Centro de Documentacion de Fundación MAPFRE - Mind the gap : why European retail investors don't get what they want. A summary of our market research in 14 EU countries

MAP20250020344

Mind the gap : why European retail investors don't get what they want. A summary of our market research in 14 EU countries / Nicola Koch, Ana Rivera, David Cooke. — Paris : Sustainable Finance Observatory, 2025

1. What retail investors in Europe want -- 2.1. Financial and sustainability-related objectives -- 2.2. Value-oriented investors -- 2.3. Impact-oriented investors -- 3. Do EU retail investors walk their talk? -- 3.1. A widespread attitude behavior gap -- 3.2. Major blockers: literacy, information costs and distrust -- 4. What retail investors in Europe get -- 4.1. Poor level of regulatory compliance -- 4.2. Improved but still deficient knowledge of sustainable finance -- 4.3. Structural failure to serve impact-oriented investors -- 5. Policy recommendations -- Annex 1 Country-specific results -- Annex 2 Metadata. — Sumario: The report analyzes whether EU regulatory reforms (SFDR, MiFID II, IDD) have succeeded in aligning retail investor demand for sustainable investments with product supply and advisory practices. Based on extensive surveys and mystery shopping across 14 Member States, the study finds that while 74% of retail investors express sustainability-related objectivessuch as value alignment or real-world impactonly about 19% hold sustainable products, revealing a persistent attitudebehavior gap. Key barriers include low sustainable finance literacy, high information costs, and distrust in product credibility, compounded by deficient advisory processes and widespread greenwashing risks. Impact-oriented investors, who represent 51% of the market, are particularly underserved, as regulatory definitions fail to capture investor impact, leaving impact-generating products at less than 1.3% market share. The report calls for urgent policy action: revising SFDR product categorization to reflect investor objectives, adapting MiFID II definitions, strengthening advisor competence, enforcing compliance, and launching public education initiatives to close the gap and mobilize household savings toward the EU's climate goals

1. Normativa comunitaria . 2. Reglamento SFDR . 3. Directiva MiFID II . 4. Inversiones privadas . 5. Sostenibilidad . 6. Comportamiento financiero . 7. Educación financiera . 8. Encuestas . 9. Unión Europea . I. Rivera Moreno, Ana . II. Cooke, David . III. Sustainable Finance Observatory . IV. Title.