EFAMA published today the second edition of the brochure 'The European Fund Classification EFC Categories' to adapt the classification criteria to recent market evolutions. The European Fund Classification (EFC) is a pan-European classification system of investment funds, which is maintained by a Task Force of EFAMA.
The European Fund and Asset Management Association (EFAMA), has today published its latest International Statistical Release describing the trends in worldwide investment fund industry in the first quarter of 2020*.
Worldwide regulated open-ended fund assets decreased by 10.8 percent to EUR 47.1 trillion in the first quarter of 2020. Worldwide net cash flow to all funds amounted to EUR 617 billion, compared to EUR 808 billion in the fourth quarter of 2019.
In a report released today, the International Council of Securities Associations (ICSA), the European Fund and Asset Management Association (EFAMA), and the Managed Funds Association (MFA) call for the implementation of internationally recognized principles to address excessively high market data fees and unfair licensing provisions.
The European Fund and Asset Management Association (EFAMA) has today published its Quarterly Statistical Release describing the trends in the European investment fund industry in the first quarter of 2020 with key data and indicators for each EFAMA member countries.
Funds face unique challenges in performing intermediary oversight, and especially so because of MiFID II requirements, changing regulatory landscapes, and the absence of an industry agreed-upon standard between funds and their distribution channels. To help address these challenges, a dedicated working group developed a uniform due diligence questionnaire (DDQ) that will serve as the standard for investment funds (UCITS and AIFs) in performing onboarding and ongoing oversight of distribution channels.
EFAMA has submitted its 
response to the European Commission's consultations on the review of the MIFID II / MIFIR regulatory framework, where it has outlined its recommendations on investor protection and capital markets and infrastructure.
EFAMA's Director General Tanguy van de Werve commented:
EFAMA in collaboration with SWIFT, has published a new report on the evolution of automation and standardisation rates of fund orders received by transfer agents (TAs) in the cross-border fund centres of Luxembourg and Ireland - during the first half of 2019.
The report highlights the progress made towards the increased automation of the amount of fund orders, and the use of ISO standards. Twenty-eight TAs from Ireland and Luxembourg participated in this survey.
The key findings of the report include:
As the European Union’s financial system has become more complex, it has also opened the door to new risks of money laundering and terrorist financing. EFAMA supports the new regulatory package proposed by the Commission on 20 July 2021, believing this initiative will make strides in ensuring that no loopholes or weak links in the internal market allow criminals to use the EU to launder the proceeds of their illicit activities.
Please download the PDF file above for more details.
The Commission aims to present a legislative proposal to address the tax-induced debt-equity bias, also to support the action plan for the Capital Markets Union and to encourage companies to finance their investment through equity contributions rather than through debt financing.
EFAMA provided high-level comments to the Commission’s consultation on the potential review of the Directive on Distance Marketing of Consumer Financial Services.
We agree with the Commission’s interpretation that the Directive is seen as a “safety net” for financial services not already subject to product-specific legislation. Fund and asset managers are already subject to various, more stringent and detailed sectoral legislations, such as (but not limited to) UCITS, AIFMD and MiFID as well as the (more recent) Cross-Border Fund Distribution Directives.
The asset management industry recognises the much-needed adoption of mandatory European sustainability reporting standards under the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) proposal. Insufficient availability of meaningful, comparable, reliable, and public Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) data is a key impediment to realising the full potential of the EU's sustainable finance regulatory framework. Financial market participants' sustainable investments need to be driven by real, verifiable and reported ESG metrics of company's activities and financial risks.
Nine associations (AFME, AIMA, EAPB, EBF, EFAMA, FIA, ICI, ISDA, SIFMA AMG) welcome the Commission's decision to grant a time-limited equivalence decision in respect of UK CCPs. However, when this time-limited equivalence decision expires on 30 June 2022, there remains a significant risk of disruption to clearing for EU firms and to their access to global markets.
Given the increasingly important role ESG ratings and data products providers play in investment processes, EFAMA welcomes the increased attention of regulators to this issue. In light of the growing regulatory scrutiny on the ESG characteristics of potential investments, improving the usability and reliability of the ESG ratings and data products is a key priority for the European asset management industry.
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.
EFAMA organised a webinar on investor education in October 2021 introducing our '5 tips to do more with your savings'.
