The European Securities and Markets Authority
The AFM and DSI Foundation have made agreements to apply the ESMA Guidelines for evaluating knowledge and competency. DSI implements these agreements by offering investment professionals certification and Continuing Professional Education program. In so doing, DSI works to build a financial sector in which consumers, entrepreneurs and financial institutions can do business with confidence. What do the ESMA Guidelines entail, exactly, and to whom do they apply? The article below offers answers to these and other questions.
The European Securities and Markets Authority is an independent institution located in Paris. The role of the ESMA is expressed in three different objectives, starting with protecting investors. The objective is to address investors’ needs and rights without neglecting responsibilities. The second objective is to create well-regulated markets by encouraging a fair, honest, transparent, efficient and healthy market. And finally, ESMA strives to maintain financial stability by minimising the consequences of any shocks and imbalances on the financial system, including by promoting economic growth.
What does the ESMA Activity Plan entail?
To ensure that ESMA can achieve its objectives, it has drawn up a four-part Activity Plan:
At DSI, we mainly deal with the MIFID II Directive. These regulations are intended to create an efficient and transparent European financial market and investor protections.
In the Netherlands, the AFM is the national supervisory body, which means it applies the guidelines in its supervision of the financial market. DSI and the AFM have signed a joint covenant in which they both accept responsibility for ensuring the proper level of knowledge and expertise among relevant professionals. By enforcing the guidelines, DSI makes it easier for the professionals to comply with them.
DSI ensures that professionals who inform or advise clients about investments meet at least the minimum requirements for the ESMA Guidelines. A broad-based committee has been formed of experts and experienced professionals in the financial sector to draw up the certification qualifications. These qualifications are then used to create the examinations that professionals must complete to be eligible for DSI certification.
As a DSI Certified Professional listed in one of the registers below, you have proven that you meet the requirements stipulated in the ESMA Guidelines: