A statement by IASB Chair Hans Hoogervorst.
We are delighted to support IOSCO’s World Investor Week programme. The programme’s focus on investor protection and investor education resonates strongly with our own work—to develop IFRS Standards that bring transparency, accountability and efficiency to the financial markets around the world.
Investor protection is the DNA of what we do. Investors benefit from access to financial statements that enhance the international comparability and quality of financial information, thus allowing investors to make informed economic decisions. Moreover, our Standards help to close the information gap between investors and the companies in which they invest. With almost nine out of ten countries now requiring the use of IFRS Standards, these benefits are available to investors around the world.
Most investors consume financial statements but few are accounting experts. That is why we have invested significantly in our own investor education programme, including a Capital Markets Advisory Committee, webcasts, and newsletters tailored to meet the needs of the investor community.
In addition, we have created an Investors in Financial Reporting programme to enhance dialogue with investors around the world, particularly on the buy-side. Investors benefit from education about forthcoming changes in accounting standards, while the International Accounting Standards Board benefits from greater investor participation on the development of future Standards. To date, 18 institutional investors with combined assets under management of more than $14 trillion are active participants in this programme.
We see World Investor Week as an opportunity to restate our commitment to developing IFRS Standards that meet the information needs of investors.
Hans Hoogervorst
IASB Chair