World Investor Week Forum in Taiwan to Focus on Resilience, Digital Trends, and Sustainability

The Taiwan Stock Exchange (the TWSE) has always been committed to investor education, conducting activities every year to promote financial literacy through multiple channels and mechanisms, including campuses, communities, media, and industry cooperation. In support of the World Investor Week (WIW) initiated by the International Organization of Securities Commissions (IOSCO), the TWSE arranged physical campus lectures in the first week of October last year to impart financial product knowledge and anti-fraud concepts to young students. This year, to better uphold and echo the “Ring the Bell for Financial Literacy” and WIW campaigns, the TWSE has joined forces with other securities and futures peripheral units as well as many professional associations in the field of investment and financial management to host the “2023 WIW Forum” from Oct. 2-6 in Taipei.

TWSE Chairman Sherman Lin expressed that recently the general public, especially the young population, has shown a significantly increasing interest in participating in the Taiwan stock market. As of the end of August 2023, the number of investors with trading accounts has exceeded 12.39 million, which means that, almost one out of every two Taiwanese has opened accounts, and is ready to access the securities market. These individuals can easily utilize investment tools such as stocks and ETFs for their portfolios, so as to share in the success of domestic listed companies or gain exposure to overseas markets for diversification.

Since the securities market has become an essential channel for Taiwan investors to carry out financial planning, the TWSE, as a leader in the securities market, has a clear responsibility to enhance services for investors and promote financial literacy.　Hence, the TWSE has expanded its collaboration with the Taipei Exchange, Taiwan Futures Exchange, and Taiwan Depository & Clearing Corporation, Securities Investment Trust and Consulting Association, Financial Planning Association of Taiwan, Taiwan Academy of Banking and Finance, Pension Fund Association, CFA Society Taiwan, and Taiwan CCIM Association, to jointly organize the "2023 WIW Forum." The goal is to address diverse investment topics and facilitate exchanges among scholars and experts via a comprehensive series of seminars, while also benefiting the public to understand the latest financial market developments and investment knowledge.　

The forum is themed "Resilience x Digital x Sustainability: Creating a New Future of Investment and Wealth Management." Lin stated that the focus of this forum coincides with the core business philosophy to that the TWSE is dedicated. The TWSE actively leads listed companies and intermediaries in shaping a capital market environment that fosters innovation and sustainability. This includes advancing the ESG ecosystem, establishing the Taiwan Carbon Solution Exchange, and incessantly augmenting the Taiwan Innovative Board to support emerging economic sectors. Simultaneously, to aid the public in self-directed and well-informed investment decisions, the TWSE has introduced integrated resources like ESG InfoHub, Investment InfoHub, and ETF information platform, emphasizing digitalization and data-driven approaches.

On Oct, 2, 2023, the first day of the event, there will be an opening ceremony and a press conference held in the afternoon. The representatives from the Presidential Office, regulatory authorities, and 10 organizing entities will attend the ceremony, highlighting the importance placed on the financial knowledge dissemination and investor interest protection. Following the press conference, the TWSE will participate in a panel discussion, focusing on how to strengthen investor protection and enhance investor resilience from various aspects such as corporate governance, market surveillance, information disclosure, and anti-financial fraud advocacy.

During the five days from Oct. 2-6, approximately 40 featured presentations and discussions are scheduled. The focus of these sessions aligns seamlessly with the major advocacy points that IOSCO revealed on June 22, covering topics such as sustainable finance and climate change, AI and innovative technology, digital finance, crypto assets regulation and supervision, frauds and scams prevention, retirement financial planning, and wealth management talent cultivation. On Thursday, Oct. 5 in the afternoon session, the TWSE will lead the planning of three keynote speeches and one panel discussion, inviting experts from think tanks and the securities investment sector to explore the important trends and investment opportunities in future industry development from perspectives such as carbon rights, sustainability, digital technology, and innovation. The event encourages participants to actively engage, stay informed about market dynamics, and deepen their financial knowledge.

The TWSE spares no effort in financial education and fraud prevention to empower investors and enhance their resilience. Through the five-day outreach activities of the “2023 WIW Forum,” the TWSE aims to raise awareness about the utmost importance of investor education and protection, while also uplifting the professional knowledge of financial practitioners and promoting financial literacy among the general public. These in-person events will also be live-streamed to reach a wider audience and amplify the influence.