The European Parliament and the Council of the EU have made some significant changes to the European Commission’s proposal.
Key Points:
..The agreed text includes important clarifications on the scope of the regime and...more
Benchmark administrators should review the quality of their ESG benchmark disclosures ahead of a review by EU regulators during 2024.
On 13 December 2023, the European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA), the EU’s...more
The FCA’s long-awaited regime seeks to raise standards, increase consumer understanding, and reduce instances of greenwashing.
On 28 November 2023, the FCA published its Policy Statement (PS23/16) containing final rules on...more
The FCA has set out good and poor practices for asset managers to consider in relation to funds with ESG or sustainable characteristics.
On 16 November 2023, the FCA published the findings from its review of how asset...more
11/28/2023
/ Asset Management ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) ,
Financial Services Industry ,
Governance Standards ,
Investment Funds ,
Investment Management ,
Sustainability ,
Sustainable Business Practices ,
UK
The amendments aim to modernize the Names Rule and promote investor protection objectives by ensuring that a fund’s portfolio of holdings aligns with its name.
The US Securities and Exchange Commission (the SEC or the...more
The EU regulators are reviewing the Sustainable Finance Disclosure Regulation introduced in 2021, exploring the need for potential additional adjustments.
On 14 September 2023, the European Commission initiated a...more
9/27/2023
/ Climate Change ,
Consultation ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
EU ,
European Commission ,
Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) ,
Financial Institutions ,
Green Finance ,
Investment Products ,
SFDR ,
Sustainable Finance ,
UK
An evolving landscape of reforms in the ESG ratings sector continues to pose challenges to providers of ratings and scores.
International momentum to regulate ESG ratings continues as the European Commission released a...more
6/16/2023
/ Consultation ,
Corporate Governance ,
Data Collection ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
EU ,
European Commission ,
European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) ,
Global Market ,
HM Treasury ,
India ,
IOSCO ,
Japan ,
Ratings ,
Regulatory Agencies ,
Regulatory Agenda
The Commission has clarified requirements for financial product classifications and the definition of “sustainable investment” under the SFDR. ...more
5/24/2023
/ Alternative Investment Funds ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
EU ,
European Commission ,
European Supervisory Authorities (ESAs) ,
Financial Products ,
Investors ,
Market Participants ,
Marketing ,
Regulation Technical Standards (RTS) ,
SFDR ,
Sustainability ,
Sustainable Business Practices ,
UCITS
The consultation considers what a potential regulatory regime would look like, and its proposed scope.
On 30 March 2023, HM Treasury published a consultation on regulating ESG ratings providers, which ties in with and...more
3/31/2023
/ Consultation ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) ,
Green Finance ,
HM Treasury ,
IOSCO ,
Rating Agencies ,
Rating System ,
Ratings ,
Regulatory Oversight ,
Third Country Entities (TCEs) ,
UK
The regulator is concerned that ESG-related disclosures are not meeting expectations.
The FCA has published a Dear CEO letter sent to benchmark administrators on 20 March 2023, expressing concerns about the quality of...more
The discussion paper aims to encourage industry-wide dialogue on sustainability related-governance, incentives, and competence.
On 10 February 2023, the FCA published DP23/1: Finance for positive sustainable change:...more
PE firms face growing regulatory and litigation risks from greenwashing claims as they navigate a fragmented anti-greenwashing landscape.
Amid concerns of exaggerated or misleading sustainability claims, the UK Financial...more
1/30/2023
/ Disclosure Requirements ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) ,
Greenwashing ,
Investors ,
OECD ,
Portfolio Companies ,
Private Equity ,
Private Equity Firms ,
Reputation Management ,
Risk Alert ,
Sponsors ,
Sustainability ,
Sustainable Business Practices ,
UK
The guiding principles are similar to related proposals from other banking regulators, but will require further clarification through the comment process.
On December 2, 2022, the Board of Governors of the Federal...more
12/12/2022
/ Climate Change ,
Comment Period ,
Corporate Governance ,
Federal Reserve ,
Financial Institutions ,
Foreign Banks ,
Governance Standards ,
Large Financial Institutions (LFIs) ,
Proposed Regulation ,
Risk Management ,
Risk-Based Approaches ,
Strategic Planning ,
Supervision
The European Securities and Markets Authority proposes to restrict ESG- and sustainability-related terms in the naming of funds, with an eye on the US and UK fund naming regimes.
On 18 November 2022, the European...more
The FCA hopes the proposals will protect consumer trust in ESG-related financial products and help consumers navigate the increasingly complex ESG-related financial market.
On 25 October 2022, the UK’s Financial Conduct...more
Sponsors and dealmakers can satisfy investor demand for greater diversity and leverage opportunities for fund innovation.
Diversity has become a key focus for every industry in recent years, and private equity, like many...more
The FCA emphasised the increasing prevalence of providers and the potential harm from lack of regulation in this area.
In June 2022, the UK’s Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) issued a Feedback Statement in response to a...more
The SEC proposals track EU requirements in certain respects, but differences in content and scope could leave advisory firms with increasingly complex compliance challenges.
Key Points:
..The proposal on ESG...more
HM Treasury’s Transition Plan Taskforce aims to influence international standard setting and make the UK the world’s first net zero-aligned financial centre.
On 25 April 2022, HM Treasury (HMT) announced the launch of...more
As the FCA’s remit continues to grow, the regulator pledges flexibility in the face of global financial and geopolitical headwinds.
On 7 April 2022, the FCA released its new Business Plan as part of a package including...more
Proposed changes seek to reflect the integration of sustainability considerations into MiFID II.
The European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) is consulting on updates to its Guidelines on the MiFID II suitability...more
Corporate reporting (including SEC developments), climate change, energy transition, supply chain management, and the mitigation of ESG-related litigation risk are expected to be the leading ESG themes of this year.
As...more
1/6/2022
/ China ,
Climate Change ,
Corporate Governance ,
Corporate Social Responsibility ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Diversity and Inclusion Standards (D&I) ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ,
Greenwashing ,
Publicly-Traded Companies ,
Risk Assessment ,
Risk Management ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Supply Chain ,
Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD)
The association noted that regulators could provide market participants with much-needed additional trust in ESG ratings and data.
On 23 November 2021, the International Organization of Securities Commissions (IOSCO)...more
11/30/2021
/ Corporate Governance ,
Corporate Social Responsibility ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) ,
Information Reports ,
IOSCO ,
Jurisdiction ,
Market Participants ,
Publicly-Traded Companies ,
Ratings ,
Securities Regulation ,
UK
The regulator is inviting views on potential criteria for classifying and labelling investment products, and on further entity- and product-level sustainability-related disclosures.
On 3 November 2021, the FCA published...more
11/5/2021
/ Comment Period ,
Corporate Governance ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) ,
Institutional Investors ,
Investors ,
Product Labels ,
Regulatory Oversight ,
Regulatory Standards ,
Sustainability ,
Sustainable Business Practices ,
Sustainable Finance ,
UK
The strategy sets out plans to reduce emissions from key sectors of the UK economy to ensure that the UK remains on track for net zero by 2050.
On 19 October 2021, the UK government published its climate change strategy,...more
10/25/2021
/ Carbon Emissions ,
Climate Change ,
Energy Sector ,
Environmental Policies ,
Fuel Supply ,
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ,
Hydrogen Power ,
Natural Resources ,
Net Zero ,
Paris Agreement ,
Real Estate Development ,
Transportation Industry ,
UK