On 24 May 2023, the European Commission unveiled the most extensive reform of the EU legislative framework for retail investment to-date. As representatives of the European financial and insurance sector, we (AMICE, EACB, EAPB, EBF, EFAMA, ESBG, EUSIPA, Insurance Europe) are still assessing the full range of impacts and changes put forward in the Retail Investment Strategy (RIS) across multiple pieces of regulation: MiFID II, the Insurance Distribution Directive, the UCITS Directive, the Alternative Investment Fund Managers Directive, the PRIIPs Regulation and the Solvency II Directive.

The publication of the European Commission’s long-awaited EU Retail Investment Strategy is an important moment, as creating the necessary conditions to grow retail investor participation in capital markets is key for the future of both the European economy and EU citizens. Within the strategy, we see positive elements which the fund industry has long encouraged, such as digital-by-default disclosures, the preservation of both fee- and commission-based distribution models, and comparable rules for all types of investment products.