United States: A Record Year: SEC FY 2022 Enforcement Actions Bring Big Penalties

Nov 16 2022

By: Keri E. Riemer, Michael W. McGrath, Neil T. Smith, Hayley Trahan-Liptak, and Christopher F. Warner

On 15 November 2022, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) announced its enforcement statistics for its 2022 fiscal year (FY 2022), noting that it filed 760 total enforcement actions — a 9% increase over fiscal year 2021. This total was comprised of 462 new actions, 169 “follow-on” actions, and 129 actions for delinquent filings. Money obtained in SEC actions, comprising civil penalties, disgorgement, and pre-judgment interest, totaled a record-breaking $6.439 billion (compared to $3.852 billion in fiscal year 2021). Civil penalties, totaling $4.194 billion, were also the highest on record.

United States: SEC Adopts Expanded Proxy Voting Reporting by Registered Funds and New Reporting of Executive Compensation Votes by Form 13F Filers

Nov 07 2022

By: Lynn A. Schweinfurth, Kathy Kresch Ingber, and Crystal Liu

On November 2, by a vote of 3 to 2, the Securities and Exchange Commission adopted, largely as proposed, amendments to Form N-PX under the Investment Company Act of 1940 and new Rule 14Ad-1 under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (Amendments). The Amendments expand the proxy voting information that registered investment companies (Funds) report on Form N-PX, and require, for the first time, Form 13F filers (Managers) to report annually on Form N-PX how they voted proxies concerning certain shareholder advisory votes on executive compensation (“say-on-pay” votes).

United States: SEC Proposes Changes to Open-End Fund Liquidity Framework

Nov 07 2022

By: Franklin H. Na and Cole E. Wilhelmi

On November 2, 2022, the Securities and Exchange Commission proposed amendments to Rule 22e-4 and Rule 22c-1 of the Investment Company Act of 1940 that would require open-end funds to adjust their approach to liquidity risk management. In particular, the proposed amendments would mandate swing pricing and a “hard close” on most open-end funds, and would amend certain components of open-end funds’ liquidity risk management programs.

Australian Regulatory Update – 7 November 2022

Nov 07 2022

By Jim Bulling and Anabelle Weinberg

1. ASIC Annual Forum

The ASIC Annual Forum was held on 3 – 4 November 2022 with a number of significant announcements being made.

Firstly, ASIC has for the first time announced their enforcement priorities for 2023. ASIC now intends to do this on an annual basis.

Australian Regulatory Update – 2 November 2022

Nov 02 2022

By Jim Bulling and Anabelle Weinberg

1. ASIC takes its first ‘greenwashing’ action

ASIC has taken its first ‘greenwashing’ action against Tlou Energy Limited (Tlou). Tlou has paid a total of $53,280 to comply with four infringement notices issued by ASIC over concerns about alleged false or misleading sustainability-related statements. Tlou have not admitted guilt.

United States: SEC Proposes New Requirements for Adviser Oversight of Service Providers

Oct 31 2022

By: Megan W. Clement

On October 26, 2022, the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) proposed new rule 206(4)-11 and related amendments under the Advisers Act, which would require registered investment advisers to meet certain requirements when outsourcing “covered functions” to service providers. Citing increasing use of third-party service providers, SEC Chair Gary Gensler noted that the proposals are designed to ensure that outsourcing is consistent with the obligations advisers have to their clients. A related fact sheet and the SEC’s press release can be found here and here.

Australia: ASIC releases its first insights from the reportable situations regime

Oct 28 2022

By Jim Bulling and Hugo Chow

In ASIC’s first annual report regarding the reportable situations regime, it noted that there were over 8000 reports made to ASIC by financial services and credit licensees under the regime from 1 October 2021 to 30 June 2022.

Australia: Australian Government abandons introduction of limited partnership structure

Oct 26 2022

By Kane Barnett

The Australian Government has delivered the 2022-23 Federal Budget. One of the announcements relevant to the investment funds industry was that the Government “has reviewed and will not proceed with … the 2016–17 Budget measure that proposed introducing a new tax and regulatory framework for limited partnership collective investment vehicles”.

Australia: Regulatory update – 24 October 2022

Oct 24 2022

By Jim Bulling and Hugo Chow

ASIC’s crackdown on product disclosures continues

To date, ASIC has issued 11 design and distribution obligations stop orders, with the first stop orders being issued in July this year.

The latest interim stop order prevent a fund management firm (the Firm) from offering or distributing three funds (the Funds) to retail investors due to the Firm not having compliant target market determinations (TMDs).

Australia: Regulatory update – 17 October 2022

Oct 17 2022

By Jim Bulling and Hugo Chow

ASFI releases its first report on the Australian sustainable finance taxonomy

The Australia Sustainability Finance Institute (ASFI) is working closely with the government and regulators to develop an Australian sustainable finance taxonomy.

The Report outlines the key considerations that will inform the development of an Australian sustainable finance taxonomy that will consist of credible, science-based definitions.

Global Investment Law Watch

1. ASIC Annual Forum