The British Columbia Financial Services Authority published the text of CEO Tolga Yalkin’s speech to the Pacific West 2025 Real Estate Conference in Vancouver, setting out how rising consumer expectations and a fast-changing risk environment are reshaping what the public needs from real estate professionals and from the regulatory framework. The remarks frame “confidence” as something that must be actively earned through conduct, clarity and accountability, with professionals and the regulator working together to protect the conditions that sustain trust. Yalkin highlighted artificial intelligence as both enabling and “exposing”, pointing to new vectors for fraud and misinformation such as falsified documents and deceptive listings. He also pointed to broader pressures including economic shocks, climate events affecting insurance costs and neighbourhood livability, and legal and policy developments that add complexity to ownership and land use. The speech argues that consumers need professionals who act in clients’ interests, demonstrate competence and integrity, and apply sound judgment, while regulators should define expectations and accountability, guard system integrity through fairness and transparency with proportional consequences, and build resilience so the ecosystem can adapt to shocks without losing public trust.

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