Deutsche Asset Management today announced it is to absorb the cost of external research for clients under the new MiFID II directive, which will take effect in 2018. Deutsche AM’s clients will therefore not be burdened with additional costs.

The directive prescribes that banks, brokers, and trading firms must invoice buy-side investors separately for the research they provide. The fund managers in turn can choose either to allocate these research costs to their funds and mandates, i.e. their clients, or to absorb the costs themselves.

Nicolas Moreau, head of Deutsche Asset Management and member of the Management Board of Deutsche Bank, wrote in an email to all Deutsche Asset Management staff today: “As we strive to deliver both certainty and transparency to our clients, I am pleased to announce that Deutsche Asset Management will absorb the cost of external research for funds under the new MiFID II directive. We strongly believe that our approach is the best possible solution to the requirements of the new directive and that it will allow us to remain fully committed to delivering market-leading solutions to our clients.”

Moreau further noted that clients could rest assured that Deutsche Asset Management’s proven and successful investment approach – built on the expertise of in-house investment professionals – would remain untouched.

Additionally, Deutsche AM will continue to purchase high quality external research to ensure its fund managers have all necessary means for their investment processes. To this end, Deutsche Asset Management will negotiate with its third-party research providers to optimise costs.

Source: Deutsche Asset Management

The Financial Times has been collating asset managers’ decisions on research payments under MiFID II:

Look everyone, a pretty Mifid research chart (Also dealing with 55 asset managers is a hell of a lot of work) https://t.co/5VVnpMEzPq pic.twitter.com/zekB3xbkmu

— Attracta Mooney (@AttractaMooney) September 4, 2017