Everything you need to know about the AFM in 2015

Let’s face it, more oversight and regulation is here to stay and it will never, ever go away. And, it is not all necessarily bad. Apart from the obvious pain of lots of paperwork and extra costs, we can all agree that this sector needs more stability and above all, it needs to regain trust. In order for the sector to grow, to attract more money but also the ‘right’ kind of people to work in this industry we need to be trusted.

The AFM, the Dutch regulator, plays an important role here. The AFM is our gateway to the European regulatory institutions and the political processes that drive them. One of the things the AFM is seeking in this sector is more transparency. And, in an effort to set the right example, they’ve issued an agenda for 2015, outlining the focus points of their oversight for this year.

So, if you’re up for it; it is only 66 pages. Click here for the full document.

One of the things that the AFM will zero in on, according to BEURS.NL  is HFT. As part of their capital markets focus, they will investigate HFT in the Netherlands in the publish a report on this in the third quarter. Read that article here

Another report will be produced on the quality of the advice given to investors and the handling of previous scandals as can be read in this report from AMWEB.

And, especially accountants can expect a lot of visits from the people on the Vijzelgracht. As much as went wrong in the financial sector, the accountant always had your back or he actualy had no idea what he was accounting. That needs to change dramatically. Click here for the article from Accountantweek.