In this edition of Regulation Around the World we review the position regarding beneficial ownership registers which has come into the spotlight following work by the Financial Action Task Force and the introduction of reforms in a number of jurisdictions. Identifying beneficial owners has always been a difficult task for both regulators and financial institutions … Continue Reading
Financial institutions have had to deal with two challenges in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic. The first challenge is financial – how to address and mitigate the sharp drop in the value of financial assets or loss of liquidity. The second challenge is operational – how to address the risk of failure of resources … Continue Reading
The Financial Sector Regulation Bill was signed into law by President Zuma on 21 August 2017. The commencement dates for the new Financial Sector Regulation Act (FSR Act) are not yet known. The act provides the architecture for the new ‘twin peaks’ method of regulation to be adopted across the South African financial services industry, and is … Continue Reading
The International Swaps and Derivatives Association Inc. (ISDA) indicated that South Africa has been in focus over recent months since the margin requirements for non-centrally cleared derivatives transactions were published for comment in June 2015. The aim of the requirements is to outline the future regulation of OTC derivatives in South Africa in line with … Continue Reading
In the first formal step toward hedge fund regulation in South Africa, National Treasury has published a s63 declaration under the Collective Investment Schemes Control Act, 2002 (CISCA). Investment funds conducting the business of a hedge fund will, from 1 April 2015, become collective investment schemes (CIS) and will be regulated by CISCA. Hedge funds … Continue Reading
Increased regulation on the horizon Earmarked as a contributor to the 2008 financial crisis, over-the-counter (OTC) derivatives were one of the financial instruments identified by the G20 summit as needing increased regulation. Different jurisdictions have approached the regulation of OTC derivatives in their own manner. In South Africa, regulation has been addressed in the Financial … Continue Reading