The Investment Funds Institute of Canada (IFIC)

📢IFIC has released data and insights on investment fund net sales and net assets for January 2025. In the first month of the year: ➡️Mutual fund sales saw net positive flows, a notable improvement over the same period last year when sales were negative  ➡️ETF net sales hit their third-highest on record, trailing only December and June 2024 Read more January insights: https://lnkd.in/g29gTsMR

✅ We’re closing off the week with another policy submission, this time to the Ontario Securities Commission regarding their proposal to improve retail investor access to Long-Term Assets through investment fund product structures. The OSC has proposed creating a new investment fund category, the Ontario Long-Term Fund (OLTF) to accommodate investments in Long-Term Assets.     IFIC’s submission supports the proposal’s overall objectives and outlines some key considerations to help guide the initiative’s next phase of proposed rule amendments and policy changes. 📩Read our response in the full submission: https://lnkd.in/gE-tmxPR

📣Another policy submission is under our belt! Today, IFIC submitted comments to the Canadian Securities Administrators (CSA) - Autorités canadiennes en valeurs mobilières (ACVM), in response to their proposed changes to Multilateral Instrument 13-102 System Fees. The amendments seek to increase system fees for SEDAR+ and the National Registration Database and is intended to better align system fee revenues with projected national systems operating costs. “We understand that the CSA’s fee proposals are based on cost recovery, and we do not oppose the increases,” said Andy Mitchell, President and CEO, IFIC. Our submission also outlines some key recommendations to support SEDAR+ as a system that will adequately respond to investor and industry needs.    📩Read all our comments in the full submission: https://lnkd.in/eb2pR_xp

🎉We are thrilled to welcome Daniela Follegot to our growing team!🎉 Daniela takes on the role of Vice-President, Asset and Wealth Management. Building on our expanded mandate, she will lead IFIC’s advocacy efforts for retail manufacturing, asset management, and distribution. 👏   Prior to joining IFIC, Daniela was Managing Counsel and Director with the RBC Law Group where she was a key legal advisor to the RBC Canadian Wealth Management businesses, providing leadership on core strategic initiatives. She has also served as legal counsel at the Ontario Securities Commission and supported TD’s asset management and wealth management businesses.    🤝Welcome Daniela! 

⌛ Canadians are living and working longer. Providing more flexibility in the way seniors draw from their retirement savings would give them more time to build their nest eggs.  Currently, Canadians must transfer funds from their RRSPs to RRIFs in the year they turn 71. The following year, they must start making minimum withdrawals based on a formula set out by the federal government, which is based on the value of the RRIF and the age of the individual.  💡 But a shift in policy has the strong potential to boost financial security for seniors well into their retirement years. ✏️ In this month’s Investment Executive guest column, IFIC’s President and CEO Andy Mitchell makes the case for more flexibility in withdrawal rules.  Check out the column: https://lnkd.in/dH43aQ9u

📅Join us on February 27 from 2 to 3 p.m. EST for a webinar on the newly released Canadian Sustainability Disclosure Standards (CSDS) and their significance for investment management and capital markets.  The Canadian Sustainability Standards Board (CSSB) has developed a Canadian framework that aligns with the International Sustainability Standards Board (ISSB) global standards. This session will provide essential insights into the CSDS, their implications for the investment management industry, and what fund managers, portfolio managers, and issuers need to know.💡 Featuring:  ➡️Adelaide Chiu, CA, CPA, CFA – Vice President, Head of Responsible Investing, NEI Investments & CSSB Board Member ➡️Mohammed Ali – Vice President, Sustainability and Regulatory Affairs, Agnico Eagle & CSSB Board Member  ➡️Carl Pelland, CFA – Vice President Fixed Income, Addenda Capital   ➡️Chelsea Cavanagh, PhD – Senior Advisor, Responsible Investment, National Bank Investments  ➡️Alexandre GENTY – Principal, Sustainability Standards, Financial Reporting & Assurance Standards Canada    Register now: https://lnkd.in/dwuW5MWe

👇Hear from our Vice-President, Research and Statistics, Ian Bragg, on why our 2024 Investment Funds Report is a top source for industry data and insights. Check out the video below and read the full report here: https://lnkd.in/e2wRiZ3D

📢As the voice of the investment industry, IFIC has been engaged with CIRO / OCRI's rule consolidation initiative, providing balanced input. We recently made a submission to CIRO regarding Phase 4 of the initiative. CIRO’s Rule Consolidation Project aims to consolidate the IDPC Rules and MFD Rules into one set of rules, applicable to both investment dealers and mutual fund dealers, which will be known as the CIRO Dealer and Consolidated (DC) Rules. ✅“IFIC fully supports the project, and we are pleased that CIRO has accepted some of the recommendations we put forward in phase 3 to improve the efficiency of the consultation process and help our members to implement CIRO’s DC rules, once finalized,” said Andy Mitchell, IFIC’s President and CEO. 📩Read our latest submission supporting CIRO’s regulatory objectives: https://lnkd.in/gAdP6Dwx

👉👉In case you missed it, our 2024 Investment Funds Report was released last week highlighting key industry insights. Our annual report is an invaluable tool for industry professionals, offering a detailed view of trends, developments, and the interactions between investment funds, investor behaviour and the broader economic context. 🔎Read the full report: https://lnkd.in/e2wRiZ3D Was there anything that you were surprised to learn about from our 2024 report?💡

✨It has been a busy start to the year on the regulatory front! IFIC's policy team has been hard at work advocating on behalf of our industry. Our recent submission to the Canadian Securities Administrators (CSA) - Autorités canadiennes en valeurs mobilières (ACVM) is one of the many ways we remain at the forefront of regulatory issues. 📩 In Fall 2024, the CSA published for comment proposed amendments to modernize the continuous disclosure regime for investment funds. Their proposal seeks to improve two main areas:  📌reducing the regulatory burden on investment fund managers, and  📌enhancing the quality of disclosures provided to investors. 📩IFIC's submission supports the CSA's aim to modernize continuous-disclosure requirements while recommending some key improvements to ensure they are practical and beneficial for investors. Read all our comments in the full submission: https://lnkd.in/gvRA_kfC