EFAMA has released today a new issue of its Market Insights series titled “UCITS ETFs: A growing market in volatile times”.
EFAMA has released today a new issue of its Market Insights series titled “UCITS ETFs: A growing market in volatile times”.
As the US moves to a T+1 settlement cycle from May 2024, the settlement mismatch between the US and EU will raise operational challenges as well as, we suspect, market structure changes. But another direct consequence of the mismatch will be in the enforcement of current EU regulation. In this paper, we identify those scenarios where EU rules will be tested, suggest the scope of that impact and ask policymakers to explore how the regulatory impacts of US T+1 can be mitigated.
As the EU Member States conclude technical discussions around the AIFMD & UCITS review, EFAMA would like to congratulate the European Commission and the co-legislators for keeping the key elements of both Directives intact during their review. These frameworks lie at the core of a well-functioning and resilient funds market and this agreement is a welcome step forward for the funds industry, investors and the Capital Markets Union project.
EFAMA has today published its latest monthly Investment Fund Industry Fact Sheet, which provides net sales data on UCITS and AIFs for August 2023, at European level and by country of fund domiciliation.
The EU’s Listing Act is a key legislative initiative aimed at enhancing the appeal of EU public markets and facilitating capital access for small-medium enterprises (SMEs). That includes a new proposal by the European Commission for a Multiple Voting Shares Directive (MVSD). EFAMA believes it is of key importance to the European economy to ensure that EU capital markets remain attractive and competitive globally, therefore getting these types of initiatives right is crucial.
EFAMA appreciates the European Commission's efforts to bolster the Capital Markets Union and increase the appeal and competitiveness of public capital markets. However, the investment industry wishes to highlight some concerns concerning this Directive. Against this backdrop, it is important to note that the European Union has recently enhanced its corporate governance and shareholders’ engagement practices to fortify financial market stability, uphold capital market integrity and safeguard investors’ interests.
The European Parliament and Council are currently finalising their views on the European Commission’s anti-money laundering (AML) package proposal. In addition to the much publicized debate around the location of the new AML Authority, there are even more important elements being discussed which aim to curb money laundering and counter the financing of terrorism (CFT).
EFAMA has published its latest monthly Investment Fund Industry Fact Sheet, which provides net sales data on UCITS and AIFs for July 2023, at European level and by country of fund domiciliation.
Andreas Stepnitzka, EFAMA Deputy Director, Regulatory Policy, comments:
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.
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Trends in European investment funds (EFAMA Fact Book 2024 release on 18 JUN 2024)