TEHRAN – Regulators from more than 20 countries gathered in the United Arab Emirates for the annual meeting of the Africa and Middle East (West Asia) Regional Committee (AMERC) of the International Organization of Securities Commissions (IOSCO), where participants emphasized the need to expand cross-border collaboration and strengthen market oversight. Iran took part in all main sessions and underscored its commitment to regional engagement and alignment with international capital-market standards.

The opening session featured Walid Saeed Al Awadhi, chair of AMERC and chief executive of the UAE Securities and Commodities Authority, alongside Emmanuel Givanakis, chief executive of the Abu Dhabi Financial Services Regulatory Authority.

Speaking at the opening session, IOSCO deputy secretary-general Tajinder Singh outlined the organization’s priorities, including tackling digital-market risks and advancing the I-SCAN initiative aimed at improving supervision of online securities activity.

The meeting centered on five strategic themes of IOSCO: technology and resilience, developments in public and private markets, investor protection, market and data resilience, and enhanced regulatory cooperation. These themes formed the basis for broad policy discussions among regional authorities seeking greater harmonization of rules and supervisory practices.

Following the adoption of the agenda and presentation of the AMERC annual activity report, four specialized panels convened. Officials from Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Kuwait, Oman and Saudi Arabia discussed efforts to expand and diversify capital markets.

Regulators from Ghana, Nigeria and the West African Monetary Union described initiatives to deepen cross-border integration. Supervisory authorities from Dubai, Morocco, South Africa and the UAE examined best practices in cross-border regulatory cooperation. A final panel brought updates on regulatory reforms and market trends from Dubai, Morocco and the West African union.

Bilateral engagements formed a significant part of the program. Hamid Yari, who headed the Iranian delegation, held meetings with several counterparts. Givanakis welcomed Iran’s constructive participation. Qatar’s regulator, Tamim bin Ahmed Al-Banali, called for continued technical cooperation and expert exchanges.

Morocco’s newly appointed chief regulator, Tarek Senhaji, discussed upcoming IOSCO events and expressed interest in attending Iran’s Islamic Capital Markets Conference. Ghana’s regulator, Klotse Avedzi, reaffirmed plans to operationalize an existing cooperation agreement and establish a joint working group. Further discussions were held with representatives from Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Mauritius, Nigeria and the Central Bank of Bahrain.

The first day concluded with broad exchanges of experience and a shared commitment to expanding regional cooperation in capital-market development and supervision.

EF/MA