By: Edward Bennett and Ke Jia Lim
The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) has recently introduced new guidelines for Single Family Offices (SFOs) applying for tax incentives under the Section 13O and Section 13U schemes. The changes aim to expand tax incentives for family offices to promote investment in environmental and social causes.
Read MoreBy: Edward Bennett and Ke Jia Lim
Singapore, known for its fiercely guarded reputation as a global financial hub and growing asset management centre, is currently entangled in one of the most substantial money laundering scandals globally, with a staggering S$2.8 billion (US$2 billion) in seized assets. Ten suspects, originally from China but residing in Singapore, face money laundering charges linked to scams and illegal online gambling.
Read MoreBy: Rebecca Mangos and Lisa Lautier
The Australian Investments and Securities Commission (ASIC) announced that it has further extended relief for foreign financial services providers (FFSPs) from the requirement to hold an Australian financial services licence (AFSL) when providing financial services to Australian wholesale clients.
Read MoreBy: Daniel Knight and Kithmin Ranamukhaarachchi
Yesterday the Australian Federal Government released its proposal paper on regulating the crypto industry (Paper). The government proposes to regulate exchanges, custodians and other digital asset service providers within the scope the Australian Financial Services (AFS) licensing regime.
Read MoreBy: Jennifer Gonzalez, Trayne Wheeler, and Megan Clement
On 10 October 2023, the SEC adopted amendments to beneficial ownership reporting requirements under Sections 13(d) and 13(g) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. The amendments shorten deadlines for Schedule 13D and 13G filers, clarify Schedule 13D disclosure requirements for derivatives, and require filers to use machine readable data language.
Read MoreBy: Jim Bulling and Ben Kneebush
As previously discussed in our post, the Australian Treasury has proposed to introduce mandatory climate-related financial disclosure standards in Australia. This will have a profound impact on the financial services industry, as financial services entities (including superannuation funds) will be captured by this disclosure framework. Under a phased implementation, reporting commences on 1 July 2024 for certain large entities.
Read MoreBy: Yuki Sako
On 21 September 2023, the Prime Minister of Japan Kishida unveiled his new policy initiatives to support new entry of managers to Japan. In his speech at the Economic Club of New York, the Prime Minister announced his plan to (i) establish programs to support emerging managers, (ii) seek for legislative and regulatory changes necessary to allow outsourcing of back-office operations, and (iii) launch special business zones targeted for overseas asset managers in which all the regulatory processes are conducted in English and other business and living supports are provided.
Read MoreBy: Joseph Skilton, Michael Ruck, Rosie Naylor
The FCA has assessed and reported on the sanctions controls of over 90 financial service firms from a range of sectors including wealth management.
Read MoreBy: Gayle Bowen and Áine Ní Riain
On 14 September, the European Commission launched both a public consultation and a targeted consultation on the implementation of the Sustainable Finance Disclosure Regulation (SFDR).
The Commission aims to understand how the SFDR has been implemented since its initial application in March 2021, as well as to gain an understanding of its potential deficiencies, and to explore potential improvements of the European framework for sustainable finance. These consultations form part of the Commission’s comprehensive assessment of the SFDR framework that was first announced by Commissioner Mairéad McGuinness in December 2022. While the public consultation is addressed to a wide range of individuals and organisations with a general knowledge of the SFDR, the targeted consultation is aimed at financial market participants (FMPs), investors, NGOs, public authorities, regulators, and others that are either subject to the provisions of the SFDR or otherwise have an in-depth knowledge or experience in the area of sustainable finance disclosures.
Read MoreBy: Rich Kerr, Peter Shea, Andrew Hinkes, and Brian Doyle-Wenger
On 29 August 2023, the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit (Court) issued a decision siding with Grayscale Investments, LLC (Grayscale) and vacated the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission’s (SEC) rejection of the NYSE Arca’s (NYSE) request for approval of a listing rule that would permit it to list shares of the Grayscale Bitcoin Trust (GBT) for trading.
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