Government releases its Response to FSI Final Report. The Australian Government has released its Response to last December’s Final Report of the Financial System Inquiry or ‘Murray Inquiry’. The Government appears to have accepted almost all of the Inquiry’s recommendations and has also proposed additional measures that are consistent with the Murray Inquiry’s underlying philosophy. … Continue Reading
We are on the cusp of a new era in the evolution of the financial services industry. New technology, data analytics and behavioural economics are promising to revolutionise the customer experience. If the regulators remove the regulatory barriers, then using multi-media to deliver mandated and voluntary disclosure in different formats and through different devices will … Continue Reading
Technology led innovation can cause much indigestion for conduct and prudential regulators as they try to find the right regulatory pigeion hole for innovators in their regimes that were not built to handle such innovation. It is this disruptive impact of innovation that is shaping the regulation of tomorrow. Numerous conduct regulators around the world have acknowledged that a mandatory … Continue Reading
Financial Institution Symposium Technology-led innovation has the potential to truly disrupt existing business models and distribution channels in the financial services industry. In Australia and more broadly, we have seen start-ups build innovative payment systems, peer-to-peer lending platforms, crypto-currencies, robo-advice and automated investment management. However, the large institutions are well capitalised, have large customer bases … Continue Reading
The FSI referred to studies undertaken after natural disasters revealing inadvertent underinsurance due to consumers struggling to make an informed decision about the sum insured. Survey results highlight that even when consumers take the time to read insurance documentation, including the product disclosure statement, many misunderstand it, scan it briefly due to over-reliance on sales … Continue Reading
The FSI has recommended that the competency of financial advice providers be raised and an enhanced register of advisers introduced. The Government is currently considering mechanisms to raise minimum education requirements for financial advisers and the FSI recommends that this be prioritised. The FSI found that the minimum standards are currently too low which affects … Continue Reading
The FSI identified the need to better align the interests of financial services providers with those of consumers to ensure better consumer outcomes. The following strategies have been recommended to address some underlying issues: Raising standards of conduct and levels of professionalism: This aims to address concerns regarding organisational cultures that do not focus on … Continue Reading
The FSI has recommended that ASIC be granted a product intervention power to enable it to take a more proactive approach to reducing the risk of significant detriment to consumers. Specifically, this new power would allow the regulator to intervene to require or impose: amendments to marketing and disclosure material; warnings to consumers, and labelling … Continue Reading
The FSI shares concerns raised by ASIC that consumers are buying products that do not match their needs. The existing regulatory framework relies heavily on disclosure, financial advice and financial literacy. However, disclosure can be ineffective for a number of reasons, such as complexity of documents and misaligned interests. The FSI also considers that current … Continue Reading
The release of the final report of the Financial Systems Inquiry (FSI) brings us a step closer to a significant shift in conduct regulation in Australia. As we have previously reported, Australia seems set to join a UK and European trend away from regulation driven by disclosure towards an approach where product providers bear the responsibility … Continue Reading
As with the Murray Inquiry’s Interim Report, the Final Report highlights cyber security and technology related fraud risks as an emerging trend for the financial services industry that presents many challenges. At the forefront of the risks that arise is the rapid pace of technological change that is occurring within the financial system and how … Continue Reading
The Murray Inquiry’s Final Report has identified a number of taxes that distort the allocation of funding and risk in the economy. It also indicated that the major review of Australia’s taxation system currently being undertaken – the Tax White Paper due for release in 2015 – should consider reform in these areas. However, consistent … Continue Reading
The Murray Inquiry’s Final Report strongly endorsed facilitating innovation in the financial services industry and technology neutral approach to regulation of financial services providers. The Report recommends the establishment of a permanent public–private sector collaborative committee, the ‘Innovation Collaboration’, to facilitate financial system innovation. This is similar to the ‘Innovation Hub’ initiative by the UK’s … Continue Reading
The Murray Inquiry’s Final Report was a mixed bag for the super industry, with some recommendations going some way toward addressing the needs of industry and consumers but with many of the hard decisions left for another day and another review. Improving efficiency The Inquiry clearly has reservations about the effectiveness of the Stronger Super … Continue Reading
The Murray Inquiry’s Final Report brings good news for the funds management sector and its desire to compete internationally. This is described as a priority area of reform and Government action as it is a key component of getting the blueprint right for the Australian financial system into the future. The Inquiry’s rationale for supporting … Continue Reading
The Murray Inquiry asserts that Australia’s financial system has performed well since the Wallis Inquiry and has many strong characteristics. But it also has a number of weaknesses: taxation and regulatory settings distort the flow of funding to the real economy; it remains susceptible to financial shocks; superannuation is not delivering retirement incomes efficiently; unfair consumer … Continue Reading
On Sunday 7 December 2014 the Federal Treasurer, Mr Joe Hockey, released the Final Report of the Financial System Inquiry (or ‘Murray Inquiry’ after its Chair, David Murray) having received it at the end of November in accordance with the Terms of Reference. The Inquiry was established by the Treasurer in December 2013 to review … Continue Reading
After recently releasing a consultation paper aimed at facilitating innovative financial services disclosure (see our previous blog), ASIC has announced a joint industry project to develop such innovative disclosure. As part of the project, ASIC will work with AMP and Vanguard to develop and user-test a short, online ‘key facts’ sheet and a self-assessment tool … Continue Reading
