IFSB, SEC organize seminar to explore investor protection, transparency
The Islamic Financial Services Board (IFSB) and the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Nigeria successfully hosted a joint seminar themed “COVID-19: Investor Protection and Transparency in The Islamic Capital Market.”
The seminar was aimed at increasing the awareness of the importance of investor protection and transparency in fostering investor confidence including and especially during unfavorable financial market conditions.
It also provided a platform to discuss critical policy issues arising from the current global financial environment. The seminar’ main objectives were to; address Islamic finance-specific issues about investor protection and transparency in the ICM; discuss the best market practices for investor protection in the ICM and the elements of a robust investor protection framework; highlight best practices and guidelines on disclosure requirements for and transparency in the ICM products, specifically for Sukuk and Islamic collective investment schemes (ICIS) and identify issues arising from the current global environment and share policy actions taken by various regulators and policymakers to address emerging challenges and issues.
The Secretary-General of IFSB, Dr. Bello Lawal Danbatta stated in his welcoming remarks “Over the years, the ICM sector has been the fastest-growing segment in the IFSI, securing widespread popularity in non-Muslim majority jurisdictions as well.
“To be precise, the ICM sector recorded a growth of around 26.9 percent Y-o-Y while expanding its share in the total IFSI assets from 26.5 percent in 2019 to 30.7 percent in 2020. As the significance and penetration of the ICM sector are growing, the challenge is to develop a robust legal and regulatory framework in place to maintain the investors’ confidence for the sustainability and stability of the market.”
He added “the IFSB is strongly committed to facilitating the development of ICM through the publication of researches, development of international standards, and organizing awareness programmes for the benefit of Islamic finance regulators, supervisors, market players, and other stakeholders. In this regard, IFSB has been issuing relevant standards to provide RSAs with benchmarks in formulating oversight policies for the ICM sector.”
The Director-General of the SEC Nigeria in his opening remarks said “The SEC Nigeria has not relented in its efforts to discharge its primary mandate of regulating and developing the Nigerian Capital Market; protection of investors has been one of our key focus.
“Numerous initiatives being implemented in this regard include the establishment of the National Investor Protection Fund (NIPF) aimed at compensating investors who incur losses arising from the insolvency, bankruptcy, or negligence of a Capital Market Operator; the e-Dividend registration and payment system, Dematerialization, and Direct Cash Settlement system all aimed at ensuring an efficient process of securities transaction and elimination/minimizing cases of unclaimed dividend. Additionally, in ensuring that investors are well protected, a framework for complaint management was put in place to fast-track and streamline the dispute resolution process in the market. This is to foster and secure investors confidence in the market.”
