The European Union is losing ground to major economies such as the USA and China in terms of competitiveness. A key reason for this is the fragmentation of EU capital markets, which prevents citizens from fully benefiting from cross-border investment opportunities.
Other challenges include:
- Limited investment options – Many Europeans are restricted to their domestic capital markets, missing out on broader opportunities.
- Lack of trust – Transparency, comparability, and accessibility remain barriers to citizens’ confidence in financial markets.
- Underperforming investments – High costs, poor asset allocation (particularly too little equity and low-cost passive ETFs), and suboptimal returns hinder wealth growth.
This naturally raises the question: how can Europe overcome such challenges? In this context, we should consider:
- How can the EU strengthen retail investor participation?
- What steps are needed to ensure value for money in financial products?
- How can policy and regulation enhance market accessibility and investor confidence?
These crucial questions, among others, will be explored by the distinguished panel of speakers at the international conference “Towards a Savings and Investment Union”.
