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2.5. Assessed Professional Clients
FINANCIAL SERVICES LEGISLATION
RULES
CONDUCT OF BUSINESS RULES
Guidance: Purpose of this rulebook
SCHEDULE 1: TRANSACTION RECORDS
SCHEDULE 2: KEY INFORMATION AND CONTENT OF CLIENT AGREEMENT
SCHEDULE 3: TRADE CONFIRMATION
SCHEDULE 4: PERIODIC STATEMENTS
SCHEDULE 5: FINANCIAL PROMOTIONS
Entire Act

2.5. Assessed Professional Clients

2.5.1. Assessed Professional Clients: Individual Clients

For the purposes of COB 2.3.1, an Authorised Firm may treat an individual Client as an Assessed Professional Client if:

  • (a) the Client has net assets of at least USD 100,000; and
  • (b) either:

    • (i) the Authorised Firm assesses the Client, on reasonable grounds, to have sufficient experience and understanding of relevant Financial Products, Financial Services, Transactions and any associated risks; or

(ii) the Client works or has worked in the previous two years in an Authorised Firm or any other authorised or regulated financial institution, including a bank, securities firm or insurance company, in a position that requires knowledge of the type of Financial Products, Financial Services or Transactions envisaged; and

(1) generally;

2) in respect of a specific Financial Product, Financial Service, or Transaction; or

(3) in respect of a type of Financial Product, Financial Service, or Transaction;

(ii) the Authorised Firm must give the Client a clear warning in writing setting out the protections that the Client may lose as a result of giving up its classification as a Retail Client; and

(iii) the Client must confirm in writing, in a separate document from the client agreement or other contract, that it is aware of the consequences of losing such protections.

Guidance: Meaning of an "individual"

For the purposes of COB 2.5.1, an "individual" means a Person who is a natural person and not an Undertaking.

2.5.2. Calculation of an individual's net assets

For the purposes of COB 2.5.1(a), the calculation of an individual Client's net assets:

  • (a) must exclude the value of the primary residence of the Client; and
  • (b) may include any assets held directly or indirectly by the Client.

2.5.3. Assessment of experience and understanding

For the purposes of the assessment required under COB 2.5.1(b)(i) and 2.5.6(a), an Authorised Firm must, where applicable, consider the following matters:

  • (a) the Person’s knowledge and understanding of:

    • (i) the relevant Financial Products, Financial Services, and Transactions; and

(ii) any associated risks, either generally or in relation to a specific Financial Product, Financial Service, or Transaction;

  • (b) the length of time during which the Person has participated in financial market activity;
  • (c) the frequency with which the Person has carried out Transactions;
  • (d) the extent to which the Person has previously relied on professional financial advice;
  • (e) the size and nature of Transactions that have been undertaken by, or on behalf of, the Person in financial markets;
  • (f) the Person’s relevant qualifications or training;
  • (g) the composition and size of the Person’s portfolio of Investments;
  • (h) in the case of insurance Transactions, relevant experience in relation to similar Transactions to be able to understand the risks associated with such Transactions; and
  • (i) any other matters which the Authorised Firm considers relevant.

2.5.4. Legal structures or vehicles containing an individual's investment portfolio

An Authorised Firm may classify as an Assessed Professional Client a legal structure or vehicle, including an Undertaking, trust or foundation, that is set up solely for the purpose of managing the investment portfolio of an individual where that individual has been assessed as meeting the requirements in COB 2.5.1.

2.5.5. Individual joint account holders

An Authorised Firm may classify as a Professional Client an individual (the “joint account holder”) who has a joint account with an individual assessed as meeting the requirements in COB 2.5.1 (the “primary account holder”) if:

  • (a) the joint account holder is a Family Member of the primary account holder;
  • (b) the account is used for the purposes of managing Investments for the primary account holder and the joint account holder;
  • (c) the following procedure is followed:

    • (i) the joint account holder must confirm in writing to the Authorised Firm that investment decisions relating to the joint account are generally made for, or on behalf of, him by the primary account holder;

(ii) the joint account holder must confirm in writing to the Authorised Firm that he wishes to be treated as a Professional Client either:

(1) generally;

(2) in respect of a specific Financial Product, Financial Service or Transaction; or

(3) in respect of a type of Financial Product or Transaction;

(ii) the Authorised Firm must give the joint account holder a clear warning in writing setting out the protections that the joint account holder may lose as a result of giving up his classification as a Retail Client; and

(iii) the joint account holder must confirm in writing, in a separate document from the client agreement or other contract, that he is aware of the consequences of losing such protections.

2.5.6. Assessed Professional Clients: Undertakings

For the purposes of COB 2.3.1, an Authorised Firm may treat an Undertaking as an Assessed Professional Client if:

  • (a) the Authorised Firm assesses the Undertaking (which may involve assessing an individual or individuals authorised to make investment decisions on behalf of the Undertaking), on reasonable grounds, to have sufficient experience and understanding of the relevant Financial Products, Financial Services or Transactions and any associated risks; and
  • (b) the Undertaking has own funds of at least USD 1 million.

2.5.7. Other types of Undertaking

An Authorised Firm may also classify an Undertaking as an Assessed Professional Client if the Undertaking has:

that meets the requirements in COB 2.5.6 to be classified as an Assessed Professional Client.

2.5.8. Client no longer meeting the requirements to be a Professional Client

If an Authorised Firm becomes aware that a Client no longer meets the requirements to be classified as a Professional Client, the Authorised Firm must, as soon as possible, inform the Client that this is the case and, where appropriate, discuss with the Client the steps that the Authorised Firm and the Client may take to address the situation, which may include the Authorised Firm notifying the Client of its reclassification.