General Advocacy & Consultations

As part of its wider advocacy efforts, ISLA actively engages directly with regulators, policy makers and other industry stakeholders to promote, amongst other things, the importance of securities lending to the efficient functioning of capital markets more broadly. As more investors seek to invest in ESG driven strategies and portfolios, it is important that ISLA ensures that the values of market liquidity, effective price discovery, and efficient and safe settlement that define our traditional markets, are replicated across the ESG investment landscape. Without the provision of these attributes that our markets bring to the capital markets eco-system, ESG investments would be less liquid and by implication more expensive for investors.

To ensure that securities lending is part of this developing narrative, ISLA responds directly to consultations from the key regulators and policy makers in our region, including the European Commission, ESMA, the FCA, and various National Competent Authorities (NCAs). Much of our work is built around and responding to key initiatives including the EU’s Renewed Sustainable Finance Strategy.

In addition, we actively seek direct dialogue with regulators and policy makers across EMEA as part of our advocacy messaging to ensure that ISLA and its members are at the forefront of the ESG debate.