From next Tuesday, banks and their employees can be investigated, fined or reprimanded by the Securities and Futures Commission if they are involved in securities-related malpractices.
According to a circular issued by the Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) yesterday, next week's change will end the days of the exempt-dealer system, under which the SFC had no power to regulate or penalise the securities departments of banks.
Even the HKMA has been unable to reprimand banks and their employees, because of fears such action could shake the confidence of depositors.
Stockbrokers have frequently complained that the exempt-dealer system has led to unfair competition between brokers and banks because the HKMA applied less restrictive rules to the banks' securities departments than the SFC applied to stockbrokers.
However, with the implementation of the Securities and Futures Ordinance from Tuesday, those distinctions between dealer groups will be lifted.
Yesterday, the HKMA unveiled details of the new regulations and the types of penalties the banks and their staff could face if they are involved in any securities-related malpractice.