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The public sessions of the conference focus on four key issues: (1) the sale of unsuitable products to retail investors; (2) the challenges of Fintech and digitalization, (3) the shift from active to passively managed collective investment schemes, and (4) SME access to funding through capital markets.
Ashley Alder, Chair of the IOSCO Board, said: “IOSCO members have taken important steps this week to advance IOSCO´s priority work in focus areas such as market resilience, financial technologies, and information sharing among securities market regulators, while addressing the biggest risks to investor protection, market integrity and financial stability.”
Investor protection and investor education
The Board discussed how best to approach the continuing growth of Initial Coin Offerings (ICOs). It agreed to develop a Support Framework to assist members as they consider how to address the domestic and cross-border issues stemming from coin offerings that could impact investor or consumer protection.
Strengthening the structural resilience of capital markets
In the area of asset management, the Board discussed exchange traded funds and heard from an IOSCO member-led group conducting an exploratory workstream linking any idiosyncratic risks that may arise from ETF structures. It also reviewed the progress of IOSCO’s efforts to complete its work on measuring leverage in investments funds. This work forms part of IOSCO´s commitment to take forward the relevant Financial Stability Board (FSB) recommendations to address potential structural vulnerabilities related to asset management activities.
Board members shared their experiences regarding non-financial reporting, sustainability disclosures and other aspects of sustainable finance in their jurisdictions. They agreed to establish an information sharing network among IOSCO members to gain insight into the issues around sustainability, including the details of issuer disclosure and its relevance to investor decision making.