IOSCO PRESS RELEASE

The seventh annual celebration of World Investor Week (WIW) started today with a variety of activities around the globe, as securities regulators, IOSCO members and other stakeholders promote investor education and protection.

Given the increasing participation of retail investors in capital markets in recent years, these investor issues have risen to the top of the WIW agenda. As in previous years, the G20, under the India Presidency, is supporting the WIW campaign.

Financial innovation is impacting the financial system, bringing with it new business opportunities for the industry and potential benefits for investors, but also posing challenges and risks that need to be addressed in an effective way.

Financial education has an important role to play in conjunction with investor protection measures taken by regulators and the industry. To that end, different financial education-related events targeting individuals, families and retail investors will be held this week (2 to 8 October 2023) throughout the world.

The WIW campaign is focusing on three main themes: Investor Resilience, Crypto Assets, and Sustainable Finance, complemented by other themes such as Frauds and Scams Prevention, Basics of Investing, Technology and Digital Finance. Participating jurisdictions also have identified other topics relevant to their local campaigns.

Mr. Jean-Paul Servais, Chair of the IOSCO Board, and Chairman, Financial Services and Markets Authority, Belgium said: “The World Investor Week campaign is a key practical initiative through which IOSCO is supporting investor education and protection. The main themes of WIW 2023 are an integral part of the IOSCO priorities regarding investor protection and sustainable and digital finance. The WIW theme on sustainable investment in the field of investor education builds on IOSCO’s achievements regarding sustainable finance, such as the recent endorsement of the ISSB’s global sustainability reporting standards. The WIW also focuses on crypto-assets, where IOSCO will deliver this year a global policy handbook to address key risks to investor protection and market integrity. The WIW’s key messages are a reminder of the importance of good financial education for investors. Because financial education is a complementary tool to regulation and supervision to enhance investors’ awareness, critical sense and rational behaviour.”

Pasquale Munafò (Consob, Italy), Chairman of the IOSCO Committee 8, said: “New jurisdictions and stakeholders, from both developed and emerging markets, are joining the WIW campaign this year. This interest underscores how financial education and investor protection have become top priorities for regulators and market participants around the world. The WIW welcomes the participation of new supporters in this global effort.”

Additional information on the activities and events taking place during the WIW (which in some participating jurisdiction will extent to other weeks in October and November 2023) is available at the WIW website (https://www.worldinvestorweek.org) as well as following the WIW on Facebook (@worldinvestorweek), Twitter (@ioscowiw) and Instagram (@ioscowiw).

NOTES TO THE EDITORS:

1. IOSCO is the leading international policy forum for securities regulators and is recognized as the global standard setter for securities regulation. The organization's membership regulates more than 95% of the world's securities markets in some 130 jurisdictions, and it continues to expand.

2. The IOSCO Board is the governing and standard-setting body of IOSCO and is made up of 35 securities regulators. Mr. Jean-Paul Servais, the Chair of Belgium’s Financial Services and Markets Authority (FSMA) is the Chair of the IOSCO Board. The members of the IOSCO Board are the securities regulatory authorities of Australia, Bahamas, Bangladesh, Belgium, Brazil, China, Egypt, France, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, India, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Korea, Kuwait, Malaysia, Mauritius, Mexico, Morocco, the Netherlands, Oman, Ontario, Peru, Quebec, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Türkiye, the United Kingdom and the United States of America (both the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission and U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission). The Chair of the European Securities and Markets Authority and the Chair of IOSCO´s Affiliate Members Consultative Committee are also observers.

3. The Growth and Emerging Markets (GEM) Committee is the largest committee within IOSCO, representing more than 75% per cent of the IOSCO membership, including 10 of the G20 members. Dr Mohamed Farid Saleh, Executive Chairman of the Financial Regulatory Authority, Egypt is Chair of the GEM Committee. The committee brings members from growth and emerging markets together and communicates members’ views and facilitates their contribution across IOSCO and at other global regulatory discussions. The GEM Committee’s strategic priorities are focused, amongst others, on risks and vulnerabilities assessments, policy and development work affecting emerging markets, and regulatory capacity building.

4. IOSCO aims through its permanent structures:

   • to cooperate in developing, implementing and promoting internationally recognized and consistent standards of regulation, oversight and enforcement to protect investors, maintain fair, efficient and transparent markets, and seek to address systemic risks;
   • to enhance investor protection and promote investor confidence in the integrity of securities markets, through strengthened information exchange and cooperation in enforcement against misconduct and in supervision of markets and market intermediaries; and
   • to exchange information at both global and regional levels on their respective experiences to assist the development of markets, strengthen market infrastructure and implement appropriate regulation.

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