
The Australian Securities & Investment Commission will now consider applications for approval of Future of Financial Advice codes, providing a "flexible alternative to complying with the opt-in requirement."
The much-anticipated guidance confirms that ASIC will accept an application for approval of a code with limited content - for the purposes of FOFA only - offering a checklist of code content that "obviates the need" for complying with the opt-in requirment.
"A FOFA code approved under our policy will provide a flexible alternative to complying with the opt-in requirement," said ASIC Commissioner Peter Kell.
"In particular, under a FOFA code ongoing client arrangements may not terminate in the same way that they do under the law."
However, the guidance also makes clear that "approved FOFA codes must meet substantially the same policy objective as opt-in: that is, they must promote client engagement and ensure clients do not pay ongoing financial advice fees where they are receiving little or no service."
ASIC will publish guidance on the FOFA conflicted remuneration provisions on Monday 4 March.
A Greens senator who was a key agitator for the royal commission has defended his reasoning in pushing for the inquiry, but conceded that it’s not c...
APRA’s sweeping changes to income protection policies are set to force more claimants back to work sooner, as the life insurance industry faces more...
The latest enforcement update from ASIC has noted that court cases brought by the regulator in the six months to December last year under its 'why not...