The outrageous remuneration of many EU bankers is an issue, as bankers’ bonuses have been and are still largely (and unwillingly) funded by taxpayers, clients and non-insider shareholders who have been losing billions on their bank equity investments since 2008, when many bankers did not disgorge their enormous bonuses and too often continue to enjoy
Loyal shareholders in European companies would gain extra voting rights and a bigger slice of dividends under a proposal being floated by Brussels to spur long-term investment. Michel Barnier, the EU single market commissioner, is preparing to field views on potentially revising the “one-share one-vote” principle applied by the bulk of EU companies, according to
Bankia’s debt holders comprising tens of thousands of retail clients will face a writedown of between 46 and 14 per cent as part of a restructering and burden sharing "demanded by Brussels in return for a capital injection that Spain’s fourth-largest lender is set to receive from the EU’s permanent rescue fund". Read the full
On 22 November, BETTER FINANCE, the European Investment Bank and the Federation of European Securities Exchanges teamed up for the International Conference on the ‘Equity Financing of the EU Economy’. A full room was addressed by prominent speakers representing the European Parliament and Commission, Permanent Representations to the EU, European Supervisory Authorities and consumer and
13 June 2017 – Today BETTER FINANCE will release its research report on Robo-Investing at the Seminar on Financial Guidance. Financial Guidance, as opposed to Advice, is a fee-based, rather than commission-based, model. This model should ensure a better alignment with client interests. As such Robo-Investing providers may actually be rather well placed to provide
BETTER FINANCE, supports the proposed resolution by the European Parliament to reject the misleading and overly complex draft implementation rules ("Regulatory Technical Standards" or RTS) of the "PRIIPs". BETTER FINANCE however regrets that the stated reasons for the proposed resolution for rejection of the RTS include only those advocated by the financial industry, omitting the
BETTER FINANCE publishes its press release following the launch of the "Green Paper on retail Financial Services” and its consultation issued today by the European Commission. BETTER FINANCE therefore welcomes the Green Paper but will it be the one to eventually bring about an integrated and competitive European market for retail financial services? BETTER FINANCE worries
BETTER FINANCE stands fully behind the European Federation of Employee Share Ownership (EFES) – one of its member organizations – in its response to the European Commission’s proposed restructuring. The European Federation of Employee Share Ownership (EFES), the voice of employee share ownership in Europe, urged the European Commission to retain European employee share ownership
The Regulation for a Key Information Document (KID) for Investment Products faces serious threats from within the European Parliament itself. The stalled financial package concerns a simple information document that would have to be provided to potential customers by financial services, at the time of sale. Specifications for such a Key Information Document (KID) are
In an article published in Les Echos on the 28th of May, BETTER FINANCE’s Managing Director Guillaume Prache was quoted on issues concerning the situation for French retirement savers, in light of a new bill expected in the Council of Ministers in June, said in the article as leaning in favour of asset managers. To