Breaking Barriers: Empowering Retail Investors in EU Capital Markets through the Retail Investment Strategy (RIS) proposal
Our white paper highlights the concerning trend of retail investors facing increasing barriers to trading simple bonds, as evidenced by statistics from 2024. Despite the intentions behind frameworks like PRIIPs and MiFID II to protect retail investors and rebuild trust, there has been a notable decline in the accessibility of corporate bonds for retail investors, impacting portfolio diversification. In the framework of discussions around the Retail Investment Strategy proposal we recommend facilitating retail access to straightforward instruments like corporate bonds, proposing exemptions from certain regulatory requirements to achieve this goal. Doing so will help achieve key goals of the proposal, such as increasing retail investors’ participation in EU capital markets.