Institutional Investors – Global Investment Law Watch

Europe: New Funds May Apply for UK Overseas Fund Regime Recognition from September 2024

May 03 2024

By: Áine Ní Riain, Aoife Maguire, Gayle Bowen, and Philip Morgan

The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has released updated information and, together with HM Treasury, a “roadmap,” on the UK’s Overseas Funds Regime (OFR). It intends to accept applications from new funds (i.e. those not in the Temporary Marketing Permissions Regime (TMPR)) from September 2024. This is a welcome development for managers of new EEA UCITS that are not currently able to access the UK retail market.

Don’t Bank on it: FDIC Board Withdraws Asset Manager Bank Control Proposals

Apr 26 2024

By: Grant F. Butler and Yuki Sako

Two proposals regarding oversight of the control of banks by asset managers were withdrawn at the 25 April board meeting of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC). These proposals were a result of increasing concern by bank regulators regarding concentration in control of banks by institutional investors, particularly index funds.

Three Things to Know About Cboe’s ETF Share Class Filing

Apr 23 2024

By: Stacy L. Fuller, Kevin R. Gustafson, Christine Mikhael and Crystal Liu

On 15 April 2024, Cboe BZX Exchange, Inc. (Cboe) filed an application pursuant to Rule 19b-4 under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), to amend its exchange-traded funds (ETFs) listing standards to permit ETF share classes issued by open-end investment companies that offer mutual fund share classes pursuant to any exemptive relief to be granted by the SEC.

SEC Fines Adviser for Off-Channel Communications

Apr 05 2024

By: Lance C. Dial and Pablo J. Man

On 3 April 2024 the SEC announced the first off-channel communications settlement with a registered investment adviser who was not otherwise affiliated with a broker-dealer. This settlement provides new insight into how the SEC views adviser’s recordkeeping obligations, which are narrower than broker-dealer regulatory requirements.

Australia: Inquiry into the Wholesale Investor and Wholesale Client Tests

Apr 04 2024

By: Kane Barnett and Prudence Birchall

The Parliamentary Joint Committee on Corporations and Financial Services (Committee) has commenced an inquiry into the wholesale investor test for offers of securities, and the wholesale client test for financial products and services (together, wholesale investor/client tests) in the Corporations Act 2001 (link here) (Inquiry).

Not That FAR Away

Mar 28 2024

By: Claudine Salameh and Tamsyn Sharpe

On 15 March 2024 the Financial Accountability Regime (FAR) came into effect for authorised-deposit taking institutions (ADIs). Application of the FAR will be extended to insurers and registrable superannuation entities from 15 March 2025.

Europe: Why Are Firms Currently Focusing on Derivatives Post Trade Reporting?

Mar 13 2024

By: Ron Feldman and Philipp Riedl

Deficiencies in compliance with derivatives post trade reporting rules have recently triggered regulator fines. Fin-FSA in Finland fined a pension fund €90K and the Central Bank of Ireland imposed the first fine on an investment fund, €192K. Although the fines are reasonably modest, they have sharpened industry focus on this issue.

EUROPE: ELTIF 2.0 Regime Goes Live in Ireland

Mar 11 2024

By: Gayle Bowen and Shane Geraghty

After much anticipation, the new ELTIF 2.0 regime has gone live in Ireland. The Central Bank has, this morning, issued a feedback statement outlining how its new regime will work. Key points include the following:

Congress Criticizes VC Investments in China, Suggesting Broader Investment Restrictions Into China

Feb 29 2024

By: Jamie L. Jackson and Yuki Sako

The House Select Committee on the Strategic Competition Between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party (Select Committee) issued a bipartisan report criticizing investments made by US venture capital firms (VC), as well as US institutional investors as limited partners (LP), into companies in the People’s Republic of China (PRC) in artificial intelligence (AI) and semiconductor sectors (Report). In line with the Select Committee’s previously released report strategizing how to reset the United States’ economic and technological competition with China, the Report signals Congress’ intensified interest in curtailing the unintentional flow of US investments into China’s military industrial complex.

Australia: Internal Dispute Resolution (IDR) Reporting Due for Financial Services Licensees

Feb 16 2024

By: Daniel Knight and Laura McFadzean

All Australian financial services licensees with a retail authorisation, Australian credit licensees and certain unlicensed entities and superannuation trustees (eligible entities) are required to report IDR data to ASIC by 29 February 2024 at 11:59 PM.

Catagory:Institutional Investors