The European Commission published a legislative proposal for a regulation on European green bonds, which is supposed to become the high quality voluntary European Green Bond Standard. Its intention is to use the potential of the single market for achieving the EU’s climate and environmental goals in a more efficient way.
There is a growing wave of ESG regulation and an increasing need for ESG reporting – nationally, regionally and internationally. In Europe, ESG rating and data providers are indicative of an immature but growing market, which has seen the emergence of a small number of large non-EU headquartered providers.
The International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) created the International Sustainability Standards Board “to provide the global financial markets with high-quality disclosures on climate and other sustainability issues.” As part of its work, the ISSB published two exposure drafts on climate-related disclosures and geenral requirements for disclosure of sustainbility-related financial information.
The Corporate Sustainbility Reporting Directive mandates for the creation of European Sustainability Reporting Standards (ESRS), which require companies in scope to report on a full range of sustainbility information (environmental, social and governance). EFRAG is expected to deliver its final draft ESRS to the European Commission in November 2022. The standards are aimed at ensuring
It is part of an initiative first mooted in the Commission’s September 2020 Capital Markets Union Action Plan and designed, among other things, to “increase consumer participation in capital markets.” The the level of retail investor participation in EU capital markets remains very low. The strategy is aimed to ease difficulties for retail investors in
A report published on Tuesday 31 May 2022 by the European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA), confirms BETTER FINANCE’s findings that fund managers often don’t seem to act in the best interest of fund investors when it comes to securities lending. Three years after its first report,[1] BETTER FINANCE expanded on its research into securities
In 2021, the total income generated by securities lending operations globally stood at €7.8 billion, up by 21% compared to 2020. The majority of operations and lenders are outside the EU, and around 88% of securities on loan were sovereign bonds and equities. In the EU, lenders cannot derive any profit from securities lending. All
Lately, many shareholders in public limited companies have turned to the PanSlovenian Shareholders’ Association (VZMD) and stated that they have received various letters and very strange offers from IGOR ŠTEMBERGER, the CEO and owner of ILIRIKA bornz-posredniška družba, d.d. (a brokerage company). In certain cases, the offered prices for shares were extremely low. In others, they offered shareholders shares of the company ILIRIKA MOJA
16 February 2021 – José F. Estévez, Managing Partner of CREMADES & CALVO-SOTELO ABOGADOS, has been appointed as a member of the European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) Corporate Finance Standing Committee Consultative Working Group (CWG). ESMA is an independent authority of the European Union (EU) that contributes to safeguarding the stability of the EU
On Wednesday 14 December, the United Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) proposed Regulation Best Execution, seeking to establish a best execution regulatory framework mandating that securities brokers and dealers execute deals at the best price available. BETTER FINANCE, which itself has been highlighting the need for more transparent and fair European stock markets, applauds the
This new statement follows on an earlier case where VZMD, the Pan-Slovenian Shareholders Association, opposed pressure on its ‘Share SUPPORT’ programme by a brokerage industry player, harming the minority, individual shareholders it aims to represent. Today, VZMD pointed to further shortcomings and misleading claims made by the ATVP (The Slovenian Securities Market Agency) against its
Brussels, 11 September 2020 – On 10 October 2014, BETTER FINANCE wrote to ESMA[1] to ask for an investigation into the issue of falsely “active” funds, a practice also known as “closet indexing”. Today, it praises ESMA for its considerable efforts towards addressing the issue. Indeed, on 9 September, ESMA published a Working Paper on
Summary: General comment The review of the MiFID II framework is timely and should be coordinated with the other ongoing actions and policy areas, i.e. PRIIPs and the work done in the Forum on the Future of the Capital Markets Union. In addition, to ensure a level playing field, the European Commission should also adopt
The Danish financial regulator, the FSA, and its Norwegian counterpart Finanstilsynet, stated that the increasing supply of investment products marketed as sustainable can increase the risk of greenwashing, meaning products could be marketed as green without living up to the name. The FSA said that this calls for the tightening of supervisory efforts, in order
Inspections by the British accounting watchdog FCR have revealed that the overall quality of the work carried out by ”the big four” in the UK has not improved since last year and that none of them is meeting quality control standards. The regulator has criticised the auditors for routinely failing to challenge managers and for
The Financial Reporting Council (FRC), the UK’s accounting watchdog, is to be scrapped in favour of a stronger regulator with more power on investigating company directors (currently the FCR can only investigate them if they are also registered with an accounting body) and ability to issue harsher penalties including higher fines, and even prison terms.
Emerging Financial Technology (Fintech) has a, seemingly endless, potential to drive efficiency gains and the disintermediation of financial services, thereby bringing about decreased transaction costs. Keeping in mind that Fintech so far remains relatively unchartered territory, regulatory measures and their effects on the future development of the industry make for heated discussions. Currently, as stated
On the day it becomes directly applicable, the long-awaited revised Markets in Financial Instruments Directive (MiFID II) gives birth to a new and healthier environment for financial services and instruments across the Single Market. Although only 11 out of 28 Member States have implemented the Directive so far, the past two years have been a
When taking into account pensions and lifetime savings, many citizens have significantly more money stashed away with the asset-management industry than they do with banks, yet the industry’s oligopolistic ways have ensured that fees have remained unchanged over the years resulting in some of the highest operating margins of any industry. There is one important
In January, BETTER FINANCE revealed its “Blueprint for the Next EU Parliament” ahead of the European Union elections scheduled for June 2024. Entitled “Sustainable Value for Money: Reconciling Individuals, Enterprises & Planet,” the manifesto advocates for consumer-centric reforms, long-term investment strategies, and enhanced corporate governance to rebuild trust in the financial sector. Both BETTER FINANCE
❗ Unfortunately, there are no more seats left. But don’t worry, the conference will be live-streamed here.❗ Wednesday, 17 April 2024 | Time: 14h00 – 18h00 | Place: University Foundation, 11 Rue d’Egmont, 1000 Brussels PROGRAMME 13h30 – 14h00 | Registration & Coffee 14h00 – 14h10 | Welcome | Aleksandra Mączyńska, Acting Managing Director, BETTER
Factors influencing the number of new listings/IPOs in Sweden Paper presented to the Policy Committee of ecoDa, January 2022 According to the EU Commission’s report “Primary and secondary equity markets in the EU” Sweden has had a unique development of the number of new listings/IPOs between 2010 and 2018 compared to all other member
On Tuesday, 19 September from 15:00 to 16:30 in the European Parliament in Brussels, a public hearing on the “New EU common system for the avoidance of double taxation and prevention of tax abuse in the area of withholding taxes” will take place. The hearing aims to address the burdensome withholding tax refund procedures for
For its March Newsletter, DG FISMA (the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Financial Stability, Financial Services, and Capital Markets Union) interviewed Alin Iacob, the new chairman of the Financial Services User Group (FSUG), and Board Member of BETTER FINANCE. Alin Iacob is also the chairman of the Association of Romanian Financial Users (AURSF). In the interview,
New Savers is a member of WFI World Federation of Investors, an independent, not-for-profit organization whose members are primarily national shareholders’ associations. WFI was formed to promote investor education and shareholder advocacy. WFI helps national shareholders associations and investor advocacy groups better serve their members. New Savers is an associate member of BETTER FINANCE.
Individual, non-professional (“retail”) investors are significantly demotivated or hampered from investing cross-border within the EU due to: The widespread de facto double taxation of investment income within the “Single Market” (for example the so-called Belgian-French Tax Treaty to avoid double taxation is in reality organizing the double taxation of Belgian residents holding shares of French-domiciled
From 15 June to 17 June, BETTER FINANCE, the European Federation of Investors and Financial Services Users, and its Member Organisations gathered in Athens for their General Assembly and International Investors’ Conference, co-organised with Helinas, the Hellenic Investors Association. The meetings in Greece were also the occasion to elect a new Board. BETTER FINANCE is
BETTER FINANCE published a report in support of its response to the EC Consultation on the EU Strategy for Retail Investors, illustrating the current state of affairs, detailing how to attract and retain the participation of EU households in capital markets, and issuing policy recommendations. The EU needs a Capital Markets Union “That Works for
The European Union presented its new plan to renovate the structure of its stock markets. It’s the third wave of reforms since the project was launched six years ago. The EU has been working on the creation of a capital markets union (CMU), which has been affected by the UK’s departure after Brexit. One of
The exposure of retail investors to crypto-assets has increased globally, leading to greater retail investor losses due to financial crime, fraud, money laundering, and under-regulated activities in the crypto-asset market. To address these challenges, BETTER FINANCE welcomes the policy recommendations for crypto and digital asset markets proposed by IOSCO. These recommendations aim to ensure a
SECURITIES REGULATOR: Jean-Paul Servais was elected chairman of the European regional committee of IOSCO, the international organisation of securities commissions, at its annual meeting in Rio de Janeiro last week (29 September). The organisation has a membership of more than 120 national regulators of financial markets. Its European regional committee has 51 members, who have
BETTER FINANCE published its review of work carried out by IOSCO.
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