The EU Commission should consider the following initiatives for EU financial service users: Establishing independent savings products data bases which imply standardized Key Information on actual costs, performances and risks (“garbage in garbage out”). Development of independent web comparative tools that would feed upon such reliable data bases , and would allow and facilitate the
The EBA seeks to foster consumer protection in all EU Member States, by identifying and addressing consumer detriment in the financial services sector. By assessing the retail conduct of financial firms, the EBA also seeks to contribute to the stability, integrity and effectiveness of the financial system. One of the tasks of the EBA is
This morning the EC released: 1. The Proposal for a Regulation on European Crowdfunding Services for Business. It: establishes a one-stop-shop access to the EU market and therefore helps crowdfunding platforms in overcoming the barriers they face operating cross-border; provides tailored rules for European crowdfunding services providers covering both investment-based and lending-based business models; gives
Emerging Financial Technology (Fintech) has a, seemingly endless, potential to drive efficiency gains and the disintermediation of financial services, thereby bringing about decreased transaction costs. Keeping in mind that Fintech so far remains relatively unchartered territory, regulatory measures and their effects on the future development of the industry make for heated discussions. Currently, as stated
BETTER FINANCE agrees with EBA’s suggestion to investigate these different regulatory treatments applied to FinTech firms who are offering similar financial services in Europe. It would in fact be interesting to investigate the approaches of the monitoring of the FinTech sector in order to ensure that risks are appropriately identified and addressed.
On the 23rd of March, as part of the FinTech conference, the European Commission has launched its Action Plan for Retail Services. This Action Plan sets out ways to provide European consumers with greater choice and better access to financial services across the EU. In this Action Plan, the Commission highlights the importance of technology
The Lithuanian Investors Association and BETTER FINANCE, the European Federation of Investors and Financial Services Users, are organising the annual BETTER FINANCE International Investors’ Conference, scheduled to take place in Vilnius on May 30, 2024. The conference, titled “Vilnius 2024 | Shaping the Future of Finance,” will delve into various topics encompassing European and Baltic
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
The exposure of retail investors to crypto-assets has increased globally, leading to greater retail investor losses due to financial crime, fraud, money laundering, and under-regulated activities in the crypto-asset market. To address these challenges, BETTER FINANCE welcomes the policy recommendations for crypto and digital asset markets proposed by IOSCO. These recommendations aim to ensure a
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Long-term investor engagement and sustainable corporate governance hampered by antiquated, fragmented and costly processes in the hands of financial intermediaries Despite the great importance the EU attaches to corporate governance (the ‘G’ part of ‘ESG’) and to shareholder engagement, there are still considerable obstacles to the exercise of shareholder voting rights; namely the
BlackRock, one of the world’s largest investors in banks and fossil fuel companies, has been hired by the EU to work on potential new environmental rules for banks. Campaigners raised concerns about potential conflicts of interest, given BlackRock’s widespread financial interests in sectors that could be directly impacted by new environmental rules. […] Katrin Ganswindt,
BETTER FINANCE is pleased to announce that, also in 2021, it is well-positioned to remain the leader in providing high-level user-side experts to EU and International expert advisory groups in policy and regulatory matters impacting individual, non-professional users of financial services. At the European level, BETTER FINANCE is pleased to announce that Desislav Danov from
Last Wednesday, the European Central Bank (ECB) announced a 750 billion asset-purchase programme in response to the coronavirus outbreak, causing a boost of the euro against the dollar and the pound. This new temporary asset purchase programme of private and public sector securities counters the serious risks to the monetary policy transmission mechanism and the offset
In November 2015, the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF) started an investigation into the European Investment Bank’s (EIB) loan of €400mln to Volkswagen in the context of the Dieselgate scandal. While the company is still calling back vehicles (at a slower rate now – see article here) and shareholders have to time and time again put
The BBC uncovered a secret recording involving the Bank of England in the Libor rigging scandal. The recording uncovered by the BBC consists of a discussion between two bankers at Barclays, one of them saying that the government and the Bank of England were pressuring them to lower the rate they offered for the Libor. The
The treasury is further softening its stance toward the financial industry as it dilutes part of the new regime that is intended to make top bank bosses more accountable. Senior managers will face the “duty of responsibility” which will only require them to take the appropriate steps to prevent a regulatory breach instead of the
Today the European Commission proposed the long-awaited financial market reform aimed at banning proprietary trading by the largest banks and thereby protect taxpayers from the potential costs of rescuing them. The proposal aims to remodel bank structures in order to reduce complexity and curb market speculation supported by state-backed deposits. Only banks whose assets are above
After nine banks – including Barclays, Goldman Sachs and HSBC – agreed on a $2bn settlement in a New York court, case lawyers warn that several global banks might face claims worth billions of pounds in London and Asia in relation to Forex rates rigging. The cases brought the lack of public supervision in the largest
Following the 2008 financial crisis, a financial reform package aimed at preventing a recurrent crisis, addressing the so-called“too big to fail” issue and promoting financial stability, was enacted. This week the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act celebrates its fifth anniversary since US President Barack Obama signed it. Although some successes are recognised, the slow process of reform has also been at
The world’s largest global custody bank by safe custody assets, the Bank of New York Mellon, has been fined £126m by the UK’s regulator, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), for breaking rules designed to protect more than £1tn worth of assets held on behalf of UK-based clients. The bank stands accused of “failing to implement
On Tuesday, 19 September from 15:00 to 16:30 in the European Parliament in Brussels, a public hearing on the “New EU common system for the avoidance of double taxation and prevention of tax abuse in the area of withholding taxes” will take place. The hearing aims to address the burdensome withholding tax refund procedures for
Transparency Task Force is holding an online event, to draw attention to the collective redress action by Stichting Investor Loss Compensation (SILC) for individual Airbus investors who have incurred damages, and to discuss the “Power of Class Actions to get Justice”. The event is scheduled for Tuesday, July 4th, between 6:00 PM and 7:30 PM
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