Authorised and Approved Persons Flashcards
What is an approved persons? (1)
- A firm that has been approved to be regulated and carry out regulated activities/investments
What are the 2 ways a person can be authorised?
- Part 4a permission under MiFID
- Passporting
In what document can guidance for Part 4a authorisation be found?
FCA Perimeter Guidance Manual (PERG)
What part of the FCA handbook does Part 4a permission fall under? (3)
- FIT (fit and proper)
- COND (outlines the threshold conditions needed to be met to be authorised and approved - this is reinstated in Block 4 - SUP)
- APER (approved or exempt)
What must the applicant apply in respect to? (1)
The regulated activity they wish to carry. Authorisation must be specific not general
What are assessment criteria for meeting threshold conditions for part 4a permission? (8)
- Legal status
- Location of offices - head office must be registered in the UK
- Effective supervision - relates to the effect of a group or a controlling shareholder who prevents authorisation. Regulator must be satisfied that a close link is not hindering regulation - a close link has 20% or more of voting share.
- Appropriate resources
- Appropriate non-financial resources
- Prudent conduct
- Suitability
- Business model
What is defined as the EEA under MiFID?
- All European Union countries plus Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein
What is passporting? (4)
- Temporary Transitional Power issued by the Her Majesty’s Treasury
- Allows firms to continue operating in the UK without Part 4a permission/authorisation
- UK firms cannot be passported into the EEA (ended in March 2022)
- All other firms in the EEA can move freely without permission
What new rules did MiFID II and MiFIR introduce in 2018? (4)
- Market infrastructure - regulation of traditionally unregulated exchanges such as OTFs, algorithmic trading
- Transparency of OTFs and OTC derivatives
- Market stability - position limits on commodity derivatives
- Consumer protection - product disclosures and governance e.g. KIIDs
Who does MiFID apply to? (2)
- All firms that are headquartered and registered in the same EEA country
- Firms that are carrying the core and ancillary services recognised by MiFID
What are the core services that can be passported under MiFID? (7)
- Dealing on personal account
- Dealing on behalf of a client
- Transmission and reception of 1 or more financial products
- Underwriting and placement of financial products
- Investment advice
- Portfolio management
- Operating MTFs and OTFs
What are the ancillary services covered by MiFID? (6)
- Custody over core services
- Granting loans to an investor (firms not involved)
- FX services
- Investment research and financial analysis
- Services related to underwriting
- M+A advice
What instruments are covered by MIFID?
- Transferable securities
- Money market instruments
- Units in CIS
- Derivatives in securities, currencies, interest rates and yields
- Currency derivatives
- CFDs
- Other derivatives
- Emissions allowances
What products specifically are not covered by MiFID?
- Retails products
- Pensions
- Insurance
- Mortgages
Once a company is passported, which regulators is it liable to?
Regulators in both the home and host state
What is the home state regulator responsible for? (4)
- Authorisation
- Prudential supervision
- Custody
- Conduct of business
What is the host state responsible for?
- Conduct of business rules when doing business in host state
- Other rules, such as approval of controlled functions
Who is exempt from authorisation? (6)
- Lloyds members
- Appointed representatives
- Members of professional bodies
- Government organisations e.g. BoE
- RIEs and RCHs
- Supranational organisations e.g. IMF
What exchanges are recognised by the FCA?
- LSE
- AQSE
- ICE Futures Europe
- London Metals Exchange