Strategic initiatives to improve regulator's effectiveness

IIROC 2018 Priorities Position Public Interest Regulator for the Future

TORONTO, June 1, 2017 /CNW/ - The Investment Industry Regulatory Organization of Canada (IIROC) today published its 2018 Priorities, outlining 16 key areas of focus where the public interest regulator will take action to better protect investors and promote healthy capital markets in Canada.

Key priorities for 2018 include:

• continuing the pursuit of more effective legal enforcement authority across Canada
• ensuring IIROC requirements accommodate new advice and service models
• conducting research surveys to more effectively engage and actively consult investors as part of IIROC's policy development process
• beginning to implement a new market surveillance system that provides enhanced capabilities and can accommodate future needs
• increasing market transparency by including on the Corporate Bond Information website all corporate debt trades by all IIROC-regulated firms
• continuing to help IIROC-regulated firms improve their cybersecurity preparedness
• finalizing the multi-year initiative to simplify and clarify IIROC's rules in a Plain Language Rule Book

"IIROC will continue to focus on priorities that enable us to provide more efficient and effective regulation that can adapt to changes in the investment industry and investor behaviour," said IIROC President and CEO Andrew J. Kriegler. "We will ensure that regulation is appropriate, proportionate and scalable, and that investors are protected no matter where they choose to engage on the growing spectrum of investment services being offered."

The priorities build on the vision and strategies that IIROC set out last year in its three-year Strategic Plan and complement IIROC's ongoing dealer and market oversight activities.

As well, in 2018 IIROC will enhance its compliance examinations to increase focus on compensation-related conflicts, work with the Canadian Securities Administrators (CSA) to ensure IIROC's regulatory requirements in this area are harmonized with those of the CSA, and provide additional guidance to IIROC-regulated firms on ways to address compensation-related conflicts of interest.

"Increased collaboration and information sharing with our regulatory partners and other market participants are essential to our ability to maintain and enhance investor protection while supporting healthy Canadian capital markets," Mr. Kriegler said.

The publication of IIROC's 2018 priorities maintains the standard of transparency set last year when IIROC published its 2017 priorities in conjunction with the release of its Strategic Plan.

"We want all stakeholders to be aware of our efforts and will provide opportunities for their input on our initiatives to increase IIROC's effectiveness and provide value to all our stakeholders," Mr. Kriegler said.

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IIROC is the national self-regulatory organization which oversees all investment dealers and their trading activity in Canada's debt and equity markets. IIROC sets high quality regulatory and investment industry standards, protects investors and strengthens market integrity while supporting healthy Canadian capital markets. IIROC carries out its regulatory responsibilities through setting and enforcing rules regarding the proficiency, business and financial conduct of dealer firms and their registered employees and through setting and enforcing market integrity rules regarding trading activity on Canadian debt and equity marketplaces.

SOURCE Investment Industry Regulatory Organization of Canada (IIROC) - General News

Karen Archer, Manager, Media Relations, 416 865-3046, [email protected]; Paul Howard, Director, Communications and Public Affairs, 416 646-7279, [email protected]

Related Links

http://www.iiroc.ca