Harmonized Regulatory Standards, International Distribution of Investment Funds and the Recent Financial Crisis
European Journal of Finance, 18(3-4), 261-292 (2012).
47 Pages Posted: 27 Oct 2009 Last revised: 24 Nov 2014
Date Written: June 7, 2010
Abstract
In this paper, we consider for the first time the impact of fund regulation on the international distribution of investment funds. We study the 2001 UCITS Directive of the European Union, which was put in place to mitigate fraud and promote investor confidence throughout Europe. We examine the impact of UCITS on international distributions of European investment funds over the 2002-2009 period. We show that the UCITS regulatory structure has significantly facilitated cross-border fund distributions, albeit UCITS has had less success for facilitating distributions among smaller fund promoters. Also, UCITS funds, especially UCITS equity funds, have lost some of their advantage in terms of cross-border distribution during the period of the recent financial crisis. Further, we show there has been a growing interest in UCITS over time outside Europe, notably in Asia.
Keywords: Mutual funds industry, International distribution, UCITS, Law and finance
JEL Classification: G23, G15, G18, K22
Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation