The month of February saw ASIC and APRA outlining their plans for the year ahead. ASIC announced that it would be expanding its enforcement focus areas in 2023 and published a timeline for regulatory developments. It also released its first Indigenous Financial Services Framework, which was a landmark document for the regulator. APRA released its … Continue Reading
Today’s announcement of a review into managed investment schemes signals a potentially significant overhaul of the laws governing Australia’s main investment vehicle. In arguably the broadest review since that undertaken by the former Corporations and Markets Advisory Committee in 2012, the Assistant Treasurer announced that the Federal Government will undertake a review of “the regulatory … Continue Reading
As 2022 came to a close, the regulators concluded the year with a busy month in December. Notably, ASIC ended the year by reminding stakeholders of the importance of ensuring that claims made in relation to a product were accurate, especially in the context of environmental claims, reflecting ASIC’s increased focus on greenwashing in 2022. … Continue Reading
The first instalment in our new Regulation Tomorrow podcast series, the Australian wrap up, is now available to stream and download. In this month’s episode Jon Ireland, Ray Giblett and Timothy Chan take a deeper dive on some of the key issues identified in April’s monthly wrap up covering the recent APRA life insurance statistics, … Continue Reading
On 28 October 2021, the Financial Accountability Regime Bill 2021 (Bill) was introduced into the House of Representatives to establish the much anticipated Financial Accountability Regime (FAR or the Regime). If passed, the Bill will expand and replace the current Banking Executive Accountability Regime (BEAR) under the Banking Act 1959 (Cth) and extend BEAR-like accountability … Continue Reading
September continued to be a busy month in the funds, super and insurance sectors, as the industry is in the final stages of preparing for the anticipated breach-reporting, anti-hawking reforms and new customer complaints handling requirements which are effective from October. Notably, ASIC has provided further guidance on each of these topics to assist the … Continue Reading
Following its adoption by insurers in April this year, unfair contract terms laws are set for another revamp. The Treasury has just released draft legislation which will make unfair contract terms unlawful. These laws have been foreshadowed for some time (see our previous update). Currently no pecuniary penalties apply once a contract term is declared … Continue Reading
In May 2021, the Federal Budget for the 2021-2022 financial year was handed down which included a number of proposed legislative reforms which will affect the Australian funds management and superannuation industries. Most notably, the Budget Papers included a commitment to the implementation of the Corporate Collective Investment Vehicle regime and also flagged changes to … Continue Reading
March 2021 has seen the release of legislative reforms to advice fee consent and lack of independence disclosure by financial advisers. ASIC has clarified its position on virtual AGMs and released an interim report on competition in the managed funds industry. APRA has urged life insurers and superannuation funds to ensure their insurance offerings and … Continue Reading
The month of November 2019 saw the much-anticipated updates to Regulatory Guide 97 ‘Disclosing fees and costs in PDSs and periodic statements’ released by ASIC, providing further reforms and guidance in relation to fees and costs disclosure requirements. In addition, APRA has released updated information sheets and prudential standards addressing concerns such as governance, culture, … Continue Reading
In October 2019, the much-anticipated bill to end grandfathered conflicted remuneration was passed, with the ban effective from 1 January 2021. There have also been recent developments in the Courts in relation to the definition of personal advice as well as a joint ASIC report on the role and shortcomings of disclosure in financial services. … Continue Reading
In August 2019, ASIC announced plans to review the transition away from grandfathered conflicted remuneration and has proposed to use its new product intervention powers with respect to binary options and contracts for difference (CFDs). APRA and the Treasury have also provided an update on the implementation of recommendations made from the Royal Commission into … Continue Reading
In July 2019, ASIC released the highly anticipated consultation on foreign financial services providers (FFSPs) licensing relief in Australia and announced that it had requested that exchange market operators not admit any managed funds that do not disclose their portfolio holdings daily and which have internal market makers. ASIC implements pause on admission of managed … Continue Reading
Introduction As noted in our earlier update, ASIC has released its updated proposals for the licensing relief available to foreign financial services providers (FFSPs) servicing wholesale clients in Australia, with the release of Consultation Paper 315. In summary, ASIC has proposed to: extend the expiry of the sufficient equivalence relief and limited connection relief until … Continue Reading
ASIC has today published a media release on Consultation Paper 315 proposing to extend the current licensing relief for foreign financial service providers (FFSP) in Australia, while it further consults on the new licensing relief that will apply to FFSPs. Main takeaways: ASIC proposes to extend the ‘limited connection relief’ to 31 March 2020 and … Continue Reading
ASIC has released CP 301, a consultation paper which proposes a modified licensing regime (in place of the current FFSP relief available for FFSPs in certain jurisdictions) for foreign financial services providers carrying on a financial services business in Australia, with submissions due by 31 July 2018. Background In 2003, ASIC issued class order relief … Continue Reading
At Norton Rose Fulbright, we have commented on a number of occasions that we expect the Banking Executive Accountability Regime (BEAR) to be extended beyond just authorised deposit-taking institutions (ADIs) and so as to cover other areas of the financial services sector. Such move, which we have previously informally nicknamed “FEAR” (Financial Executive Accountability Regime), … Continue Reading
As the financial sector waits for the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority (APRA) to fully awaken the Banking Executive Accountability Regime (BEAR) through the provision of further guidelines, there is already a lot of chatter as to whether BEAR should be extended beyond its initial coverage of APRA-regulated Authorised Deposit-taking Institutions (ADIs). The Parliamentary Joint Committee … Continue Reading
The Treasurer, the Hon Scott Morrison MP, has given his Second Reading Speech in the Parliament with respect to the Treasury Laws Amendment (Banking Executive Accountability and Related Measures) Bill 2017 (BEAR Legislation) that introduces the Banking Executive Accountability Regime (BEAR). In his speech, the Treasurer made no surprises except that his Government still intends … Continue Reading
In April 2016, the Australian Bankers’ Association (ABA) initiated the Banking Reform Program – Better Banking (Program).[1] The Program was developed to protect consumer interests, increase transparency and accountability, and to build consumer trust and confidence in banks through a range of initiatives. Edelman Intelligence has conducted two rounds of consumer research studies to track … Continue Reading
The much anticipated Royal Commission was no surprise to the Australian banking industry. What was surprising was the extension of its terms of reference to local and foreign deposit-taking institutions, life and general insurers, superannuation funds, as well as asset managers, financial planning businesses and all other holders of Australian financial services licences. Let there … Continue Reading
It is an exciting time for Australian equity market participants with a new crowd-sourced funding (CSF) regime due to commence on Friday 29 September 2017. CSF, in essence, involves raising funds, usually through an online intermediary, from a large number of people who each make relatively small financial contributions. Australia’s new regime, introduced in Pt … Continue Reading
The Australian economy is in the midst of a major transformation, moving from growth led by investment in resources projects to broader-based drivers of growth in the remainder of the economy. The Australian Government is facilitating this transition from a mining boom to an ideas boom through policy changes that encourage new ideas and propel … Continue Reading
There is an argument that the financial services sector is always changing and that fintech is a case of déjà vu. For those of us with some grey hair we have seen important innovations such as credit cards, automated banking machines and, more recently, online banking. But such innovation did not revolutionise financial services, even … Continue Reading
