Reports

Mr Robert VAN GEFFEN

Mr Robert VAN GEFFEN

Mr Robert Van Geffen served as Director of Policy at the Association for Financial Markets in Europe (AFME), a prominent pan-European trade association representing wholesale financial markets. AFME’s mission is to advocate for deep, integrated European capital markets that support companies, investors, and economic growth across Europe. Van Geffen’s role involved shaping policy and regulatory frameworks to foster capital market development, particularly in the context of Brexit and the evolving EU-UK relationship. His expertise spans capital markets union initiatives, regulatory reforms, and promoting cross-border financial market integration to enhance Europe’s competitiveness globally. Van Geffen’s work reflects a commitment to bridging the interests of market participants and policymakers in both the EU and the UK, ensuring that financial markets remain robust, liquid, and growth-oriented

Mr Van Geffen’s lobbying efforts at AFME have been intricately aligned with promoting the UK’s position as a leading financial center within the broader European capital markets framework. Although AFME is a pan-European body, a significant part of its advocacy under Van Geffen’s policy direction focused on ensuring that post-Brexit regulatory developments do not undermine London’s pivotal role in wholesale financial markets.

His lobbying aimed to:

  • Preserve London’s access to European markets: Van Geffen emphasized the importance of a smooth Brexit transition that would allow UK-based financial institutions to continue operating effectively across the EU27. This involved advocating for regulatory equivalence and market access arrangements favorable to UK firms.

  • Promote regulatory frameworks conducive to UK financial services: He pushed for EU prudential regulations and capital requirements (such as CRD5/CRR2) that would not disadvantage UK banks and capital market participants, ensuring that the UK’s regulatory environment remained competitive and aligned with international standards.

  • Support Capital Markets Union (CMU) initiatives that complement the UK’s financial ecosystem: Van Geffen’s policy work highlighted the need to integrate capital markets across Europe, including the UK, to foster growth in start-ups, SMEs, and infrastructure financing. This also involved advocating for harmonized rules that reduce fragmentation and barriers, which indirectly supports London’s role as a financial hub.

  • Address market liquidity and secondary market development: His lobbying included efforts to improve liquidity in corporate bonds, securitization markets, and non-performing loans (NPLs), areas where London’s financial institutions have significant expertise and interests.

  • Promote international regulatory cooperation: Van Geffen underscored the benefits of global standards and cooperation, which aligns with the UK’s traditionally outward-looking financial services sector.

Overall, Van Geffen’s lobbying combined visible efforts to influence EU policymaking with a strategic intent to safeguard and enhance the UK’s financial market position amid shifting political landscapes

During his tenure at AFME, Robert Van Geffen engaged in extensive lobbying activities involving meetings with EU policymakers, regulators, and other stakeholders to advance the interests of the UK and European financial markets. Key activities include:

  • Regular engagement with European Commission officials and EU regulators: Van Geffen participated in consultations and advocacy meetings focused on the Capital Markets Union, prudential regulation reviews, and Brexit-related financial services issues. These meetings aimed to provide fact-based input on regulatory proposals, ensuring that UK market interests were considered in EU decision-making.

  • Advocacy on the Simple Transparent and Standardised (STS) Securitisation framework: AFME, with Van Geffen’s involvement, successfully influenced the EU’s securitisation rules, which are crucial for capital market liquidity and risk management. The agreement on STS securitisation reflects AFME’s role in shaping policies that benefit UK and European markets alike.

  • Input on Non-Performing Loans (NPLs) secondary market development: Van Geffen engaged with the European Commission to propose policy ideas for creating a secondary market in NPLs, a move that supports financial stability and market efficiency where UK financial institutions have expertise.

  • Participation in the Commission’s Vienna Initiative: AFME was the only trade association invited to this initiative aimed at promoting capital markets in Central and Eastern Europe. Van Geffen’s involvement helped position the UK as a key player in supporting EU-wide capital market integration.

  • Meetings with policymakers during Brexit negotiations: He provided technical expertise to policymakers on the potential impacts of Brexit on wholesale financial markets, advocating for arrangements that would minimize market disruption and preserve London’s financial services competitiveness.

  • Contribution to regulatory reviews and consultations: Van Geffen was active in responding to EU consultations on the Prospectus Regulation, Recovery and Resolution frameworks, and the Capital Requirements Directive, ensuring that regulatory changes would not disadvantage UK market participants.

These activities collectively demonstrate Van Geffen’s role in shaping EU financial market policies with a clear focus on protecting and promoting UK financial sector interests through sustained dialogue and technical advocacy

No public social media profiles beyond LinkedIn are available. AFME’s offices are located in London, Brussels, and Frankfurt, reflecting its pan-European presence.

This profile synthesizes publicly available information to present a comprehensive view of Mr Robert Van Geffen’s lobbying role for AFME, highlighting his strategic efforts to support the UK’s financial market interests within the evolving European regulatory landscape.

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