On 14 November 2024, Rachel Reeves set out in her first Mansion House Speech that “sustainable finance” was to be one of the UK’s five priorities in the government’s Financial Services Growth and Competitiveness Strategy (the...more
On 24 October 2024, the European Securities and Markets Authority (“ESMA“) released its 2024 European Common Enforcement Priorities (“ECEP“) for corporate reporting, drawing particular attention to sustainability and...more
The recent ESMA Final Report on the Guidelines for funds’ names using ESG or sustainability-related terms (the “Guidelines”) marks a critical moment for asset managers. These Guidelines aim to clarify when the use of ESG or...more
11/14/2024
/ AIFM ,
Alternative Investment Funds ,
Asset Management ,
Climate Change ,
Environmental Impact Statements ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
EU ,
European Economic Area (EEA) ,
European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) ,
Misleading Statements ,
National Private Placement Regimes (NPPR) ,
SFDR ,
Sustainability ,
UCITS
On 30 October 2024, the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive ("CSRD") standards for global groups with a significant European footprint took a notable public step forward. The European Financial Reporting Advisory...more
The European Council of the European Union has on 8 November published the text of the Regulation on the transparency and integrity of environmental, social and governance (ESG) rating activities (the “Regulation”).
The...more
Welcome to the Regulation Round Up, a regular bulletin highlighting the latest developments in UK and EU financial services regulation....more
11/6/2024
/ Appeals ,
Artificial Intelligence ,
Cryptoassets ,
Economic Sanctions ,
ELTIF ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
EU ,
European Commission ,
False Claims Act (FCA) ,
Financial Services Industry ,
FSMA ,
MiFID II ,
MiFIR ,
Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA) ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
SFDR ,
UK
The Taskforce on Inequality and Social-related Financial Disclosures (“TISFD”) launched on 23 September 2024.
Background -
The TISFD is a global initiative with the aim of developing recommendations and guidance for...more
Private equity firms could face significant sanctions risks when doing business with entities connected to sanctioned jurisdictions (such as Russia)...more
10/11/2024
/ Acquisitions ,
Asset Freeze ,
Audits ,
Contingency Plans ,
Contract Terms ,
Due Diligence ,
Economic Sanctions ,
EU ,
Investment Fund Vehicles ,
Investors ,
Licensing Rules ,
Policies and Procedures ,
Portfolio Companies ,
Private Equity Firms ,
Russia ,
Sanctions ,
Travel Ban ,
UK
Background of the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive The Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD) was entered force on 25 July 2024. The purpose of this Directive is to promote sustainable and...more
10/7/2024
/ Compensation ,
Compliance ,
Data Collection ,
Due Diligence ,
Enforcement ,
EU ,
European Commission ,
Human Rights ,
Noncompliance ,
OECD ,
Popular ,
Supply Chain ,
Sustainability
The deadline for EU member states (‘‘Member States’’) to implement the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (“CSRD”) into national laws was 6 July 2024. Under EU infringement procedures, the European Commission...more
Welcome to the Regulation Round Up, a regular bulletin highlighting the latest developments in UK and EU financial services regulation....more
9/11/2024
/ Bank of England ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Enforcement ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
EU ,
European Banking Authority (EBA) ,
European Commission ,
European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) ,
Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) ,
Investigations ,
Investment ,
Labeling ,
Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA) ,
Sustainability ,
Transparency ,
UK
Welcome to the Regulation Round Up, a regular bulletin highlighting the latest developments in UK and EU financial services regulation....more
9/4/2024
/ Disclosure Requirements ,
Enforcement ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
EU ,
European Banking Authority (EBA) ,
European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) ,
Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) ,
Financial Services Industry ,
Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA) ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Transparency ,
UK
ESMA has translated their Guidelines on ESG-related fund names, which has started the clock for applicability. For information on the asset allocation thresholds and the exclusionary criteria, alongside the funds in scope and...more
Welcome to the Regulation Round Up, a regular bulletin highlighting the latest developments in UK and EU financial services regulation....more
8/7/2024
/ Alternative Investment Fund Managers Directive (AIFMD) ,
Artificial Intelligence ,
Capital Requirements Regulation (CRR) ,
Cryptoassets ,
ELTIF ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
EU ,
European Commission ,
European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) ,
Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) ,
International Competition Network ,
Listing Rules ,
MiFID II ,
MiFIR ,
Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA) ,
SFDR ,
Sustainability ,
UK
Background -
On 19 July 2024, the European Commission published final regulatory technical standards (the “RTS”) in respect of Regulation EU/2023/606 relating to the European long-term investment fund (“ELTIF 2.0”). This...more
On 24 July 2024, the European Securities and Markets Authority (“ESMA”) published an opinion (the “Opinion”) outlining its long-term vision for the functioning of the European Union’s sustainable finance framework (the...more
Welcome to the UK Regulation Round Up, a regular bulletin highlighting the latest developments in UK and EU financial services regulation.
Key developments in June 2024:
28 June
PRIIPs Regulation: The Joint Committee...more
7/5/2024
/ AML/CFT ,
Anti-Money Laundering ,
Cryptoassets ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
EU ,
European Banking Authority (EBA) ,
European Supervisory Authorities (ESAs) ,
Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) ,
Financial Institutions ,
Financial Regulatory Reform ,
New Regulations ,
Proposed Regulation ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
UK
On 18 June 2024, the European Supervisory Authorities (the “ESAs”) published a joint opinion (the “Opinion”) on their recommendations for the next iteration of the Sustainable Finance Disclosure Regulation (“SFDR”)....more
Key developments in May 2024: ESG: The Financial Conduct Authority (“FCA”) updated its webpage on the sustainability disclosure requirements (“SDR”) and investments labelling regime. Among other things, the webpage has been...more
6/12/2024
/ AML/CFT ,
Anti-Money Laundering ,
Artificial Intelligence ,
Asset Management ,
Capital Markets ,
Capital Requirements Directive IV (CRDIV) ,
Cryptoassets ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
EMIR ,
Enforcement ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
EU ,
European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) ,
Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) ,
Investment ,
MiFID II ,
MiFIR ,
Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation (OFSI) ,
Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA) ,
Regulatory Standards ,
Retail Investors ,
Securitization ,
Sustainability ,
UK
Background -
On 23 May 2024, Ashley Alder, the Chair of the UK Financial Conduct Authority (“FCA”), delivered a speech which outlined the regulator’s agenda for the asset management sector (the “Speech”). In particular,...more
6/3/2024
/ Alternative Investment Fund Managers Directive (AIFMD) ,
Asset Management ,
EU ,
Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) ,
Financial Stability Board ,
Innovation ,
MiFID II ,
Regulatory Standards ,
Retail Investors ,
Sustainable Finance ,
UCITS ,
UK
On 3 May 2024, the European Commission published a summary of the 2023 consultation on the EU Sustainable Finance Disclosure Regulation (“SFDR”) (the “Summary”)....more
After political to-and-fro for over two years, the EU Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence (“CS3D”) made it over the line on 24 April 2024 with the European Parliament formally approving it.
We set out the headline...more
On 22 April 2024, the European Securities and Markets Authority (“ESMA”) provided its response to the European Commission’s request on amendments to the draft regulatory technical standards (“RTS”) in respect of Regulation...more
Welcome to the UK Regulation Round Up, a regular bulletin highlighting the latest developments in UK and EU financial services regulation....more
4/10/2024
/ Alternative Investment Fund Managers Directive (AIFMD) ,
Anti-Money Laundering ,
Cryptoassets ,
Economic Sanctions ,
ELTIF ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
EU ,
European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) ,
Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) ,
Investment Funds ,
Packaged Retail And Insurance-Based Investment Products (PRIIPS) ,
Regulatory Standards ,
Transparency ,
UCITS ,
UK
ESG continues to be a hot topic for 2024 for investors and regulators alike. The specific concerns investors and regulators have – and what they expect to develop over the coming months – differ, however, across...more
4/1/2024
/ Breach of Duty ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Enforcement ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
EU ,
Fiduciary Duty ,
Financial Statements ,
Form 10-K ,
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ,
Greenwashing ,
Investors ,
Jurisdiction ,
Proposed Rules ,
Regulation S-K ,
Regulation S-X ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Sustainability ,
UK