Recital 1

(1)As a result of differing national securities and insolvency laws, which are not harmonised at Union level, there is a divergence in the level of protection for financial instruments held in custody by third parties for Alternative Investment Funds (‘AIFs’) clients from insolvency risks. In seeking to ensure strong client asset protection as provided for under Directive 2011/61/EU while accommodating more robust national law requirements in relation to those non-harmonised areas, it is necessary to clarify the obligations relating to the safe keeping of assets laid down in Directive 2011/61/EU.