On 10 May 2018, the International Organization of Securities Commissions (IOSCO) issued a press release concerning its latest Annual Conference which discussed current issues facing securities market regulators. IOSCO reports that the public sessions of the Annual Conference focused on four key issues:

• the sale of unsuitable products to retail investors;
• the challenge of fintech and digitalization;
• the shift from active to passively managed collective investment schemes; and
• SME access to funding through capital markets.

In relation to examining the role of regulation in financial technology and automation, the IOSCO board agreed to launch a FinTech Network in order to facilitate information and knowledge among IOSCO members.

In the area of asset management, the IOSCO board supported a proposal to assess the consistency in implementation by various IOSCO members of money market fund (MMF) reforms against its 2012 recommendations for MMFs. The MMF reforms are a key component of G20 efforts to transform shadow banking into resilient market-based finance in the wake of the global financial crisis.