The new rules provide issuers with flexibility to report on representation of women by reference to either gender identity or sex. By Chris Horton, James Inness, Anna Ngo, Nicola Higgs, David Berman, Rob Moulton, and Johannes Poon On 20 April 2022, the FCA published its final policy decision on the proposals set out in CP … Continue Reading
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. By Paul A. Davies, Michael D. Green, Nicola Higgs, Anne Mainwaring, James Bee, and Dianne Bell On 25 April 2022, HM Treasury (HMT) announced the launch of the UK Transition Plan Taskforce (TPT) … Continue Reading
As the FCA’s remit continues to grow, the regulator pledges flexibility in the face of global financial and geopolitical headwinds. By Rob Moulton, Anne Mainwaring, Jaime O’Connell, and Dianne Bell On 7 April 2022, the FCA released its new Business Plan as part of a package including a three-year strategy document setting out the outcomes … Continue Reading
Proposed changes seek to reflect the integration of sustainability considerations into MiFID II. By Nicola Higgs, Anne Mainwaring, Dianne Bell, and Charlotte Collins ESMA is consulting on updates to its Guidelines on the MiFID II suitability requirements, in light of upcoming changes that will embed sustainability considerations into the MiFID II framework. These changes will … Continue Reading
This annual publication outlines some of the primary focus areas in 2022 for UK-regulated financial services firms. There has been a marked shift away from dealing with immediate post-Brexit priorities to more fundamental consideration of the direction of travel of UK financial services regulation, and this is borne out across many of the topics covered … Continue Reading
The regulator is inviting views on potential criteria for classifying and labelling investment products, and on further entity- and product-level sustainability-related disclosures. By David Berman, Paul A. Davies, Nicola Higgs, Anne Mainwaring, and Charlotte Collins On 3 November 2021, the FCA published a Discussion Paper (DP21/4) on UK Sustainability Disclosure Requirements (SDR) and product labels. … Continue Reading
A wide-ranging report encourages regulators to take a concerted approach to combat climate-related risks to the US financial system. By Jean-Philippe Brisson, Paul A. Davies, Nicola Higgs, Malorie R. Medellin, and Deric Behar On October 21, 2021, the Financial Stability Oversight Council (FSOC) published a lengthy report on Climate-Related Financial Risk (the Report), marking the … Continue Reading
The roadmap introduces sustainability disclosure requirements for UK companies and reveals further developments in relation to a UK Green Taxonomy. By David Berman, Paul A. Davies, Nicola Higgs, Michael D. Green, Anne Mainwaring, and James Bee On 18 October 2021, the UK government released a report titled “Greening Finance: Roadmap to Sustainable Investing” (the Roadmap), which is intended to encourage UK businesses and … Continue Reading
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. By Conrad Andersen, John Balsdon, David Berman, Paul A. Davies, Nicola Higgs, Sam Newhouse, Simon J. Tysoe, Michael D. Green, James Bee, and Anne Mainwaring On 19 … Continue Reading
A new national strategy report aims to combat climate-related risks to the US financial system. By Jean-Philippe Brisson, Paul A. Davies, Nicola Higgs, Malorie R. Medellin, and Deric Behar On October 14, 2021, the Biden Administration issued “A Roadmap to Build a Climate-Resilient Economy” (the Roadmap), a national strategy report with tangible initiatives that build … Continue Reading
A new proposal would amend changes made to ERISA less than a year ago that have proved to be detrimental to ESG investing. By Jean-Philippe Brisson, Paul A. Davies, Nicola Higgs, Malorie R. Medellin, and Deric Behar In a sweeping reversal of Trump-era policies, the US Department of Labor (DOL) has issued a proposed rule, … Continue Reading
A snapshot of the global regulatory landscape in the context of ESG-related disclosures. By Nick Benson, David Berman, Paul A. Davies, Laura N. Ferrell, Simon Hawkins, Nicola Higgs, Farhana Sharmeen, Anne Mainwaring, Dominik Schoeneberger, Shirley Wong, and Charlotte Collins The global asset management community has long been among the leaders in recognising the investment and … Continue Reading
By Rob Moulton, Nicola Higgs, Anne Mainwaring, and Charlotte Collins The latest edition of our Private Bank Briefing provides a roundup of legal and compliance issues impacting private banks and their clients from Q3 2021. In this edition, we include a summary of the latest sustainable finance developments, and pinpoint areas of post-Brexit regulatory divergence in relation … Continue Reading
Proposals reflect growing investor focus on the ESG performance of listed companies. By Chris Horton, James Inness, Rob Moulton, Anna Ngo, and Johannes Poon The UK Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has launched a consultation setting out proposed changes to its Listing Rules (LRs) and Disclosure Guidance and Transparency Rules (DTRs). The proposals seek to: (i) … Continue Reading
By Paul A. Davies, Nicola Higgs, and Anne Mainwaring On 26 July 2021, the Board of the International Organization of Securities Commissions (IOSCO) published a consultation report (the Report) that proposes a set of recommendations to mitigate risks flowing from activities of ESG ratings and data products providers and to address some of the challenges … Continue Reading
FCA has published guiding principles on the design, delivery, and disclosure of ESG and sustainable investment funds. By Nicola Higgs, David Berman, Paul Davies, Anne Mainwaring, and Charlotte Collins On 19 July 2021, the FCA published a letter sent to chairs of authorised fund managers, which sets out the regulator’s expectations regarding disclosures by funds … Continue Reading
Discussion Paper opens debate on potential new rules to improve diversity in financial services. By Rob Moulton, David Berman, Paul Davies, and Charlotte Collins On 7 July 2021, the FCA, the PRA, and the Bank of England published a joint Discussion Paper on diversity and inclusion in the financial sector. The regulators, in particular the … Continue Reading
By Rob Moulton, Nicola Higgs, Anne Mainwaring, and Charlotte Collins The latest edition of our Private Bank Briefing provides a roundup of legal and compliance issues impacting private banks and their clients from Q2 2021. In this edition, we cover sustainable finance developments, the regulators’ expectations regarding operational resilience and outsourcing, and the PRA’s plans … Continue Reading
The FCA is consulting on extending its rules to standard listed issuers. By Paul A. Davies, Chris Horton, James Inness, Anna Ngo, and Charlotte Collins On 22 June 2021, the FCA published a Consultation Paper (CP21/18) on extending the application of the existing climate-related disclosure requirements for commercial companies with a UK premium listing to a wider scope of listed … Continue Reading
The FCA is proposing a disclosure regime for asset managers, life insurers, and pension providers. By Paul Davies, Nicola Higgs, Victoria Sander, David Berman, Anne Mainwaring, and Charlotte Collins On 22 June 2021, the FCA published a Consultation Paper (CP21/17) on introducing climate-related financial disclosure rules and guidance for asset managers, life insurers, and FCA-regulated … Continue Reading
Board members are expected to have adequate knowledge and understanding of climate-related and ESG risks. By Nicola Higgs, Paul A. Davies, and David Berman Legislators and regulators around the world have long recognised that one of the most effective ways to drive change is by focusing the minds of management — specifically by attaching individual … Continue Reading
The EBA consultation paper calls for the implementation of a Green Asset Ratio to measure banks’ sustainability performance. Regulators and sustainability-conscious investors increasingly expect banking institutions in the European Union to focus on environmental, social, and governance (ESG) issues and provide quantitative and qualitative disclosures relating to such issues, including climate change risks and the … Continue Reading
The package focuses on material sustainability reporting and disclosure obligations, as the EU looks to direct capital toward sustainable activities. By Paul A. Davies, Nicola Higgs, David Little, and Michael Green On 21 April 2021, one day prior to Earth Day and a US-led global climate summit, the European Commission adopted a much-anticipated package of … Continue Reading
For market participants pivoting toward ESG and digital assets, weighing the issues at the crossroads of these two megatrends is critical. By Paul A. Davies, Stuart Davis, Simon Hawkins, Nicola Higgs, Yvette D. Valdez, Thomas Vogel, Stephen P. Wink, and Deric Behar The huge rise in popularity of Bitcoin — and the growing interest by … Continue Reading
