Investment & Capital Markets

Highlights IA’s ongoing efforts to strengthen capital markets through policy advocacy, improved market structure, and investor access.

Investment & Capital Markets is one of the main policy areas around which the IA’s industry work is organised. Our team’s key tasks are to:

Assist IA members as investors and users of capital markets to the benefit of their clients;
Facilitate and support our members’ ability to invest in a diverse range of asset classes – including Equity, Derivatives, Fixed Income, FX, Infrastructure and Private Markets;
Engage on matters directly affecting the practice of dealing/trading for investment management firms, including market structures and their relationship with other market participants, such as banks, exchanges, settlement agents, clearing houses, other vendors and agents;
Assist our members as investors in specific instruments via IA Special Committees;
Represent industry on ETFs through education and necessary regulatory engagement;
Assist industry with embracing Sustainability as one of the defining features of investing and the wider role investment managers play in a sustainable world;

Our work is varied, often changing, but always reflecting market sentiment, the broader macro-economic environment and most importantly, our members’ investment and capital markets priorities.

Our recent publications

Private Credit: A Policy Explainer From The Investment Association

Private credit has grown rapidly in recent years, driven by demand for higher returns, reduced bank lending due to regulation, and a broader range of investment strategies. In the UK, it plays a key role in financing mid-sized firms, supporting infrastructure and energy transition projects, and fostering regional growth. This explainer outlines what private credit is, how it differs from traditional lending, key strategies, why the market is expanding, and the opportunities and challenges ahead. At the IA, our goal is to demystify private credit and show how it can be both a powerful investment tool and a driver of productive finance for the UK economy.

Read the Private Credit Policy Explainer

Unlocking UK Growth: The Strategic Role of Private Markets

Private markets are poised to play a transformative role in driving UK economic growth. This publication outlines a clear set of reforms and recommendations designed to channel investment into scalable opportunities across the country.

Open your copy of Unlocking UK Growth: The Strategic Role of Private Markets

Investment and Capital Market Quarterly Report Q3 2025

The IA's latest Investment & Capital Markets quarterly report, highlights our work across public and private markets. As the industry adapts to regulatory change, technology and investor needs, we support members through advocacy, guidance and engagement. Private Markets remain central to our strategy, with our first Private Markets Summit, a new “Unlocking UK Growth” paper, and continued efforts to expand retail access and improve data. In public markets, we advance reforms in market structure, electronification, data, and T+1 settlement. Sustainability also stays key, with active input on the UK Green Taxonomy, SFDR, and SDR to shape a responsible investment future.

Read the latest quarterly update here