Working groups

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Accounting, Reporting & Audit Working Group

The Working Group for Accounting, Reporting and Audit offers representatives from accounting departments of listed companies a platform for discussing current topics relating to financial reporting and audit.

Current issues:
  • European and German initiatives in the area of financial reporting and auditing of financial statements
  • Practical issues of implementing the European Single Electronic Format (ESEF) in the financial reporting process and auditing ESEF documents
  • Effects of the Financial Market Integrity Strengthening Act on auditing practice
Contact:
  • Dr. Gerrit Fey, Head of Capital Markets Department, Tel. +49 69 92915-41, fey(at)dai.de
  • Jan Bremer, Head of EU Liaison Office, Tel. +32 2 7894101, bremer(at)dai.de
Annual General Meeting of the Future Project Group

The forum, made up of representatives of listed companies, is committed to modernizing the Annual General Meeting and to the virtual AGM as a new option in stock corporation law. In addition, there are regular meetings on the current AGM season.

Current issues:
  • Exchange on the implementation of virtual AGMs as a new option provided by stock corporation law
  • Modernization of the present AGM
  • Exchange on investor expectations and best practices in conducting the AGM
Contact:
  • Sven Erwin Hemeling, Head of Stock Corporation Law, Tel.+49 69 92915-27, hemeling(at)dai.de
Compliance Working Group

The focus of our working group is on legal changes that have an impact on the compliance departments of our members. The working group contributes to political negotiations at national and international level and also works towards the practical implementation of new requirements in companies.

Current issues:
  • New EU Money Laundering Framework
  • Implementation of transparency register requirements
  • Whistleblower Protection Act (implementation of the Whistleblower Directive)
  • German and European legislation on due diligence in the supply chain
Contact:
  • Dr. Claudia Royé, Deputy Head of Legal Department, Head of Capital Markets Law
    Tel. +49 69 92915-40, roye(at)dai.de
  • Klaus-Dieter Sohn, Head of Legal Department, Tel. +49 69 92915-61, sohn(at)dai.de
Corporate Finance/Treasury Working Group

Our working group is the central meeting point for the German finance/treasury community. It deals with the political dimension of financial and financial risk management and maintenance of contacts with policy-makers and watchdogs.

Current issues:
  • Effects of bank and capital market regulation for non-financial companies
  • Derivatives regulation EMIR
  • MiFID II/MiFIR
  • Basel III
  • EU payment services directive
  • Reform and regulation of financial market benchmarks
  • Regulation of money market funds
Contact:
  • Dr. Norbert Kuhn, Deputy Head of Capital Markets Department, Head of Corporate Finance, Tel. +49 69 92915-20, kuhn(at)dai.de
Debt Investor Relations Working Group

Capital market communication and reaching out to investors about corporate loans are the themes of our debt/IR working group. In dialogue with investors, rating agencies, banks and further market participants, treasury and IR managers discuss recent developments regarding issue of and trade in corporate loans. The impact of sustainable finance regulation on corporate finance is an additional aspect on our agenda.

Current issues:
  • Exchange of experience on fundamental issues when issuing corporate bonds and support for investors and rating agencies
  • Practical impact of sustainable finance regulation on finance
Contact:
  • Dr. Gerrit Fey, Head of Capital Markets Department, Tel. +49 69 92915-41, fey(at)dai.de
Electronic Securities Project Group

With the introduction of the Electronic Securities Act (eWpG), Germany has set its feet on new regulatory territory. In our project group, we deal with the consequences of the new law and monitor upcoming amendments from the viewpoint of DAX-companies and the German stock exchanges.

Current issues:
  • Requirements and political recommendation of businesses regarding regulatory developments
  • Primarily legal perspective, but also technological aspects of electronic securities
  • Developments at European and national level
Contact:
  • Dr. Gerrit Fey, Head of Capital Markets Department, Tel. +49 69 92915-41, fey(at)dai.de
Employee Shares Working Group

In this working group we develop policy initiatives for improvement of the framework conditions for employee capital participation in Germany and offer a platform for exchange of experience.

Current Issues:
  • Broadening recourse to employee shares/employee capital participation
  • Tax incentives
  • Problems linked to cross-border employee participation schemes
  • Obstacles to introduction of employee shares
Contact: 
  • Dr. Norbert Kuhn, Deputy Head of Capital Markets Department, Head of Corporate Finance
    Tel. +49 69 92915-20, kuhn(at)dai.de
European Capital Market Law Working Group

This working group brings together legal experts from leading business law firms among Deutsches Aktieninstitut’s membership. Participants discuss twice per year the latest legal priorities in Berlin and Brussels.

Current Issues:
  • Key topics as needed and current developments in capital markets and corporate law
  • News from Brussels
Contact:
  •  Dr. Cordula Heldt, Head of Corporate Governance and Company Law, Tel. +49 69 92915-22, heldt(at)dai.de
Investment Protection Project Group

The repeal of investment protection agreements between EU member states ordered by the European Court of Justice constitutes a watershed for internationally active companies. Our interdisciplinary project group works on policy proposals for alternative protection mechanisms.

Current issues:
  • Proposals for an EU-wide investment protection framework
  • Practical obstacles for EU investors regarding cross-border investment
Contact:
  • Jessica Göres, Head of Sustainability Reporting, Tel. +49 69 92915-39, goeres(at)dai.de
Issuer Law and IR Working Group

The legal affairs and investor relations departments of our listed corporate members are represented in this working group where we discuss recent developments in the areas of capital market law, investor relations and corporate governance.

Current issues:
  • Current German and European developments in capital market law obligations
  • Processes and law of the general meeting
  • Corporate Governance Regulation and Corporate Law Issues
  • Corporate Sustainability and CSRD Review
Contact:
  • Dr. Claudia Royé, Deputy Head of Legal Department, Head of Capital Markets Law
    Tel. +49 69 92915-40, roye(at)dai.de
  • Dr. Gerrit Fey, Head of Capital Markets Department, Tel. +49 69 92915-41, fey(at)dai.de
Munich Listed Companies Forum

We organise this forum of listed companies jointly with the law firm Milbank. Heads of legal affairs and investor relations departments of large issuers from Bavaria take this opportunity to exchange on topical practical developments a well as new elements in company and capital market law.

Current Issues:
  • Current practical developments and innovations in the area of capital market and corporate law
Contact:
  • Dr. Claudia Royé, Deputy Head of Legal Department, Head of Capital Markets Law
    Tel. +49 69 92915-40, roye(at)dai.de
  • Dr. Norbert Kuhn, Deputy Head of Capital Markets Department, Head of Corporate Finance
    Tel. +49 69 92915-30, kuhn(at)dai.de 
Registered Shares Working Group

In this working group, companies with registered shares exchange on regulatory developments, technical challenges and further topical questions surrounding registered shares. Above all, the focus is on how transparency in share registers can be achieved.

Current issues:
  • Regulatory developments
  • Improvement of technical procedures
  • Implementation of shareholder rights directive for registered shares
Contact:
  • Sven Erwin Hemeling, Head of Stock Corporation Law, Tel. +49 69 92915-27, hemeling(at)dai.de
Roundtable „Stock Market Listing“

The forum is especially for listed companies that are not part of the DAX 40. A meeting once or twice a year is planned.

Current issues:
  • Liquidity of shares
  • Analyst coverage
  • Investor targeting and communication
  • Current regulatory developments (e.g. general meetings and sustainability)
Contact:
  • Dr. Norbert Kuhn, Deputy Head of Capital Markets Department, Head of Corporate Finance
    Tel. +49 69 92915-20, kuhn(at)dai.de
Roundtable European Affairs

Representatives of our member companies’ European Affairs Offices come together in this forum to discuss current regulatory initiatives in European company and capital market law. Here, too, good contacts between business and policy-makers in Brussels is at the forefront.

Current issues:
  • Dialogue between companies and EU institutions
  • Current regulatory initiatives in European capital market legislation
  • Current developments in the EU institution
Contact:
  • Jan Bremer, Head of EU Liaison Office, Tel. +32 2 7894101, bremer(at)dai.de
  • Zelda Bank, Policy Advisor EU Liaison Office, Tel. +32 2 7894102, bank(at)dai.de
Securities Prospectus Working Group

This working group actively flanks the relevant European legislative procedures with the objective of simplifying the drafting of securities prospectuses and hence improving the framework conditions for capital market financing.

Current issues:
  • EU consultation "EU Listing Act" to increase the attractiveness of public capital markets for EU companies and facilitate access to capital for SMEs
  • Legal issues relating to bonds
Contact:
  • Sven Erwin Hemeling, Head of Stock Corporation Law, Tel. +49 69 92915-27, hemeling(at)dai.de
  • Zelda Bank, Policy Advisor EU Liaison Office, Tel. +32 2 7894102, bank(at)dai.de
Standards for Sustainability Reporting Project Group

The project group monitors the development of standards for sustainability reporting at European and international level. In addition to participants from the membership, the Accounting Standards Committee of Germany (ASCG) also participates in the project group. The group meets every two weeks.

Current Issues:
  • Supporting the process of the development of standards for sustainability reporting in the European Union
    Monitoring the process of the development of standards for sustainability reporting of the International Sustainability Standards Board/ISSB
Contact:
  • Jessica Göres, Head of Sustainability Reporting, Tel. +49 69 92915-39, goeres(at)dai.de
  • Dr. Uta-Bettina von Altenbockum, Head of Communications, Head of Sustainability Department
    Tel. +49 69 92915-47, altenbockum(at)dai.de
Sustainability Working Group

In this working group, CSR managers devote attention to sustainability topics such as non-financial reporting or sustainable finance from the special perspective of companies oriented on the capital market.

Current issues:
  • Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive
  • Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive
  • EU Taxonomy
  • EU CSR strategy
  • Greenwashing
  • Integrated reporting

Position papers on European and international sustainability standards are developed in the Standards for Sustainability Reporting Project Group (see below).

Contact:
  • Dr. Uta-Bettina von Altenbockum, Head of Communications, Head of Sustainability Department
    Tel. +49 69 92915-47, altenbockum(at)dai.de
  • Jessica Göres, Policy Advisor Sustainability, Tel. +49 69 92915-39, goeres(at)dai.de
Workshop Digital Finance

Whether artificial intelligence, blockchain technology or the digital Euro: digitization obviously affects financial departments. But which technologies really add value? What are the defining trends? And how must the financial department of the future look like? In a series of digital workshops, which are specifically tailored for finance and treasury departments, we discuss current developments and concrete examples of digital finance. A workshop session typically starts with a presentation by a practitioner from a member company or an external expert, after which we open the floor for exchange.

Contact:
  • Dr. Gerrit Fey, Head of Capital Markets Department, Tel. +49 69 92915-41, fey(at)dai.de