Financial literacy is essential for making sound decisions when managing savings. If European citizens do not understand financial concepts such as risk diversification, compound interest and real rate of return, they won’t know where to start or what to ask should they wish to invest their savings. A lack of sufficient financial literacy in most European countries helps explain why the vast majority of households don’t directly invest any of their savings in the capital markets.

EFAMA's Investor Education Platform has now produced an animated brochure titled ‘Investing for a better future – 5 tips to do more with your savings’ to help get people started with investing. It has been translated into several European languages.

With European government no longer able to provide financial security to support citizens in later years, saving for retirement is key. Individuals need to save enough for retirement to ensure adequate income in old age.

EFAMA helps by raising awareness of the importance of saving for retirement and encouraging European authorities to further modernise relevant EU legislation. This includes strengthening competition in the occupational and personal pension markets, and fostering cross-border activities of pension providers and asset managers. Such legislation should seek to create economies of scale, to benefit savers. 

EFAMA is a co-initiator of the European Retirement Week. 

Building a Capital Markets Union (CMU) serving the needs of European citizens and businesses is as ambitious as it is essential: the effort will enable pensioners and savers to share in the upside of Europe’s economic recovery. In the process, European capital markets also become more efficient and better integrated. This long-term vision is key to financing European innovation and to supporting the transition towards a more sustainable economy.

Increasing retail investors’ participation in capital markets is an essential component for building an effective CMU. EFAMA relentlessly advocates for effective disclosure rules and consumer empowerment. 
 

Asset managers unleash the vast potential of sustainable finance by channelling capital into ESG investments and engaging with investee companies to improve their sustainability profile and foster long-term prosperity.

To strengthen the asset managers' role in financing the green transition, EFAMA contributes to the development and implementation of the EU Sustainable Finance agenda. This includes initiatives to fight greenwashing, increase transparency, improve the flow of ESG data and integrate sustainability in corporate governance.
 

To remain competitive and at the forefront of innovation, Europe must be open to cross-border flows of knowledge, ideas, capital and investment. The benefit in doing so ultimately accrues to European citizens and businesses.

While Europe rightly strives for high regulatory standards, rules need to be well calibrated, so Europe can partake in global competition on a level playing field. EFAMA's policy work consistently advocates for a dynamic regulatory environment, which enables European financial markets to remain globally competitive.