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RES5 β€” Rules, Ethics and Skills for Financial Advisory Services β€” Cheat Sheet

Chapter 6 · quick-revision digest · narrative, key figures & core facts

πŸ“– Overview

This chapter spans three distinct regulatory notices that together govern the operational safeguards a licensed financial adviser must maintainβ€”from detecting fraud and managing technology risk to distributing Direct Purchase Insurance products. The first notice, FAA-N17, mandates that any suspicious activity or fraud material to the adviser's soundness must be reported to MAS within 5 working days using Form F1, and all such reports must be signed and dated by the reporting officer. Crucially, advisers must still file separate suspicious transaction reports with the Suspicious Transaction Reporting Office independentlyβ€”satisfying FAA-N17 does not satisfy the separate STR obligation under money laundering rules, and FAA-N17 itself is stated to take immediate effect (though a later provision dates its effect to 10 May 2024, creating a tension the underlying facts leave unresolved).

The second mosaic, formed by FSM-N23 and FSM-N24, addresses technology resilience and operational security. FSM-N23 requires each licensee to identify critical systems, keep unscheduled downtime below 4 hours in any 12-month period, and maintain a 4-hour recovery time objective that must be validated annually. Upon discovery of a relevant incidentβ€”a system malfunction or IT security event with severe, widespread impactβ€”the adviser must notify MAS within 1 hour and submit a full root-cause analysis within 14 days. FSM-N24 supplements this with six cyber hygiene practices: securing administrative accounts, applying security patches, establishing baseline security standards, deploying network security devices, implementing anti-malware measures, and requiring multi-factor authentication for all critical systems and any internet-accessible system holding customer information.

The third section governs distribution of Direct Purchase Insurance products through FAA-N19, which sets out five interrelated requirement areas: safeguards to ensure clients check affordability and coverage before purchase, upfront disclosure of product information and policy wordings, avenues for queries and complaints, internal policies and processes (including training and mystery shopping exercises), and clear role definitions distinguishing representatives from customer service officers. The definitions section provides anchorsβ€”for Tier 1 life insurers, the online direct channel, and the limited scope of financial advisory services that are solely incidental to DPI distribution. A transitional arrangement allowed advisers already using an online channel before August 2019 to continue under the old paragraphs 12 to 14 until 31 December 2019, and non-compliance with the notice carries a fine of up to $25,000 plus $2,500 for each continuing day.

⏱️ Key figures, limits & deadlines

ItemValueTypeSource
Technology Risk Management4 hoursThresholdCh. 7, p. 8
Technology Risk Management4 hoursThresholdCh. 7, p. 8
Notice on Cyber Hygiene (FSM-N24)29(1) sectionThresholdCh. 19, p. 20
Definitions β€” multi-factor authentication2 factorsThresholdp. 6D-4
Form and Deadline for FAA-N17 Report5 working daysDeadlineCh. 2, p. 3
Technology Risk Management12 monthsDeadlineCh. 7, p. 8
Technology Risk Management1 hoursDeadlineCh. 7, p. 8
Technology Risk Management14 daysDeadlineCh. 7, p. 8
DPI Disclosure Standards β€” Not False or Misleading1 yearDeadlinep. 17
DPI Document Review1 yearDeadlinep. 17
Offences β€” penalty for contravening a written directionS$25,000PenaltyCh. 18, p. 18
Offences β€” continuing offence daily fineS$2,500PenaltyCh. 18, p. 18

πŸ“… Key dates

EventDateSource
Technology Risk Management2024-05-10Ch. 7, p. 8; p. 23
Transitional arrangements β€” key dates2019-08-30Ch. 18, p. 18

⚠️ Exam traps (commonly confused)

⭐ Core facts

The must-know propositions, distilled. See all 130 facts by topic →

πŸ“‹Faa N17 Scope And Application
🚨Suspicious Activities And Fraud Reporting
βš™οΈFsm N23 Scope
πŸ”§Technology Risk Definitions
πŸ›‘οΈTechnology Risk Obligations
πŸ“˜Dpi Scope And Definitions
πŸ›οΈDpi Distribution Channels
πŸ“ŒDpi Client Safeguards
πŸ“„Dpi Product Information Rep Cso
πŸ’»Dpi Product Information Online
πŸ“ŽDpi Internal Policies And Training
πŸ“’Dpi Disclosure Standards
⏳Dpi Transitional And Penalties
πŸ”Fsm N24 Scope And Cyber Obligations

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