12 Business overview  History and development of Aegon Business overview History and development of Aegon Aegon N.V., domiciled in the Netherlands, is a public limited liability company  organized under Dutch law. Aegon N.V. was formed in 1983 through the merger  of AGO and Ennia, both of which were successors to insurance companies founded  in the 1800s. Aegon N.V., through its member companies that are collectively  referred to as Aegon or the Aegon Group, is an international life  insurance, pensions and asset management company. Aegon  is headquartered in the Netherlands and employs, through its  subsidiaries, nearly 27,000 people worldwide. Aegon’s common  shares are listed on stock exchanges in Amsterdam (NYSE  Euronext) and New York (NYSE). Aegon N.V. is a holding company. Aegon’s businesses focus on  life insurance, pensions and asset management. Aegon is also  active in accident, supplemental health, and general insurance,  and has some limited banking activities. The company’s  operations are conducted through its operating subsidiaries. The main operating units of Aegon are separate legal entities  organized under the laws of their respective countries. The  shares of those legal entities are directly or indirectly held by  three intermediate holding companies incorporated under Dutch  law: Aegon Europe Holding B.V., the holding company for all  European activities; Aegon International B.V., which serves as  a holding company for the Aegon Group companies of all non- European countries; and Aegon Asset Management Holding B.V.,  the holding company for some of its asset management entities.  Aegon operates in more than 25 countries in the Americas,  Europe and Asia, and serves millions of customers. Its main  markets are the United States, the Netherlands and the  United Kingdom. The company encourages product innovation and fosters an  entrepreneurial spirit within its businesses. New products and  services are developed by local business units with a continuous  focus on helping people take responsibility for their financial  future. Aegon uses a multi-brand, multichannel distribution  approach to meet its customers’ needs.  Aegon has the following reportable operating segments: the  Americas, which includes the United States, Canada, Brazil and  Mexico; the Netherlands; the United Kingdom; and New Markets,  which includes a number of countries in Central & Eastern  Europe, and Asia, Spain, France, Variable Annuities Europe, and  Aegon Asset Management. Annual Report 2013