Belize has strengthened its position within the global financial regulatory system after the Financial Services Commission (FSC) was admitted as an Ordinary Member of the International Organisation of Securities Commissions (IOSCO).

Ordinary Membership is the highest level of participation within IOSCO and is reserved for national securities regulators that meet rigorous international standards for regulatory capacity, enforcement cooperation and supervisory effectiveness. 

IOSCO’s members collectively regulate more than 95 percent of the world’s securities markets across 130 jurisdictions.

The milestone follows a deliberate progression by the FSC, which became an IOSCO Associate Member in May 2024 and later a signatory to the IOSCO Multilateral Memorandum of Understanding (MMoU) in December 2025. 

MMoU signatory status is a prerequisite for Ordinary Membership and confirms that a regulator has the legal authority and operational capacity to cooperate with foreign counterparts in cross-border enforcement matters.

With Ordinary Membership secured, the FSC now has full participation rights within IOSCO, including voting privileges, eligibility to serve on committees and the ability to contribute directly to the development of international regulatory and supervisory standards.

Director General of the FSC, Claude B F Haylock, described the achievement as the culmination of years of regulatory strengthening.

“Becoming an Ordinary Member of IOSCO represents the culmination of a disciplined regulatory journey for Belize,” Haylock said.

“From Associate Membership, through MMoU signatory status, to full Ordinary Membership, each step has demonstrated our legal, supervisory, and enforcement framework to be in line with international standards,” he added.

Haylock said the designation confirms Belize’s credibility as a securities regulator and allows the country to play a more active role in shaping global policy.

“Ordinary Membership allows Belize to participate fully in IOSCO’s policy and standard-setting work and confirms the FSC’s standing as a credible and effective securities regulator within the global regulatory community,” he said.

The FSC said the new status enhances Belize’s ability to engage with regulators worldwide, strengthening cross-border enforcement cooperation, investor protection and market integrity. It also supports the supervision of emerging financial technologies, including digital asset tokenisation, by placing oversight within an internationally recognised enforcement framework.

The commission reaffirmed its commitment to implementing IOSCO’s Objectives and Principles of Securities Regulation and remaining actively engaged in international supervisory, policy and enforcement cooperation initiatives.