Article at a glance:

Getting ready for Europe's new investor protection rules

• When the Markets in Financial Instruments Directive (MiFID) takes effect in November 2007, European financial firms will be forced to alter fundamentally the way they do business. The new investor protection rules call for Anglo-Saxon standards of transparency and disclosure.
• More than half of the affected companies won’t be prepared by the deadline, so first movers stand to benefit, while the rest will find themselves penalized.
• Firms will respond differently to the regulatory pressures, but those that view the new requirements as a strategic opportunity are likely to come out on top.