This article was co-authored with Michele Beck, Tom Clark, Masooma Saberi and Vivian Truong.
In September 2024, ASIC continued to focus on regulatory and enforcement action in the superannuation industry by:
Financial Services Wrap – September 2024
Gearing up for mission critical – APRA’s new expectations for insurers
The Australian Prudential Regulation Authority (APRA) has finalised Prudential Standard CPS 230 (Operational Risk Management) (CPS 230) following a year-long industry consultation. The new prudential standard commences on 1 July 2025 and applies to all APRA-regulated entities, encompassing banks, insurers (general, life and health) and registrable superannuation entity licensees. This
Gearing up for mission critical – APRA’s new expectations for insurers
The Australian Prudential Regulation Authority (APRA) has finalised Prudential Standard CPS 230 (Operational Risk Management) (CPS 230) following a year-long industry consultation. The new prudential standard commences on 1 July 2025 and applies to all APRA-regulated entities, encompassing banks, insurers (general, life and health) and registrable superannuation entity licensees. This
Are insurers looking FAR enough ahead? APRA and ASIC consult on proposed Regulator rules
While the Financial Accountability Regime Bill 2023 (Cth) (Bill)is still before the Senate, APRA and ASIC (Regulators) have already released draft Regulator rules for consultation. The Regulator rules provide some guidance on what APRA considers a key function for the purposes of assigning responsibility to ‘accountable persons’.
If passed by
Financial services monthly wrap-up: April 2023
April was another fast moving month in the financial services sector. ASIC released updates to the breach reporting requirements to introduce new guidance and clarify existing guidance regarding reportable situations. The regulator also provided further communications surrounding the superannuation performance test, as well as commenced proceedings against an insurance company alleging unfair contract terms in
FS Monthly Wrap-Up – March 2023
The month March was a busy month which saw some significant developments in the financial services sector. Notably, ASIC is currently consulting on class orders about financial requirements in considering whether to remake certain class orders. The regulator is also consulting on ‘sunsetting’ class orders changing responsible entities and equal treatment. ASIC also granted conditional
Financial services monthly wrap-up: December 2022 and January 2023
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.
APRA’s review of the superannuation prudential framework
On 23 May 2018 APRA announced that it would conduct a review of the superannuation prudential framework that was introduced in 2013 as part of the Stronger Super reforms.[1] The consultation is scheduled to take place over a four-month period and involve both formal and informal feedback from stakeholders across the superannuation industry.
The
What Australian financial institutions need to know about cybersecurity and responding to cyber-attacks
It has been 3 months since Australia’s Notifiable Data Breach Scheme (NDB Scheme)[1] came into force and, already, the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) is receiving many notifications of cyber-attacks and other data breaches – both voluntarily and under the NDB Scheme.
We will see even greater awareness
Possibility of extending the claws of BEAR
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