If you advertise a credit or a type of investment, you must include a risk warning. For instance 'Let op! Geld lenen kost geld’ (Please note! It costs money to loan money). The Netherlands Authority for the Financial Markets (Autoriteit Financiële Markten, AFM) supervises this.
Advertising investments and bank savings
Do you advertise investing money in, for instance, insurances or bank savings? You must state the expected yield (low or high interest) and include a risk indicator (risicometer) and a warning statement. This statement reads: 'Loop geen onnodig risico. Lees de Essentiële Beleggersinformatie' (Do not take unnecessary risks. Read the essential investor information). You are obliged to use the warning statements (in Dutch) provided by the AFM. This applies to advertising in newspapers, on the internet, radio and television.
For certain high-risk financial products in the Netherlands advertising is not allowed. The AFM is authorised to determine to which products this applies.
Advertising credit services
Do you advertise for credit services? You must provide clear information about the cost of the loan and the interest rate. You are not allowed to advertise with promotional rates. You must also include a warning statement and symbol (in Dutch) in the advertisement. You are obliged to use AFM's texts and illustrations for advertising in newspapers, on the internet, radio and television. These texts and illustrations can be downloaded from the AFM's website (in Dutch).
Financial information
You must also provide your customers with proper information (in Dutch). For many investment and insurance products with investment elements (Packaged Retail and Insurance-based Investment Products, PRIIP) an Essential information document (Eid) (in Dutch) must be supplied to consumers. The information must contain product information such as:
- the aim of the product
- how the product works
- the risks associated with the product
- the availablity of a cancellation procedure and its financial consequences
- the consequenses of the purchaser's death
- the cost of the product
- the product's returns (with examples)