World Investor Week spurs investor protection, education during COVID-19

Members and stakeholders of the International Organisation of Securities Commissions ( IOSCO) concluded the fourth World Investor Week on October 11. While the week may have concluded, the participants efforts to promote investor education and protection will have a lasting effect.

From October 5 to 11, securities regulators, stock exchanges, international organisations, investor associations and other IOSCO stakeholders from more than 100 jurisdictions participated in the campaign in favour of financial literacy and investor education and protection.

Jurisdictions may also have the opportunity to organise events during October or November depending on the local circumstances and other challenges caused by the pandemic. With more participants than ever, World Investor Week 2020 underscored the g rowi n g importance of investor education and protection, particularly amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.

This year’s WIW provided key messages about the risk of investing in volatile markets caused by the pandemic. The campaign also focused on the basics of smart investing, such as the need to assess the impact of fees on returns and understand the risks of investing. The campaign reiterates the previous year’s messages regarding online investments and digital assets.

Ashley Alder, Chair of the IOSCO Board and the Chief Executive Officer of the Hong Kong Securities and Futures Commission, said, “This campaign was a great success thanks to the continuous efforts and commitment of our members to investor education and protection, particularly during these challenging times. Higher participation levels and the growing variety of investorfocused activities this year means World Investor Week has a growing impact. ”

Paul Andrews, IOSCO Secretary General, said, “I am very pleased that more IOSCO members and interested stakeholders participated actively through virtual and online tools to overcome the challenges posed by the Covid-19 pandemic. Given the growing importance of investor protection as financial markets continue to evolve, this campaign should continue to expand.”

José Alexandre Vasco, Chair of IOSCO´S Committee on Retail Investors, said, “I wanted to take a moment to thank all WIW participants and supporters for their tremendous efforts to raise awareness about the importance of investor education and protection. I am looking forward to reporting on the outcomes of the campaign and believe the outcomes will provide valuable inspiration for the work in this very important field.”