CySEC empowers investors through financial literacy at World Investor Week 2023

The events of World Investor Week 2023 (WIW2023) were concluded successfully with a high level of participation when the Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission (CySEC) joined forces with Supervisory Authorities around the world to raise awareness about the importance of financial literacy. Around a hundred countries were represented by their Supervisory Authorities, as well as twelve regional and international organisations.

Throughout the event, which ran from 2 to 8 October 2023 and was organised by the International Organisation of Securities Commissions (IOSCO), CySEC carried out a series of online and in-person activities which aimed to inform and educate investors about investing basics, potential risks of investments and how to make sound financial decisions.

This year’s activities focused on the three main themes of the campaign: Investor Resilience, Crypto Assets, and Sustainable Finance, which had been identified by IOSCO as particularly pressing, given the prevailing and anticipated global market conditions. Other highlighted topics included fraud prevention, basic investment principles, information on investments, technology and digital finance.

During this year's WIW2023 awareness campaign, CySEC ran a program of activities to promote financial education, addressing financial illiteracy, and protecting investors. CySEC issued press releases to inform the public about the campaign and its participation and through the use of the mass media, the internet, and social media was able to ensure that the key messages of the campaign reached its target audience.

In addition, Elena Karkoti, who serves as Officer A at CySEC, appeared on television and radio programs to convey the campaign’s key messages and discuss CySEC’s actions to educate investors. Karkoti also participated in interviews in the print media, emphasising the significance of financial literacy as a means of investor protection.

Throughout the campaign the CySEC website prominently promoted WIW2023 logo, along with an active link to the program of activities that were taking place worldwide. Additionally, CySEC encouraged its supervised entities, other participants in the Cyprus capital market, and other stakeholders, to participate in spreading the campaign’s messages in their own ways.

Within the framework of WIW2023, CySEC created and uploaded on its Financial Education Portal a new Smart Investor Booklet an enjoyable, accessible booklet, which contains practical tips in the form of short advice based on the key messages of the campaign.

Furthermore, CySEC published a new Investor Guide, on the topic of Sustainable Investing, to educate and inform the public on the new trends in the evolution of ESG investing, and issues surrounding the practice of greenwashing.

Additionally, throughout the Week, CySEC carried out a series of posts in social media, to spread the key messages of the campaign, in the form of short advice on financial matters. The messages aimed to generate further awareness, targeting mainly the younger generation and investors who turn to social media to be informed on investments.

In this spirit, CySEC created a new Instagram page, being one of the most popular social media platforms among young people, to reach out to the new generation, via smart and create content that provides important information and knowledge related to financial matters. In addition, CySEC actively maintains profiles on other social networks such as Facebook, X, and LinkedIn where it spreads the messages of its awareness and educational campaigns, shares regulatory announcements and warnings to the public.

In the framework of its efforts to promote financial literacy, CySEC has scheduled a range of activities throughout October and November. Among other, the initiatives include lectures and financial literacy workshops details for which will be announced in due course.