On February 26, the European Commission released a series of key proposals and communications to reshape the European Union’s (EU) regulatory framework. Alongside the overall framework communication Clean Industrial Deal, the...more
His Majesty’s Treasury (HMT) and the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) have issued publications that seek to expand the application of the United Kingdom (UK) sustainability disclosure requirements (the SDR) and labelling...more
5/29/2024
/ AIFM ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
False Claims Act (FCA) ,
Greenwashing ,
IFRS ,
Opt-In ,
Portfolio Managers ,
Retail Investors ,
Sustainability ,
UK
On Tuesday, February 7, the Division of Examinations of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission released its 2023 Examination Priorities. Private fund sponsors and managers should pay attention to the Priorities for two...more
The United Kingdom’s Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has issued proposed rules to establish a U.K. sustainability disclosure regime (SDR) providing a U.K. take on a topic many investment managers have been dealing with in...more
11/8/2022
/ Disclosure Requirements ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) ,
Financial Services Industry ,
Greenwashing ,
Investment Management ,
Proposed Rules ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
SFDR ,
Sustainability ,
UK
In April 2022, the Financial Conduct Authority (the FCA) issued its final policy statement on diversity and inclusion (D&I) requirements for premium and standard listed issuers with the object of increasing transparency for...more
On 7 April 2022 the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) released a three-year strategy for 2022-2025(the “Strategy”), setting out how the FCA aims to improve outcomes for UK consumers and markets. This was released alongside...more
If, as they say, past is prologue, then boards of directors in the United States should follow closely lessons learned by their European and British counterparts when it comes to the potential role sustainable finance plays...more
The SFDR and the Taxonomy Regulation: Key Developments and What Firms Can Expect in the Coming Year -
Almost a year on from the date on which the European Union’s Sustainable Finance Disclosure Regulation (SFDR) came into...more
1/27/2022
/ Climate Change ,
Corporate Governance ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Discussion Draft ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
EU ,
Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) ,
Financial Reporting ,
Product Labels ,
SFDR ,
Sustainability ,
Sustainable Business Practices ,
Sustainable Finance ,
Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD) ,
UK
The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has issued a Discussion Paper (DP21/4) (the “DP”) seeking industry participants’ views on the proposed new Sustainability Disclosure Requirements (SDR) and an accompanying sustainability...more
12/9/2021
/ Climate Change ,
Corporate Governance ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) ,
Product Labels ,
Sustainability ,
Sustainable Business Practices ,
Sustainable Finance ,
Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD) ,
UK
As we reflect on the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26), it would be remiss not to note that the United Kingdom government announced its intention for the U.K. to be the world’s “first net zero-aligned...more
Environmental, social and governance (ESG) factors continue to play an increasingly significant role across the capital markets and have an impact on a range of financial instruments and products. We have previously written...more
9/20/2021
/ Capital Markets ,
Corporate Finance ,
Corporate Governance ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
EU ,
European Commission ,
Green Bonds ,
Green Finance ,
ISDA ,
Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) ,
Publicly-Traded Companies ,
Sustainability ,
Sustainable Finance
In this episode, the first in our three-part EU ESG Considerations for Beginners miniseries, Akin Gump financial regulatory partner Ezra Zahabi looks at the Sustainable Finance Disclosure Regulation (SFDR) and what it means...more
8/4/2021
/ AIFM ,
Alternative Investment Funds ,
Climate Change ,
Corporate Governance ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
EU ,
European Commission ,
Financial Adviser ,
Financial Institutions ,
Financial Services Industry ,
Fund Managers ,
Investment Firms ,
Investment Funds ,
Investment Management ,
Investors ,
MiFID ,
Portfolio Companies ,
SFDR ,
Sustainability ,
Transparency
The UK Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has issued a consultation paper (the “Consultation Paper”) proposing new disclosure rules relating to diversity and inclusion on the boards and executive committees of listed...more
The European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) published on 23 July 2021 the guidance provided by the European Commission (EC) in response to a number of questions posed by the European Supervisory Authorities (ESAs) in...more
The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has written to the Chairs of Authorised Fund Managers (AFMs) with respect to its expectations on the quality of information provided to investors of investment funds focused on investing...more
The UK Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has published a “Dear Chair” letter (here) (the “Letter”) setting out its “Guiding principles on design, delivery and disclosure of ESG [environmental, social and governance features]...more
In November 2020, the UK government published “Roadmap” setting out its aims for mandatory climate-related disclosures across the UK economy, in a manner aligned with the recommendations of the Taskforce on Climate-related...more
In this episode, which concludes our three-part EU ESG Considerations for Beginners miniseries, Akin Gump financial regulatory partner Ezra Zahabi looks at EU ESG developments and risks and what business should know about...more
7/15/2021
/ Corporate Governance ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
EU ,
European Commission ,
Financial Services Industry ,
Investors ,
Risk Mitigation ,
SFDR ,
Sustainability ,
Taxonomy
In this episode, the second in our three-part EU ESG Considerations for Beginners miniseries, Akin Gump financial regulatory partner Ezra Zahabi looks at the EU’s Taxonomy Regulation and what it means for business.
Among...more
7/1/2021
/ Climate Change ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
EU ,
European Commission ,
Financial Institutions ,
Financial Markets ,
Financial Services Industry ,
Investors ,
Sustainability ,
Taxonomy
This special episode features “Emergence of ESG Transparency,” a webinar featuring two heads of Akin Gump’s ESG group—partners Stacey Mitchell in D.C. and Amy Kennedy in London—along with London partner Ezra Zahabi.
Among...more
TCFD Mandatory Disclosures -
The UK Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (BEIS) has published a Consultation on requiring mandatory climate-related financial disclosures by large publicly quoted companies,...more
The European Supervisory Authorities (ESAs) have published the draft Regulatory Technical Standards (“Taxonomy RTS”) on product-level disclosures that apply to funds or portfolios that promote or make environmentally...more
The European Supervisory Authorities (ESAs) have published a Supervisory Statement to clarify the application of the Sustainable Finance Disclosure Regulation (SFDR) in anticipation of the requirements applying in the...more
The European Supervisory Authorities (ESAs) have published the final draft of the Regulatory Technical Standards (RTS) under the EU Sustainable Finance Disclosure Regulation (SFDR), which set out the detailed disclosure...more
European financial supervisory authorities have requested the European Commission to clarify key areas of ambiguity regarding the scope and application of the Sustainable Finance Disclosure Regulation (SFDR), including its...more
1/18/2021
/ Alternative Investment Fund Managers Directive (AIFMD) ,
Business Plans ,
Business Strategies ,
Corporate Governance ,
Corporate Social Responsibility ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
European Supervisory Authorities (ESAs) ,
Popular ,
SFDR ,
Sustainability