The EFAMA Asset Management in Europe report aims at providing facts and figures to gain a better understanding of the role of the European asset management industry. It takes a different approach from that of the other EFAMA research reports, on two grounds. Firstly, this report does not focus exclusively on investment funds, but it also analyses the assets that are managed by asset managers under the form of discretionary mandates. Secondly, the report focuses on the countries where the investment fund assets are managed rather than on the countries in which the funds are domiciled.

I am pleased to provide you with an overview of our activities since our 2018 Annual General Meeting in Cyprus.

Credit where credit is due. I would like to congratulate my predecessor Peter De Proft for all the work in his twelve year tenure as EFAMA Director General and for the constructive support he has shown me from the start. This has greatly facilitated the handover.

The report provides a wealth of facts and figures on the evolution of holdings of financial assets and investment funds among European investors in recent years. It aims to answer three main questions: