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Our Research & Policy Aim

As a public interest organisation, BETTER FINANCE is committed to advancing the interests of individual investors and users of financial services throughout the European Union.

Our Goal

Our goal is to promote transparency, long-term value, and consumer protection in financial markets, ensuring that retail investors have a strong voice in policy discussions.

Our Approach

Working collaboratively with our member organisations, BETTER FINANCE undertakes rigorous analysis and research, engages in stakeholder consultations, and solicits expert contributions, resulting in well-informed, data-driven policy recommendations.

This approach ensures that EU financial regulations align with the interests of European citizens.

Explore Our Full Library of Publications

A New Route to Private Markets? Evaluating ELTIFs for Retail Access

This paper evaluates whether European Long-Term Investment Funds (ELTIFs) are the most appropriate vehicle for expanding retail investor access to private markets under the EU’s Savings and Investments Union (SIU) ...
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/ Research papers, Capital Markets Union (CMU), Packaged Investment Products, Retail Investment Strategy

Reykjavík Conference Highlights Need for Fairer Taxation to Protect Savers and Strengthen Retail Investment in Europe

On Thursday 18 June, policymakers, economists, investor representatives and market experts gathered at Harpa Conference Centre in Reykjavík for BETTER FINANCE's international conference Protecting Purchasing Power: Taxation, Inflation and Investments ...
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/ Press Releases, Capital Markets Union (CMU), Retail Investment Strategy

​​BETTER FINANCE Supports DSW’s Call for In-Person or Hybrid AGMs in Germany​

BETTER FINANCE expresses its strong support for its German member, DSW (Deutsche Schutzvereinigung für Wertpapierbesitz), and for the Ethos Foundation in their joint call for listed German companies to hold in-person or hybrid annual general ...
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/ Press Releases, Retail Investment Strategy, Shareholder Rights & Corporate Governance

Financial Advice in the EU | ​Mapping the Rules Protecting Individual Investors

As announced in the Communication on the Savings and Investments Union (SIU)1,  the European Commission aims to give European citizens broader access to capital markets and companies better financing options. This renewed policy agenda builds on the still incomplete Banking Union (BU) but also, ...
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/ Research papers, Capital Markets Union (CMU), Product governance & disclosures, Retail Investment Strategy

BETTER FINANCE Welcomes ESMA Report Showing ‘Free’ Advice Drains Nearly Half of Investor Fees, Eroding EU Retirement Savings

BETTER FINANCE welcomes ESMA’s recent publication of its groundbreaking report on “Total Costs of Investing in UCITS and AIFs”. The report sheds critical light on the true extent of the ...
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/ Press Releases, Product governance & disclosures, Retail Investment Strategy, Supervision & Redress

BETTER FINANCE calls for structural reform to deliver a truly investor-centric retail journey

Following the European Securities and Markets Authority’s (ESMA) initiative to map the “retail investor journey”, BETTER FINANCE welcomes this timely step towards putting citizens at the heart of capital markets ...
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/ Press Releases, Capital Markets (equity & bonds), Capital Markets Union (CMU), Digital Finance, Life Insurance & Pensions, Packaged Investment Products, Product governance & disclosures, Retail Investment Strategy, Savings and Investment Union

BETTER FINANCE Response to ESMA Consultation on the Retail Investor Journey

BETTER FINANCE welcomes ESMA’s initiative to map the “retail investor journey” as a step toward an investor-centric approach. Our response highlights that low retail participation is less about investor “reluctance” ...
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/ Consultations, Capital Markets (equity & bonds), Capital Markets Union (CMU), Digital Finance, Life Insurance & Pensions, Packaged Investment Products, Retail Investment Strategy, Savings and Investment Union

Consultation Response to Commission’s Call for Evidence on Savings and Investment Accounts

Simple access to a wide range of investment products, incentives to adopt a long-term perspective and the freedom to switch service providers without undue costs are crucial elements of an ...
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/ Consultations, Capital Markets Union (CMU), Retail Investment Strategy, Savings and Investment Union, Shareholder Rights & Corporate Governance

Consultation Response on the Integration of EU Capital Markets​

BETTER FINANCE Responds to the ​​European Commission’s Targeted Consultation on the Integration of EU Capital Markets​ ​​BETTER FINANCE welcomes the comprehensive examination that the European Commission is undertaking of the ...
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/ Consultations, Capital Markets (equity & bonds), Capital Markets Union (CMU), Retail Investment Strategy, Securities Markets & Trading

Reclaiming Shareholder Engagement: Fixing SRD II’s Implementation Failures

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 ...
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/ Research papers, Capital Markets Union (CMU), Retail Investment Strategy, Securities Markets & Trading, Shareholder Rights & Corporate Governance

For timely updates on our advocacy and regulatory positions, consult our press releases

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