Efama

Regulatory uncertainty that the industry is contending with as a result of the complex range of interacting legal requirements, Efama, the EU’s main trade body for asset management, said. Luxembourg’s Alfi argued that “the element of intent” needs to be considered when making judgements on greenwashing.

Total assets under management in Europe amounted to 28,400 billion euro by the end of September, reflecting a decline of about 12 percent from year-end 2021 levels as bond and stock markets fell amid rising inflation and interest rates and slowing economic growth following the outbreak of war in Ukraine.

Following in the footsteps of the European Parliament earlier this month, the Council of the EU on Monday finalised the legislative process by adopting the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive, known as CSRD.

Efama, the trade association for Europe’s fund and asset management industry, welcomed the adoption of what it sees as “a crucial piece of the puzzle”, but warned that the industry still faces years of uncertainty because of the “staggered” adoption between the years 2025 and 2029.

TINA - There Is No Alternative - is gone. That’s not a bad thing. And don’t write off the 60/40 portfolio just yet. And the asset management industry has had a clear impact on society and sustainability.

European Fund and Asset Management Association Efama will host its 2022 Investment Management Forum on Thursday and Friday in Brussels. Director-general Tanguy Van de Werve spoke to Investment Officer about prospects for the industry, sustainable finance as the new normal, persistent pressure on costs, and the need for financial education. 

Europe’s fund and asset management industry, seeing rapid growth in investor demand for sustainable products, is asking EU policymakers for a robust and transparent new legal framework that clearly defines how ESG and sustainability ratings for investment products are determined.

Rising inflation, the tightening of monetary policy, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and the resulting risks to economic growth have caused sales of investments funds defined as Undertakings for Collective Investments for Transferable Securities, or Ucits, to turn negative in the second quarter, according to the European Fund and Asset Management Association, known as Efama.

One month after the EU ordered the investment sector to ask clients for their sustainability preferences, investment firms appear to show limited enthusiasm for complying with the new requirements as complexity around the EU’s ESG rules persists and greenwashing fears linger.

European investment funds continued to experience net outflows for a sixth consecutive month as investors withdrew twice as much from Ucits and alternative investment funds during June compared to May, according to the European Fund and Asset Management Association, Efama. 

Net sales of Ucits and AIF funds registered net outflows of 72 billion euro, compared to net outflows of 36 billion euro in May, the association said. Ucits recorded net outflows of 69 billion euro, compared to net outflows of 33 billion euro in May.

Calls for the global alignment of sustainability reporting standards is being complicated by differences of views about which standards to back between those developed by the European Union and a competing private sector standard backed by the well-known IFRS accounting standards organisation.