Providing the Regulatory Framework for Fair, Efficient and Dynamic European Securities Markets
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ABOUT CEPS Founded in 1983, the Centre for European Policy Studies is an independent policy research institute dedicated to producing sound policy research leading to constructive solutions to the challenges fac- Competition, ing Europe today. Funding is obtained from membership fees, contributions from official institutions (European Commission, other international and multilateral institutions, and national bodies), foun- dation grants, project research, conferences fees and publication sales. GOALS •To achieve high standards of academic excellence and maintain unqualified independence. Fragmentation •To provide a forum for discussion among all stakeholders in the European policy process. •To build collaborative networks of researchers, policy-makers and business across the whole of Europe. •To disseminate our findings and views through a regular flow of publications and public events. ASSETS AND ACHIEVEMENTS • Complete independence to set its own priorities and freedom from any outside influence. and Transparency • Authoritative research by an international staff with a demonstrated capability to analyse policy ques- tions and anticipate trends well before they become topics of general public discussion. • Formation of seven different research networks, comprising some 140 research institutes from throughout Europe and beyond, to complement and consolidate our research expertise and to great- Providing the Regulatory Framework ly extend our reach in a wide range of areas from agricultural and security policy to climate change, justice and home affairs and economic analysis. • An extensive network of external collaborators, including some 35 senior associates with extensive working experience in EU affairs. for Fair, Efficient and Dynamic PROGRAMME STRUCTURE CEPS is a place where creative and authoritative specialists reflect and comment on the problems and European Securities Markets opportunities facing Europe today. This is evidenced by the depth and originality of its publications and the talent and prescience of its expanding research staff. The CEPS research programme is organised under two major headings: Economic Policy Politics, Institutions and Security Macroeconomic Policy The Future of Europe European Network of Economic Policy Justice and Home Affairs Research Institutes (ENEPRI) The Wider Europe Financial Markets, Company Law & Taxation South East Europe European Credit Research Institute (ECRI) Caucasus & Black Sea Trade Developments & Policy EU-Russian/Ukraine Relations Energy, Environment & Climate Change Mediterranean & Middle East Agricultural Policy CEPS-IISS European Security Forum In addition to these two sets of research programmes, the Centre organises a variety of activities with- in the CEPS Policy Forum. These include CEPS task forces, lunchtime membership meetings, network meetings abroad, board-level briefings for CEPS corporate members, conferences, training seminars, major annual events (e.g. the CEPS International Advisory Council) and internet and media relations. Assessing the ISD Review 1 Place du Congrès 1000 Brussels, Belgium CEPS Task Force Report Tel: 32(0)2.229.39.11 Fax: 32(0)2.219.41.51 E-mail: [email protected] Website: http://www.ceps.be Rapporteur: Mattias Levin COMPETITION, FRAGMENTATION & TRANSPARENCY PROVIDING THE REGULATORY FRAMEWORK FOR FAIR, EFFICIENT AND DYNAMIC EUROPEAN SECURITIES MARKETS ASSESSING THE ISD REVIEW RAPPORTEUR: MATTIAS LEVIN CEPS TASK FORCE REPORT NO. 46 APRIL 2003 The Centre for European Policy Studies (CEPS) is an independent policy research institute in Brussels. Its mission is to produce sound policy research leading to constructive solutions to the challenges facing Europe. As a research institute, CEPS takes no position on matters of policy. The views expressed are entirely those of the author. This report is based on research and discussions in the CEPS Task Force on the issues raised by the ISD Review. The members of the Task Force participated in extensive debates in the course of several meetings and had the possibility to submit comments on an earlier draft of this report. However, the recommendations do not reflect a common position reached among all members of the Task Force, nor do they necessarily represent the views of the institutions to which the members belong. A list of participants and invited guests and speakers appears at the end of this report. The author, Mattias Levin, is a Research Fellow at CEPS and a specialist in the area of banking and financial markets in the European Union. He wishes to thank Karel Lannoo and the members of the Task Force for their input into the discussions. He is also grateful for the opportunity to observe first-hand – in the context of visits to Euronext Paris, Goldman Sachs International (London), and the London Stock Exchange – the practical workings of international equity markets. The research done in the context of this Task Force was sponsored by Capco, the Federation of European Securities Exchanges (FESE), Instinet, the International Securities Market Association (ISMA) and ITG Europe. ISBN 92-9079-430-8 © Copyright 2003, Centre for European Policy Studies. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means – electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise – without the prior permission of the Centre for European Policy Studies. Centre for European Policy Studies Place du Congrès 1, B-1000 Brussels Tel: (32.2) 229.39.11 Fax: (32.2) 219.41.51 E-mail: [email protected] Internet: http://www.ceps.be CONTENTS Preface............................................................................................................................................ i Executive Summary .....................................................................................................................iii Policy Recommendations...........................................................................................................viii Part I. The History of Regulating Investment Services in the EU .......................................... 1 1. The EU investment services regime....................................................................................... 1 1.1 Origins of the EU regime............................................................................................. 1 1.2 The 1993 ISD............................................................................................................... 2 1.3 Plus ça change..............................................................................................................5 Part II. The Evolving Structure of Securities Trading ............................................................ 6 2. Fundamentals of the trading industry..................................................................................... 6 2.1 Traders, services and instruments................................................................................ 6 2.2 Market structures....................................................................................................... 13 2.3 Benefits to society of well-functioning securities markets ........................................ 17 3. Forces shaping the structure of markets............................................................................... 18 3.1 Network externalities................................................................................................. 18 3.2 An increasing pace of innovation .............................................................................. 20 3.3 The network paradox – Forces of fragmentation....................................................... 22 4. The European market structure............................................................................................ 23 4.1 Central markets.......................................................................................................... 23 4.2 Off-exchange order execution ................................................................................... 32 4.3 European equity markets in a global context............................................................. 36 Part III. Regulating Securities Trading .................................................................................. 39 5. Fundamentals of regulating securities trading ..................................................................... 39 5.1 Aims of financial regulation ...................................................................................... 39 5.2 Regulatory instruments.............................................................................................. 40 5.3 Uncertainty and the risk of regulatory failure............................................................ 49 6. Concerns raised by the evolving market structure ............................................................... 50 6.1 Fragmentation............................................................................................................ 51 6.2 Agency problems, conflicts of interest and collusion................................................ 59 6.3 Cream-skimming and distributive equity .................................................................. 62 7. A regulatory framework for managing structural change .................................................... 64 7.1 The regulatory trade-offs ........................................................................................... 65 7.2 Integrating fragmented markets in the US................................................................