ESMA’s Call for Evidence on the UCITS Eligible Assets Directive is a welcome opportunity to take stock of the existing UCITS framework.
UCITS
UCITS (Undertakings for Collective Investment in Transferable Securities) refers to the EU framework for harmonising the creation, management and marketing of collective investment schemes in the EU (and EEA) Member States. It places a strong focus on investors’ protection and product regulation. Owing to this harmonised framework, once UCITS funds are registered in one Member State, they can be freely marketed across the European Union. Initially adopted in 1985, the UCITS Directive has since been modified repeatedly, to take into account developments in financial markets.
EFAMA is adamant to protect the competitiveness and international appeal of UCITS.
Related policy positions
Policy Position
EU Fund regulation
UCITS
AIFMD
12 September 2022
High-level response to ESMA consultation on notifications for cross-border marketing and management of AIFs and UCITS
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.
Policy position
Capital Markets
MIFID
EU Fund regulation
UCITS
Management Companies
AIFMD
09 February 2021
EFAMA reply to ESMA CP on marketing communications guidelines
EFAMA believes that ESMA’s draft ‘marketing communication’ Guidelines still require important clarifications to ensure full alignment between them and MiFID II’s Commission Delegated Regulation Article 44. This alignment is essential to ensure coherent rules for fund management companies and distributors. Unfortunately, parts of the proposed Guidelines are overly prescriptive and may unintentionally make some marketing materials vaguer or even inconsistent with local MiFID requirements for distributors.
Related news
Press Release
Competitiveness
UCITS
20 February 2025
Fund consolidation would have a limited impact on fund costs
Increasing fund assets is seen as a more realistic and effective avenue
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.
Press Release
UCITS
13 February 2025
A like-for-like comparison of the cost of US mutual funds and UCITS is missing from the latest ESMA report
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.”
Press Release
UCITS
20 December 2024
Industry sector matters when comparing the performance of active vs. passive equity UCITS
EFAMA has published today the latest edition of its Market Insights series, titled “The sectoral performance of active and passive UCITS - is a simple measure enough?”. This publication compares the net performance of different categories of equity UCITS funds over the last ten years (2014-2023).
Related publications
Publication
Capital Markets Union
Competitiveness
Data
EU Fund regulation
UCITS
International agenda
27 May 2020
EFAMA Market Insights | Issue #1 | Net outflows from UCITS in March 2020 - Industry weathers Covid-19 crisis
The Covid-19 pandemic significantly impacted financial markets. Stock markets across the world suffered a steep decline driven by lower economic growth and corporate profits. As anticipated, the crisis caused substantial net outflows from UCITS in March (EUR 313 billion). However, as a percentage of net assets, these outflows were no higher than in October 2008, at the height of the global financial crisis (2.9%).
Publication
EU Fund regulation
UCITS
Management Companies
AIFMD
Financial stability
22 January 2020
AMIC EFAMA Report - Managing fund liquidity risk in Europe - 2020
In 2019, AMIC and EFAMA decided to update their 2016 report “Managing Fund Liquidity Risk in Europe” following important policy and regulatory developments at EU and international levels. The purpose of this updated report is to outline the practical liquidity risk management processes which fund management companies put in place when setting up a fund and implement throughout the life of the fund. Also, the report describes the existing European and international regulatory frameworks in the area of fund liquidity risk management.
Publication
Capital Markets Union
EU Fund regulation
ELTIF
UCITS
Management Companies
AIFMD
18 April 2016
Managing fund liquidity risk in Europe: An AMIC-EFAMA Report
Contact
Deputy Director, Regulatory Policy
