On the 21st of January 2022, the European Financial Reporting Advisory Group (EFRAG) announced that its General Assembly had selected BETTER FINANCE as one of its new members. This represents a further improvement of EFRAG’s governance and its opening to individual investors, consumers, and other stakeholders from civil society. Since 2017, and up to last
EFRAG, the European Financial Reporting Advisory Group, was established in 2001 with the aim of advising the European Commission (EC) on the suitability of the International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) as set by the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB). EFRAG’s mission is to ensure that European views on the matter are taken into account in
In 2013 InterContinentalExchange bought NYSE Euronext from the New York Stock Exchange and now announced that it will sell as much as 60% of its stake in the exchange operator of the Paris, Amsterdam, Brussels and Lisbon exchanges. The transaction is expected to raise as much as 1.16 billion euros. A hard core of institutional shareholders, including ABN Amro
This Wednesday, Cecilia Malmstrom, the European Commissioner for trade, unveiled a proposal for a new system for resolving disputes between investors and states under TTIP and other EU trade and investment negotiations: the Investment Court System. This new system is expected to replace the existing Investor State Dispute Settlement (ISDS) mechanism that is currently hampering the EU-US talks
BETTER FINANCE is pleased to announce its support for the Keep Me Posted campaign. European citizens as users of financial services should have the right of choice of how they want to receive their information (paper or digital version) at no extra costs. Read the full Press Release here
EFRAG, the European Financial Reporting Advisory Group, was established in 2001 with the aim of advising the European Commission (EC) on the suitability of the International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) as set by the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB). EFRAG’s mission is to ensure that European views on the matter are taken into account in
Exchanges and the over-the-counter (OTC) market might have moved a little closer in recent years, but it is far from inevitable that demand for greater trading clarity will push a sizeable chunk of the market away from OTC. On one hand, FXSpotStream CEO Alan Schwarz said: "the FX market continues to do a good job
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
For a decade, BETTER FINANCE has flagged the persistently low real returns in EU long-term and pension savings. As government and occupational pensions dwindle, Public Authorities urge earlier and increased savings for retirement. Yet, this advice often disregards a fundamental issue: inadequate, sometimes negative, long-term real returns after inflation. BETTER FINANCE reports disprove the claim
BETTER FINANCE welcomes the European Commission’s WHT FASTER Proposal that has to potential to bring procedural progress in addressing longstanding obstacles to tax recovery for investors dealing with their cross-border investment income. We applaud an EU-wide framework to streamline withholding tax (WHT) refund modalities under common reporting, and support its digitalisation addressing the current hurdle
For its March Newsletter, DG FISMA (the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Financial Stability, Financial Services, and Capital Markets Union) interviewed Alin Iacob, the new chairman of the Financial Services User Group (FSUG), and Board Member of BETTER FINANCE. Alin Iacob is also the chairman of the Association of Romanian Financial Users (AURSF). In the interview,
Member States have until 31 May to actively support transparent, efficient, and accessible equity markets for retail investors and submit their written comments to the French Presidency working on the Compromise Proposal for the review of MIFIR regulation. In order to avoid a poor compromise, national policymakers should put consumer interests first and remember the