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Published in January 2022, the paper builds on the text of the 2018 ESMA guidelines, which are now being reviewed following the adoption by the European Commission of the changes to the MiFID II Delegated Regulation to integrate sustainability factors, risk and preferences into certain organisational requirements and operating conditions for investment firms.
In our response, we stressed that ESMA should give investment firms more flexibility in implementing the new rules. In particular, we consider that the process for collecting client information is too detailed and impractical for both the client and the investment firm, hence we proposed that it should be optional. We also noted that the two-step approach of the suitability assessment is overly restrictive and time-consuming. For these reasons, we urged that the firm be permitted to collect all information from the customer at once.
Moreover, we understand that Level 2 Regulation allows an investment firm to recommend a product that doesn't meet the client's sustainability preferences, if the issue is explicitly stated and explained to the client as well as documented in the suitability report. This practice is contrary to the guidelines which require the client to first adapt his or her sustainability preferences before any further discussion. Additionally, we recommended that collecting extensive client's information should not always be necessary when, for example, an investment firm does not have any financial instruments included in its product range that would meet the client's sustainability preferences.
Lastly, we proposed an alternative treatment of investment advice with a portfolio approach in terms of collecting client information on sustainability preferences. We believe it would be more beneficial for the client if firms were allowed to collect such information in each advice session rather than for the entire portfolio as in the case of providing portfolio management.