Key Points -
Following a joint Discussion Paper in 2021 issued by the FCA and the PRA, both regulators have now issued Consultation Papers proposing new rules and guidance in relation to diversity and inclusion in the...more
10/27/2023
/ Corporate Governance ,
Corporate Misconduct ,
Criminal Convictions ,
Diversity and Inclusion Standards (D&I) ,
Ethics ,
Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) ,
Policy Statement ,
Proposed Regulation ,
Proposed Rules ,
Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA) ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Rules of conduct ,
UK
The International Sustainability Standards Board (ISSB) published its first sustainability disclosure standards, IFRS S1 and IFRS S2 (Standards), on 26 June 2023 with the aim of improving the disclosure and transparency of...more
On 14 April 2023, the European Commission published its responses1to the questions2raised by the European Supervisory Authorities (ESAs) on a number of areas of uncertainty in the Sustainable Finance Disclosure Regulation...more
The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has announced that in-scope issuers for financial years starting on or after April 1, 2022, will be required to provide disclosures with respect to the diversity of their boards and...more
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
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 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
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
Whether preparing or reviewing Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) disclosures for compliance with regulatory requirements in the EU, the United Kingdom (UK) or the United States (US), or for alignment with ESG best...more
12/30/2020
/ Climate Change ,
Corporate Governance ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
EU ,
Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) ,
Popular ,
Publicly-Traded Companies ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Sustainable Finance ,
UK
1. New EU and UK disclosure requirements -
The new disclosure requirements for investment managers and advisers with respect to their environmental, social and corporate governance (ESG) policies will apply in the European...more
11/25/2020
/ Alternative Investment Fund Managers Directive (AIFMD) ,
Corporate Governance ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
EU ,
Green Finance ,
Investment Management ,
MiFID II ,
Popular ,
SFDR ,
Shareholder Rights ,
Sustainable Finance ,
Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD) ,
UCITS ,
UK
In this episode recorded in late February, Akin Gump financial regulatory partners Helen Marshall and Ezra Zahabi, using Akin Gump’s recently published In Principle annual report as a springboard, discuss what U.K. authorized...more
4/2/2020
/ Alternative Investment Fund Managers Directive (AIFMD) ,
Climate Change ,
Contingency Plans ,
Corporate Governance ,
Cybersecurity ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Enforcement ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
EU ,
Executive Compensation ,
General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) ,
Institutional Investors ,
Investment Management ,
No-Deal Brexit ,
Pension Schemes ,
Public Sector ,
Risk Mitigation ,
Shareholders ,
Sustainability ,
Transparency ,
UK ,
UK Brexit