Related provisions for DTR 6.2.9

PERG 2:

Authorisation and regulated activities

• an unauthorised person wishing to find out whether he needs to be authorised or exempt
• an authorised person wishing to know whether he needs to vary hisPart 4A permission

• the regulatory scope of the Act
• the Regulated Activities Order
• the Exemption Order
• the Business Order

PERG 3A:8

Guidance on the scope of the Electronic Money Regulations8

a person who needs to know

• whether a particular electronic payment product is8electronic money8 and whether the person issuing it needs to be8 authorised or registered under the Electronic Money Regulations8

• the scope of the8Electronic Money Regulations8

PERG 4:

Regulated activities connected with mortgages

any person who needs to know whether the activities he conducts in relation to mortgages are subject to FCA regulation. This is likely to include:

• lenders
• administration service providers
• mortgage brokers and advisers

the scope of relevant orders (in particular, the Regulated Activities Order) as respects activities concerned with mortgages

PERG 5:

Insurance

mediation

activities

any person who needs to know whether he carries on insurance mediation activities and is, thereby, subject to FCA regulation. This is likely to include:

• insurance brokers
• insurance advisers
• insurance undertakings
• other persons involved in the sale or administration of contracts of insurance, where these activities are secondary to their main business.

the scope of relevant orders (in particular, the Regulated Activities Order) as respects activities concerned with the sale or administration of insurance

PERG 6:

Identification of contracts of insurance

any person who needs to know whether a contract with which he is involved is a contract of insurance

the general principles and range of specific factors that the FCA regards as relevant in deciding whether any arrangement is a contract of insurance

PERG 7:

Periodical publications, news services and broadcasts: application for certification

any person who needs to know whether he will be regulated for providing advice about investments through the medium of a periodical publication, a broadcast or a news service

• the circumstances in which such persons will be carrying on the regulated activities of advising on investments or advising on regulated mortgage contracts (including where a request for a certificate may be appropriate)
• how theFCA will exercise its power to grant certificates

PERG 8:

Financial promotion and related activities

any person who needs to know

• whether his communications are financial promotions or are subject to the restriction in section 21 of the Act or both
• whether his activities in making or helping others to make financial promotions are regulated activities.
• whether he is marketing an AIF.11

• the scope of the restriction on financial promotion under section 21 of the Act and the main exemptions provided
• the circumstances in which persons who are primarily involved in making or helping others to make financial promotions may themselves be conducting regulated activities requiring authorisation or exemption
• the marketing of an AIF.11

PERG 9:

Meaning of open-ended investment company

any person who needs to know whether a body corporate is an open-ended investment company as defined in section 236 of the Act (Open-ended investment companies) and is therefore a collective investment scheme.

the circumstances in which a body corporate will be an open-ended investment company

PERG 10:

Activities related to pension schemes

Any person who needs to know whether his activities in relation to pension schemes will amount to regulated activities or whether the restriction in section 21 of the Act will apply to any financial promotions he may make.1

• the regulated activities that arise in connection with the establishment and operation of pension schemes and any exclusions that may be relevant
• the circumstances in which financial promotions about pension schemes may be exempt from the restriction in section 21 of the Act1

4PERG 11:

Property investment clubs and land investment schemes

Any person who needs to know whether his activities in relation to property investment clubs and land investment schemes will amount to regulated activities or whether the restriction in section 21 of the Act will apply to any financial promotions he may make.

• the regulated activities that may arise in connection with the establishment and operation of property investment clubs and land investment schemes and any exclusions that may be relevant
• the extent to which the financial promotion restriction in section 21 of the Act applies

2PERG 12:

Running or advising on personal pension schemes

any person who needs to know whether his activities in relation to establishing, running, advising on or marketing personal pension schemes will amount to regulated activities

the regulated activities that arise in connection with establishing, running, advising on or marketing personal pension schemes and any exclusions that may be relevant

3PERG 13:

Guidance on the scope of MiFID and CRD IV12

Any UK person who needs to know whether MiFID or the CRD and EUCRR (which allow the recast CAD to continue to apply to certain firms)9as implemented in the UK apply to him5

the scope of MiFID and the CRD and EUCRR.5

3PERG 14:

Home reversion,7 home finance and regulated sale and rent back 7activities

Any person who needs to know whether his activities in relation to home reversion plans,7home purchase plans or regulated sale and rent back agreements7will amount to regulated activities or whether the restriction in section 21 of the Act will apply to any financial promotions he may make.

• the regulated activities that arise in connection with home reversion plans,7 home purchase plansand regulated sale and rent back agreements7and any exclusions that may be relevant
• the circumstances in which financial promotions about home reversion plans,7home purchase plansand regulated sale and rent back agreements7may be made without breaching the restriction in section 21 of the Act

6PERG 15: Guidance on the scope of the Payment Services Regulations 2009

Any person with an establishment in the UK who needs to know whether the Payment Services Directive, as transposed in UK legislation by the Payment Services Regulations 2009, applies to him.

Q46 applies specifically to persons providing payment services from an establishment outside the EEA to persons located in the UK.

the scope of the PSD Regulations 2009.11

11PERG 16: Scope of the Alternative Investment Fund Managers Directive

any person who needs to know whether a collective investment undertaking is an AIF.

the scope of the regulated activities of managing an AIF and acting as trustee or depositary of an AIF.10

10PERG 17: Consumer credit debt counselling

Any person who needs to know whether his activities in relation to debts will amount to debt counselling.

The scope of the regulated activities relating to consumer credit debt counselling.

1

Can a body corporate be both open-ended and closed-ended at the same time?

In the FCA's view, the answer to this question is 'no'. The fact that the investment condition is applied to BC (rather than to particular shares in, or securities of, BC) means that a body corporate is either an open-ended investment company as defined in section 236 of the Act or it is not. Where BC is an open-ended investment company, all of its securities would be treated as units of a collective investment scheme for the purpose of the Act. A body corporate formed in another jurisdiction may, however, be regarded as open-ended under the laws of that jurisdiction but not come within the definition of an open-ended investment company in section 236 (and vice versa).

2

Can an open-ended investment company become closed-ended (or a closed-ended body become open-ended)?

In the FCA's view, the answer to this question is 'yes'. A body corporate may change from open-ended to closed-ended (and vice versa) if, taking an overall view, circumstances change so that a hypothetical reasonable investor would consider that the investment condition is no longer met (or vice versa). This might happen where, for example, an open-ended investment company stops its policy of redeeming shares or securities at regular intervals (so removing the expectation that a reasonable investor would be able to realise his investment within a period appearing to him to be reasonable). See also PERG 9.7.5 G.

3

Does the liquidation of a body corporate affect the assessment of whether or not the body is an open-ended investment company?

The FCA considers that the possibility that a body corporate that would otherwise be regarded as closed-ended may be wound up has no effect at all on the nature of the body corporate before the winding up. The fact that, on a winding up, the shares or securities of any investor in the body corporate may be converted into cash or money on the winding up (and so 'realised') would not, in the FCA's view, affect the outcome of applying the expectation test to the body corporate when looked at as a whole. The answer to Question 4 explains that investment in a closed-ended fixed term company shortly before its winding up does not, in the FCA view, change the closed-ended nature of the company. For companies with no fixed term, the theoretical possibility of a winding up at some uncertain future point is not, in the FCA's view, a matter that would generally carry weight with a reasonable investor in assessing whether he could expect to be able to realise his investment within a reasonable period.

4

Does a fixed term closed-ended investment company become an open-ended investment company simply because the fixed term will expire?

In the FCA's view, the answer to this is 'no'. The termination of the body corporate is an event that has always been contemplated (and it will appear in the company's constitution). Even as the date of the expiry of the fixed term approaches, there is nothing about the body corporate itself that changes so as to cause a fundamental reassessment of its nature as something other than closed-ended. Addressing this very point in parliamentary debate, the Economic Secretary to the Treasury stated that the "aim and effect [of the definition] is to cover companies that look, to a reasonable investor, like open-ended investment companies". The Minister added that "A reasonable investor's overall expectations of potential investment in a company when its status with respect to the definition is being judged will determine whether it meets the definition. The matter is therefore, definitional rather than one of proximity to liquidation". (Hansard HC, 5 June 2000 col 124).

5

In what circumstances will a body corporate that issues a mixture of redeemable and non-redeemable shares or securities be an open-ended investment company?

In the FCA's view, the existence of non-redeemable shares or securities will not, of itself, rule out the possibility of a body corporate falling within the definition of an open-ended investment company. All the relevant circumstances will need to be considered (see PERG 9.6.4 G, PERG 9.2.8.8G and PERG 9.8.9 G). So the following points need to be taken into account.

• The precise terms of the issue of all the shares or securities will be relevant to the question whether the investment condition is met, as will any arrangements that may exist to allow the investor to realise his investment by other means.
• The proportions of the different share classes will be relevant to the impression the reasonable investor forms of the body corporate. A body corporate that issues only a minimal amount of redeemable shares or securities will not, in theFCA's view, be an open-ended investment company. A body corporate that issues a minimal amount of non-redeemable shares or securities will be likely to be an open-ended investment company. A body corporate that falls within the definition of an open-ended investment company is likely to have (and to be marketed as having) mainly redeemable shares or securities. However, whether or not the body corporate does fall within the definition in any particular case will be subject to any contrary indications there may be in its constitutional documents or otherwise.
• Where shares or securities are only redeemable after the end of a stated period, this factor will make it more likely that the body corporate is open-ended than if the shares or securities are never redeemable.

6

Does "realised on a basis calculated wholly or mainly by reference to..." in section 236(3)(b) apply to an investor buying investment trust company shares traded on a recognised investment exchange because of usual market practice that the shares trade at a discount to asset value?

In the FCA's view, the answer is 'no' (for the reasons set out in PERG 9.9.4 G to PERG 9.9.6 G).

7

Does the practice of UK investment trust companies buying back shares result in them becoming open-ended investment companies?

In the FCA's view, it does not, because its actions will comply with company law: see section 236(4) of the Act and PERG 9.6.5 G.

8

Would a body corporate holding out redemption or repurchase of its shares or securities every six months be an open-ended investment company?

In the FCA's view a period of six months would generally be too long to be a reasonable period for a liquid securities fund. A shorter period affording more scope for an investor to take advantage of any profits caused by fluctuations in the market would be more likely to be a reasonable period for the purpose of the realisation of the investment (in the context of the 'expectation' test, see PERG 9.8 and, in particular, PERG 9.8.9 G which sets out the kind of factors that may need to be considered in applying the test).

9

Would an initial period during which it is not possible to realise investment in a body corporate mean that the body corporate could not satisfy the investment condition?

In the FCA's view, the answer to that question is 'no'. In applying the investment condition, the body corporate must be considered as a whole (see PERG 9.6.3 G). At the time that the shares or securities in a body corporate are issued, a reasonable investor may expect that he will be able to realise his investment within a reasonable period notwithstanding that there will first be a short-term delay before he can do so. Whether or not the 'expectation test' is satisfied will depend on all the circumstances (see PERG 9.8.9 G).