In our latest Monthly Statistical Release, we show the main developments for the European investment fund market in December 2024 and include a first overview and analysis of the full year 2024.
In our latest Monthly Statistical Release, we show the main developments for the European investment fund market in December 2024 and include a first overview and analysis of the full year 2024.
Today, the European Fund and Asset Management Association (EFAMA) published the 20th issue of its Market Insights series, titled “Beyond fund consolidation: a more promising strategy for bigger funds and faster cost declines in Europe”. This publication compares the size and number of equity UCITS with that of US equity mutual funds and challenges the commonly held belief that fund consolidation will significantly lower the cost of funds in Europe.
In its recently published market report on the costs and performance of EU retail investment products, ESMA asserts that there are “substantial differences in the fund cost level between the EU and the US”. In its accompanying press release, ESMA emphasizes that “the market inefficiencies revealed by this higher cost level show the need to focus on the competitiveness of EU markets, within a future Savings and Investments Union.”
Since recent market disruptions such as the COVID-19 pandemic, the Financial Stability Board (FSB) and the International Organization of Securities Supervisors (IOSCO) have investigated how to make investment funds more resilient to liquidity shocks. The FSB published their recommendations in December 2023 and IOSCO is now looking into how to adjust their own 2018 recommendations along these lines.
In its response to IOSCO’s consultation on the revised recommendations for liquidity risk management for collective investment schemes, EFAMA welcomes the fact that IOSCO recognises aspects essential for proper risk management (e.g., asset managers’ primary responsibility and the absence of one-size-fits-all approaches).
Representatives of the EU and UK-based financial services industries met today (11 February 2025) in Brussels to discuss their respective priorities and shared challenges on the eve of the latest EU-UK Financial Regulatory Forum meeting and agreed on the following statement.
In its current form, the Retail Investment Strategy (RIS) will not achieve its goal of making investing more accessible to European citizens and could deter, rather than encourage, retail participation. In order to stand a chance of delivering on its objectives, the RIS needs urgent simplification. EFAMA have produced a short leaflet with our recommendations on how to simplify and reduce complexity in the current proposal.
Our key suggestions include:
EFAMA welcomes the opportunity of this consultation report to share views on how regulators could foster greater consistency in the management of liquidity risks in the Open-Ended Funds (OEFs) sector and on how the FSB should proceed in the future to evaluate any potential build-up of systemic risks in capital markets.
Environmental, social, and governance (ESG) considerations play a crucial role in asset managers' investment decisions for several reasons:
In July the European Commission released their long-awaited Retail Investment Strategy, including multiple proposals aimed at boosting retail participation in capital markets. EFAMA has provided comments on this in their ‘Have your say’ forum, where we briefly highlight some of our main concerns.
EFAMA responds to ESMA's Consultation Paper - From only 20 ELTIFs at the start of the review of the ELTIF Regulation in late 2021 to 95 as of August 2023, the launch of ELTIF products has significantly increased over the last three years, with further market growth expected in the years to come.
We strongly encourage ESMA to uphold the positive momentum of reforms initiated at Level 1 and guarantee that the requirements established by the draft RTS are conducive to the ongoing success of the ELTIF product.
EFAMA has joined together with the European Sustainable Investment Forum (Eurosif), the Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI), the Institutional Investors Group on Climate Change (IIGCC) and over 90 investors and financial market participants, to call on the European Commission to uphold the integrity and ambition of the first set of European Sustainability Reporting Standards (ESRS).

Discover the 6 reasons why your organisation should become a member of EFAMA.
Our members enjoy significant benefits including the opportunity to shape the industry positions, get first-hand access to regulatory and political intelligence, engage with industry peers and policymakers, and take part in EFAMA events.
Our three membership categories cater to the wide range of organisations that make up and support the investment management industry in Europe.