On 12 December 2024, the EU Regulation on ESG Ratings Providers and their transparency and integrity was published in the Official Journal of the European Union (the “Regulation”).

It means that the Regulation will enter into force on 2 January 2025 (20 days after publication in the Official Journal of the European Union) and will apply from 2 July 2026.

The Regulation introduces a regulatory regime for ESG rating providers operating in the EU (and therefore does have extra-territorial reach).  It is broadly drafted in parts and there could be unexpected capture of asset managers, particularly where ESG ratings and scores are used in ESG-related investment strategies and information on this is published in marketing materials.

For further information, please reach out to ukreg@proskauer.com

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Photo of John Verwey John Verwey

John Verwey is a partner in the Private Funds Group. John advises on a wide number of regulatory issues at a national UK and European level, including firm authorisations, appointed representative arrangements, change in control, market abuse. He represents a variety of clients…

John Verwey is a partner in the Private Funds Group. John advises on a wide number of regulatory issues at a national UK and European level, including firm authorisations, appointed representative arrangements, change in control, market abuse. He represents a variety of clients that range from small start-up fund managers to established global fund advisers and managers.

A particular area of focus for John is Alternative Investment Fund Managers Directive (AIFMD) and Markets in Financial Instruments Directive II (MiFID II).  This includes advising on pre-marketing and marketing strategies for fund managers, advising on the Level One and Lever Two requirements under AIFMD and implementing UK rules and legislation, and advising on the organizational and conduct of business requirements under MiFID II.

Photo of Rachel Lowe Rachel Lowe

Rachel E. Lowe is a special regulatory counsel in the Corporate Department and a member of the Private Investment Funds Group.

Rachel advises on financial services regulation specializing in sustainable finance and ESG regulation. She has particular expertise in drafting and advising on…

Rachel E. Lowe is a special regulatory counsel in the Corporate Department and a member of the Private Investment Funds Group.

Rachel advises on financial services regulation specializing in sustainable finance and ESG regulation. She has particular expertise in drafting and advising on the Sustainable Finance Disclosure Regulation (SFDR) and the Taxonomy Regulation. Rachel has also supported with EU MiFID and AIFMD sustainability updates for clients, including from a governance and organizational perspective, as well as providing drafting and training support. She also advises on the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD), including analysis of its applicability for large international group structures.

From a UK perspective, Rachel supports clients with the TCFD-related requirements in the Financial Conduct Authority’s ESG Sourcebook and is increasingly engaged on the UK’s Sustainability Disclosure Requirements (SDR).

More broadly, Rachel has worked with litigation colleagues to assist clients with understanding and mitigating greenwashing-related legal and regulatory risk.

Photo of Michael Singh Michael Singh

Michael is an associate in the Private Funds Group in the Corporate Department.

Michael advises clients on a variety of regulatory issues both from a UK and European perspective. He also helps clients on fund related transactions. His clients include private equity firms…

Michael is an associate in the Private Funds Group in the Corporate Department.

Michael advises clients on a variety of regulatory issues both from a UK and European perspective. He also helps clients on fund related transactions. His clients include private equity firms, investment managers, FinTech companies and wealth management businesses.

He is dual-qualified as a German lawyer (“Rechtsanwalt”) and Solicitor of England and Wales and previously was in-house counsel at Deutsche Bank.

Photo of Sulaiman Malik Sulaiman Malik

Sulaiman Malik is an associate in the Corporate Department and a member of the Private Funds Group.

Sulaiman advises clients on a range of UK and international financial regulation. He advises private equity funds, hedge funds, sovereign wealth funds and other asset managers…

Sulaiman Malik is an associate in the Corporate Department and a member of the Private Funds Group.

Sulaiman advises clients on a range of UK and international financial regulation. He advises private equity funds, hedge funds, sovereign wealth funds and other asset managers, as well as banks, FinTechs, broker-dealers and governments.

Prior to joining Proskauer, Sulaiman trained at Simmons & Simmons in London, where he was seconded to Brevan Howard. He has also spent time at the UK’s Ministry of Justice and as an adviser to the Mayor of Brisbane, in Australia.

Sulaiman is a passionate advocate for diversity and inclusion. He previously worked at Rare, a market-leading diversity consultancy, and provides pro bono legal advice to a range of community and civil rights organizations.