In 1845, two cousins founded De Nederlanden van 1845, a fire insurance company in Zutphen. Beyond insuring against fire and other risks, the company distinguished itself by focusing on prevention. They even established a voluntary fire brigade, entirely staffed by employees of De Nederlanden. Nearly two decades later, in 1863, the Nationale Levensverzekering-Bank was established in Rotterdam. As one of the first Dutch life insurance companies, it quickly gained recognition for its actuarial approach, skilled physicians and expert commissioners.

De Nederlanden was one of the first Dutch insurers to expand internationally by setting up local agencies. Its journey began in 1857 with the establishment of its first foreign agency in Batavia (now Jakarta, Indonesia), the capital of the Dutch East Indies. From there, the company expanded across Europe and eventually to other parts of the world.

Meanwhile, Nationale focused on new forms of social protection. In 1880, it introduced the first collective pension scheme in the Netherlands, providing retirement security for the employees of the Dutch Yeast and Spiritus Factory. This initiative was considered groundbreaking at the time, as other companies only started providing pensions for their employees in the early 20th century.