Fem år med MiFID på svenska värdepappersmarknaden och dess inverkan på mindre investerares förtroende

Background: Markets in Financial Instruments Directive, MiFID, was implemented in Swedish law in 2007 and aimed to increase competition of the securities market in order to achieve efficiency and lower transaction costs and to enhance investor protection. Another aim was to increase confidence in the market. After the implementation of MiFID some doubts had been highlighted regarding its intentional effects. This evoked the authors’ interest to examine the directive’s effects and its impact on investors’ trust. Aim: To examine how various participants in the Swedish securities market experienced changes since the implementation of MiFID in 2007, and its impact on the securities market and minor investors' trust. Method: The study applied a qualitative method with a deductive approach to describe, interpret and understand the problem area. To examine what the market participants think about different events following the implementation of MiFID, semi-structured interviews were used. Furthermore, the participants were divided into three categories: investors, regulatory and investment firms, to represent the Swedish securities market. These are represented by the Aktiespararna, Finansinspektionen, Fondhandlarna and Nordea. Result & conclusions: The study indicates that some of the problems in securities market are related to minor investors' unawareness and lack of knowledge as well as critical thinking. Information overload, as introduced by MiFID, tend to generate more confusion among unprofessional investors. Furthermore, the study finds that minor investors do not have monitoring and control possibilities, yet they tend to trust in the investment firms. This trust is based upon a reliance on regulation, regulatory mechanisms, long-term relationships and past experiences, which though at a closer examination shows some flaws. As the result of this the minor investors may have an unsupportive belief that they are protected and are making the best possible investments, which continues to preserve the confidence in the market as well as the trust between investment firms and investors