BETTER FINANCE and other European organisations representing savers and financial users were quite disappointed by today’s «Consumer Protection Day » jointly organised by the three European financial Supervisory Authorities (Securities & Markets, Insurance & Pensions and Banking). Please read here the press release.
The European Federation of Financial Services Users releases its research report on the real return of pension savings. This research confirms, broadens and deepens the OECD 2012 Pensions Reportconclusions which revealed negative real returns on average for pension funds. Our research adds other pension savings than pension funds, includes France (not covered by the OECD
In an article published by The Financial News on Tuesday 13th of March, reporters Chris Newlands and David Ricketts tackle the "costliest scandal to hit the UK`s financial sector: the widespread mis-selling of payment protection insurance that has hamstrung the banking industry". Referring to important research conducted by BETTER FINANCE, statements made by Managing Director Guillaume Prache
On Wednesday, September 14, the packaged retail and insurance-based investment products (PRIIPs) draft legislation, was rejected overwhelmingly by MEPs. PRIIPs was developed to help investors but MEPs declared that the draft legislation was “flawed and misleading”. PRIIPs will now be sent back for revision at the EU Commission. Whereas this delay is bad news
Guillaume Prache’s key focus as Managing Director of BETTER FINANCE has been to campaign against fund managers charging fees in line with active management, while, in reality, mimicking low-cost passive strategies, often called closet indexing. Prache said that “in today’s low-return environment, the high fees of falsely active funds show up more vividly. Since the
Online investment advice: a "robo-advisor" for your savings? "The big question is whether it is better to regulate this new world of online finance, especially when it comes to advice" resumes Guillaume Prache. “Financial advisers are regulated, but since advice now also comes from non-financial players we find ourselves in a legal limbo. Do online
In an article published yesterday in the Financial Times Guillaume Prache of BETTER FINANCE was quoted on the topic of fund houses backing board decisions. Following revelations that asset managers back corporations on issues such as executive pay at least 90 per cent of the time, fund houses have been accused of failing to hold
Free translation of French article on Finance and Regulation Following Bruegel, it was BETTER FINANCE’s turn to bring European policymakers and stakeholders together in Brussels to discuss the CMU project. BETTER FINANCE is an NGO funded by the European institutions, fighting for a financial system at the service of individuals and the real economy. Up
On October 4th, BETTER FINANCE’s newest report on the performance of pension funds in eight EU countries was covered in an article in The Economist. Focusing on the conclusions of the report, the article stresses European savers have suffered terrible returns from pension funds while European authorities “do not know the actual performance of the services they are
Guillaume Prache, Managing Director at BETTER FINANCE, was quoted in the Financial Times on the "governance of investment funds". Following the refusal of the Pharmaceutical company Pfizer’s proposal to takeover of UK’s AstraZenecamay and several shareholders have asked Astra’s board to reopen takeover talks as soon as legally allowed in August, the debate is now focused on the "conflict