Future of UK Capital Markets Regulation Summit 2023

On 25 September, Herbert Smith Freehills partners James Palmer and Michael Jacobs will be speaking at the Future of UK Capital Markets Regulation Summit 2023, an in-person event in London hosted by City & Financial Global.

As the global financial market start to emerge from a long downturn, the Summit will examine the impact of the measures being proposed to improve the success and competitiveness of the UK investment market, including of London as the listing venue of choice.

James will lead a panel discussion exploring what measures should be taken to encourage an improved UK investment market structure for UK investors and pensioners, including through more investment in UK equities. Michael will lead a panel discussing The City of London’s new Vision for Economic Growth Report and how its recommendations for increased support for the financial and professional services sectors can help to deliver growth in the UK economy.

Further topics for discussion on the day include the role of regulation in encouraging investment in the City, reforming investment research post MiFID to improve the quality and accessibility of research, and the extent to which the proposed reforms will achieve the desired objective of restoring London’s position as a leading financial centre.

James comments, "Our current structures have driven lower relative UK pensioner returns and a massive decline in relative UK equity investment, in particular in public markets. Neither of these are good outcomes. There is an incredible opportunity for the UK both to drive growth and investment and to improve long term pension returns by adjusting the systems to incentivise better outcomes. Shifting incentives in my view is the answer, not mandating investor behaviour or blaming investors, who on the whole are driven by the investment systems to the current approach”.

The day will see James and Michael speak alongside an array of senior City figures, including representatives from the City of London Corporation, Oliver Wyman, KPMG, the Financial Conduct Authority and the London Stock Exchange.

In conjunction with the event, James was interviewed by City & Financial Global CEO Maurice Button to discuss how successful the Mansion House reforms might be in attracting companies to list in London.

Herbert Smith Freehills is also a sponsor of the event.