ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Undertakings for Collective Investment in Transferable Securities Directive 2009

Okay kiddo, so have you ever heard of something called money? Yes, that's right! People use money to buy things they want or need, like toys or clothes.

Now, some people have a lot of money and they want to invest it somewhere so that it can grow even more. They might put their money in something called an Undertaking for Collective Investment in Transferable Securities, or UCITS for short.

A UCITS is kind of like a big piggy bank that many people can put their money in together. This money is then used to buy things like stocks and bonds, which are pieces of ownership in companies or loans to companies.

The UCITS is managed by professionals who make decisions on what to buy and sell to try to make the most money for everyone who invested.

Now, in 2009, a law was created called the Undertakings for Collective Investment in Transferable Securities Directive, or UCITS Directive for short. This law was created to make sure that UCITS all across Europe had the same rules and regulations to protect people's investments.

The UCITS Directive makes sure that the people managing the UCITS are qualified and follow certain guidelines. It also requires that information about the UCITS is easily available to investors, so they know what they are investing in.

Overall, the UCITS Directive makes sure that people's investments in UCITS are safe and managed properly, so they can hopefully grow even bigger and help people reach their financial goals!