Europe regulates SWFs

April 01, 2008


Commission and council agree on code

The European Commission (EC) is to press ahead with a voluntary code of conduct for sovereign wealth funds. IFLR had warned against just such an approach.

At the end of February, European Commission president José Manuel Barroso issued a statement during his official visit to Norway. While admitting that sovereign wealth is "not a big bad wolf at the door", he drew upon the transparency of Norwegian funds as a paradigm for other funds in Europe.

"A code of conduct has been inevitable since the furore over sovereign wealth started at the turn of the year," said a funds partner at one US law firm. "But...



Related articles

It's much more efficient in terms of regulatory capital. But it's mad how big they have become

A UK partner reacts to banks' use of derivatives to fund acquisitions

Web seminars

US and EU hybrid capital
February 3 2010
The future of hybrids, in a popular discussion between IFLR, Morrison & Foerster and Calyon

Latest Issue

March 2010

Basel III: The revenge of Basel
New Basel rules are affecting everyone differently. In the UK banks are worried about grandfathering, in Germany the headache is hybrids and in the US it's risk structures. Meanwhile Japan has some tips and Hong Kong structured its first hybrid [more]