On October 9 in Paris, Nicolas Calcoen, Amundi’s Deputy Chief Executive Officer, Head of Strategy, Finance and Control Division, shared Amundi’s vision to support Europe’s strategic independence and sustainability amid financial and regulatory challenges.
At the European Finance Forum, Nicolas Calcoen highlighted the critical need to finance Europe’s future by balancing strategic sovereignty, sustainability goals, and technological progress. Joined by industry leaders and regulators, he emphasized Amundi’s pivotal role as Europe’s largest asset manager, committed to responsible investment across key sectors, including defense.
Amundi has always maintained investments in defense within its responsible funds, respecting international laws banning non-conventional weapons. With over €280 billion in Net Zero assets and €20 billion in impact investments, Amundi actively supports Europe’s strategic autonomy through dedicated funds, including a new ETF focused on European defense.
Sustainability, investor understanding and financial innovation On sustainability
While stressing the importance of channeling more European savings towards financing the real economy through an appropriate regulatory framework, attractive incentives to promote-long term investments and the key role played by European asset managers in this respect, Nicolas Calcoen also addressed the competitive pressures we are facing, particularly from US firms expanding their market share in Europe.
He called for regulatory simplification and policies that enhance Europe’s competitiveness, such as competitiveness mandates for supervisors, updated public procurement rules favoring more European companies, and reduced dependence on non-European data and IT providers.
While recent EU initiatives mark progress, he stressed the need to swiftly translate these into tangible results to keep Europe ahead.
On sustainability, Nicolas Calcoen expressed confidence that environmental, social, and governance (ESG) criteria remain a priority for most institutional investors, despite some pushback in the US and regulatory fatigue in Europe.
He highlighted the importance of making sustainable finance more understandable to everyday investors. Finally, he discussed the rise of stable coins, noting both their potential benefits and risks to Europe’s financial independence, and called for careful monitoring to protect the financial system while embracing innovation.
