The umbrella group of global securities regulators, the International Organization of Securities Commissions (IOSCO), said regulators are closely coordinating their responses to the capital markets disruptions stemming from the Covid-19 outbreak.
Around the world, regulators have been taking a variety of actions to help markets function, from providing relief from certain requirements, to issuing remote working guidance to firms and issuers.
IOSCO said it’s committed to ensuring that “capital markets continue to function throughout this difficult period in an open and orderly manner to enable all participants to price and transfer risk across all traded asset classes.”
To ensure that markets remain operational, IOSCO said that securities regulators are focused on the “resilience of market infrastructures, the operational capability of market users, and the continued flow of information to these markets.”
While regulators have pledged compliance flexibility, IOSCO noted that they are also committed to “ensuring that market integrity and investor protection principles are maintained.”
The members of IOSCO’s board and its regional committees are in regular contact, and it’s also coordinating with other global standards setters and policymakers, such as the Financial Stability Board (FSB).
“The fundamental purpose of equity, credit and hedging markets is to support the real economy, and the IOSCO board is absolutely determined to ensure that they will remain open and functional throughout this difficult period,” said Ashley Alder, chair of IOSCO’s board, in a statement.