The 8th international congress of the influential organization European Federation of Building Societies (EFBS) entitled »Brave New World for Finance?« started on 19 October 2016 in Budapest. After the evening gala reception at the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, the conference was opened by Mr. Dániel Palotai, the Managing director of the Hungarian National Bank, and Mr. Boris Vujčić, Governor of the Croatian National Bank. The highly visible congress hosted six round tables, and the 3rd session »Financial stability, consumer protection, long-term financing – European and national initiatives«, featured a presentation by the VZMD President, Mr. Kristjan Verbič, who attended the conference at the invitation of the organizers. The presentation was prepared in cooperation with European Federation of Investors and Financial Services Users (Better Finance) and Romanian Association of financial services users (AURSF).

A market of 850 million consumers might experience significant changes in buying and selling habits in the coming months. As part of the international business-investor programs Invest to Slovenia (investo.si) and the International Investors` Network (invest-to.net), the Pan-Slovenian Investors' & Shareholders' Association (VZMD) received information on - as it seems - currently the biggest European project of a new, digital economy: »wee 2.0«(VIDEO). The latter also creates - in addition to cost-free mobile payment - interesting investment opportunities, at the individual level, as natural persons, and at the level of legal persons, organizations, chambers of commerce, associations, clubs etc. Opportunities for collaboration, participation and joint ownership in the company (project operator), which definitely bring about great challenges and opportunities, can be explored by submitting the form.

Before last night's football match between Slovenia and England, Ljubljana hosted the SPORTS MEETS BUSINESS conference as well as guests and a business delegation from the United Kingdom.

The PanSlovenian Investors` & Shareholders` Association (VZMD) welcomes the Initiative to deputies to submit a proposal to adopt an authentic interpretation of the Book Entry Securities Act (ZNVP-1) submitted last week by the Slovenian Consumers' Association (ZPS), a European Consumers' Organisation (BEUC) member, to the National Assembly of Republic of Slovenia. In the initiative, they suggest that the deputies submit a proposal to accept an authentic interpretation of the Act where paragraph 4 of Article 48 of ZNVP-1 is interpreted in a such a way that the consumers will actually be protected against prohibitive costs of opening and closing of, as well as operations, on a trading account.

Yesterday, the 6th Ljubljana Forum began at the Ljubljana Castle which this year focuses on the future of smart and green cities. The forum was opened by Mr. Zoran Janković, the Mayor of Ljubljana, Mr. Tomaž Berločnik, Chairman of the Board of Petrol, Mr. Joris Scheers, the President of the European Council of Town Planners, and Mr. Blaž Golob, the President of Ljubljana Forum. The participants were addressed via a videoconference by Mr. Miro Cerar, the Prime Minister of the Republic of Slovenia.

In parallel with the international conference of the European Federation of Investors and Financial Services Users (Better Finance) on Tuesday in Brussels, the VZMD President, Mr. Kristjan Verbič, also met with the Vice-President of the European Commission and Commissioner for Euro and Social Dialogue as well as for Financial Stability, Financial Services and Capital Markets Union, Valdis Dombrovskis. After Briton Jonathan Hill resigned from the office of the Commissioner for Financial Stability, Financial Services and Capital Markets Union, Commissioner Dombrovskis is now in charge of two commissioner areas.

A meeting of the European Federation of Investors and Financial Services Users (Better Finance) began in Brussels yesterday which was attended by the member of its Executive Board and the PanSlovenian Investors' & Shareholders' Association (VZMD) President, Mr. Kristjan Verbič. In addition to numerous bilateral and multilateral meetings held by representatives of investors' and shareholders' associations from all of Europe, the meetings of the Executive Board and the Legal Committee took place yesterday, followed by a gala dinner with a number of prominent guests. The General meeting and an international conference which will be attended by the European Commission Vice-President, and Commissioner for Euro and Social Dialogue, and Financial Stability, Financial Services and Capital Markets Union, Valdis Dombrovskis, Chair of the European Insurance and Occupational Pensions Authority (EIOPA), Gabriel Bernardino, Director General of Federation of European Securities Exchanges (FESE), Rainer Riess, CEO of Euronext, Stéphane Boujnah, will be held today.