Throughout August you will have seen a number of regulators publishing updated circulars, opinions and notices in relation to the application of the ESMA Guidelines on stress test scenarios under the Money Market Fund Regulation (EU) 2017/1131 (MMFR). Including regulators such as the: MFSA, CMVM, Central Bank of Ireland, FSMA & CSSF.
An increase in global regulation has subjected fund managers and their outsourcing partners to greater scrutiny over NAV oversight and resilience. Although the Asset Management industry, including ManCos, continued to operate smoothly and without interruptions to the challenges raised by Covid, they did face a number of obstacles.
Of all the new regulations we have seen over the last few years, few have raised as many concerns, or have been as controversial and polarising as the KID requirements under the regulation for Packaged Retail and Insurance-based Investment Products (PRIIPs).
In an attempt to address many of the concerns raised over the years, the FCA have published a consultation setting out their proposals to change disclosure documents provided to retail investors under the PRIIPs regulation.
In 2019, the Bank of England (BoE) and Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) launched a joint review into vulnerabilities associated with the liquidity mismatch. The review built on the FPC’s 2015 assessment; the FCA’s 2019 Policy Statement on funds investing in inherently illiquid assets; and the work by the FSB and the International Organization of Securities Commissions (IOSCO).
The pressure is rising on the ManCo industry – Management Companies (ManCos) are dealing with more regulations, and more regulatory change than ever before. This constant churning of regulatory change, coupled with increased scrutiny from regulators has led to a complex, pressured regulatory environment. However, this increased scrutiny is not the only challenge facing Mancos!
You’ve heard of FinTech, you’ve heard of RegTech, but have you heard of ManCoTech? It’s the latest “buzzword” in the European investment and compliance community. So what exactly is ManCoTech and why is it gaining such prominence?
The Chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) recently gave a speech at London City Week. During the speech, he discussed three key areas on the reform agenda at the SEC. One of those areas was on transparency, and in particular, the area of beneficial ownership and Schedule 13D reporting.
Last week the FCA published the results of their review on ‘host’ Authorised Fund Management firms’ which concluded with the FCA wanting to see “significant improvements” with many currently failing to meet the FCA standards. This week, the FCA have issued their findings on the review of AFMs Assessment of Value reports. Unfortunately, this review does not provide any easier reading and delivers another huge blow to the industry.
On 30th June, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) published a review of Host Authorised Fund Management Firms. The review, which was carried out between Q4 2019 to Q4 2020.
Liquidity risk in managed funds has been a prominent and increasing concern of regulators globally, particularly in the past two years, in the wake of some high-profile liquidity events. The New Zealand Financial Market Authority (FMA), following a familiar trend we’ve seen recently from many regulators, has published a liquidity risk management report.
