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COBS 6.1ZA Information about the firm and compensation information (MiFID provisions)

Application

COBS 6.1ZA.1 R
  1. (1)

    2Subject to (2), this section applies to a firm in relation to its MiFID, equivalent third country or optional exemption business.

  2. (2)

    COBS 6.1ZA.16R2 does not apply to a firm in respect of its MiFID optional exemption business.

COBS 6.1ZA.2 G

2This section imposes requirements relating to disclosure of information to clients that are additional to the general requirements in COBS 2.2A.

Effect of provisions marked “EU” for third country investment firms and MiFID optional exemption firms

COBS 6.1ZA.3 R

2Provisions in this section marked “EU” apply in relation to MiFID optional exemption business as if they were rules (see COBS 1.2.2G).

COBS 6.1ZA.4 G

2The effect of GEN 2.2.22AR is that provisions in this section marked “EU” also apply in relation to the equivalent business of a third country investment firm as if they were rules.

[Note: ESMA has issued guidelines under article 16(3) of the ESMA Regulation on cross-selling practices

. See https://www.esma.europa.eu/sites/default/files/library/2016-574_en_guidelines_on_cross-selling_practices.pdf]

Information about a firm and its services

COBS 6.1ZA.5 EU

1 247(1) Investment firms shall provide clients or potential clients with the following general information, where relevant:

(a) the name and address of the investment firm, and the contact details necessary to enable clients to communicate effectively with the firm;

(b) the languages in which the client may communicate with the investment firm, and receive documents and other information from the firm;

(c) the methods of communication to be used between the investment firm and the client including, where relevant, those for the sending and reception of orders;

(d) a statement of the fact that the investment firm is authorised and the name and contact address of the competent authority that has authorised it;

(e) where the investment firm is acting through a tied agent, a statement of this fact specifying the Member State in which that agent is registered;

(f) the nature, frequency and timing of the reports on the performance of the service to be provided by the investment firm to the client in accordance with Article 25(6) of Directive 2014/65/EU;

(g) where the investment firm holds client financial instruments or client funds, a summary description of the steps which it takes to ensure their protection, including summary details of any relevant investor compensation or deposit guarantee scheme which applies to the firm by virtue of its activities in a Member State;

(h) a description, which may be provided in summary form, of the conflicts of interest policy maintained by the firm in accordance with Article 34;

(i) at the request of the client, further details of that conflicts of interest policy in a durable medium or by means of a website (where that does not constitute a durable medium) provided that the conditions set out Article 3(2) are satisfied.

The information listed in points (a) to (i) shall be provided in good time before the provision of investment services or ancillary services to clients or potential clients.

[Note: article 47(1) of the MiFID Org Regulation]

COBS 6.1ZA.6 G

2Reference in COBS 6.1ZA.5EU2 to “Article 25(6) of Directive 2014/65/EU” is to the requirements in COBS 16A.2.1R.

COBS 6.1ZA.7 G

2A firm disclosing details of its authorisation should refer to the appropriate form of words set out in GEN 4 Annex 1R or GEN 4 Annex 1AR as appropriate.

Information about a firm’s portfolio management service

COBS 6.1ZA.8 EU

247(2) When providing the service of portfolio management, investment firms shall establish an appropriate method of evaluation and comparison such as a meaningful benchmark, based on the investment objectives of the client and the types of financial instruments included in the client portfolio, so as to enable the client for whom the service is provided to assess the firm’s performance.

47(3) Where investment firms propose to provide portfolio management services to a client or potential client, they shall provide the client, in addition to the information required under paragraph 1, with such of the following information as is applicable:

(a) information on the method and frequency of valuation of the financial instruments in the client portfolio;

(b) details of any delegation of the discretionary management of all or part of the financial instruments or funds in the client portfolio;

(c) a specification of any benchmark against which the performance of the client portfolio will be compared;

(d) the types of financial instrument that may be included in the client portfolio and types of transaction that may be carried out in such instruments, including any limits;

(e) the management objectives, the level of risk to be reflected in the manager’s exercise of discretion, and any specific constraints on that discretion.

The information listed in points (a) to (e) shall be provided in good time before the provision of investment services or ancillary services to clients or potential clients.

[Note: articles 47(2) and (3) of the MiFID Org Regulation]

Information concerning safeguarding of financial instruments belonging to clients and client money

COBS 6.1ZA.9 EU

249(1) Investment firms holding financial instruments or funds belonging to clients shall provide those clients or potential clients with the information specified in paragraphs 2 to 7 where relevant.

49(2) The investment firm shall inform the client or potential client where the financial instruments or funds of that client may be held by a third party on behalf of the investment firm and of the responsibility of the investment firm under the applicable national law for any acts or omissions of the third party and the consequences for the client of the insolvency of the third party.

49(3) Where financial instruments of the client or potential client may, if permitted by national law, be held in an omnibus account by a third party, the investment firm shall inform the client of this fact and shall provide a prominent warning of the resulting risks.

49(4) The investment firm shall inform the client or potential client where it is not possible under national law for client financial instruments held with a third party to be separately identifiable from the proprietary financial instruments of that third party or of the investment firm and shall provide a prominent warning of the resulting risks.

49(5) The investment firm shall inform the client or potential client where accounts that contain financial instruments or funds belonging to that client or potential client are or will be subject to the law of a jurisdiction other than that of a Member State and shall indicate that the rights of the client or potential client relating to those financial instruments or funds may differ accordingly.

49(6) An investment firm shall inform the client about the existence and the terms of any security interest or lien which the firm has or may have over the client’s financial instruments or funds, or any right of set-off it holds in relation to those instruments or funds. Where applicable, it shall also inform the client of the fact that a depository may have a security interest or lien over, or right of set-off in relation to those instruments or funds.

49(7) An investment firm, before entering into securities financing transactions in relation to financial instruments held by it on behalf of a client, or before otherwise using such financial instruments for its own account or the account of another client shall in good time before the use of those instruments provide the client, in a durable medium, with clear, full and accurate information on the obligations and responsibilities of the investment firm with respect to the use of those financial instruments, including the terms for their restitution, and on the risks involved.

[Note: article 49 of the MiFID Org Regulation]

COBS 6.1ZA.10 G

2 Firms subject to either or both the custody rules and the client money rules are reminded of the information requirements concerning custody assets and client money in CASS 9.3 (Prime brokerage agreement disclosure annex) and CASS 9.4 (Information to clients concerning custody assets and client money).

Information about costs and associated charges

COBS 6.1ZA.11 R

2 COBS 2.2A.2R requires a firm to provide a client with information about all costs and related charges. That information must include:

  1. (1)

    information relating to both investment services and ancillary services;

  2. (2)

    where relevant, the cost of any investment advice;

  3. (3)

    the cost of the financial instrument recommended or marketed to the client;

  4. (4)

    information on how the client may pay; and

  5. (5)

    details of any third party payments.

[Note: article 24(4)(c) of MiFID]

COBS 6.1ZA.12 R
  1. (1)

    2A firm must aggregate the information about costs and charges required by COBS 2.2A.2R and COBS 6.1ZA.11R2, where those costs and charges are not caused by the occurrence of underlying market risk. This is to allow the client to understand the overall cost, and the cumulative effect on the return, of the investment.

  2. (2)

    A firm must provide the client with an itemised breakdown of the costs and charges information required by (1) and COBS 6.1ZA.11R2 when requested by the client.

  3. (3)

    The information must, where applicable, be provided to the client on a regular basis, and at least annually, during the life of the investment.

[Note: article 24(4) of MiFID]

COBS 6.1ZA.13 R
  1. (1)

    2A firm must provide the information required by COBS 6.1ZA.11R2 and COBS 6.1ZA.12R2 in a comprehensible form in such a manner that the client is reasonably able to understand the nature and risks of the investment service and of the specific type of financial instrument that is being offered and, consequently, to take investment decisions on an informed basis.

  2. (2)

    That information may be provided in a standardised format.

[Note: article 24(5) of MiFID]

COBS 6.1ZA.14 EU

250(1) For the purposes of providing information to clients on all costs and charges pursuant to Article 24(4) of Directive 2014/65/EU, investment firms shall comply with the detailed requirements in paragraphs 2 to 10.

Without prejudice to the obligations set out in Article 24(4) of Directive 2014/65/EU, investment firms providing investment services to professional clients shall have the right to agree to a limited application of the detailed requirements set out in this Article with these clients. Investment firms shall not be allowed to agree such limitations when the services of investment advice or portfolio management are provided or when, irrespective of the investment service provided, the financial instruments concerned embed a derivative.

Without prejudice to the obligations set out in Article 24(4) of Directive 2014/65/EU, investment firms providing investment services to eligible counterparties shall have the right to agree to a limited application of the detailed requirements set out in this Article, except when, irrespective of the investment service provided, the financial instruments concerned embed a derivative and the eligible counterparty intends to offer them to its clients.50(2) For ex-ante and ex-post disclosure of information on costs and charges to clients, investment firms shall aggregate the following:

(a) all costs and associated charges charged by the investment firm or other parties where the client has been directed to such other parties, for the investment services(s) and/or ancillary services provided to the client; and

(b) all costs and associated charges associated with the manufacturing and managing of the financial instruments.

Costs referred to in points (a) and (b) are listed in Annex II to this Regulation. For the purposes of point (a), third party payments received by investment firms in connection with the investment service provided to a client shall be itemised separately and the aggregated costs and charges shall be totalled and expressed both as a cash amount and as a percentage.

50(3) Where any part of the total costs and charges is to be paid in or represents an amount of foreign currency, investment firms shall provide an indication of the currency involved and the applicable currency conversion rates and costs. Investments firms shall also inform about the arrangements for payment or other performance.

50(4) In relation to the disclosure of product costs and charges that are not included in the UCITS KIID, the investment firms shall calculate and disclose these costs, for example, by liaising with UCITS management companies to obtain the relevant information.

50(5) The obligation to provide in good time a full ex-ante disclosure of information about the aggregated costs and charges related to the financial instrument and to the investment or ancillary service provided shall apply to investment firms in the following situations:

(a) where the investment firm recommends or markets financial instruments to clients; or

(b) where the investment firm providing any investment services is required to provide clients with a UCITS KIID or PRIIPs KID in relation to the relevant financial instruments, in accordance with relevant Union legislation.

50(6) Investment firms that do not recommend or market a financial instrument to the client or are not obliged to provide the client with a KID/KIID in accordance with relevant Union legislation shall inform their clients about all costs and charges relating to the investment and/or ancillary service provided.

50(7) Where more than one investment firm provides investment or ancillary services to the client, each investment firm shall provide information about the costs of the investment or ancillary services it provides. An investment firm that recommends or markets to its clients the services provided by another firm, shall aggregate the cost and charges of its services together with the cost and charges of the services provided by the other firm. An investment firm shall take into account the costs and charges associated to the provision of other investment or ancillary services by other firms where it has directed the client to these other firms.

50(8) Where calculating costs and charges on an ex-ante basis, investment firms shall use actually incurred costs as a proxy for the expected costs and charges. Where actual costs are not available, the investment firm shall make reasonable estimations of these costs. Investment firms shall review ex-ante assumptions based on the ex-post experience and shall make adjustment to these assumptions, where necessary.

50(9) Investment firms shall provide annual ex-post information about all costs and charges related to both the financial instrument(s) and investment and ancillary service(s) where they have recommended or marketed the financial instrument(s) or where they have provided the client with the KID/KIID in relation to the financial instrument(s) and they have or have had an ongoing relationship with the client during the year. Such information shall be based on costs incurred and shall be provided on a personalised basis.

Investment firms may choose to provide such aggregated information on costs and charges of the investment services and the financial instruments together with any existing periodic reporting to clients.

50(10) Investment firms shall provide their clients with an illustration showing the cumulative effect of costs on return when providing investment services. Such an illustration shall be provided both on an ex-ante and ex-post basis. Investment firms shall ensure that the illustration meets the following requirements:

(a) the illustration shows the effect of the overall costs and charges on the return of the investment;

(b) the illustration shows any anticipated spikes or fluctuations in the costs; and

(c) the illustration is accompanied by a description of the illustration.

[Note: article 50 of the MiFID Org Regulation]

COBS 6.1ZA.15 G

2The rules on inducements in COBS 2.3A may also require a firm to disclose information to a client in relation to the benefits provided to a firm.

Information about costs and charges of different services or products

COBS 6.1ZA.16 R
  1. (1)

    2This rule applies to a firm that offers an investment service with another service or product or as part of a package or as a condition of the same agreement or package.

  2. (2)

    The firm must inform the client whether it is possible to buy the different components separately and must provide information on the costs and charges of each component.

  3. (3)

    If the agreement or package is offered to a retail client, the firm must:

    1. (a)

      inform that retail client if the risks resulting from the agreement or package are likely to be different from the risks associated with the components when taken separately; and

    2. (b)

      provide that retail client with an adequate description of the different components of the agreement or package and the way in which its interaction modifies the risks.

[Note: article 24(11) of MiFID]

Timing of disclosure

COBS 6.1ZA.17 EU

246(2) Investment firms shall, in good time before the provision of investment services or ancillary services to clients or potential clients, to provide the information required under Articles 47 to 50.

[Note: article 46(2) of the MiFID Org Regulation]

COBS 6.1ZA.18 G

2The following provisions of COBS reproduce the information requirements contained in Articles 47 to 50 of the MiFID Org Regulation: COBS 6.1ZA.5EU, COBS 6.1ZA.8EU, COBS 6.1ZA.9EU, COBS 6.1ZA.2.14EU2, and COBS 14.3A.5EU.

Medium of disclosure

COBS 6.1ZA.19 EU

246(3) The information referred to in paragraphs 1 and 2 shall be provided in a durable medium or by means of a website (where it does not constitute a durable medium) provided that the conditions specified in Article 3(2) are satisfied.

[Note: article 46(3) of the MiFID Org Regulation]

Keeping the client up to date

COBS 6.1ZA.20 EU

246(4) Investment firms shall notify a client in good time about any material change to the information provided under Articles 47 to 50 which is relevant to a service that the firm is providing to that client. That notification shall be given in a durable medium if the information to which it relates is given in a durable medium.

[Note: article 46(4) of the MiFID Org Regulation]

Existing clients

COBS 6.1ZA.21 G
  1. (1)

    2A firm need not treat each of several transactions in respect of the same type of financial instrument as a new or different service and so does not need to comply with the disclosure rules in this chapter in relation to each transaction.

    [Note: recital 69 to the MiFID Org Regulation]

  2. (2)

    A firm should ensure that the client has received all relevant information in relation to a subsequent transaction, such as details of product charges that differ from those disclosed in respect of a previous transaction.

Compensation information

COBS 6.1ZA.22 R
  1. (1)

    2A firm must make available to a client, who has used or intends to use a firm’s services, information necessary for the identification of the compensation scheme or any other investor-compensation scheme of which the firm is a member (including, if relevant, membership through a branch) or any alternative arrangement provided for in accordance with the Investor Compensation Directive.

  2. (2)

    The information under (1) must include the amount and scope of the cover offered by the compensation scheme and any rules laid down by the EEA State pursuant to article 2(3) of the Investor Compensation Directive.

  3. (3)

    A firm must provide, on the client’s request, information concerning the conditions governing compensation and the formalities which must be completed to obtain compensation.

  4. (4)

    The information provided for in this rule must be made available in a durable medium or via a website if the website conditions are satisfied in the official language or languages of the EEA State.

[Note: article 10(1) and (2) of the Investor Compensation Directive]

Record keeping: information about the firm and compensation information

COBS 6.1ZA.23 G

2 Firms are reminded of the general record-keeping requirements in SYSC 9.