Past Events
MiFID II (came into effect on 3 January 2018) is set to disrupt the production and distribution of investment research, impact execution services and ultimately the costs for investment firms and end-investors. Brokers have to establish a price for investment research separately from execution services. Asset management firms need to develop research budgets for all asset classes, and either pass the costs of research on to clients or absorb the costs themselves. Nonetheless, this will lead to new opportunities for investors to better compare price and quality across products and service levels.
The European Capital Markets Institute (ECMI) is calling for a submission of research papers on European capital markets and their functioning. A committee of academics and international experts will select the best paper and award the winning author €5,000 and give him/her the opportunity to present the findings at the 2017 ECMI Annual Conference in Brussels, an international event that brings together hundreds of policymakers, academics and industry representatives.
With the aim of improving investor protection, MiFID II takes a firmer stance by imposing new/additional requirements in several areas, including dealings with eligible counterparties, suitability and appropriateness, inducements, conflicts of interest and cross-selling practices in the financial sector. The implementation of these requirements poses multiple challenges for both financial service providers and investors.
In the aftermath of the financial crisis, banks have accumulated about a trillion euro of non-performing loans (NPLs) in their balance sheets. The high levels of NPLs in countries such as Italy, Greece and Portugal constrain their banks’ lending abilities, which causes delays in the countries’ economic recovery.