mr. dr. C.E. (Carien) de Jager

Protecting consumers of investment products in the EU through information disclosure: hit or miss?

(NWO Research Talent Grant) 

Consumer investment products have become essential to the daily life of EU citizens. Yet such products have been systematically mis-sold to consumers across the EU. The 'woekerpolis' scandal in the Netherlands is just one example. To prevent such mis-sellings in the future the current EU and national regulation heavily relies on information disclosure by financial institutions. Such information is supposed to empower consumers to achieve their investment objectives. Is information disclosure regulation, however, fit for its purpose in the light of empirical studies of consumer behaviour? This interdisciplinary research aims to answer this question.