Investment Association calls for EU reforms

The Investment Association (IA) which represents 250 investment management firms with an overall AUM of €3.2trn, has called upon EU institutions to improve the investment landscape for individuals, businesses and the economy.

At the centre of the association’s Making Investment Better for All report are the improvement of access to sustainable investment opportunities, the promotion of open and efficient capital markets, support for innovation and new technologies, as well as international cooperation on regulatory standards.

Among its recommendations, the IA highlights:

• Making disclosures digital by default and more concise, clear and meaningful
• Supporting innovation and the adoption of AI
• Prioritising the review of the SFDR
• Ensure alignment of reporting approaches
• Laying the foundation for tokenisation of funds
• Identifying barriers to cross-border fund distribution
• Prioritising international cooperation on future policy responses
• Conducting a review on the cost of market data to improve access.

To further align the UK and EU regimes, the association additionally called for the operationalisation of the EU-UK Joint Forum on Financial Services.

Chris Cummings, CEO of the IA, said: “Today we’ve outlined our vision for how the EU institutions can harness investment and provide concrete solutions to ensure that investment works better for consumers and the economy, delivering a more resilient and sustainable Europe. We stand ready to work with policymakers and regulators across Europe to deliver on this agenda.”