The ACPR and AMF have issued joint guidance for financialadvisers on incorporating clients’ sustainability preferences when recommendinginvestment products, including equities, funds, and ETFs.JoinIG, CMC, and Robinhood in London’s leading trading industry event!The AMF said the initiative provides practical support forprofessionals in sustainable finance and strives to “meet the expectations ofretail investors.”Retail Sustainability Preferences Addressed in GuidanceUnder MiFID II and the Insurance Distribution Directive,advisers are required to consider sustainability criteria alongside clients’financial profiles, risk tolerance, and investment objectives.Authorities noted that advisory processes often fall shortof regulatory standards, as many clients do not provide detailed sustainabilitypreferences. To address this, advisers may use simplified questionnaires thatalign with rules and present predefined sustainability options clearly. Theycan also propose products that closely match revised client preferences ifinitial choices are unavailable.The guidance aims to update advisory processes whileensuring that sustainability preferences are taken into account. It alsoencourages professionals to pursue training in sustainable finance.France Approves First Blockchain-Based Stock ExchangeFrance’s financial regulator, the AMF, approvedoperating rules for LISE SA, the country’s first stock exchange builtentirely on blockchain. The platform will let small and mid-sized companieslist tokenized shares for direct retail investor trading under the EU PilotRegime. LISE combines trading and settlement on a singleinfrastructure, allowing real-time ownership recording on the blockchain.Retail participants must pass a knowledge test before trading. The platform targets French SMEs with market capitalizationsunder €200 million and imposes a €6 billion total cap. Final authorization fromFrench banking regulators is still pending.AMF Increases Oversight Against FraudAlongside innovations like blockchain trading, the AMFcontinues strict enforcement against fraudulent activity. In 2024, investmentscam victims lost an average of €29,500, with younger investors mostaffected. Enforcement actions included €26.5 million in fines, 12disciplinary measures, and the shutdown of 181 fraudulent websites. The authority opened 56 investigations and handled over13,000 consumer inquiries, noting that social media had become a key channelfor scams and that high-profile schemes targeted retail investors throughmisleading promotions and unauthorized platforms.This article was written by Tareq Sikder at www.financemagnates.com.