Recently, the Bank of Mauritius and the Financial Services Commission warned investors about the proliferation, particularly on social and informal networks, of unregulated investment schemes promising rapid and unusually high returns. An update from Ashwin Prayag, Senior Executive Officer – Investment at SICOM.
More and more “guaranteed” investment schemes are posted on the networks every day, ensnaring ill-informed investors – an understandable situation given the rising cost of living and economic uncertainty. How do we recognize them? First of all, since “risk” and “return” go hand in hand on legitimate financial markets, the notion of “guarantee” is already a red flag.
Indeed, the markets represent a constantly evolving universe. “When promises seem disconnected from these realities, investors need to reflect by asking themselves how such returns are actually generated,” says Ashwin. In institutions such as SICOM, investment activities are conducted in a regulated environment and guided by a long-term, responsible investment philosophy – materialized also by the fact that the insurance company is a signatory to the United Nations Principles for Responsible Investment (UNPRI).
For Ashwin, this requires solid processes and rigorous execution: structured investment governance, disciplined portfolio construction, continuous risk monitoring, as well as transparency and communication. “These principles are the foundation of trust in financial services. Trust cannot be proclaimed: it must be earned through consistency, governance and long-term performance through market cycles,” he says.
For the latter, the first protection is to be informed: checking whether an entity is approved, requesting clear documentation, understanding how funds are invested, consulting qualified professionals before committing capital are all simple gestures to help avoid scams. “Investment should be approached as a long-term journey, not as an urgent transaction. If an opportunity seems too good to be true, that’s usually because it is!” he concludes.
