Greater access to educational resources from OEO dealers will empower DIY investors to make confident, informed investment decisions and enhance investor protection

TORONTO, March 12, 2026 /CNW/ -The Canadian Investment Regulatory Organization (CIRO) has published new guidance that will allow Order Execution Only (OEO) dealers to expand the range of decision-making supports they can offer to clients. The new guidance gives dealers the flexibility to innovate and better serve clients' needs and empowers do-it-yourself (DIY) investors to make independent, well-informed investment decisions, while ensuring the necessary safeguards are in place to maintain and enhance investor protection.

Public consultations on the previous guidance revealed a growing industry consensus that the limitations on decision-making supports being offered by OEO firms were preventing important information and warnings from reaching DIY investors, who are increasingly turning to unregulated sources such as online forums, social media and finfluencers to help them make important investment decisions. As part of its commitment to enabling greater access to regulated advice, CIRO identified updating the previous guidance on OEO account services as a priority for 2026.

"The new OEO guidance is a major step forward for both the industry and investors," said Alexandra Williams, Senior Vice-President, Strategy, Innovation, and Stakeholder Protection at CIRO.  "It enables dealer members to provide more decision‑making supports, including timely, relevant educational resources, notifications, and alerts tailored to client needs. For investors, it means access to high‑quality tools from reputable, regulated sources to ultimately enhance their protection."

The new guidance broadens the range of decision-making supports that OEO dealers can offer to clients without violating the rule that prohibits them from making recommendations. While the previous guidance restricts OEO dealers from providing communications that could "reasonably be expected to influence" investors, the new guidance clarifies that OEO dealers are allowed to provide informative resources and decision-making supports to clients as long as they do not endorse a specific investment decision and are provided with adequate safeguards.  

The new guidance adopts a principle-based approach, outlining a non-exhaustive set of decision-making supports that OEO dealers can provide, along with a non-exhaustive list of corresponding safeguards they should consider.

Decision-making supports can include:

• Alerts and notifications;
• Self-help tools;
• Educational information.

Key safeguards include:

• Providing clear disclosures and disclaimers;
• Using clear descriptors, transparent and objective criteria;
• Addressing or avoiding material conflicts of interest; and
• Performing regular monitoring and updates.

The new OEO guidance is posted on CIRO's website.

About CIRO

The Canadian Investment Regulatory Organization (CIRO) is the national self-regulatory organization that oversees all investment dealers, mutual fund dealers and trading activity on Canada's debt and equity marketplaces. CIRO is committed to the protection of investors, providing efficient and consistent regulation, and building Canadians' trust in financial regulation and the people managing their investments. For more information, visit www.ciro.ca.

SOURCE Canadian Investment Regulatory Organization (CIRO)