Supervision

The European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) on Thursday unveiled its ambitious Data Strategy for the next five years, signalling a commitment to bolstering data-related technologies, slashing compliance costs, and enhancing data accessibility within the European Union’s financial markets.

En tant que centre financier mondial connu pour son industrie bancaire et d’investissement robuste, le Luxembourg attend une discussion prochaine au sein du Groupe d’action financière (GAFI) sur ses mesures de lutte contre le blanchiment d’argent (AML). Le GAFI, l’organisme international chargé de la lutte contre le blanchiment de capitaux et le financement du terrorisme, examinera les résultats de sa dernière évaluation mutuelle du Grand-Duché la semaine prochaine à Paris.

Europe’s top financial regulators on Thursday presented a first official definition of greenwashing as part of a common approach for cracking down on greenwashing practices among banks, asset managers and insurance companies, turning up the pressure on an industry that has for a long time been complaining about the lack of clarity of the EU’s sustainable finance regulations.

Europe’s top regulator for securities and financial markets on Wednesday said it believes there is a need for EU-level legislation to make sure investors do not bear costs that are considered excessive, unnecessary, or unreasonable when they put their money in investment funds.

Luxembourg’s banking sector is asking data protection and financial services authorities to provide more clarity on the use of generative AI tools like ChatGPT. Presenting its survey on the use of ChatGPT, bank sector group ABBL on Thursday said 38 per cent of bank employees are currently blocked from using such tools, which is significantly more than the average of 24 percent for the sector as a whole.

Luxembourg financial supervisor CSSF on Thursday announced a more flexible deadline for filing reports on marketing materials in relation to the EU’s Sustainable Finance Disclosure Regulation, or SFDR. 

The 30 countries in the European economic area account for less than one out of every five credit ratings issued by credit rating agencies across the world, according to a new report published on Tuesday by the European Securities and Markets Authority, Esma.

In a dawn raid on Friday, Luxembourg judicial authorities searched for documents of two holding companies in relation to last year’s 1.2 billion euro sale of Italian football club AC Milan to a US-based sports investment fund. The sale is still contested by a third Luxembourg holding company, Blue Skye Financial Partners, which owned a small minority stake in AC Milan.

Dublin-headquartered asset services specialist Waystone on Thursday announced that it has agreed, following years of discussions, to acquire the UK and Irish business of Link Fund Services for an undisclosed amount from its Australian parent. Link’s Luxembourg-based fund services are being put of for sale, as is its operation in Switzerland.

“Link Group is proposing to pursue a separate sale of the Luxembourg and Swiss entities which form part of the FS Business,” a company spokesperson said.

Luxembourg’s financial supervisor CSSF this week presented its priorities in the area of sustainable finance. The regulator said it strives to “accompany the transition of the financial sector and its players in a proactive way”. It has defined separate priorities for banks, for asset managers and for investment firms.