Europe: Central Bank of Ireland Updates its UCITS Q&A on Portfolio Transparency for ETFs
By: Lucy Deane, Hazel Doyle, and Nicola McCaffrey
In a move that will be welcomed by asset managers conducting ETF business in Ireland, or those who are hoping to move into the Irish ETF space, the Central Bank of Ireland has moved to allow for the establishment of semi-transparent ETFs by amending its requirements for portfolio transparency.
Read MoreGlobal: Three Things to Know About Cboe’s ETF Share Class Filing
By: Stacy L. Fuller, Kevin R. Gustafson, Christine Mikhael and Crystal Liu
On 15 April 2024, Cboe BZX Exchange, Inc. (Cboe) filed an application pursuant to Rule 19b-4 under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), to amend its exchange-traded funds (ETFs) listing standards to permit ETF share classes issued by open-end investment companies that offer mutual fund share classes pursuant to any exemptive relief to be granted by the SEC.
Read MoreAustralia: Update to the Naming Convention for Exchange Traded Products
By: Matthew Watts and Lisa Lautier
Since 2017, the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) has provided guidance to licensed exchanges on exchange traded products (ETP) naming conventions under Information Sheet 230 (INFO 230). This policy is designed to help ensure that admission and monitoring standards for ETP’s support fair, orderly and transparent markets.
Read MoreAustralia: ASIC Issues New Legislative Instrument for Exchange Traded Funds
By: Matthew Watts and Lisa Lautier
On 15 March 2024 the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) issued a new legislative instrument extending existing regulatory relief previously only available to passively managed index tracking exchange traded funds (ETFs) so that it will now also apply to a broader range of ETFs (such as actively managed ETFs) quoted on a financial market operated by the ASX or Cboe.
Read MoreUnited States: 2024, The Year of the Spot Bitcoin ETP
By: Richard F. Kerr and Keri E. Riemer
The US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is making 2024 a significant year for exchange-traded products (ETPs) by declaring effective the registration statements of ten Bitcoin ETPs, and approving their listing on one of the major stock exchanges. This is a monumental step to bringing access to Bitcoin to a broader retail market in the US For over a decade, the staff of the SEC (Staff) had denied or otherwise blocked applications to list spot Bitcoin ETPs, claiming, in part, that there were insufficient protections against market manipulation in the underlying Bitcoin market. The approvals issued this week unlock – although do not widely open – a previously dead bolted door to registered products offering direct exposure to Bitcoin, providing an opportunity for retail investors to have easier access to exposure to Bitcoin in a regulated product.
Read MorePeople’s Republic of China: MOU of ETF Products Between China and Singapore Exchanges
By Chloe Duan and Grace Ye
Shanghai Stock Exchange (SHSE) announced that it has entered into a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Singapore Exchange (SGX) to establish a link for exchange-traded funds (ETFs) between two exchanges. SHSE and SGX are also aiming to jointly develop more ETF products available to investors on both markets via the link.
Read MoreUnited States: SEC Adopts Expanded Proxy Voting Reporting by Registered Funds and New Reporting of Executive Compensation Votes by Form 13F Filers
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).
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