With more fintech’s looking to expand their businesses internationally, it can be daunting to navigate varying regulations across borders. This article focuses on regulations in the United Kingdom....more
5/1/2023
/ Anti-Money Laundering ,
Compliance ,
Cross-Border ,
Cross-Border Transactions ,
Cryptoassets ,
EU ,
Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) ,
Financial Services Industry ,
FinTech ,
FSMA ,
MiFID ,
Payment Services Directive ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
UK ,
UK GDPR
On 17 April 2023, HM Treasury (HMT) published the draft Insider Dealing (Securities and Regulated Markets) Order 2023 (the Order) and an explanatory memorandum.
The Order brings the list of securities captured under the...more
4/19/2023
/ Compliance ,
Criminal Justice Act ,
EU ,
EU Directive ,
Financial Instruments ,
Financial Services and Markets Act ,
HM Treasury ,
Insider Trading ,
Market Abuse ,
Securities ,
Securities Regulation ,
UK
On March 16, 2003, the UK Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) published its letter Portfolio Letter: FCA priorities for payments firms to the CEOs of UK Payment Institutions (PIs), Electronic Money Institutions (EMIs), and...more
3/21/2023
/ Anti-Money Laundering ,
Customer Due Diligence (CDD) ,
Economic Sanctions ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) ,
Financial Services Industry ,
Fraud ,
Internal Controls ,
Investment Funds ,
Money Laundering ,
Payment Systems ,
Popular ,
Prudential Standards ,
UK
The UK Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has just announced its first authorisation of a Long Term Asset Fund (LTAF). We have written about the FCA’s increased focus on continuing access by retail investors to wholesale or...more
On 1 February 1 2023, HM Treasury (HMT) issued a further policy statement on cryptoasset promotions in the UK, "Government approach to cryptoasset financial promotions regulation policy statement”. It updates HMT’s January...more
3/9/2023
/ Consultation ,
Cryptoassets ,
Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) ,
Financial Institutions ,
Financial Promotions ,
Financial Services Industry ,
HM Treasury ,
Marketing ,
Policy Statement ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
UK
In our previous client alert, The UK Consumer Duty: Next Steps for Private Fund Managers, we explored the new consumer duty rules contained in PS22/9: A new Consumer Duty. As we noted, the duty applies to managers who provide...more
2/8/2023
/ Alternative Investment Funds ,
Consumer Financial Contracts ,
Consumer Financial Products ,
Consumer Protection Laws ,
Dear CEO Letter ,
Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) ,
Financial Services Industry ,
Fund Managers ,
Private Funds ,
Retail Investors ,
UK
Since the European Commission (the Commission) published a proposed amending Directive (together with the results of its evaluation of AIFMD) in November 2021, there have been ongoing discussions between the European...more
Welcome to our January 2023 Horizon Scan, where we focus on some of the principal recent and expected developments and changes that we expect to be of interest to those in the non-listed funds sector. We have grouped the...more
1/19/2023
/ Alternative Investment Fund Managers Directive (AIFMD) ,
Climate Change ,
Consultation ,
Corporate Taxes ,
Divestment ,
ELTIF ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
EU ,
European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) ,
Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) ,
Greenwashing ,
Investment Funds ,
Packaged Retail And Insurance-Based Investment Products (PRIIPS) ,
Regulatory Authority ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Sustainable Finance ,
Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD) ,
UK
In a previous client alert (New Risk Warning Rules for UK Private Fund Managers: Action Required), we discussed the rules governing the main risk warnings for financial promotions of high-risk investments, which came into...more
In our previous client alert, we mentioned the need for managers to review new rules contained in PS22/10, published by the UK Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). The rules governing the main risk warnings for financial...more
In our previous Client Alert, Back to Work: The FCA's 2022-23 Priorities for Private Fund Managers, we mentioned the need for managers to consider the new consumer duty rules contained in PS22/9: A new Consumer...more
The advance of the regulation of crypto-assets and crypto-related service providers has been piecemeal in the U.K. The latest round of changes took place in the Money Laundering Regulations 2017 (MLR) on 1 September...more
9/21/2022
/ Acquisitions ,
Anti-Money Laundering ,
Change in Control ,
Change of Ownership ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Crypto Exchanges ,
Cryptoassets ,
Due Diligence ,
EU ,
Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) ,
FSMA ,
Investment Firms ,
Notice Requirements ,
Popular ,
Regulatory Oversight ,
Regulatory Standards ,
UK
The late summer saw the U.K. Financial Conduct Authority issue a “Dear CEO Letter” (the Letter) setting out its Alternatives Supervisory Strategy FCA Portfolio Letter: Our Alternatives Supervision Strategy 2022. With...more
9/8/2022
/ Business Plans ,
Compliance ,
Corporate Culture ,
Dear CEO Letter ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) ,
Financial Services Industry ,
Investment Funds ,
Market Abuse ,
Private Investment Funds ,
UK
SCOPE -
On 2 August 2021, The European Securities and Markets Authority (“ESMA”) published the Guidelines on Marketing Communications (the Guidelines) under the regulation on cross-border distribution of funds, which...more
1/26/2022
/ Alternative Investment Fund Managers Directive (AIFMD) ,
Alternative Investment Funds ,
Cross-Border ,
EU ,
European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) ,
Fund Distribution ,
Fund Management Companies ,
Fund Managers ,
Investors ,
Marketing ,
UCITS ,
Venture Capital
The European Securities and Markets Authority (“ESMA”) Final Report Guidelines on outsourcing to cloud service providers (“the Guidelines”) came into force on 31 July 2021 and apply to all cloud outsourcing arrangements...more
1/19/2022
/ Audits ,
Cloud Service Providers (CSPs) ,
EU ,
European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) ,
Exit Strategies ,
Financial Services Industry ,
Information Security ,
Investment Firms ,
Outsourcing ,
Termination ,
UK
As the Alternative Investment Fund Managers Directive (“AIFMD”) was being developed prior to 2011, there were serious concerns across the funds industry that it might force managers to set up their funds offshore to avoid the...more
12/10/2021
/ AIFM ,
Alternative Investment Fund Managers Directive (AIFMD) ,
Alternative Investment Funds ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
EU ,
European Commission ,
European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) ,
Fees ,
Fund Managers ,
Investors ,
Loan Origination Funds ,
Member State ,
Portfolio Managers ,
Proposed Amendments ,
Reporting Requirements
The purpose of this Client Alert is to consider some practical issues for managers when undertaking pre-marketing activities in the European Union following the implementation of the Cross Border Distribution of Funds...more
Although there is still significant uncertainty regarding any possible withdrawal agreement from the European Union in relation to financial services, the publication of the government’s draft financial services withdrawal...more
The implementation of the “packaged retail insurance-based investment products,” or PRIIPs, regulation throughout the European Union may have implications for REITs in the United States if their shares are determined to be...more
The European Commission has proposed a new directive to amend the Alternative Investment Managers Directive to standardise acceptable pre-marketing within the EU....more
Many managers may have assumed that the EU PRIIPS Regulation (the Regulation) does not apply to them because they do not generally raise capital from retail investors. Because, however, of the wide definition of “retail...more
When the Alternative Investment Fund Managers’ Directive (AIFMD) arrived, an alternative, lighter touch, regime for venture capital fund managers known as EUVECA was also introduced. The intention of EU legislators was a...more
The UK Government and the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) have decided to replace the existing Approved Persons Regime with a new Senior Managers and Certification Regime. This will have significant implications for all UK...more
Separate account managers and fund managers in the EU will need to comply with the regulatory rules under the new Markets in Financial Instruments Directive (MiFID II) with effect from 3 January 2018. There has been...more
The European Securities and Markets Authority gives the green light to the extension of the marketing passport to major non-EU funds markets.
...more