The Board of the International Organization of Securities Commissions (IOSCO) today issued a public statement encouraging issuers, external auditors, as well as audit committees (or those charged with governance) to be particularly vigilant in times of economic uncertainty in their consideration of how risks and uncertainties that could affect or have affected an issuer’s operations, financial condition, cash flows and prospects can be transparently communicated to investors.

Factors affecting current economic conditions include, but are not limited to, supply chain challenges; on-going impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic; evolving impacts of the conflict in Ukraine; escalating energy supply shortages and costs; labor shortages; inflationary pressures; volatility in currency exchange rates; rising interest rates; changes in monetary and fiscal policies; and other responses from central banks and other government authorities.

The statement also highlights IOSCO´s commitment to the consistent application and enforcement of high-quality reporting standards and disclosure regulations, which are of critical importance to the proper functioning of the capital markets, in line with its Principles of Securities Regulation.