IOSCO, the leading international policy forum for securities and derivatives regulators, launched its tenth World Investor Week this week in Madrid. Regulators are gathering from October 5-11, with this year’s focus being “Investor Resilience, Digital Deception and Scam Alert”. This builds on the 2025 campaign, which focused on technology and digital finance, AI, and fraud/scam prevention.
Digital finance and emerging risks represent a growing area of regulatory focus. The 2025–2026 themes reflect regulators’ concerns about the risks posed by AI-driven investment tools, crypto-assets, and online investment platforms. These concerns are feeding directly into substantive rulemaking, as seen in recent SEC proposals on crypto asset custody, Federal Reserve rules on stablecoin issuers, and CFTC guidance on tokenized investments.
IOSCO’s members include securities regulators, financial exchanges, and investor education organizations, and cover over 99% of the world’s securities markets across six continents. US participants include the SEC’s Office of Investor Education and Assistance (OIEA), the CFTC’s Office of Customer Education, FINRA, NASAA (state securities regulators), and the NFA. Regulators from other jurisdictions include the UK’s FCA, Germany’s BaFIN, and Hong Kong’s Securities and Futures Commission – Investor and Financial Education Council (IFEC).
Supervisory convergence
Supervisory convergence is a major theme. By synchronizing messaging and educational campaigns across member jurisdictions, IOSCO promotes consistent investor protection standards across borders, an increasingly important objective given the cross-border nature of digital fraud.
Some tips have been issued as part of the event, including advice to young investors to engage with regulator-endorsed financial education resources to build investment knowledge. Investors are advised to be alert to scams, by verifying the registration and regulatory authorization of any investment professional or platform before committing funds, and reporting suspected fraud to the relevant regulatory authority.
The investor resilience theme complements the business conduct rules of suitability, disclosure, best execution, and fair treatment that regulators impose on financial firms. Educated investors who understand these protections are better equipped to exercise their rights and hold firms accountable, reinforcing the effectiveness of the regulatory framework itself.
IOSCO’s committee 8 and committee 4 relate to investor education and protection, and directly shape the policy work that World Investor Week promotes. The event reflects enforcement priorities, the emerging risk agenda, and cross-border collaboration. In February, IOSCO launched a global campaign targeting relationship investment scams, also known as romance fraud, where fraudsters exploit trust to steal from victims.