Swiss Regulator Plans Investor-Protection Overhaul After Losses
Banks and firms selling financial products in Switzerland should have a greater duty to inform private clients about what they are buying and the potential risks involved, the country’s market regulator said.
Companies should produce prospectuses in “simple-to- understand language” and include information on product risks, a typical investor profile and the profit and loss outlook, the Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority, or Finma, said in a report today. Client advisers also need a “code of behavior” when dealing with private clients, the regulator said.
Finma has been looking at ways to improve investor protection after the collapse of Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc. and Bernard Madoff’s fraud led to losses for Swiss private clients. In the 132-page report the regulator also proposed creating an independent ombudsman with the power to make decisions in conflict cases and to randomly test financial companies by means of “mystery-shopping.”
“Current guidelines for investment products are not enough to adequately explain to private clients what kind of product they’re buying and with what kind of profit, but also loss outlook and risks it’s connected,” the regulator said.
Client advisers should be educated adequately, Finma said, after finding that in some cases financial products weren’t fully understood by both customers and advisers. Products should also be tested for whether they’re suitable for a particular client.
Geneva money managers have struggled to restore investor confidence in funds of hedge funds after losses of about $7 billion to Madoff’s Ponzi scheme.
The regulator invited all interested parties to respond to the proposals by April 15.
To contact the reporter on this story: Elena Logutenkova in Zurich at elogutenkova@bloomberg.net
To contact the editor responsible for this story: Frank Connelly at fconnelly@bloomberg.net;
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