NewsStocksTokyo and Osaka Exchanges Censure Moomoo Securities Japan Over NISA Failures

Tokyo and Osaka Exchanges Censure Moomoo Securities Japan Over NISA Failures

Author: LeapRate·

Key Takeaways

  • The Tokyo Stock Exchange and Osaka Exchange issued censures and requested a business improvement report from Moomoo Securities Japan.
  • Regulators said the brokerage incorrectly labeled at least 77 U.S.-listed ETFs and ETNs as NISA-eligible.
  • As a result, 59 customers bought non-qualifying products through NISA accounts.
  • The company’s proposed customer remediation was found to be flawed because its systems could not carry out one of the planned options and not all affected customers were properly informed.
  • Inspectors also identified problems in transfer processing, suspicious transaction screening, and cybersecurity and IT risk management.
Tokyo and Osaka Exchanges Censure Moomoo Securities Japan Over NISA Failures

The Tokyo Stock Exchange (TSE) and Osaka Exchange (OSE) have issued censures against Moomoo Securities Japan Co., Ltd. after an investigation uncovered a series of compliance and operational failures at the online brokerage.

Both exchanges also asked the company to submit a business improvement report.

The disciplinary action follows an inspection by Japan’s Securities and Exchange Surveillance Commission, which found that Moomoo Securities Japan sold at least 77 U.S.-listed ETFs and ETNs while incorrectly labeling them as eligible for Japan’s NISA tax-advantaged savings scheme. NISA is widely used by Japanese retail investors because it offers tax benefits, so mislabeling products can create immediate compliance issues and customer confusion.

As a result, 59 customers made purchases through NISA accounts using products that did not qualify.

Regulators said the company’s response to affected customers was inadequate. After initially offering to let customers cancel trades or move holdings into taxable accounts, Moomoo Securities Japan later discovered that its systems could not process one of those options as planned, and it failed to properly notify all affected customers of the change.

The exchanges also found inconsistent treatment among customers, with the company later admitting it lacked sufficient staff to fix the resulting problems.

Beyond the NISA issues, the inspection identified additional problems, including the company’s refusal to process certain stock and investment trust transfer requests, gaps in its screening for suspicious transactions, and multiple deficiencies in its cybersecurity and IT risk management systems.

The exchanges concluded that these failures stemmed from weaknesses in Moomoo Securities Japan’s broader business and internal management systems, which they said prioritized growth over compliance and customer protection.