The fifth edition of World Investor Week, an initiative of IOSCO (the International Organization of Securities Commissions), was held from 4 to 10 October 2021. The aim of this week was to promote the education and protection of investors. The various initiatives taken by the supervisory authorities in these two critical areas were at the centre of attention.
This year’s World Investor Week focused in particular on online investments and the different types of scams they are liable to. Other topics, such as sustainable finance, Initial Coin Offerings and digital assets, were also featured. This thematic week offered one more opportunity to draw investors' attention to the basic principles of investing without taking undue risks.
As vice-chair of IOSCO and member of the IOSCO committee on retail investors, the Financial Services and Markets Authority (FSMA) once again supported this initiative. The FSMA is currently conducting an important campaign via social media to raise awareness of investment fraud perpetrated online. It posts fraud awareness videos as well as testimonials from victims of scams such as credit fraud or fraudulent online trading platforms. With this campaign, the FSMA intends to be present on the favorite hunting ground of fraudsters, that mostly carry out their illegal activities on social media, and to thereby help consumers avoid the traps set by scammers.
Additional information on World Investor Week is available on the website www.worldinvestorweek.org.