EU Law rightly requires information provided to individual investors to be clear, i.e., “presented in a way that is likely to be understood by, the average member of the group to whom it is directed, or by whom it is likely to be received”, and as such, retail investors expect definitions and classifications of funds
“BETTER FINANCE together with ShareAction, the German Association of the Insured BdV, Urgewald and WWF European Policy Office react to the Solvency II review on related sustainability requirements. Solvency II, the legislative framework for EU insurers, is currently under review. Solvency II, introduced in 2016, laid the foundations for a harmonised, sound, and robust prudential
The European Federation of investors and Financial Services Users fully supports the clear stated objectives of the European Union’s very welcome “Retail Investor Strategy”. ENSURE A LEVEL PLAYING FIELD IN SECTORAL LEGISLATION The European Commission’s stated goal for the EU Strategy for Retail Investors (RIS) is to: ”ensure that (…) rules are coherent across legal
Would you agree with the assessment that certain products that are offered to consumers do not offer Value for Money? If yes: a) how significant a problem would you consider this to be? b) for which products/market segments is this problem particularly relevant? To begin with, BETTER FINANCE firmly suggests providing clear definitions for key concepts,
BETTER FINANCE published a letter accompanying its response to the European Financial Reporting Advisory Group (EFRAG) on its draft EU Sustainability Reporting Standards (ESRS). In light of the proposals put forward by EFRAG, BETTER FINANCE would like to draw attention to the overarching themes that will ensure investors receive understandable, comparable, and reliable information which
Available data and evidence show significant increases in the trading and investing activity of EU households, sparked by a new wave of young, previously inactive, non-professional investors. Many EU retail investors increased their exposure to listed equities and started to invest via execution-only services (brokerage accounts). Besides flattening the illiquidity curve during the period of
Retail trading must be simple, transparent, cost-efficient, and done in the best possible conditions for individual, non-professional (“retail”) investors. To achieve this, BETTER FINANCE puts forward a series of recommendations in relation to best execution of retail orders and payments for order flows (PFOF or, more adequately PFROF: Payment for retail order flow). Payments for
Available data and evidence show significant increases in the trading and investing activity of EU households, sparked by a new wave of young, previously inactive, non-professional investors. Many EU retail investors increased their exposure to listed equities and started to invest via execution-only services (brokerage accounts). Besides flattening the illiquidity curve during the period of
The European Commission has proposed a Regulation laying down harmonised rules on artificial intelligence (artificial intelligence act) and amending certain union legislative acts. The purpose of this regulation is to provide a uniform legal framework for the internal market regarding the marketing and the use of Artificial intelligence (AI). BETTER FINANCE strongly supports the proposal
Technological innovation is transforming financial services at an unprecedented speed, by facilitating new business models and services and the entrance of new market participants. Covid-19 is accelerating this shift and the digitalisation of financial services. These changes bring a host of opportunities, including the prospect of better financial services for businesses and consumers and greater