Skip to content
Public InterestConsultantsPublic Interest Consultants
All sectors

Public affairs for financial services and insurance

In financial services regulation is not a frame, it is the business model.

Public affairs for banks, insurers, pension funds and industry bodies between the Austrian FMA, Brussels and Basel.

Starting point

In hardly any other industry does so much commercial discretion sit with authorities. Capital requirements, reporting duties and product rules determine which business is viable at all.

The rulebooks emerge on three levels at once: Basel sets standards, Brussels casts them into regulation, Vienna enforces and adds to them. Anyone who only engages at national transposition arrives too late.

Added to that is a public climate in which the sector rarely enjoys the benefit of the doubt. Positions therefore have to be not only technically right but also socially communicable.

What it comes down to

  • Capital and liquidity

    Basel transposition and national add-ons decide how much lending capacity remains.

  • Consumer protection

    Advice duties, the commission debate and product bans change distribution.

  • Sustainable finance

    Taxonomy, disclosure and transition plans tie up resources and create liability questions.

  • Digital finance

    Instant payments, the digital euro and the use of AI require early political positioning.

Live dossiers

  • Banking regulation

    Capital requirements, resolution, reporting.

  • Capital Markets Union

    Market access, securitisation, retail investment strategy.

  • Deposit guarantee schemes

    Contribution logic, crisis mechanisms, European mutualisation.

  • Sustainable finance

    Taxonomy, disclosure duties, transition finance.

How we work in this sector

  • Professional Analysis & Monitoring

    Curated monitoring of initiatives, draft legislation and public debate - assessed against your business goals.

  • Stakeholder & Network

    Simply "knowing" people adds nothing. Robust relationships of trust with decision-makers do.

  • High-Level Strategy & Campaigning

    A business strategy becomes a communications programme that reaches its goals faster.

All services

Frequently asked

Which authorities supervise banks and insurers in Austria?

The Financial Market Authority (FMA) is the integrated supervisor, with the Austrian National Bank involved in banking supervision. Significant banks are supervised directly by the European Central Bank. Rule-making happens largely at European level.

How early should an institution engage on a regulatory file?

At the latest during the European Commission’s consultation phase. Once a proposal is in trilogue only details still move. The most effective moment is often one to two years before a topic is seen internally as urgent.

Do you also work for industry bodies in financial services?

Yes. Alliance and association management is one of our focus areas. In financial services in particular, joint positions from several institutions are often more effective than individual approaches, but they need dependable facilitation.

Other sectors

Facing an issue in this sector?

A first conversation usually settles quickly whether and how we can help.

Arrange a conversation