EU updates on retail product distribution

The European Commission has reported that consumers still face some obstacles when trying to compare investment funds, life insurance or personal pensions. The report finds that recent EU measures, such as MiFID 2 and the PRIIPs Regulation, should help, but that consumers find a great variance in costs for similar product categories cross-border. It also says most consumers seek mainly non-independent advice from providers who tend to suggest 2-3 inhouse products.  It hopes also that new distribution models based on fintech propositions will help, but says these must be monitored.