INTRODUCTORY EXPLANATIONS (for non-professional readers) European Union (EU) authorities aim to improve the conditions of saving and investing in capital markets for EU households through several regulatory and supervisory actions. Currently, most of these initiatives stem from the recommendations of the High-Level Forum on the Future of the Capital Markets Union,[1] on which the European
Unfortunately, EU action through the listing act aimed at incentivising businesses and companies to go public and for individual, non-professional investors to invest in these companies, did not achieve its targets. BETTER FINANCE’s findings rely on two sets of observations from the market: first, the long-term trend of decreasing initial public offerings (IPOs) on regulated
BETTER FINANCE and its member organisations representing individual, minority shareholders see the framework for sound functioning and trustworthy listed issuers as comprising three key dimensions: first, sustainable corporate governance (corporate reporting); second, robust statutory audit market; and sound supervision, both of listed issuers and of auditing firms. In terms of corporate governance, we believe that
BETTER FINANCE finds that commission-based distribution models (kickbacks) cost individual investors up to 15% of their investments in sales commissions and generate conflicts of interest which severely hurt their performance. One of the main objectives of the European Commission’s “EU Strategy for Retail Investors” is to “ensure bias-free advice” for individual investors. It is meeting
BETTER FINANCE screened available evidence (literature, surveys, experiments, and statistical data) comparing the impact of allowing the receipt of “inducements” by distributors or brokers of “retail” investment services and products, versus banning it. Two jurisdictions in Europe already banned the receipt of commissions for the distribution of retail investment products: the United Kingdom, since 2012,
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
BETTER FINANCE Member VZMD makes Objections Public in OPEN LETTER to the CEO of the Slovenian Securities Market Agency (ATVP), the national competent Authority In a press release at the end of 2021, VZMD – the Pan-Slovenian Shareholder Association and BETTER FINANCE Member – drew attention to the mass dissemination of letters and “innovative” offers
— An updated version of this study (AGM Season 2022) can be found here — The general meeting is the cornerstone of shareholder democracy. It is not only where voting on major company decisions takes place, but also the only place where private shareholders can engage with board members and their fellow shareholders. As shown
To ensure sustainable development and a brighter future, shareholder engagement must be given a chance! Despite the entry into force of the Shareholder Rights Directive II (SRD II) in September 2020, and the importance the European Union places on Shareholder Engagement and Corporate Governance – the set of rules and practices dictating a company’s corporate
BETTER FINANCE welcomes this call for evidence from ESMA on retail investor protection topics but regrets that it is confined to securities markets (MiFID II) topics only as these financial instruments make up for only a third of the financial balance sheets of EU27 households and in fact the smallest share of the three largest