The current lack of quality pre- and post-trade data and the fragmentation of data sources remain an obstacle to the completion of the Capital Markets Union. The benefits of a real-time Consolidated Tape are wide-ranging: from market surveillance for supervisors, to best execution and an improved view on trading opportunities for retail investors, to portfolio management and pre- and post-trade analysis for fund managers to name a few.
EFAMA has been at the forefront of efforts to urge authorities to raise financial literacy levels in the general population through widespread and improved financial and investor education initiatives. We are also a long-time supporter of IOSCO's World Investor Week and organise a yearly event on investor education.
The old-age dependency ratio in the EU continues to increase; Eurostat’s recent figur
Investor education initiatives are essential to improve financial literacy and empower citizens to make sound decisions when managing their savings. If citizens do not have the basic knowledge to 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 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 European Fund and Asset Management Association (EFAMA) has today published its latest monthly Investment Fund Industry Fact Sheet, which provides net sales data on UCITS, and AIFs sold in July 2021, at European level and by country of fund domiciliation.
Bernard Delbecque, Senior Director for Economics and Research at EFAMA, commented: “Robust net inflows into long-term UCITS continued as investor confidence was buoyed by positive macro-economic data and an accelerating vaccine roll-out in Europe.”
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.
EFAMA published its latest quarterly international statistics, tracking and analysing trends in worldwide regulated open-ended fund assets and flows for Q2 2021.
EFAMA wholeheartedly supports ESMA’s objective of ensuring a consistent and harmonised application of the MiFID II product governance requirements. In our response to their consultation on the topic, we raised the following points:
EFAMA welcomes the European Securities and Market Authority’s continuous commitment to creating a single market for investment funds, confirmed by the draft regulatory standards currently under consideration. These RTS/ITS would further harmonise information that asset managers should provide to their national competent authorities before marketing or managing an investment fund on a cross-border basis, thus facilitating intra-EU product distribution.
EFAMA welcomes the OECD's work on Schedule C: Exclusion of Revenues and profits from Regulated Financial Services from the scope of Pillar One, in particular the amendments to the definition of “Asset Manager", licensing asset management as a business, the level of regulaton and the activities list.
EFAMA shares the urgent need to improve the consistency and comparability of sustainability reporting at a global level. Therefore, we welcome the opportunity to respond to the ISSB consultation on the Exposure Drafts on “General Requirements for Disclosure of Sustainability Related Financial Information” (IFRS S1) and on “Climate-Related Disclosures” (IFRS S2).
EFAMA strongly supports the initiative carried out by EFRAG with the publication of the Exposure Drafts on the European Sustainability Reporting Standards (ESRS). The Exposure Drafts provide key elements framing the architecture of reporting requirements and clarifying the content and key concepts of CSRD. The resulting data will be of crucial importance for investors and for achieving the EU objective to transition towards a zero emissions economy by 2050.
EFAMA supports the Commission’s efforts to encourage more companies to finance their investment through equity contributions rather than debt financing.
The Commission decided to follow a policy option that will enable the deductibility of an allowance on equity financing costs complemented by a rule to limit the deductibility of interest on debt financing instruments.
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.
Keynote speech delivered by European Commissioner Mairead McGuinness at EFAMA's Investment Management Forum 2022 (Brussels, 17-18 NOV)
