Rebuilding Investor Confidence: IOSCO and IFIE to Hold Major Investor Education Conference...

Rebuilding Investor Confidence: IOSCO and IFIE to Hold Major Investor
Education Conference in March 2009

In the Wake of the Financial Crisis, Focus on Investor Education Is More
Critical Than Ever; "Investor Education: Creating and Delivering Successful
Programmes" Is Theme of the Event

The International Forum for Investor Education (IFIE) and the International
Organization of Securities Commissions (IOSCO) are holding their second joint
investor education conference 2-3 March 2009 in Washington, D.C.

Experts from the world's leading regulatory organizations, stock exchanges,
and financial firms will provide attendees with the information needed to
start or improve investor education within their countries and organizations,
and allow them to share and learn from one another's experience. In the midst
of the current market turmoil and global credit crunch, the role of investor
educators is more important than in helping to rebuild consumer confidence in
the markets.

The IFIE/IOSCO investor education conference will take place at the Mandarin
Oriental Hotel in downtown Washington near the National Mall, major museums
and historic monuments. Attendance at the conference will be limited to 125
individuals and early registration is strongly encouraged.

Additional details -- including early-bird conference rates available through
2 February 2009 and the full conference program - are available at the
IFIE/IOSCO conference Web page at http://ifie.org/2009conference.

Confirmed speakers, moderators and panelists include: International Forum for
Investor Education Chairman Services Steve Joachim; Securities and Exchange
Commission Director of the Office of Investor Education and Advocacy Kristin
Kaepplein; and British Columbia Securities Commission Director of
Communications and Education Patricia Bowles. Please consult the IFIE/IOSCO
conference Web page for further program-related updates.

For information on sponsorship opportunities, contact Ailis Aaron Wolf, +1
(703) 276-3265 and aawolf@hastingsgroup.com.

IFIE and IOSCO held their first joint investor education conference in October
2007 in Madrid, Spain.

ABOUT THE GROUPS

Chartered in 2005, the International Forum for Investor Education
(http://www.ifie.org) is a unique alliance that brings together private sector
and public sector providers of investor education to improve the global
standards for investor education. The Forum is accomplishing this objective by
serving as a clearinghouse for the exchange of information between providers
of investor education from different jurisdictions, including organizations
that are just developing or planning to develop investor education programs.
IFIE enables providers of investor education to learn about investment
products and the investment process in the international financial market and
about investor education programs in different parts of the world. In
addition, IFIE encourages providers of investor education to remain current
with trends in investor education by disseminating relevant research and other
materials in membership meetings and via a dedicated Web site
(http://www.ifie.org) and other channels.

The member agencies currently assembled together in the International
Organization of Securities Commissions (http://www.iosco.org) have resolved,
through its permanent structures: to cooperate together to promote high
standards of regulation in order to maintain just, efficient and sound
markets; to exchange information on their respective experiences in order to
promote the development of domestic markets; to unite their efforts to
establish standards and an effective surveillance of international securities
transactions; to provide mutual assistance to promote the integrity of the
markets by a rigorous application of the standards and by effective
enforcement against offenses.

/PRNewswire-USNewswire -- Jan. 12/

SOURCE International Forum for Investor Education, Washington, D.C.;
International Organization of Securities Commissions, Madrid, Spain

Ailis Aaron Wolf for IFIE, +1-703-276-3265, aawolf@hastingsgroup.com, or David
Cliffe for IOSCO, + 34 91 787 0419, d.cliffe@iosco.org