17 February 2014

ESMA published a questions and answers document on AIFMD application

The Alternative Investment Fund Managers Directive (AIFMD) puts in place a comprehensive framework for the regulation of alternative investment fund managers within Europe. The extensive requirements with which AIFMs must comply are designed to ensure that these managers can manage AIFs on a cross-border basis and the AIFs that they manage can be sold on a cross-border basis.

ESMA is required to play an active role in building a common supervisory culture by promoting common supervisory approaches and practices. The content of the Q&A document is aimed at competent authorities under AIFMD to ensure that in their supervisory activities their actions are converging along the lines of the responses adopted by ESMA. However, the answers are also intended to help AIFMs by providing clarity as to the content of the AIFMD rules, rather than creating an extra layer of requirements.

ESMA will review these questions and answers on a regular basis to identify if, in a certain area, there is a need to convert some of the material into ESMA guidelines. ´

Full Q&A document

© ESMA