December 2022
06Dec

Europe needs to step up on ‘global clean tech race,’ EU president says

The European Commission should help member countries and European Union companies compete with the U.S. on green energy initiatives, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said Sunday. "We are now confronted with an intensifying global clean tech race," Ms. Von der Leyen said in a speech at the College of Europe in Bruges, Belgium. The United States' Inflation Reduction Act, with massive subsidies for clean energy, "should make us reflect on how we can improve our state-aid frameworks, and adapt...

December 6, 2022
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November 2022
23Nov

European regulator drafts guidelines for ESG fund names

European Securities and Markets Authority, the European Union's securities regulator, is seeking input as it works on rules for funds calling themselves sustainable or ESG. In a consultation paper published Nov. 18, ESMA offered draft guidelines for such funds, saying the names "should be supported in a material way by evidence of sustainability characteristics or objectives that are reflected fairly and consistently in the fund's investment objectives and policy." The proposal said those names "are a powerful marketing tool." Read also...

November 23, 2022
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17Nov

EU regulators seek input on greenwashing

European financial regulators issued a call Tuesday for stakeholders to help them better understand greenwashing features, drivers and risks, and to identify potential greenwashing practices. The call for evidence came from the European Union's European Supervisory Authorities, consisting of the European Banking Authority and European Securities and Markets Authority in Paris and the European Insurance and Occupational Pensions Authority in Frankfurt. In the statement, the ESAs cited "rapidly evolving regulatory regimes" as well as growing demand for sustainability-related products and "the...

November 17, 2022
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October 2022
25Oct

Pensions regulator plays down LDI risk to EU

Eiopa doubts UK gilt market chaos could occur to same degree in Europe Read also Swiss regulator expects underfunding for pension funds facing volatility The European Union’s top pensions and insurance regulator is cautiously optimistic that the chaos suffered by UK pension funds will not be crossing the Channel any time soon. When government bond prices moved against them in late September, the funds were left scrambling to meet large margin calls on derivatives and leveraged repo positions. “Our insurance and...

October 25, 2022
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20Oct

EU urged to help pension funds on margin calls stress

Derivatives trade body calls for access to central bank-backed facility to avoid fire-sales European pension funds should have access to a central bank-backed facility as a last resort to help them avoid the fire-sale of assets forced on UK pension managers, the derivatives industry’s main trade body has said. Read also Dutch central bank urges pension funds to guard against UK-style crisis The International Swaps and Derivatives Association (Isda) on Wednesday called for a system that would allow pension funds to more...

October 20, 2022
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August 2022
22Aug

Portugal becomes fastest aging country in EU: Study

Portugal currently registers 182 elderly (aged 65 years and above) for every 100 young people (aged up to 14 years), becoming the fastest aging country in the European Union (EU), according to a study published by the Contemporary Portugal Database Pordata. In the past three decades, the elderly population tripled in the country, according to the study, based on data from the Portuguese National Statistics Institute (INE) and published by Publico newspaper on Sunday. In 1990, Portugal registered 66 elderly for...

August 22, 2022
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05Aug

Public Wage and Pension Indexation in the Euro Area: An Overview

By Cristina D. Checherita-Westphal, João Domingues Semeano, Elena Ahonen, Pierrick Stinglhamber, Stefan Van Parys, Johannes Clemens, Katri Urke, Orsolya Soosaar, Maria Vergou, Maria Flevotomou, David Staunton, Jorge Martínez-Pagés, Aris Avgousti, Gintare Zelionkaite, Olivier Delobbe, Florian Henne, Baiba Brusbārde, John Farrugia, Juergen Attard, Fabrizio Renzi, Marco Savegnago, Doris Prammer, Lukas Reiss, Gerard Eijsink, Jip Italianer, Maria Manuel Campos, Andreja Strojan Kastelec, Barbora Palášthyová, Vratislav Pisca & Jarkko Kivistö. If the responses of wages – both private and public – and of...

August 5, 2022
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June 2022
01Jun

European Union Will Lend Ukraine EUR 9 Billion for pensions, among others

The European Union Summit has decided to provide Ukraine with an urgent loan in the amount of EUR 9 billion to pay off urgent budgetary needs. President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen stated this at a press conference on the night of May 31, European Pravda reports. "Ukraine needs urgent financial support. As you know, about EUR 5 billion is required monthly in Ukraine to support basic payments, such as salaries, pensions, etc.," von der Leyen recalled, speaking...

June 1, 2022
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May 2022
23May

ESG factors increasingly put into hedge funds

Interest and investment in hedge funds that incorporate environmental, social and governance factors are on the rise among U.S. investors, although demand still trails that of European investors. While some hedge fund firms have included one or more ESG factors in their investment strategies for years or have created dedicated ESG funds, others still are evaluating the efficacy and return potential of investment in portfolio companies that meet ESG standards, sources said. "There are two ways to do ESG. You can...

May 23, 2022
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April 2022
29Apr

Europe dominates green finance index, but U.S. cities catching up

Western European cities, led by London, continue to dominate when it comes to green finance, but U.S. cities are starting to catch up, according to the Global Green Finance index published Thursday by London consultancy Z/Yen Group. Compared with the first one published in March 2018, the ninth edition of the semiannual index found more correlation between U.S. cities' standing as financial centers and their green credentials, said Mike Wardle, a director and head of indexes for Z/Yen, in an...

April 29, 2022
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