About
The EU would like to see greater private sector participation in the EU capital markets. Private investments will play a growing role in the future for individual wealth accumulation, e.g. as retirement provisions. Interest in investment opportunities on the capital markets, especially among the younger generations, has been increasing significantly for several years. In this context, it is important to be well and comprehensively informed.
On the one hand, there is hardly any knowledge among the general public about what is happening on the capital markets, even though it affects each and every one of us, e.g. in the event of financial crises, regardless of whether you hold shares yourself or not.
On the other hand, private investors are given too little attention in many market law and regulatory processes at the national and international level.
Large banks and the financial industry have good opportunities to exert influence at the political and legislative level. By contrast, household investors, the backbone of private-sector investment, are hardly included in these processes.
We want to change that!
We want to help make the capital markets and the financial instruments traded there understandable, transparent, fair and stable for private investors.
We want to give private investors a voice.
We want to inform all interested parties about how the European and international capital markets function, what decisions are planned at EU level (ESMA, ECB, EU Commission) and country level (national governments and state supervisory authorities) and how this affects the community, private investors and capital investment, and create a platform that is open to all interested parties and enables an active exchange with the aforementioned institutions, supervisory authorities, supervisory bodies and political institutions.
We want to create a counterweight to the lobbying of the financial industry, which influences private and public budgets, companies and thus overall economic development in a variety of ways at the market, legislative, regulatory and political levels.
We are open to anyone interested worldwide.
We are an association of private investors as well as people interested in national and international capital markets, their processes, structures and regulations.
By You - For You.
We uncover injustices and strive to abolish them.
Trading takes place worldwide in financial markets. However, our rights as investors often end at our own borders. Or when we try to obtain information from our own broker or supervisory authorities. Lack of transparency is a major problem. And often, we have no choice but to trust the broker instead of really finding out what's going on. We believe this cannot be. As shareholders, we have rights and we are committed to exercising them.
We explain complex matters in a simple and understandable way for everyone!
Do you know exactly what happens when you buy stocks? What rights you have as a securities owner? What settlement discipline means? Or what is behind the Direct Registration System? What central depositories do? We want to explain all of this to you in a brief and simple way.
Together, we stand against the dominance of the financial industry!
We stand up for fair markets, also for our children and their descendants. We network with other organizations nationally and internationally and actively support campaigns in other countries.
We make our voice heard!
We contact parliaments, authorities, and institutions. We draw the attention of lawmakers to grievances and develop proposals to address them.
Our Board
Dr. Anke Prothmann
(Chairwoman)
Like so many others, I only came into contact with stocks and blockchain/DL technology in recent years. I'm particularly interested in young companies that are particularly innovative and working on good answers to the big questions of our time.
Many of these companies do not come from Europe. This quickly brought me into contact with the typical difficulties that private investors experience in international securities trading. I started petition 0775/2022 with the EU. I am committed to stable, transparent, and sensibly regulated markets. That's why I'm particularly interested in political decisions at the EU level. I have found fellow advocates on this path and am firmly convinced that we private investors can achieve a lot together!
Professionally, I am self-employed and take care of the little ones in our society as a pediatrician in the Munich area. To balance this, I love hiking in the Allgäu region and learning how to sing!
Dominik Ziermann
(Vice Chairman)
I made my first investment in stocks in May 2021. Naive and with many naive ideas, I entered this new world for me.
I experienced that often false interpretations of facts exist in the stock and financial markets. So, I immersed myself in the world of filings and FINRA and SEC rules. I built further knowledge on this and passed it on to other small investors.
So, gradually I became the popular and well-heard "explainer". When I'm not diving through dark pools, I pursue my profession in the security industry or spend time with my family.
Taurean Williams
(Vice Chairman)
After completing my studies in International Business and Management in 2015, I first came into contact with cryptocurrencies and securities. Since then, the world of finance has fascinated me and I have continuously expanded my knowledge and experience. In 2021, a friend introduced me to so-called "memestocks" that were uncovering more and more problems in the finance industry. It became clear to me that it was time to take action and not only invest responsibly, but also stand up and fight for my rights as an investor.
As an enthusiastic triathlete and proud father, I like to spend my free time staying active and training for the Ironman. Through my work in the digital sector and my experiences in the finance industry, I am committed to promoting fairer and more transparent financial markets.
I believe that all investors should have the same opportunities, regardless of their financial situation.
Scientific Advisory Board
Dr. Susanne Trimbath
Susanne Trimbath holds an MBA in Management from Golden Gate University (San Francisco) and a Ph.D. in Economics from New York University. She served as Senior Research Economist in Capital Studies at Milken Institute (a private think-tank in Santa Monica, CA) and Senior Advisor on the USAID-funded Russian Capital Markets Project in Moscow and St. Petersburg.
She previously served as a manager in operations at depository trust and clearing companies in San Francisco and New York after starting her career in financial services operations at the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco. Starting in 1989, Dr. Trimbath taught economics and finance in university graduate and undergraduate programs as an adjunct and full-time professor. From 2004 through 2016, she did research and consulting in finance and economics as STP Advisory Services, LLC. In 2009, she was certified to teach in the distance-learning environment by both Bellevue University (Nebraska) and University of Liverpool (UK, by Laureate International, Amsterdam). Dr. Trimbath helped create the Transportation Performance Index for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce (Washington, D.C.) which she used to demonstrate the real economic payoff of investments in infrastructure.
After teaching full-time at Cochise College (AZ), Dr. Trimbath retired. In 2022, she completed an Associate of Fine Arts degree and continues to enjoy sculpting figures in ceramic clay.