According to a survey from fund manager Schroders – that surveyed 20,000 investors in 28 countries – , the majority of retail investors expect a 12% return from investments over a year despite investing mainly in low risk assets. Less than 25 % of the retail investors are planning to invest in equities that may
In January 2015, the European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) launched a call for candidates for its Consultative Working Group (CWG) for the Corporate Reporting Standing Committee (CRSC). Following his application, Roger Collinge of BETTER FINANCE’s member organisation UKSA (the UK’s Shareholders Association) was today appointed to the CWG. The CRSC advises ESMA on issues related to accounting, audit, periodic reporting and storage of regulated
The European Parliament approved the rules creating European Long-Term Investment Funds (ELTIFs) on its Plenary Session of 10 March 2015 after the political agreement reached between the Parliament and the Council in November 2014. ELTIFs are aimed at addressing banks’ reluctance to lend to small businesses or open-ended research projects and designed to benefit the real economy
Misleading scenarios on future performance, lack of engaging and telling product information presented in a clear, comprehensive and not misleading manner, need for harmonized key information documents… these are some of the concerns we expressed, as BETTER FINANCE submitted its comments to the Discussion Paper on Key Information Documents (KIDs) for Packaged Retail Investment and
At least 75.000 Romanians currently holding mortgages referenced to the Swiss franc are facing unknown but potentially huge increases in their monthly payments. That is why BETTER FINANCE’s Romanian member, AURSF – Asociata Utilizatorilor Romani de Servicii Financiare, asked last Thursday the Romanian Government and Parliament to promptly regulate the conversion of the CHF-based mortgaged into
Over the past seven months, the European Insurance and Occupational Pensions Authority (EIOPA; see below for a definition) has been executing a stress test of the European insurance sector. The results were published yesterday, November 30. The aim of EIOPA’s stress test was to “assess the resilience of the insurance sector to adverse situations and
But it’s not the MEPs that are cold… In fact, it was them who once again “froze” the budget for the Commission’s advisory groups. The reasons for this sweeping measure are many. Among others, the striking imbalance in terms of stakeholder representation (with corporate interests reportedly occupying as many as two thirds of all seats)
On September 10, the European Commission has refused the registration of the Citizens’ Initiative "Stop TTIP". The Commission argues that the initiative "falls outside the (…) Commission’s powers” as defined by the Treaties and that it, therefore, cannot be registered. Sven Giegold, Green MEP and member of the EP’s ECON Committee, says that with this decision, the Commission “tramples all
The Financial Times reported today that Jean-Claude Juncker, the incoming President of the European Commission, is considering creating an EU financial services directorate charged with regulating the City of London and ensuring stability in the region. It is believed the plan is to appoint a single commissioner to be responsible for a united financial services portfolio now
The European Commission has rejected BETTER FINANCE’s application to join their ‘Group of Experts on removing tax problems facing individuals who are active across borders within the EU’, the successor to the previous Expert Group on the Taxation of Savings of DG TAXUD. The EC’s DG Taxation did not provide any explanations for the rejection