The Trinidad and Tobago Securities and Exchange Commission (TTSEC) in collaboration with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (USSEC) recently hosted its seventh training programme on Capital Market Oversight and Development in the Caribbean.
The four-day training seminar was held at the MovieTowne Banquet and Conference Room, and targeted more than 50 participants, including market actors and regulators from T&T and across the region.
The programme delved into the issues and challenges facing regulators and covered best practices in the oversight of capital markets to maximise investor protection and market development.
Speaking at the opening ceremony, TTSEC CEO Wainwright Iton endorsed the long-established collaboration between the two agencies for provision of training for regulators in the financial services industry.
“The hosting of an in-house capital market development programme represents the TTSEC’s commitment to the continuing training and development of its staff,” he said.
The programme featured a USSEC team of high-powered and experienced presenters who emphasised practical solutions to common market problems and abuses, and highlighted several case studies. The facilitators were Erin McCartney, senior special counsel in the Office of International Affairs; Matthew Greiner, branch chief in the SEC’s Office of International Affairs; Jim Reese, assistant director for the Office of Risk Analysis and Surveillance within the Office of Compliance Inspections and Examinations; and Larry Spirgel, assistant director in the Division of Corporation Finance.
Topics covered in the interactive training sessions included Insider Trading, Broker Dealer Enforcement, Disclosure Obligations for Stock Issuing Companies, Investigating Financial Fraud, Money Laundering and the Securities Industry.
“The overwhelming response from our fellow regulators for consideration to have their staff attend bears testimony to the importance that we all ascribe to the programme,” said Iton.
He said that the TTSEC as a regulator is a learning organisation, keen on developing the capacity of its staff and the securities industry to better serve investors and by extension help develop the economy.