Financial instruments have received much attention by policy makers. However, setting them up in both an effective and legally compliant way is intricate and complicated. To equip practitioners from Member State ministries, managing authorities and audit authorities with the skills required for designing effective and compliant financial instruments, Lexxion’s two-day seminar that took place in Amsterdam on 26 and 27 March covered several topics from the legal framework, the calculation of management costs and fees for financial intermediaries to conformity with State aid rules.