The International Organization of Securities Commissions (IOSCO) is preparing to launch its fourth annual World Investor Week (WIW) from 5 to 11 October 2020, as initially planned before the outbreak of COVID 19. The dedicated campaign website for the 2020 edition of the WIW (www.worldinvestorweek.org) is now available for participants and other interested parties.
IOSCO has decided to proceed with the WIW during these difficult times. More than ever, investors and financial consumers worldwide need to manage their finances and investments efficiently and strengthen their financial resilience in the face of growing economic uncertainty.
To facilitate this global initiative, the 2020 WIW will accommodate the needs of each participating jurisdiction. If they so choose, jurisdictions may launch their campaigns in a fully digital format. Given the logistical issues and other unique challenges posed by the pandemic, the 2020 WIW will allow jurisdictions to choose the week in October or November that works best for promoting financial and investor education and disseminating the event´s key messages.
The WIW is a week-long global campaign promoted by IOSCO to raise awareness of the importance of investor education and protection and highlight the various initiatives of securities regulators in these two critical areas. The campaign also has the support of international organizations such as the G20. IOSCO members on six continents will offer a range of activities, including investor-focused communications and services, contests to increase awareness of investor education initiatives, workshops and conferences and local/national educational campaigns. Many members leverage the event to organize further investor education activities throughout the year.
In addition to the key themes of last year’s edition -- online investing, initial coin offerings and the basics of investing -- the WIW 2020 will also cover Ed-Tech issues, such as digital learning and online education, which were shown to foster important remote learning opportunities during the lockdown in various jurisdictions.
In 2019, securities regulators, stock exchanges, international organizations, investor associations and other IOSCO stakeholders from 89 jurisdictions participated in the week-long campaign. The key messages from this event reached over 108 million people through the press and various online channels and we expect a similar reach this year.
Ashley Alder, Chair of the IOSCO Board and the Chief Executive Officer of the Hong Kong Securities and Futures Commission, said, “I welcome this fourth edition of World Investor Week, which will be held while all countries continue to respond to the Covid-19 pandemic. On behalf of the IOSCO Board, I would like to extend my appreciation to all IOSCO members and their stakeholders who have supported this international initiative to raise awareness of investor education and protection, particularly in such challenging times.”
The dedicated campaign website www.worldinvestorweek.org provides details on the various participating authorities and the international organizations supporting this effort.
