Australia

Market Infrastructure

ASIC, ESMA Sign MOU to Cooperate on Benchmarks

By Editors | 22/10/2019

The MoU sets out cooperation arrangements to complement the EU’s July equivalence decision, as well as to ensure effective information exchange and supervisory coordination.

AML / KYC

New Zealand FX Broker Issued Formal Warning for AML Violations

By Editors | 21/10/2019

Forex brokerage Circle Markets Limited did not dispute the FMA’s findings, and its sole director admitted to not fully understanding his AML/CFT obligations.

Australia to Ban Grandfathered Conflicted Remuneration from 2021

By Editors | 19/10/2019

The bill to end the payment of grandfathered conflicted remuneration to financial advisers has now passed in the Senate, after passed in the House of Representatives last month.

Capital / Liquidity

APRA Proposes Banks Hold More Capital Against Large Subsidiaries

By Editors | 18/10/2019

APRA proposes to increase the amount of capital banks need to hold to support investments in large subsidiaries, such as their New Zealand units.

Market Infrastructure

Disclosure Can Contribute to Customer Harm: ASIC

By Editors | 17/10/2019

Disclosure can backfire in unexpected and harmful ways and should not be relied upon by itself to drive good consumer outcomes, ASIC says in a joint report with the Dutch regulator.

Enforcement

ASIC Grants Advisers Relief From Compliance Obligation

By Editors | 16/10/2019

ASIC will grant a three-year exemption from the obligation to ensure that financial advisers are covered by a compliance scheme, and from the associated notification obligations.

Enforcement

Australia to Form New Disciplinary Body for Financial Advisers

By Editors | 15/10/2019

The plan undoes months of effort by industry associations to form an independent body to monitor and enforce compliance with a new code of ethics for financial advisors.

Capital / Liquidity

ACCC to Probe Banks on Mortgage Pricing Decision-making

By Editors | 15/10/2019

The ACCC is commencing an inquiry to find out why banks are not fully passing on interest rate cuts to borrowers, and what prevents customers from switching to cheaper lenders.

Securities / Derivatives

ASX Announces Final Changes to Listing Rules

By Editors | 10/10/2019

The main changes relate to increased reporting, better and more timely disclosure by listed investment companies, and new measures to address listing rule breaches.