Singapore’s Proposal to Mandate Reference Checks and Misconduct Reporting

All financial institutions and entities regulated by the MAS are proposed to be required to carry out reference checks and to keep conduct records on the majority of their employees. If the proposed regime is implemented without change, it will mean that Singapore’s reference checks regime will be substantially aligned with that which is currently in place in the UK as well as that which is being implemented in Hong Kong. The consultation paper was issued on 14 May 2021 and closes on 25 June 2021.

In this article, we have summarised some of the key features of the proposals below, and identified some of the practical challenges that financial institutions and regulated entities might face in the implementation of the proposed regime. In addition, we also take a look at the misconduct reporting requirements as finalised by the MAS. These were set out in its response to industry feedback to the 2018 Consultation Paper on Revisions to Misconduct Reporting Requirements and Proposals to Mandate Reference Checks. This response was also issued on 14 May 2021.