In the wake of Brexit, UK policy makers have been reviewing EU rules on their books with a view toward making the UK a more attractive fund and investment manager domicile. As a result, in the past year we have seen a number of policy initiatives coming from the UK as they review and update their regulatory approach to the financial sector, including the real estate sector. Read more
Although policy makers in Brussels are currently busy with high profile legislative proposals on AIFMD, the use of shell entities for tax purposes and the European Long-Term Investment Fund, ELTIF, they’re also busy with another issue that you might think had been forgotten - Solvency II. Read more
Over most of the past two years, the Public Affairs and Tax Committees and the Brussels-based Public Affairs team have been kept busy with a stream, or sometimes more accurately a torrent, of regulatory and tax consultations. These consultations are a required step in the process of developing new regulations and tax measures and are designed to get public input into policy proposals before they’re adopted in final form. Read more
The European Commission report on AIFMD that was released in August of last year concluded that AIFMD is working well and only fine tuning of certain provisions is needed. Since then, policy makers in Brussels publicly identified five priority areas that they want to focus on in a targeted revision. Read more
As we reported in the last IQ, the COVID-19 crisis has prompted an unprecedented number of regulatory and policy consultations. Faced with the new challenges brought by the pendemic, including the stresses to the financial sector, policy makers have been closely monitoring how current regulations achieve their goals. Read more
We definitely live in interesting times but, as the ancient Chinese saying suggests, we could actually be cursed. Read more
UK real estate investment industry faces impact of regulatory changes Read more
The Alternative Investment Fund Managers Directive (AIFMD) was adopted following the global financial crisis, which exposed certain weaknesses in global financial markets and their regulatory regimes. The directive had a major impact on the non-listed real estate funds industry in Europe by establishing harmonised rules for the management and marketing of nearly all alternate investment funds in Europe. Read more
The first phase of responding to the Covid-19 crisis was understandably focused on crafting health and safety measures, while cushioning the European economy as much as possible from the ensuing financial and economic impacts of the virus. In Brussels, the European Parliament and European Commission offices were closed and workers sent home to work, much like the rest of Europe. Read more
French President Emmanuel Macron famously said, ‘this is war’ in his televised address concerning the corona virus on 16 March. Much of Europe has adopted wartime-like measures including quarantines, travel restrictions and school, store and restaurant closings as millions of workers in Europe work from home when possible. Read more
