A number of leveraged funds, futures and options funds and market neutral funds seeking absolute returns were authorised by the Securities and Futures Commission in Hong Kong (SFC) during the 1990s, although most have since been wound up or deauthorised ...
The Asian hedge fund industry is comparatively new and small. However, the industry has witnessed phenomenal growth since 2002. The purpose of this book is to assist start-up managers to establish a hedge fund business. To date, a majority of the newly-established funds in Asia have been set up by fund managers or proprietary traders setting up their own business, after a successful career at one of the larger investment houses ...
The OFT has announced that, for a trial period of 18 months, it will offer cash rewards to individuals that blow the whistle on cartels. Pay outs of up to £100,000 could be made at the OFT’s discretion – but only where the information provided helps the regulator to identify and take action against illegal cartels ...
In late November 2007, the Supreme Court rendered a judgment on the law of sale in Quebec in the case of ABB Inc. v. Domtar Inc.(1) in which it pointed out important differences between Quebec law and the law of the other Canadian provinces regarding limitation of liability clauses ...
Investors in Scottish commercial property have been warned that the sector may see a zero per cent rate of growth in 2008 as supply continues to outstrip demand.In comparison to the situation just 12 months ago, where there were ten buyers for every commercial property put on the market, now ten sellers exist for every purchaser, new research from industry consultants Drivers Jonas has revealed ...
Real estate 1. Please briefly state what is considered real estate in your jurisdiction. What are the most common forms of security granted over it? How are they created and how are they perfected (that is, made valid and enforceable)?Under Romanian law, real estate (generally known as immovable property) covers land, buildings and those movable assets attached to land or buildings as fixtures ...
On 3 October, the European Commission fined Visa €10.2 million (approximately £7 million) for its refusal to admit Morgan Stanley Bank International Limited of the UK as a member of the Visa network. The fine is to be seen in the context of continuing regulatory scrutiny of the financial sector, and the banking sector in particular, at both the EU and UK level ...
With China’s accession to WTO in December 2001, China presents enormous opportunities for the international asset management industry, as the domestic financial market and players develop increasing sophistication ...
Deacons Financial Services Practice Group recently assisted an international fund manager in obtaining SFC approval for the first retail 130/30 fund to be authorised in Hong Kong ...
On 31 August 2007, the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) issued a circular which removed the so-called 80/20 rule. The 80/20 rule was one of the conditions for a non-resident fund to qualify for tax exemption under section 13C of the Singapore Income Tax Act ...
When August turns to September, 2007, a new market called NewConnect will open on the Warsaw Stock Exchange (WSE). It will support the trading of shares of small and medium-sized companies. The expectation is that issuers entering this new market will not be large companies (of market capitalization around PLN 20–30 million and with a public offer value from PLN several hundred thousand to several million) ...
Most of the attention at this week's ASEAN foreign ministers meeting in Manila focused on the failure of ASEAN to reach a definitive approach on establishing a human rights body for the grouping. The proposed ASEAN Charter is supposed to address human rights concerns through this new entity. Perhaps given the diversity in governance standards among members, this was to be expected ...
On 16 October 2006, the People’s Government of Guangzhou Municipality promulgated the Regulations of Guangzhou Municipality on Encouraging the Establishment of Headquarters and Regional Headquarters with Foreign Investment. The Regulations, which are effective for five years from the date of promulgation (i.e ...
The Ministry of Commerce issued the Provisional Measures on Tasks Related to Complaints from Foreign Investment Enterprises on 1 September 2006. Effective from 1 October 2006, the Measures establish a procedure pursuant to which foreign investment enterprises (FIEs) and foreign investors who feel their lawful rights have been infringed by an administrative agency may lodge a formal complaint ...
Regulation 45-106 respecting prospectus and registration exemptions (“Regulation 45-106”) has caused much concern and plenty of ink to flow since it came into force on September 14, 2005. The purpose of this newsletter is to discuss the modification made by Regulation 45-106 with respect to the restrictions that must be contained in an issuer’s constating documents in order for the issuer to have private issuer status(1) ...
On 11 June 2007, the Securities and Futures Commission (SFC) issued a circular (http://www.sfc.hk/sfcRegulatoryHandbook/EN/displayFileServlet?docno=H461) outlining a set of initiatives to streamline and simplify its licensing processes. The circular, which provides practical guidance to fund managers intending to apply to the SFC for a licence, is principally directed at overseas hedge fund managers from the US and the UK ...
On 10 May 2007, the China Banking Regulatory Commission (CBRC) issued its "Notice on the Adjustments to the Overseas Investment Scope of Overseas Wealth Management Business of Commercial Banks on behalf of their Clients". This Notice widens the investment scope permitted under the Qualified Domestic Institutional Investors scheme (QDII) applicable to commercial banks (including Chinese banks and approved foreign banks in China) ...
The SFC's feedback on their recent round of inspections of Investment Advisers (IAs) was shared with members of the Institute of Financial Planners of Hong Kong on 8 May 2007. The SFC reported that the main issues they identified were: insufficient knowledge of clients and lack of justification to illustrate suitability of advice ...
Section 135 of the Securities and Futures Ordinance (SFO) sets out various events to be reported by licensed persons to the SFC and by registered institutions to the HKMA and gives timelines for making these filings ...
The SFC recently appointed Mr. Mark Steward from the Australian Securities and Investment Commission (ASIC) as Executive Director of Enforcement. While enforcement initiatives of the SFC under his new leadership are still evolving, reference to the past record of ASIC’s enforcement may provide some hints ...
On 7 May 2007, the SFC updated the Licensing Related Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) on its website under the heading, "Other Topics relating to the Securities and Futures Ordinance (SFO)".The updated FAQs assist licensed corporations or licensed applicants in understanding the SFC's view on factors relating to suitability of business premises ...
A licensed corporation, registered institution, licensed individual, substantial shareholder of a licensed corporation, corporate licence applicant or an individual licence applicant can apply to the SFC to have certain sections of the Securities and Futures Ordinance (SFO) or any provision of rules made by the SFC modified or waived under the SFO according to section 134 of the SFO ...
In our November 2006 Asia IP Bulletin, we reported on a ground-breaking agreement (the "Agreement") signed by the Hong Kong and Mainland Chinese Governments, under which they agreed to recognise and enforce judgments made in each others courts. The Agreement followed four years of discussion and legislative changes are now underway in Hong Kong to implement the Agreement ...
The financial services industry recently witnessed a plethora of competition investigations. The banking sector, in particular, has attracted the attention of competition watchdogs in an increasingly complex regulatory environment. Following an 18-month European sector enquiry, UK banks seem to have largely escaped the danger of significant enforcement actions, except possibly in relation to credit cards ...
The President of the United States of America, George W. Bush, announced today the Implementation of the Dominican Republic-Central America-United States Free Trade Agreement, DR-CAFTA, with respect to the Dominican Republic. See press release from The White House http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2007/03/20070301.html#).The implementation of this free trade treaty opens a new era of commercial opportunities between the member countries to the DR-CAFTA ...
