JPX kick starts IOSCO's inaugural World Investor Week 2017

By: The WFE Focus Team Oct 2017

Japan Exchange Group (JPX) held a series of events in Tokyo on 2 October 2017 to open IOSCO's inaugural World Investor Week.

IOSCO's first ever global campaign to highlight the importance of investor education and financial literacy started off with a special bell-ringing ceremony in the morning, which was attended by Japan's Financial Services Agency (JFSA) and Japan Securities Dealers Association (JSDA).

The ceremony began with a video letter from IOSCO C8 Chairman José Alexandre Vasco reiterating the core messages of the campaign and its benefits. More than 100 education and compliance professionals from the industry, as well as overseas exchanges from 12 jurisdictions joined in the celebrations in Tokyo.

In his welcome remarks, JPX Group CEO Akira Kiyota said: "World Investor Week is a chance for JPX Group to send its message of investor education and preventing improper trading across the world, and is also a chance for us to hear about sophisticated programmes tailored for the situation in each country. In this way, I believe that this is a chance to learn from each other and perhaps glean some hints as to how to take our investor education and investor protection programmes to the next level. I hope many more people will turn to growing their assets for a more affluent future and that these investment flows will contribute toward the healthy, sustainable development of the world economy."

Toushi-kun also featured in the proceedings as people clamoured for a snapshot with the adorable bull. Incidentally, ‘toushi’ means investment and ‘ushi’ means cow, ox, or bull in Japanese. With ‘10-4’ sounding like investment, or ‘tou-shi’, JSDA coined 4 October ‘Securities Investment Day’ in 1996. Created to help foster greater affinity among the public toward securities investment and securities markets, Toushi-kun appears at events open to the public. Scenes from the ceremony on 2 October are available on the JPX website and on the official JPX Group Youtube channel.

Following the ceremony, a closed one-day seminar first gave overseas participants a chance to learn about investor education initiatives by JFSA, JSDA, and JPX in Japan, and later share their experiences and ideas in a highly interactive workshop. The 20-member-strong seminar split into four groups to each discuss separate themes of raising awareness about securities investment, measuring programme reach and effectiveness, using IT for investor education, and encouraging long-term investment. The workshop wrapped up with each group sharing what was discussed, providing everyone involved with new insights and hints for their own initiatives and programmes.

JPX's efforts in financial literacy and education extend beyond domestic shores. In November 2015, Mr. Hiroshi Nakamura, Director General of Global Strategy, contributed to the establishment of the WFE's Financial Literacy Education & Education Study Group (FESG) and has served as Chairman since the group's inception. The group remains one of the WFE's largest groups to date with more than 36 member exchanges.

The FESG is currently compiling a handbook on member initiatives in financial literacy and education for students. The publication will serve as a handy reference for the public, fellow exchanges, and entities seeking partners for investor education programmes.

Recognising the growing importance of investor education and financial literacy, JPX will continue to dedicate resources toward economics education and financial literacy as a long-term means to encourage a shift from savings to investment in Japan. JPX looks forward to the FESG working to bring attention to successful and effective investor education and financial literacy programmes among its membership, and beyond.