Key Takeaways
- The SFDR mandates financial market participants and advisers to publish a Principal Adverse Impact (PAI) statement on their website.
- The statement refers to the negative effects of investment decisions or advice on sustainability factors, ranging from environmental concerns to anti-corruption measures.
- The SFDR Delegated Regulation, effective from 1 January 2023, provides greater clarity on the application and disclosure requirements of PAI obligations.
- A mandatory annual PAI statement must be published by entities with 500 or more employees, while a “comply or explain” approach is applied to smaller entities.
- The SFDR Delegated Regulation provides a PAI statement template featuring identified PAI descriptions, indicators, and historical comparisons, among others.
- Financial undertakings should already be preparing more detailed PAI statements for 2023 to meet the new, more granular reporting requirements.
- Financial market participants must also disclose PAI information at the product level, but the regulation does not stipulate detailed requirements for this.
Unraveling the SFDR and the Concept of PAI
The Sustainable Finance Disclosure Regulation (SFDR) has transformed the way financial market participants and advisers operate, making sustainability a critical aspect of investment decisions. Principal Adverse Impact (PAI) is a key component of SFDR, relating to the negative effects of investment decisions on sustainability factors. This spans a wide array of areas, from environmental and social concerns to employee matters, respect for human rights, anti-corruption, and anti-bribery issues [1].
As one of the most challenging obligations under the SFDR, the PAI information required can be complex to collate and publish. However, the SFDR Delegated Regulation, which came into effect on 1 January 2023, provides more clarity on the application of PAI obligations and the related disclosure requirements.
PAI Disclosure: Entity-Level Requirements
Entity-level disclosure involves publishing an annual PAI statement on the website, a requirement applicable to both financial market participants and advisers. Specifically, the publication of the PAI statement is mandatory for financial market participants with 500 or more employees during the financial year to which the PAI statement relates [2].
However, the “comply or explain” requirement applies to smaller undertakings. In essence, financial undertakings that consider any PAI in their investment decisions or advice should explain in their PAI statement how they do this, while those who do not must explain why not [3].
To assist with these requirements, the SFDR Delegated Regulation provides a PAI statement template that financial undertakings should use in case they comply. This template includes various elements such as identified PAI descriptions, PAI indicators, shareholder engagement policies, and historical comparisons.
| PAI Description | PAI Indicators |
|---|---|
| Applied metrics | Environmental risk |
| Impacts | Social risk |
| Explanations | Governance risks |
| Actions taken/planned | Climate and other environment-related concerns |
| Employee, human rights, anti-corruption, and anti-bribery matters |
PAI Disclosure: Product-Level Requirements
In addition to the annual PAI statement, financial market participants must also be transparent about PAI on a financial product level. This obligation does not apply to financial advisers.
The “comply or explain” principle is again applied here. If no PAI on sustainability factors are considered for a particular financial product, the pre-contractual information must include a statement to this effect, including the reasons for non-consideration. If any PAI on sustainability factors are considered, the pre-contractual disclosure for each individual financial product must include a detailed description of how this is done.
Despite these requirements, the SFDR and the SFDR Delegated Regulation do not stipulate detailed requirements on how to publish PAI information in pre-contractual information. It affords financial market participants considerable discretion to tailor product level PAI disclosures to their products, compared to entity-level disclosure.
Regulatory Expectations and Challenges
Implementing the SFDR’s disclosure requirements poses new hurdles for the market, acknowledged by authorities such as the Dutch Authority for the Financial Markets (AFM) and the European Central Bank. These regulatory bodies have set expectations for managing climate and environmental risks.
The challenge lies in the lack of necessary information to meet the transparency requirements, creating difficulties in compliance with sustainability regulations. Nevertheless, it is vital for entities to comply with the more granular requirements of the SFDR Delegated Regulation for PAI disclosures or properly explain any deviations.
| Regulatory Authority | Expectations and Challenges |
|---|---|
| Dutch Authority for the Financial Markets (AFM) | Acknowledged the challenges posed by the lack of necessary information to meet the transparency requirements |
| European Central Bank | Set out supervisory expectations for banks’ compliance with managing climate and environmental risks |
The Role of UK Startups in SFDR Compliance
UK startups, particularly in the tech industry, can play a significant role in helping financial market participants comply with SFDR requirements, specifically concerning PAI disclosures. By developing innovative solutions to gather, analyse, and report sustainability data, startups can provide the tools needed to navigate the complexities of SFDR and effectively comply with its regulations.
Emerging tech firms that focus on Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) factors are particularly well-positioned to take advantage of this opportunity. By leveraging AI, machine learning, and big data analytics, these companies can provide granular, real-time insights into a company’s ESG performance and enable them to meet their PAI disclosure requirements.
By incorporating SFDR compliance into their service offerings, UK startups can differentiate themselves in a crowded market, while also making a positive impact on the world. Indeed, in today’s business landscape, startups that can balance profit with purpose are the ones most likely to thrive.
In conclusion, the SFDR and its PAI disclosures present a challenge, but also an opportunity. By gaining a deep understanding of these regulations, and by leveraging the right technology, UK startups can help drive the shift towards a more sustainable and equitable financial system.
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