The International Organization of Securities Commissions Organisation (IOSCO) has issued a consultation on proposals to improve global standards of regulation of cryptoassets with rules to protect investors and to bring crypto into a similar framework of standards that apply in financial markets.

The proposals include measures to address:

• conflicts of interest arising from vertical integration of activities and functions;
• market manipulation, insider trading and fraud;
• cross-border risks and regulatory cooperation;
• custody and client asset protection;
• operational and technological risk; and
• retail access, suitability, and distribution.

IOSCO said it wanted ‘to achieve regulatory outcomes for investor protection and market integrity that are the same as, or consistent with, those required in traditional financial markets in order to facilitate a level-playing field between cryptoassets and traditional financial markets and help reduce the risk of regulatory arbitrage’.

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