Investing in capital markets has been proven to deliver substantial gains in the long term compared to less direct investment products. Yet, Europeans’ money sits mostly in bank deposits (which come with minor returns). The State of Retail Investment in Europe Only 17% of Europeans
Your shares represent more than just financial assets—they provide you with a voice in the companies you invest in. In fact, they represent your co-ownership of a listed company. As a shareholder, you have the right to: Stay informed Vote at Annual General Meetings (AGMs)
On January 31, 2020, Airbus, Europe’s largest aerospace multinational, reached a historic settlement with authorities in France, the United States, and the United Kingdom. To avoid prosecution over bribery in securing contracts with airline executives and government officials across 20 countries between 2004 and 2016, Airbus paid a staggering €3.6 billion—the largest global foreign bribery
In a recent Financial Times article, Guillaume Prache, Senior advisor at BETTER FINANCE, criticizes the use of Article 8 funds in sustainable investing. He argues that increasing the minimum sustainable investment percentage in these funds is ineffective and prone to greenwashing. These funds often oversimplify sustainability as mere ‘green activities’ and predominantly use an exclusion
Aimed at certifying the most virtuous funds, the SRI label, which has just been reformed by the government, now excludes companies with new oil projects. Guillaume Prache denounces an ideological reform that risks favoring foreign oil and gas companies. The reform of France’s SRI (socially responsible investment) label, as announced by the French Ministry of
We are pleased to share that Jesse Collin, from BETTER FINANCE member organization Finnish Share Promotion Foundation, has been selected as a member of ESMA’s Consultative Working Group in the Risk Standing Committee – Investor Trends and Research Working Group. The working group will focus on consumers, ESG and innovation related topics. For a full
As part of the European Responsible Investment Network (ERIN), BETTER FINANCE has joined forces with ShareAction and other NGOs to launch an EU Elections Manifesto, urging EU policymakers to take bold action on sustainable finance. Within this manifesto, we have outlined our key recommendations for the upcoming European Commission: Accelerate investments in Europe’s transition to
BETTER FINANCE members UK Shareholders’ Association and ShareSoc (UK Individual Shareholders Society) published a letter expressing disappointment in the news that the UK government is abandoning some of its reforms to accounting standards: It is difficult to overstate the disappointment of investors, and other users of corporate information, at the news that the UK government
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