Related provisions for TC 2.2A.2
- (1)
3The restriction in COBS 4.12.3 R does not apply if the promotion falls within an exemption in the table in (5) below.
- (2)
A firm may communicate an invitation or inducement to participate in an unregulated collective investment scheme without breaching the restriction on promotion in section 238 of the Act if the promotion falls within an exemption in the table in (5) below.
- (3)
Where the middle column in the table in (5) refers to promotion to a category of person, this means that the invitation or inducement:
- (a)
is made only to recipients who the firm has taken reasonable steps to establish are persons in that category; or
- (b)
is directed at recipients in a way that may reasonably be regarded as designed to reduce, so far as possible, the risk of participation in, acquisition or underwriting of the non-mainstream pooled investment by persons who are not in that category.
- (a)
- (4)
A firm may rely on more than one exemption in relation to the same invitation or inducement.
- (5)
Title of Exemption
Promotion to:
Promotion of a non-mainstream pooled investment which is:
1. Replacement products and rights issues
A person who already participates in, owns, holds rights to or interests in, a non-mainstream pooled investment that is being liquidated or wound down or which is undergoing a rights issue. [See Note 1.]
1. A non-mainstream pooled investment which is intended by the operator or manager to absorb or take over the assets of that non-mainstream pooled investment, or which is being offered by the operator or manager of that non-mainstream pooled investment as an alternative to cash on its liquidation;
or
2. Securities offered by the existing non-mainstream pooled investment as part of a rights issue.
2. Certified high net worth investors
An individual6 who meets the requirements set out in COBS 4.12.6 R, or a person (or persons) legally empowered to make investment decisions on behalf of such individual6.
Any non-mainstream pooled investment the firm considers is likely to be suitable for that individual6, based on a preliminary assessment of the client's profile and objectives.
[See COBS 4.12.5G (2).]
3. Enterprise and charitable funds
A person who is eligible to participate or invest in an arrangement constituted under:
(1) the Church Funds Investment Measure 1958;
(2) section 96 5or 100 of the Charities Act 2011;
(3) section 25 of the Charities Act (Northern Ireland) 1964;
(4) the Regulation on European Venture Capital Funds (‘EuVECAs’); or
(5) the Regulation on European Social Entrepreneurship Funds (‘EuSEFs’).
Any non-mainstream pooled investment which is such an arrangement.
4. Eligible employees
An eligible employee, that is, a person who is:
(1) an officer;
(2) an employee;
(3) a former officer or employee; or
(4) a member of the immediate family of any of (1) - (3), of an employer which is (or is in the same group as) the firm, or which has accepted responsibility for the activities of the firm in carrying out the designated investment business in question.
1. A non-mainstream pooled investment, the instrument constituting which:
A. restricts the property of the non-mainstream pooled investment, apart from cash and near cash, to:
(1) (where the employer is a company) shares in and debentures of the company or any other connected company; [See Note 2.]
(2) (in any case), any property, provided that the non-mainstream pooled investment takes the form of:
(i) a limited partnership, under the terms of which the employer (or connected company) will be the unlimited partner and the eligible employees will be some or all of the limited partners; or
(ii) a trust which the firm reasonably believes not to contain any risk that any eligible employee may be liable to make any further payments (other than charges) for investment transactions earlier entered into, which the eligible employee was not aware of at the time he entered into them; and
B. (in a case falling within A(1) above) restricts participation in the non-mainstream pooled investment to eligible employees, the employer and any connected company.
2. Any non-mainstream pooled investment, provided that the participation of eligible employees is to facilitate their co-investment:
(i) with one or more companies in the same group as their employer (which may include the employer); or
5. Members of the Society of Lloyd’s
A person admitted to membership of the Society of Lloyd's or any person by law entitled or bound to administer his affairs.
A scheme in the form of a limited partnership which is established for the sole purpose of underwriting insurance business at Lloyd's.
6. Exempt persons
An exempt person (other than a person exempted only by section 39 of the Act (Exemption of appointed representatives)) if the financial promotion relates to a regulated activity in respect of which the person is exempt from the general prohibition.
7. Non-retail clients
An eligible counterparty or a professional client.
Any non-mainstream pooled investment in relation to which the client is categorised as a professional client or eligible counterparty.
[See Note 4.]
8. Certified sophisticated investors
An individual6 who meets the requirements set out in COBS 4.12.7 R, including an individual who is legally empowered (solely or jointly with others) to make investment decisions on behalf of another person who is the firm'sclient6.
9. Self-certified sophisticated investors
An individual6 who meets the requirements set out in COBS 4.12.8 R, including an individual who is legally empowered (solely or jointly with others) to make investment decisions on behalf of another person who is the firm'sclient6.
Any non-mainstream pooled investment the firm considers is likely to be suitable for that client, based on a preliminary assessment of the client's profile and objectives.
[See COBS 4.12.5G (2)]
10. Solicited advice
Any person.
Any non-mainstream pooled investment, provided the communication meets all of the following requirements:
(a) the communication only amounts to a financial promotion because it is a personal recommendation on a non-mainstream pooled investment;
(b) the personal recommendation is made following a specific request by that client for advice on the merits of investing in the non-mainstream pooled investment; and
(c) the client has not previously received a financial promotion or any other communication from the firm (or from a person connected to the firm) which is intended to influence the client in relation to that non-mainstream pooled investment. [See Note 3.]
11. Excluded communications
Any person.
Any non-mainstream pooled investment, provided the financial promotion is an excluded communication.
[See COBS 4.12.12 G and COBS 4.12.13 G.]
12. Non-recognised UCITS
Any person.
Any EEA UCITS scheme which is not a recognised scheme, provided the following requirements are met:
(1) the firm considers it is likely to be suitable for that client based on a preliminary assessment of the client's profile and objectives; and
(2) the firm provides that client with the same product information as it would be required to provide by COBS 14.2 if the scheme was a recognised scheme.
[See COBS 4.12.5G (2).]
13. US persons
A person who is classified as a United States person for tax purposes under United States legislation or who owns a US qualified retirement plan.
Any investment company registered and operated in the United States under the Investment Company Act 1940.
The following Notes explain certain words and phrases used in the table above.
Note 1
Promotion of non-mainstream pooled investments to a category of person includes any nominee company acting for such a person.
Note 2
A company is 'connected' with another company if:
- they are both in the same group; or
- one company is entitled, either alone or with another company in the same group, to exercise or control the exercise of a majority of the voting rights attributable to the share capital, which are exercisable in all circumstances at any general meeting of the other company or of its holding company.
Note 3
A person is connected with a firm if it acts as an introducer or appointed representative for that firm or if it is any other person, regardless of authorisation status, who has a relevant business relationship with the firm.
Note 4
In deciding whether a promotion is permitted under the rules of this section or under section 238 of the Act, firms may use the client categorisation regime that applies to business other than MiFID or equivalent third country business. (This is the case even if the firm will be carrying on a MiFID activity at the same time as or following the promotion.)
Module |
Relevance to Credit Unions |
The Principles for Businesses (PRIN) |
The Principles for Businesses (PRIN) set out, high-level requirements, some of which are imposed by the FCA and some by the PRA.12 They provide a general statement of regulatory requirements. The Principles apply to all12credit unions. In applying the Principles to credit unions, the appropriate regulator12 will be mindful of proportionality. In practice, the implications are likely to vary according to the size of the credit union. 121212 |
Senior Management Arrangements, Systems and Controls (SYSC) |
SYSC 1 and SYSC 4 to 10 apply to all credit unions in respect of the carrying on of their regulated activities and unregulated activities in a prudential context. SYSC 18 applies to all credit unions without restriction. |
Threshold Conditions (COND) |
In order to become authorised under the Act all firms must meet the threshold conditions. The threshold conditions must be met on a continuing basis by credit unions. Failure to meet one of the conditions is sufficient grounds for the exercise by the appropriate regulator12 of its powers. 1212 |
Statements of Principle and Code of Practice for Approved Persons (APER) |
The purpose of the Statements of Principle contained in APER 2 is to provide guidance to approved persons in relation to the conduct expected of them in the performance of a controlled function. The Code of Practice for Approved Persons sets out descriptions of conduct which, in the opinion of the appropriate regulator12, do not comply with a Statement of Principle and, in the case of Statement of Principle 3, conduct which tends to show compliance within that statement. 12 |
The Fit and Proper test for Approved Persons (FIT) |
The purpose of FIT is to set out and describe the criteria that the appropriate regulator12 will consider when assessing the fitness and propriety of a person in respect of whom an application is being made for approval to undertake a controlled function under the approved persons regime. The criteria are also relevant in assessing the continuing fitness and propriety of persons who have already been approved. 12 |
General Provisions (GEN) |
GEN contains rules and guidance on general matters, including interpreting the Handbook, statutory status disclosure, the appropriate regulator's12 logo and insurance against financial penalties. |
Fees manual (FEES) |
This manual sets out the fees applying to credit unions. |
Conduct of Business sourcebook (COBS) |
A credit union which acts as a CTF provider or provides a cash-deposit ISA will need to be aware of the relevant requirements in COBS. COBS 4.6 (Past, simulated past and future performance), COBS 4.7.1 R (Direct offer financial promotions), COBS 4.10 (Systems and controls and approving and communicating financial promotions), COBS 13 (Preparing product information) and COBS 14 (Providing product information to clients) apply with respect to accepting deposits as set out in those provisions, COBS 4.1 and BCOBS. |
Banking: Conduct of Business sourcebook (BCOBS) |
BCOBS sets out rules and guidance for credit unions on how they should conduct their business with their customers. In particular there are rules and guidance relating to communications with banking customers and financial promotions (BCOBS 2), distance communications (BCOBS 3), information to be communicated to banking customers (BCOBS 4), post sale requirements (BCOBS 5), and cancellation (BCOBS 6). BCOBS 5.1.13 R (Value dating) does not apply to credit unions. The rules in BCOBS 3.1 that relate to distance contracts for accepting deposits are likely to have limited application to a credit union. This is because the Distance Marketing Directive only applies where there is "an organised distance sales or service-provision scheme run by the supplier" (Article 2(a)). If, therefore, the credit union normally operates face to face and has not set up facilities to enable customers to deal with it at a distance, such as facilities for a customer to deal with it purely by post, telephone, fax or the Internet, the provisions will not be relevant. |
Supervision manual (SUP) |
The following provisions of SUP are relevant to credit unions: 13SUP 1A13 (The appropriate regulator's12 approach to supervision), SUP 2 (Information gathering by the appropriate regulator12 on its own initiative), SUP 3.1 to SUP 3.8 (Auditors), SUP 5 (Skilled persons), SUP 6 (Applications to vary or cancel Part 4A12permission), SUP 7 (Individual requirements), SUP 8 (Waiver and modification of rules), SUP 9 (Individual guidance), 13SUP 10A and SUP 10B13 (Approved persons), SUP 11 (Controllers and Close links), SUP 15 (Notifications to the appropriate regulator12) and SUP 16 (Reporting Requirements). Credit unions are reminded that they are subject to the requirements of the Act and SUP 11 on controllers and close links, and are bound to notify the appropriate regulator12 of changes. It may be unlikely, in practice, that credit unions will develop such relationships. It is possible, however, that a person may acquire control of a credit union within the meaning of the Act by reason of holding the prescribed proportion of deferred shares in the credit union. In relation to SUP 16, credit unions are exempted from the requirement to submit annual reports of controllers and close links. 1212121212 |
Decision, Procedure and Penalties manual (DEPP) |
DEPP is relevant to credit unions because it sets out: (1) the FCA's12 decision-making procedure for giving statutory notices. These are warning notices, decision notices and supervisory notices (DEPP 1.2 to DEPP 5); and (2) the FCA's12 policy with respect to the imposition and amount of penalties under the Act (see DEPP 6). 1212 |
Dispute Resolution: Complaints (DISP) |
DISP sets out rules and guidance in relation to treating complainants fairly and the Financial Ombudsman Service. |
Compensation (COMP) |
COMP sets out rules relating to the scheme for compensating consumers when authorised firms are unable, or likely to be unable, to satisfy claims against them.12 |
The Enforcement Guide (EG) |
The Enforcement Guide (EG) describes the FCA's12 approach to exercising the main enforcement powers given to it by the Act and by regulation 12 of the Unfair Terms Regulations. 12 |
Financial crime: a guide for firms (FC) |
FC provides guidance on steps that a firm can take to reduce the risk that it might be used to further financial crime. |