THE Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) wants better investor education efforts to help address evolving investment scams, its new chairperson said.
“As these fraudulent schemes continue to evolve, so too must our responses. If scams are now being promoted through viral content and deceptive online communities, then investor protection efforts must likewise go where the public is — on their screens and in their feeds,” SEC Chairperson Francis Ed. Lim said in his speech during a launch event on Tuesday.
“Financial education also now has to include engaging reels, short-form videos, and targeted digital campaigns that resonate with today’s investors — especially the younger and digitally connected generations,” he added.
Mr. Lim also called for coordination among regulators, saying that they should align their strategies, messaging, enforcement priorities, and investor education efforts.
“Investment fraud today is borderless, fast-moving, and significantly complex, requiring a coordinated and collaborative approach,” he said.
“Financial literacy is a cornerstone of investor protection. A financially literate public — able to identify red flags and challenge suspicious promises — is our first and most reliable line of defense,” he added.
Meanwhile, Mr. Lim pushed for the enactment of the Capital Market Development Act to help improve investor education.
“We continue to advocate for the enactment of the Capital Market Development Act, which institutionalizes financial education as a fundamental pillar of investor protection and capital market deepening,” he said.
Mr. Lim said this as the Financial Sector Forum launched its Protect Your Money campaign on Tuesday to address the increasing number of financial scams in the country.
“The Protect Your Money campaign is not just a public awareness drive—it is a signal of our mutual resolve to create a more secure financial environment where fraud finds no safe harbor,” he said. — Revin Mikhael D. Ochave
