South Africa – Taking back the centre from a weakened left
If President Jacob Zuma seems a little confused over who would be in charge after the May 7 elections, Minister of Finance Pravin Gordhan had absolutely no doubt as he set sail away […]
Advisers ‘could charge more’ for the value they deliver
International comparisons suggest there’s scope for local advisers to lift fees above 0.5% of AUM, says Mark Polson of UK consultancy The Lang Cat.
Oh to be at Newlands when the cricket is on
Who can ever forget this immortal uttering by the late Charles Fortune? Ryan Harris, Australian fast bowler, is something of an amateur author. His column in the Sydney Morning Herald contains some pointers […]
Not quite TCF?
The fair treatment of clients by certain product providers was recently questioned by Bruce Cameron in an article on causal event charges. A key part of ensuring proper market conduct is a new […]
Electronic updating of Representative Registers
FSBA financial services provider (FSP) must in terms of Condition 3 of its licence, inform the Registrar of Financial Services Providers (Registrar) within 15 days after any change to its register of representatives. […]
Het jou, Katvis!
Some of you may remember this expression from the cartoon series “Grootbek en Katvis” on TV in the early days when ou Grootbek tried to outsmart the wily catfish I used the very […]
Swaziland – What happens if Swaziland loses its AGOA eligibility?
In a little over three months the US government will put Swaziland under the spotlight and evaluate its eligibility for trade benefits under the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA). The outcome is […]
Treating Customers Fairly in 2014 and Beyond
We predicted earlier that 2014 would be a bit of a water-treading year in so far as new regulations and changes relating to financial advice and intermediary services are concerned. This was based […]
Fools rush in
This old adage, from a Protea perspective, refers more to the second part: “…where angels fear to tread.” The prospect of facing Mitchell Johnson must be a daunting one, yet AB de Villiers, […]
Retirement funding gets a boost
The Taxation Laws Amendment Act No. 31 of 2013, published in Government Gazette No. 37158 on 12 December 2013, contains very important changes to the tax treatment of contributions to retirement funding. Hettie […]
On the Regulatory Front
Moonstone is a co-sponsor of this seminar which is a must-attend event for all key individuals, representatives and compliance officers. Anton Swanepoel and other leading industry experts will discuss the year ahead from […]
Proposed Changes to Liquid Assets Definition
Financial Services Providers who receive client funds are required to conform to very specific requirements in terms of liquidity, as set out in the Determination of Fit and Proper Requirements. In terms of […]
The Johnson Jinx
Mitchell Johnson appears to reserve his best for South Africans. His career best of 12 wickets for 127 runs in the first test at Centurion eclipsed his previous best figures of 11 for […]
Zimbabwe – Government adds to food insecurity woes
The government has decided to allow only the Grain Marketing Board (GMB) to import grains and has stopped issuing import permits to independent millers and traders, at a time when an estimated 2.2 […]
Is Healthcare Remuneration Above Board?
We recently queried the discrepancy in commission payable to healthcare brokers and what their counterparts in the short-term industry earn for essentially providing the same service. In response to an enquiry from a […]
FSP Fined for Promoting Unregistered Foreign CIS
The Registrar of Collective Investment Schemes (“the Registrar”) referred a suspected contravention of Section 65(3) of the Collective Investment Schemes Act, No 45 of 2002 (CISCA) to the enforcement Committee. It was alleged […]
Hedge Fund Regulation a Step Closer
The National Treasury and the Financial Services Board (FSB) published a Joint media statement outlining their preliminary response to stakeholder comments on proposals released in September 2012 for regulating hedge funds. Annexure A, […]
To bat first, or not to bat first…
The answer to this Shakespearian question is not as simple as some would think. At the time of writing, Australia was on 369 for 7 in their first innings. There was a lot […]
