CySEC Reminds Brokers They Need to Report Subsidiaries

With the goring number of brokers relocating offshore, the Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission (CySEC CySEC The Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission (CySEC) is a financial regulatory authority of Cyprus. CySEC is one of the key watchdog authorities for brokerages in Europe, whose financial regulations and operations comply with the European MiFID financial harmonization law.Founded in 2001, CySEC is instrumental in providing licensing and registration for forex brokers and previously binary options providers.CySEC is responsible for a variety of different functions, which includes the supervision The Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission (CySEC) is a financial regulatory authority of Cyprus. CySEC is one of the key watchdog authorities for brokerages in Europe, whose financial regulations and operations comply with the European MiFID financial harmonization law.Founded in 2001, CySEC is instrumental in providing licensing and registration for forex brokers and previously binary options providers.CySEC is responsible for a variety of different functions, which includes the supervision Read this Term) is vigilant over the practices of regulated firms in this respect. The watchdog has sent out a circular to all Cyprus Investment Firms (CIFs) this morning, reminding them that they need to report details about all of their subsidiaries globally.

The information which the regulator is requesting pertains to various aspects of a broker’s business. Starting with the name and the geographic location, the firms also need to provide the nature of the activities of the related company.

Brokers also need to supply the CySEC with their turnover, the number of full-time employees, profits and losses before taxed and the supplementing tax arrangements in the jurisdiction. CIFs also need to inform the Cypriot regulator whether they are receiving certain subsidies.

Scope of Subsidiaries

There are three categories of associated companies which the firms have to submit in their reports - direct subsidiaries, branches, and any other relevant entities via which the CIF has an established physical presence in other countries.

Tied agents are also considered as branches and need to be reported to the CySEC under the regulatory requirements. Representative offices are excluded from the requirement.

Offshore Branches

The CySEC is obviously reminding all regulated firms that they need to confirm the existence of subsidiaries regulated in other jurisdictions, including offshore. Due to the rapid development of the industry outside of traditional regulatory jurisdictions in Europe, the next point of attention for supervisory authorities is outside of the EU.

While some companies have retained their ability to onboard clients in the EU via regulated subsidiaries in the EU and the UK, they are actively using offshore locations to onboard clients, especially outside of the EU.

Early in the days after the ESMA’s restrictions came into force, many firms were discreetly offering to their clients to move offshore. Despite the fact that EU regulations have been prohibiting proactive encouragement from moving to other subsidiaries, many brokers did not fully comply.

Brand Identity

While there is no clear evidence of the following, the CySEC could be aiming to ensure that brands which have been built using EU-regulated subsidiaries do not onboard EU clients into those. While many companies are using foreign subsidiaries, they are rarely using different brand names for their operations outside of the EU.

Australia has been the best example of how firms are actively diversifying their operations to be able to reach clients with a more attractive offering in terms of leverage and bonus promotions. That said, the days of heavy bonus promotions appear to have receded in recent years.

Long gone are the aggressive tactics, where brokers are offering 100% deposit bonuses to clients that open an account with them. This “wild west” tactic was at the core of binary options operators and some controversial retail Forex Forex Foreign exchange or forex is the act of converting one nation’s currency into another nation’s currency (that possesses a different currency); for example, the converting of British Pounds into US Dollars, and vice versa. The exchange of currencies can be done over a physical counter, such as at a Bureau de Change, or over the internet via broker platforms, where currency speculation takes place, known as forex trading.The foreign exchange market, by its very nature, is the world’s largest tradi Foreign exchange or forex is the act of converting one nation’s currency into another nation’s currency (that possesses a different currency); for example, the converting of British Pounds into US Dollars, and vice versa. The exchange of currencies can be done over a physical counter, such as at a Bureau de Change, or over the internet via broker platforms, where currency speculation takes place, known as forex trading.The foreign exchange market, by its very nature, is the world’s largest tradi Read this Term and CFDs brokers.

For the time being, CySEC regulated firms will need to mind the regulatory recommendations as the local regulator is increasingly committed to ensuring regulatory compliance for all the firms it supervises.