Navigating the UK & EU Sustainability Landscape for Financial Services

Introduction

Sustainability regulation is evolving rapidly across the UK and EU, with new labels, reporting standards, and enforcement powers reshaping expectations for firms.

This new virtual classroom seminar breaks down the latest developments, from the FCA’s supervisory insights and the UK SDR framework to the EU’s transition towards SFDR 2.0, giving you clarity on what’s changing and why it matters.

You’ll gain practical insight into managing cross-border divergence, aligning disclosures, and navigating increasing scrutiny around greenwashing, while identifying opportunities to streamline compliance across regimes.

The session is essential for all staff involved in advising on, selling, or administering investment solutions positioned as sustainable. It is also suitable for anyone supporting firms in relation to these activities.

What You Will Learn

This live and interactive course will cover the following:

• The UK Landscape: From Implementation to Supervision
• Review the FCA’s February 2026 ‘Good and Poor Practice’
• The Four UK Labels: Deep dive into the specific criteria, including the 70% minimum asset threshold
• Expansion of Scope: Update on the December 2024 inclusion of portfolio managers and the 2026 rollout of entity-level disclosures for firms with >£5 billion AuM
• The UK SRS Transition: Impact of the 2026 UK Sustainability Reporting Standards (ISSB-aligned)
• The EU Landscape: Navigating ‘SFDR 2.0’
• Analysis of the EU Commission's shift from a pure disclosure regime (Articles 8/9) to a formal labelling system
• Breakdown of the three new proposed categories: ESG Basics, Transition, and Sustainable
• Removal of the ‘Sustainable Investment’ concept and its impact on the ‘Do No Significant Harm’ (DNSH) principle
• How the simplified SFDR disclosures are being mapped to data available under the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive
• Strategic Cross-Border Management (UK vs. EU)
• Managing Divergence: considerations when reconciling different UK and EU categorisation criteria for the same fund
• Identifying the significant similarities between the UK Sustainability Improvers label and the EU Transition category as a potential area for streamlined compliance
• Overseas Funds: Current status of the UK Treasury’s approach to recognising overseas funds under SDR
• Anti-Greenwashing & Enforcement
• The FCA Anti-Greenwashing Rule: Practical takeaways from two years of enforcement and the standard for ‘fair, clear, and not misleading’ claims
• New CMA Powers: The impact of the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024 allowing for fines of up to 10% of global turnover for misleading environmental claims
• ESG Ratings Oversight: Preparing for the 2026 regulatory regime for ESG ratings providers

Recording of live sessions: Soon after the Learn Live session has taken place you will be able to go back and access the recording - should you wish to revisit the material discussed.