About Us: Mission and Objectives

What is ASIFMA?

ASIFMA stands for the Asia Securities Industry & Financial Markets Association. ASIFMA is a broadly based professional advocacy organization that seeks to promote the growth and development of Asia’s debt capital markets and facilitate their orderly integration into the global financial system.

We believe that more open domestic capital markets, more standardized market practices and a more stable and transparent regulatory environment will help mobilize and redirect the region’s considerable financial savings to support Asia’s continued economic growth and development.

What is ASIFMA’s mission?

ASIFMA’s mission is to enhance the size, liquidity, integrity and transparency of local and regional over-the-counter (OTC) markets in fixed income securities and other financial instruments. To do so, we aim to:

1. Build a consensus among private sector market participants on issues of broad importance to the growth and development of Asia’s capital markets.
2. Advocate and advance members’ principled and well reasoned positions on critical issues affecting the marketplace, chiefly by interacting with appropriate governmental, regulatory, legislative and other policy making bodies.
3. Educate market participants, investors and public policymakers regarding artificial barriers to the growth of the region’s capital markets, and to sponsor high-quality conferences and educational programs.
4. Promote more efficient markets through the adoption of robust investor protection rules, the standardisation of market practices, the harmonisation of regulatory requirements and the principal of self-regulation.
5. Ensure efficient communication, coordination and interaction between market participants and public policymakers in Asia, Europe and North America regarding capital markets development issues.

The objects of the Asia Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association are as follows:

1. To assist in, promote and encourage the growth and development of fair, efficient, liquid and transparent primary and secondary financial and capital markets in Asia and elsewhere;
2. To promote the harmonisation of industry practice amongst jurisdictions in Asia and elsewhere and to align them with international best practice;
3. To ensure the ability of the financial and capital markets industry to influence and maintain ongoing dialogue with governments, regulators, central banks, trade bodies and non-governmental organisations;
4. To provide industry representation and consultation in Asia across the range of financial and capital market transactions, instruments and products, co-operating with the industry associations and forums active in the Asia’s derivatives, foreign exchange, securities financing and loan instrument markets;
5. To represent and advocate the interests of members before central banks, regulatory and legislative/governmental entities, trade bodies and non-governmental organisations across Asia and elsewhere;
6. To communicate, cooperate and coordinate with all relevant regional and local organisations on issues of mutual concern in order to efficiently promote members’ interests;
7. To facilitate dialogue amongst market professionals from key market participants in Asia and elsewhere;
8. To establish voluntary market practices, industry-sponsored model agreements, recommendations and guidelines;
9. To facilitate communication, co-ordination and interaction between industry associations active in Asia and elsewhere and with industry associations and regulators in Europe and the United States;
10. To organise industry sponsored events, seminars, conferences, training forums, surveys and research for market participants and other interested parties;
11. To provide the industry with adequate professional resources for effective advocacy and support for a broad committee structure;
12. To foster high standards in members in their day to day practice and management of their business;
13. To promote standardisation of documentation wherever practical;
14. To provide a forum for all market participants for the development and exchange of ideas and information concerning financial and capital markets in Asia and elsewhere and related issues;
15. To keep members informed of developments and issues relevant to the financial and capital markets;
16. To promote awareness of the Association and its activities and to seek and promote awareness of future challenges and opportunities for the financial and capital markets in Asia and elsewhere.

About ASIFMA

ASIFMA is a broadly based professional advocacy organization that seeks to promote the growth and development of Asia’s debt capital markets and their orderly integration into the global financial system. ASIFMA works to develop more open domestic capital markets, more standardized market practices and a more stable and transparent regulatory environment will help mobilize and redirect the region’s considerable financial savings to support Asia’s continued economic growth and development. ASIFMA is the Asian regional member of the Global Financial Markets Association (GFMA).

About SIFMA

The Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association (SIFMA) brings together the shared interests of hundreds of securities firms, banks and asset managers. SIFMA's mission is to develop policies and practices which strengthen financial markets and which encourage capital availability, job creation and economic growth while building trust and confidence in the financial industry. SIFMA, with offices in New York and Washington, D.C., is the U.S. regional member of the Global Financial Markets Association (GFMA).

For more information, visit www.sifma.org.

About AFME

AFME (Association for Financial Markets in Europe) was formed on November 1st 2009 following the merger of LIBA (the London Investment Banking Association) and the European operation of SIFMA (the Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association). AFME represents a broad array of European and global participants in the wholesale financial markets, and its 197 members comprise all pan-EU and global banks as well as key regional banks, brokers, law firms, investors and other financial market participants. AFME participates in a global alliance with SIFMA in the US, and the Asian Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association through the GFMA (Global Financial Markets Association), and provides members with an effective and influential voice through which to communicate the industry standpoint on issues affecting the international, European, and UK capital markets.

For more information please visit the AFME website, www.AFME.eu.

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