Category:Global Regulatory Development

1
Europe: ESMA’s Draft RTS on Open-Ended Loan-Originating AIFs-AIFMD II in Practice
2
Europe: European Commission Delays “Non-Essential” Level 2 Measures Concerning AIFMD II and the UCITS Review
3
Europe: UK Consultations on Reducing the Burden of the FCA Senior Managers Regime
4
United States: AML Reprieve for Investment Advisers
5
Europe: ESMA Issues Technical Advice to the Commission for Its Review of the UCITS Eligible Assets Directive (EAD) 
6
Asia: MAS Consults on Retail Access to Private Market Investment Funds
7
Europe: UK’s FCA Axes Proposed “Name and Shame” and D&I Requirements, and Delays Non-financial Misconduct Rules
8
Europe: UK’s FCA Seeks to Simplify Its Rules
9
Europe: UK Sanctions Regulator Highlights Compliance Failures
10
Australia: APRA Proposes Reforms to Strengthen Governance Standards

Europe: ESMA’s Draft RTS on Open-Ended Loan-Originating AIFs-AIFMD II in Practice

By: Susanna Güven and Mathieu Volckrick

On 21 October 2025, the European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) published its draft Regulatory Technical Standards (RTS) on open-ended loan-originating alternative investment funds (AIFs). This marks a key step in the implementation of Directive (EU) 2024/927 (AIFMD II), which updates the Alternative Investment Fund Managers Directive (AIFMD) and Undertakings for Collective Investment in Transferable Securities (UCITS) frameworks to strengthen rules on delegation, liquidity risk, supervisory reporting, depositary services, and loan origination.

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Europe: European Commission Delays “Non-Essential” Level 2 Measures Concerning AIFMD II and the UCITS Review

By: Gayle Bowen, Shane Geraghty, Mathieu Volckrick, and Dr. Philipp Riedl

In a letter dated 1 October 2025, the European Commission has announced that it will not adopt any non-essential Level 2 acts in respect of AIFMD II or the UCITS review, before 1 October 2027 at the earliest. The list of “non-essential” measures now postponed includes technical standards (i) for loan-originating funds to maintain open-ended features and (ii) on information exchange between national regulators and EU institutions.

It is further reported that the Commission has considered amending, or even repealing, certain acts via an Omnibus package dedicated towards Level 2 measures.

The European Securities and Markets Authority was due to deliver the final draft measures on open-ended loan-originating funds to the Commission this month following their earlier consultation on this topic. It is unclear whether this will now happen.

The Commission letter comes as EU Member States are preparing for AIFMD II implementation.

In Ireland, the Department of Finance issued a Feedback Statement exercising a number of discretionary provisions provided to Member States under the Level 1 Directive. The Central Bank has also commenced a consultation on a complete overhaul of the Irish private funds regime, proposing a copy-out approach to AIFMD and relaxing a number of its requirements, to align with other EU jurisdictions.

On 3 October, Luxembourg published its draft transposition legislation implementing the AIFMD/UCITS review into national law. According to an initial assessment, the Bill implements the provisions of the AIFMD review on a one-to-one basis, without gold plating and exercises several options provided to Member States under the Level 1 Directive.

Germany published its draft legislation implementing AIFMD/UCITS review on 9 July and has also adopted a copy out approach without any gold plating.

Europe: UK Consultations on Reducing the Burden of the FCA Senior Managers Regime

By: Zainab Kuku, Philip Morgan, and Andrew Massey

As part of the UK government’s strategy to boost the competitiveness of the UK financial services sector and support growth, the overall burdens of the Senior Managers & Certification Regime (SMCR) are to be reduced “by 50%”.

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United States: AML Reprieve for Investment Advisers

By: Jennifer L. Klass and Richard F. Kerr

On July 21, 2025, the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) announced that it is delaying the effective date of the investment adviser anti-money laundering rule (IA AML Rule) for two years from 1 January 2026 to 1 January 2028.

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Europe: ESMA Issues Technical Advice to the Commission for Its Review of the UCITS Eligible Assets Directive (EAD) 

By: Gayle Bowen and Hazel Doyle

ESMA finally published its long-awaited technical advice for the review of the EAD, which proposes changes to the existing UCITS framework (the Report).

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Asia: MAS Consults on Retail Access to Private Market Investment Funds

By: Edward Bennett and Anu L. Jose

On 27 March 2025, the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) issued a consultation paper on a proposed regulatory framework to allow retail investors to access private market investments through authorised long-term investment funds (LIFs).

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Europe: UK’s FCA Axes Proposed “Name and Shame” and D&I Requirements, and Delays Non-financial Misconduct Rules

By: Michael E. Ruck, and Laura Scott

The UK’s Financial Conduct Authority had proposed a so-called “name and shame” approach that would have allowed it, subject to certain safeguards, to disclose its investigations into firms publicly at an early stage (see our earlier blog); however, following significant criticism from the financial industry and Parliament—largely highlighting risks that early disclosure could potentially cause irreversible damage to firms, including those later cleared of any wrongdoing—the FCA has abandoned the proposal.

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Europe: UK’s FCA Seeks to Simplify Its Rules

By: Laura Price and Kai Zhang

Acknowledging “longstanding concerns from firms about the length and complexity of [its] rules and guidance”, the UK’s FCA published a call for input in July 2024. It invited firms to comment on whether some FCA rules may be unnecessary following introduction of the outcomes-based Consumer Duty. It has now outlined its proposed approach in a Feedback Statement, explaining that its aims are to achieve more flexibility, more predictability, and improved efficiency. The approach includes:

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Europe: UK Sanctions Regulator Highlights Compliance Failures

By: Michael E. Ruck, Rosie L. Naylor, Petr Bartos, Helen J. Phizackerley, and Laura Scott

On 13 February 2025, the UK’s Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation (OFSI) published an assessment of suspected sanctions breaches involving UK financial services firms since February 2022. It highlights three areas of concern:

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Australia: APRA Proposes Reforms to Strengthen Governance Standards

By: Jim Bulling, Simon Kiburg and Eddie Frost

The Australian Prudential Regulation Authority (APRA) has proposed reforms to strengthen core prudential standards and guidance on governance, currently set out in SPS 510 Governance, SPS 520 Fit and Proper, and SPS 521 Conflicts of Interest.

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