the management company or depositary will not be covered by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS). UK investors should consider seeking their own financial advice before making any decisions to invest and refer to the scheme prospectus for further information.