Association for Financial Markets

What Association for Financial Markets does

AFME is a London-headquartered trade association that serves as the collective policy and advocacy voice for over 150 wholesale banks and capital markets participants operating in Europe. Founded in 2009, the organization concentrates on five practice areas: Capital Markets, Prudential Regulation and Supervision, Sustainable Finance, Digital Innovation, and Compliance and Tax. Its member base underwrites approximately 90% of European corporate and sovereign debt and 85% of European listed equity capital issuances, and engagement is structured through 16 expert committees and more than 100 working groups that draw 5,000+ individual participants. AFME also serves as a founding member of the Global Financial Markets Association (GFMA) Alliance alongside SIFMA and ASIFMA, giving it a cross-border coordination platform for global regulatory engagement.

The organization does not develop proprietary technology products. Instead, its core deliverables are policy consultation responses, position papers, data research, industry guidelines, standard forms, and a portfolio of in-person conferences and webinars. Revenue is generated primarily through recurring annual membership dues from member firms, supplemented by event and conference fees (e.g., €549–€1,485 per delegate depending on membership status and event). Operations are run from offices in London (headquarters, Canary Wharf), Brussels (EU policy engagement), and Frankfurt (German market and ECB liaison), with Adam Farkas as Chief Executive Officer and a senior bench of approximately 15+ Managing Directors covering each practice area, asset class, and key jurisdiction. The go-to-market is a direct, sales-led model targeted at enterprise banking members, with no public product offering or external funding.

Name

Association for Financial Markets

Legal name

Association for Financial Markets in Europe

Website

https://afme.eu

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

AFME is a London-based trade association representing over 150 wholesale banks and capital markets participants in Europe, providing policy advocacy, research, and industry convening across capital markets, prudential regulation, sustainable finance, digital innovation, and compliance, funded primarily by membership dues and conference fees.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: AFME generates revenue through annual membership fees from over 150 member firms including global and European banks and other market participants. Membership provides access to advocacy services, industry committees, working groups, publications, and events.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels12 records

Core offering

AFME is a trade association that represents over 150 leading global and European banks and other significant market participants in Europe's wholesale financial markets. It sells annual membership subscriptions and paid event registrations, and in return provides members with policy advocacy, regulatory engagement, position papers, consultation responses, industry data research, working groups, expert committees, and industry conferences across capital markets, prudential regulation, sustainable finance, digital innovation, and compliance & tax.

Product overview

AFME is a trade association representing over 150 leading global and European banks and other significant market players. Rather than offering a commercial product, AFME provides advocacy services, policy research, publications, events, and industry guidance to its members. The organization focuses on regulatory advocacy across five key areas: Capital Markets, Prudential Regulation & Supervision, Sustainable Finance, Digital Innovation, and Compliance & Tax. AFME's core offerings include consultation responses, position papers, reports, data research, industry guidelines, standard forms, events (conferences, webinars), and collaborative working groups and committees. The organization does not offer a commercial software product or platform.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• AFME Membership Annual membership subscription for wholesale banks and other capital markets participants, providing access to AFME's policy advocacy, 16 expert committees, 100+ working groups, research publications, events, and direct engagement with EU and UK regulators. The association represents over 150 member firms.
• European Compliance and Legal Conference 2026 AFME's flagship compliance and legal industry conference for member and non-member delegates, scheduled for 21-22 September 2026. Member rate €1,125 + VAT; non-member rate €1,485 + VAT; multi-delegate discounts of 10% (3+ delegates) and 20% (5+ delegates).
• OPTIC 2026 Conference AFME's OPTIC 2026 conference with member rate £875 ex VAT and non-member rate £1,195 ex VAT, designed for capital markets operations, technology, and infrastructure professionals.
• European Government Bond Conference 2026 AFME conference focused on European government bond markets. Early-bird member rate €559 + VAT; early-bird non-member rate €779 + VAT.
• European AML Conference 2026 AFME conference focused on anti-money laundering (AML) topics for European wholesale banks. Early-bird member rate €549 + VAT; early-bird non-member rate €749 + VAT.
• AFME Industry Research and Publications AFME research and publication portfolio covering consultation responses, position papers, data research reports, industry guidelines, and standard forms and documents (including the AFME Harmonised Reporting Format Table), distributed to members and policymakers.

Quantifiable outcome

• Members underwrite around 90% of European corporate and sovereign debt
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers24 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Global Financial Markets Association (GFMA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAFME is a founding member of the GFMA Alliance, a global coalition of financial industry associations. GFMA provides a platform for international policy coordination and advocacy on cross-border regulatory matters affecting global financial markets.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• SIFMA (Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association): SIFMA is the US securities industry trade association and co-founding member of the GFMA Alliance alongside AFME; both operate the same membership-based advocacy model serving wholesale banks and capital markets participants, with SIFMA focused on US regulatory engagement and AFME on EU/UK.
• ASIFMA (Asia Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association): ASIFMA is the Asia-Pacific securities industry association and the third member of the GFMA Alliance; it provides the same trade association model for wholesale banks across Asia, making it a direct functional peer within AFME's parent alliance structure.
• GFMA (Global Financial Markets Association): GFMA is the global umbrella alliance founded by AFME, SIFMA, and ASIFMA; it coordinates cross-jurisdictional advocacy on capital markets regulation, making it both AFME's parent and its closest peer in mission and operating model.
• UK Finance: UK Finance is the principal UK banking and financial services trade association; it overlaps directly with AFME on UK wholesale banking advocacy, prudential policy, and capital markets issues, particularly relevant given post-Brexit UK/EU regulatory divergence.
• TheCityUK: TheCityUK is the UK-based industry body promoting the UK financial and professional services sector; it competes with AFME on UK-level policy advocacy and competitiveness narrative for financial services, with substantial member overlap.
• Institute of International Finance (IIF): The IIF is the global association of the financial services industry, headquartered in Washington DC; it shares AFME's wholesale banking and capital markets advocacy mandate but operates globally, often shaping Basel and G20-level policy work that AFME also supports.
• ICMA (International Capital Market Association): ICMA is the trade association for capital markets participants focused on primary market standards, repo and securities financing, and sustainable bonds; it directly overlaps AFME's capital markets, sustainable finance, and fixed income workstreams.
• ISDA (International Swaps and Derivatives Association): ISDA is the global derivatives industry trade association; it shares significant membership with AFME and overlaps on market infrastructure, capital, and prudential advocacy for derivatives-heavy wholesale banks.
• FIA (Futures Industry Association): FIA is the leading global derivatives industry association, originally US-based but with significant European operations through FIA Europe; it serves overlapping members on listed derivatives trading and clearing issues that fall within AFME's equities and post-trade remit.

Emerging players

• EFAMA (European Fund and Asset Management Association): EFAMA represents the European investment management industry; while its primary focus is asset managers rather than wholesale banks, it increasingly shares advocacy ground with AFME on capital markets union, sustainable finance, and retail-investor policy files in Brussels.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/afme_eu
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@associationforfinancialmar1426
• LinkedInuk.linkedin.com/company/afme-association-for-financial-markets-in-europe

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles27 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Association for Financial Markets