2.4. Deemed Professional Clients
2.4.1. Requirements to be a Deemed Professional Client
For the purposes of COB 2.3.1, each of the following entities is a Deemed Professional Client unless it is a Market Counterparty or is given a different classification under COB 2:
- (a) a national or regional government;
- (b) a public body that manages public debt;
- (c) a central bank;
- (d) an international or supranational institution (such as the World Bank, the International
Monetary Fund, or the European Investment Bank) or other similar international organisation;
- (e) an Authorised Firm, or any other authorised or regulated financial institution, including a bank, securities firm or insurance company;
- (f) an Authorised Market Institution, or any other authorised or regulated exchange, trading facility, central securities depository, or clearing house;
- (g) a Collective Investment Scheme or its management company, or any other authorised or regulated collective investment undertaking or the management company of such an undertaking;
- (h) a pension fund or the management company of a pension fund;
- (i) a commodity dealer or a commodity derivatives dealer;
- (j) a Large Undertaking as specified in COB 2.4.2;
- (k) a Body Corporate whose shares are listed or admitted to trading on any exchange of an IOSCO member country;
- (l) a trustee of a trust which has, or had during the previous 12 months, assets of at least USD 10 million; or
- (m) any other institutional investor whose main activity is to invest in financial instruments, including an entity dedicated to the securitisation of assets or other financial transactions.
2.4.2. Large Undertakings
A Person is a Large Undertaking for the purposes of COB 2.4.1(j) if it met, as at the date of its most recent financial statements, at least two of the following requirements:
- (a) it has total assets of at least USD 20 million on its balance sheet;
- (b) it has a net annual turnover of at least USD 40 million; or
- (c) it has own funds of at least USD 2 million.