Regulatory Expectations and a Pivot to Growth: A Global View

In this article we focus on a holistic approach to growth across various markets, in particular the European Union (EU) and UK as they work towards the pursuit of growth friendly policies, whilst also looking at the approaches of other jurisdictions, such as Hong Kong, Australia and the U.S.

EU
In the EU, we cover the journey of the European Commission (Commission) and its Capital Markets Union, through to the more recent introduction in March 2025 of the Commission's Savings and Investment Union, which is intended to seek to offer EU citizens broader access to capital markets and better financing options for companies.

UK
In the UK, we look at the expanded remit for growth that the Government has given the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), amongst other regulators. The FCA also has a new secondary international competitiveness and growth objective, so we look at how it is approaching growth versus investor protection considerations.

Expanding on this, we also look at the recent Mansion House Accord, aimed at securing better financial outcomes for Defined Contribution savers.

Hong Kong and Australia
Further afield, in Hong Kong and Australia, while we do not see the emergence of wider growth agendas, both jurisdictions have individual policies in place where growth can take hold in their respective financial frameworks.

U.S.
And finally in the U.S., with a new administration and new Chair of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), we look at how the latter intends to get the SEC back to its roots, which includes promoting innovation.