AIMA Statement on AIFMD

Date: Thursday, October 21, 2010
Author: Press Release

AIMA, as the global hedge fund association, has engaged intensively and constructively with European and international policymakers on the Alternative Investment Fund Managers’ Directive since the original draft was published by the European Commission in spring 2009.

“At the time of the publication of that original draft, we stressed that we supported much of the Directive, particularly those provisions relating to transparency and involving the registration of managers and their reporting of systemic data to supervisors in the interests of financial stability assessment in line with the G20 consensus.

“However we also expressed grave reservations about some of its content. There were many provisions that would have negatively impacted both the alternative asset management industry globally and also European investors.

“Since then there has been considerable progress and a significant amount of ground has been covered. The text of the Directive that has now been agreed by European finance ministers is a considerable improvement not only for our members but in terms of its impact on European investors. We hope that the European Parliament will now take a constructive approach to the Council proposal.

“We do remain very concerned about the potential abolition of private placement regimes at a later date. Private placement works well and it would be a pity if because of the introduction of the passport, private placement had to go. It is regrettable that this Council agreement does not contain the indefinite continuation of private placement that was agreed in May.

“There is still much in the Directive that will be difficult to implement for the industry and there will be a heavy compliance burden that the industry will have to bear. But the impact will be far less severe than if something close to the original proposal had been passed.

“We recognise that this process is not yet complete. We will continue to provide input from the industry in the interests of a constructive and proportionate final outcome.”

Andrew Baker, CEO, AIMA