Supporting depositary banks in managing challenges under AIFMD & UCITS V

18.03.2016

The fifth Undertakings for Collective Investment in Transferable Securities (UCITS V) directive – transposed into national EU laws on 18 March 2016 – and the Alternative Investment Fund Manager Directive (AIFMD) are reshaping the operational landscape of the European investment funds market. The objective of both directives is to implement a framework for the regulation and supervision of investment funds, to increase transparency and ensure greater investor protection.

Market participants, in particular those appointed as depositary banks, are facing significant operational and legal challenges which may affect their operating model, including their use of market infrastructure providers.

Since 2015, Clearstream has been offering two comprehensive reports to support depositary banks in effectively monitoring the performance of the underlying custody chain and in assessing the risks they could be exposed to in relation to transfer agents (TAs), registrars and processing agents: