Blue Chip Issue 86

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BLUE CHIP FINANCIAL PLANNING | Legislation The impact of COFI on FSPs Preparing for the “Mother” of all market conduct legislation Anton Swanepoel, Founder, Trusted Advisors
FINANCIAL PLANNING | Legislation BLUE CHIP At the time of drafting this article, it is industry’s understanding that National Treasury is intending to submit the Conduct of Financial Institutions (COFI) Bill to Cabinet in the first half of 2023. When promulgated, COFI will replace the Financial Advisory and Intermediary Services (FAIS) Act and many other pieces of financial services legislation. The purpose of this article is firstly to create awareness, so that financial services providers (FSPs) will know what is coming in 2023, and secondly, to provide some perspective on what the impact is going to be on FSPs. Lastly, to assist Key Individuals and representatives to prepare mentally for the transition from FAIS to COFI, which will happen in various stages over the next few years. To say that the capacity of financial services providers has already been stretched beyond the limit would be an understatement. Recognising the frustration Amid all the challenges and changes that financial advisors and intermediaries have had to endure over the years since the implementation of the Financial Intelligence Centre Act in 2001, the FAIS Act in 2004, Retail Distribution Review (still ongoing) and the more recent implementation of the Protection of Personal Information Act, I think it is fair to say that most advisors and intermediaries are “legislatively exhausted”. If we add the ripple effects of Covid, the crippling effect on businesses due to loadshedding, the ongoing political chaos, corruption, general lawlessness, and how all these factors impact the South African economy negatively, I for one do not blame advisors and intermediaries who find it hard to be filled with enthusiasm for COFI to be introduced. To say that the capacity of financial services providers has already been stretched beyond the limit would be an understatement. I have yet to find an advisor who does not believe that we are totally over-regulated as it is. In short, the world of advisors in South Africa is beyond a perfect storm already. Unfortunately, we have little choice but to brace ourselves for the next regulatory wave if we want to transition from FAIS to COFI effectively. I salute those who have been resilient enough to keep on going but, as if the recent past has not been challenging enough, your business will need yet another facelift as COFI is upon us. with the FSCA for activities as defined in the COFI Act when it comes into effect. The second observation is that the current FAIS Act, the fit and proper requirements, the FAIS General Code of Conduct, and a few Board Notices consist of approximately 160 pages of legislation. COFI must be read with the provisions of the Financial Sector Regulation (FSR) Act and the Conduct Standards that will replace the provisions of the FAIS General Code of Conduct. When COFI comes into effect financial services providers will have to deal with over 900 pages of market conduct legislation, excluding FICA and POPIA. Purely from a volume point of view COFI is going to be like FAIS on serious steroids. I would not blame you if you wanted to stop reading at this point and shout, “When is this going to stop? Enough already!” but it is important that you read on after taking a moment to regain consciousness... The importance of perspective Welcome back! Based on my experience in the industry over a period of more than three decades, some people will react to the changes, and some are going to respond. Although thesauruses use these terms interchangeably, in practice a reaction is usually quick, without taking time to process or considering all the facts, and it is full of emotion. A response on the other hand is usually a reply after taking a breath to get past any emotional reactions, carefully considering the facts and circumstances, and gaining insight and perspective. It is of vital importance that you resist the temptation to (over) react. The impact of COFI on FSPs The first thing that FSPs will have to consider is that, subject to transitional arrangements, all FSPs will have to be re-registered www.bluechipdigital.co.za 39
Page 1: BLUE CHIP 0.5 CONTINUOUS PROFESSION
Page 4 and 5: Welcome to Blue Chip 2023 In A focu
Page 6 and 7: CONTENTS JAN/FEB/MARCH 2023 ISSUE 8
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Page 11 and 12: We encourage financial advisors who
Page 13 and 14: Service more clients. In less time,
Page 15 and 16: South Africa’s Premier Investment
Page 17 and 18: PRACTICE MANAGEMENT | Compliance BL
Page 19 and 20: COLUMN BLUE CHIP It’s a Cruel, Cr
Page 21 and 22: The local need for truly global adv
Page 23 and 24: FPI | Financial Planner of the Year
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Page 29 and 30: INVESTMENT | DFM BLUE CHIP In 1995,
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Page 35 and 36: INVESTMENT | Collectables BLUE CHIP
Page 37 and 38: INVESTMENT | Trends BLUE CHIP Are w
Page 39: PRACTICE MANAGEMENT | Employees BLU
Page 43 and 44: KEEP IT SIMPLE “As dealing with c
Page 45 and 46: INVESTMENT | Economy BLUE CHIP Gas
Page 48 and 49: BLUE CHIP FINANCIAL PLANNING | DFM
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Page 75 and 76: widely recognised body of learning
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Page 80: WE LOOK FORWARD, SO YOU KNOW WHO TO

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