BETTER FINANCE, the European Federation of Investors and Financial Services Users, is pleased to announce the official approval of two new French member organisations – ANCRE and AGIPI – following a unanimous vote by its General Assembly held today in Madrid. Their admission brings the Federation’s total membership to 39 organisations representing financial services users
When shareholder engagement is not treated as an enforceable ownership right, citizens are effectively denied a channel to shape the social and economic impact of listed companies, thus undermining shareholder democracy. Reclaiming this right means enabling investors to steer corporate conduct and hold management to account through meaningful AGM participation. Yet engagement is still too
Brussels, 5 June 2025 – BETTER FINANCE, the voice of European savers and individual investors, expresses hopes but also concerns regarding the European Savings Label initiative to be launched today by a group of EU Member States under the “Finance Europe” banner. Despite its stated and excellent objective to enhance European competitiveness and channel private
BETTER FINANCE responds to the European Commission Consultation on the Revision of EU rules on sustainable finance disclosure BETTER FINANCE welcomes the European Commission’s plan to revise the SFDR to fix its complexity, legal gaps, and greenwashing risks. As the voice of EU citizens as financial services users, we back a clearer, simpler, and more
BETTER FINANCE Responds to Consultation Paper on the Draft Implementing Technical Standards on the Extension of the Use of the Alleviated Format of Insider Lists The European Commission argues that simplified insider lists will maintain sufficient information for enforcement, while easing burdens for all issuers. The overarching goal of this amendment is to bolster the
Our 2024 Annual Report presents a comprehensive overview of BETTER FINANCE’s efforts to empower individual investors and financial services users across Europe. As the leading European Federation advocating for financial transparency, fairness, and sustainable investing, we highlight how 2024 marked a decisive year in championing the interests of retail investors. This year’s report enquires into
BETTER FINANCE Responds to ESMA Public Consultation on the Guidelines on Supplements Which Introduce New Securities to a Base Prospectus BETTER FINANCE welcomes ESMA’s initiative to clarify when a supplement to a base prospectus may or may not be used to introduce new securities. We strongly support the overall aim of the guidelines to strengthen
In its consultation response to the International Organisation of Securities Commissions (IOSCO), BETTER FINANCE agrees with IOSCO’s general definition of neo-brokers but suggests expanding it to better reflect key features such as simplified onboarding, fractional trading, and behavioural nudges embedded in user interfaces. The response emphasises that these platforms are not merely digital versions of
BETTER FINANCE welcomes EIOPA’s draft Opinion on AI governance and risk management in insurance undertakings. As the European-level representative of life insurance policyholders, BETTER FINANCE fully supports EIOPA’s risk-based approach to the use of AI systems and its call for appropriate safeguards. It is the view of BETTER FINANCE that all AI systems in insurance
BETTER FINANCE has published its recommendations for improving the European Commission’s “Omnibus I” reforms on sustainability reporting. While supporting efforts to simplify rules for companies, BETTER FINANCE stresses that reforms must not weaken transparency for investors. Instead of blanket exemptions, the paper calls for a smarter, risk-based approach that focuses on key sectors without losing