FSC welcomes new laws to protect consumers
The Financial Services Council (FSC) has welcomed the passage of new legislation, the Design and Distribution Obligation (DDOs) and Product Intervention Powers (PIP) Bill 2019, which aims to provide consumers with more protection from poor financial products.
Under the new legislation, financial services providers would be required by law to take a more customer focused approach when offering their products.
FSC’s chief executive, Sally Loane, said that the FSC looked forward to working with the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) while the regulator was building a clear framework for how the new regime would operate.
“In the limited circumstances where there is an inappropriate product sold, ASIC will now be able to intervene to protect consumers,” she said.
“While this is an important power for ASIC, the FSC believes the greatest consumer benefit comes from quality advice and products appropriate for the goals and needs of individuals.”
Recommended for you
With regional and rural suburbs exhibiting high spare capacity to invest, Money Management speaks to three regional advisers on the opportunities beyond the major cities and the importance of a strong network.
Platform consolidation is expected to accelerate among financial advisers this year, as software company Finura pinpoints which two platforms are set to be the winners, thanks to this trend.
The software provider has made several appointments in its APAC wealth propositions team, with a focus on driving growth across digital advice, Xplan and strategic partnerships.
The platform has announced it plans to close its Xplore managed discretionary account service in 2026 which holds $2 billion in funds under administration.