Hedge Funds in

Hong Kong – an
overview

June 2017
Hedge funds in Hong Kong – an overview
A Introduction
Although the territory constituting Hong Kong reverted to the People’s Republic of China (the “PRC”) in
1997, Hong Kong is an administratively autonomous region and has continued to maintain a common
law legal system, based mainly on English law. Similarly, the regulators in Hong Kong, while operating
increasingly closely with their counterparts on the mainland PRC, are statutory bodies with their own
Hong Kong-specific rules and requirements. The Securities and Futures Commission (the “SFC”) is the
main regulator of investment funds and fund managers in Hong Kong and the primary legislation is the
Securities and Futures Ordinance (Cap. 571) (the “SFO”).
The hedge fund industry in Hong Kong has experienced tremendous and continued growth in the past
decade. According to the SFC’s latest report on hedge fund activities released in March 20151 the
number of hedge funds managed by SFC-licensed hedge fund managers in Hong Kong increased from
676 in 2012 to 778 as of 30 September 2014. The diagram below, taken from the said report, illustrates
the upward trend of the volume of total hedge fund assets under management (“AUM”) in Hong Kong,
which expanded from US$87.1 billion in 2012 to US$120.9 billion as of 30 September 2014, representing
an increase of 38.8%. It was also reported that the surveyed hedge fund managers invested mainly in the
Asia Pacific region and as of 30 September 2014, 92.1% of investors in hedge funds were from outside of
Hong Kong, consisting mostly of funds of hedge funds, insurance companies and other institutional
investors.

(Source: Securities and Future Commission, Hong Kong, 30 March 2015)

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The report is accessible on the SFC’s website at http://www.sfc.hk/web/EN/files/ER/Reports/HF%20Survey%20Report%202015_En.pdf

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B Typical fund structures
A vast majority of hedge funds managed in Hong Kong are established offshore in the Cayman Islands
for tax reasons. Generally, under the Inland Revenue Ordinance (Cap. 112) (the “IRO”), profits tax is
payable by any person or entity that: (i) carries on a trade or business in Hong Kong; and (ii) earns profits
which arise in or derive from Hong Kong, subject to specific exemptions available respectively to funds
authorised by the SFC under the SFO (i.e. those which can be offered to the public) and non-Hong Kong
resident funds in respect of certain specified transactions. Consequently, private (non-retail) funds which
are managed in Hong Kong are usually established outside Hong Kong so as to take advantage of the
profits tax exemption for offshore funds contained in the IRO.
Offshore hedge funds managed from Hong Kong commonly use mutual fund companies (including
segregated portfolio companies), limited partnerships and unit trusts in the Cayman Islands as the
investment vehicle, and are typically organised into a combination of, or a variation on, the following
structures:
 Stand-alone funds;
 Master-feeder funds; and
 Umbrella funds.

Stand-alone funds

A stand-alone structure comprises a single vehicle with a single investment strategy. This type of fund
most commonly uses an open-ended, limited liability company established in the Cayman Islands as its
main vehicle.
Offshore fund structures often use a two-tiered management structure as set out above. The
management function of the board of directors of the fund company is delegated to a separate
investment manager (often established as a Cayman Islands exempt limited liability company). From the
investment manager, there is further delegation of investment and advisory functions down to an
investment advisor, which would be a domestic entity (usually a Hong Kong incorporated private
company with limited liability). The investment advisor employs the majority of the investment team,
and is usually licensed to carry out “regulated activities” in Hong Kong (see later). In terms of the
economics of the fund, management and performance fees are paid to the investment manager. From
this, a portion is allocated to the investment advisor (as an advisory fee) on a basis that equitably reflects
the allocation of the fund’s investment resources.
There are three main drivers behind this management structure:

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 Taxation – this structure is intended to achieve tax efficiency in relation to the economics of the fund
structure, namely by the investment manager;
 Litigation risk management – removal of the management fee and performance fee from the fund
vehicle into a distinct and separate entity (the investment manager) helps “ring-fence” those amounts
from trading / investment risks generated by the fund; and
 Regulation – the investment team is “housed” at the investment advisor level, which is also the entity
that is regulated by the SFC. This satisfies the requirements of the regulator, and also provides
reassurance to investors that there is regulatory oversight of the fund’s activities.

Master-feeder funds

A master-feeder structure is one in which the assets from multiple funds (the “feeder funds”) catering
for different investor groups are invested into a separate, central vehicle (the “master fund”). Investors
invest and pay management and performance fees at the feeder fund level, while trading and investment
occurs at the master fund level. This is the preferred structure for most large scale institutional launches
in Hong Kong. Increasingly, funds that are open only to non-US taxable investors are being launched in
Hong Kong. These funds are structured as “single-legged” master-feeder funds, that is, with only the
offshore feeder and the master fund.
The onshore feeder may be structured as a Cayman Islands open-ended investment company, limited
partnership, a Delaware limited partnership or LLC. In the past three to four years, however, the open-
ended investment company (which then makes a “check-the-box election” to be treated as a partnership
for US tax purposes) has been the more popular choice for managers based in Hong Kong. The main
reason for this is the reduced time and cost involved in establishing the fund – documentation for the
offshore fund can be more easily replicated for the onshore fund (with changes needed only for US tax,
the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) and securities law disclosure).

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The principal benefits of a master-feeder structure are that:
1. It allows the fund to comply with and benefit from the regulatory environment applicable to
different target investors in the fund. In particular, it allows US taxable investors to invest in an
offshore hedge fund in a tax efficient manner that does not compromise the tax position of other
non-US or US tax exempt investors.
2. There is flexibility at the investor level since multiple feeder funds may be introduced to invest
into master fund, each of which may be tailored in accordance with different operating currencies,
fees, subscription terms, liquidity and investment strategies.
3. There is also flexibility at the investment level, since different segregated pools may be created
below the master fund (each structured as, for example, a wholly-owned subsidiary of the master
fund) which may be used to trade different strategies, house its own pool of assets, and ensure
there is segregation of liabilities.
4. The pooling of assets means that the fund can benefit from greater economies of scale in relation
to day-to-day management and administration of the fund and its portfolios, and therefore lower
operational and transactional costs. Further reduction in costs is made possible by the use of a
single investment vehicle which, for instance, eliminates the need to enter into duplicated
agreements with counterparties. The increase in the critical mass of funds under management
also allows the manager to more easily obtain and maintain credit lines and enhance the fund’s
ability to meet asset size-based investment qualifying tests.
5. Segregation of US investors (traditionally regarded as more litigious) is preferred by non-US
investors, as it lowers litigation risk that may involve non-US investors, and also provides an
additional layer of protection for the fund’s assets (all of which are housed at the master fund
level).

Umbrella structure

An umbrella structure is a generic term for any overarching investment vehicle with sub-funds beneath it.
Each sub-fund can have its own manager, pursue its own investment strategy and have its own pool of
assets. Importantly, liabilities generated from the trading activities of each sub-fund are intended to be
“ring-fenced” to the assets only of that sub-fund.

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A Cayman Islands ‘segregated portfolio company’ (“SPC”), is a popular choice for investment managers
in Hong Kong looking to establish an umbrella structure. The ability to create multiple segregated
without needing to incorporate a new company every time is viewed as a distinct advantage in terms of
time and costs. Cross-contamination of liabilities between different segregated portfolios is, of course,
still an issue. For this reason, larger institutional hedge fund offerings tend to retain the “master-feeder”
structures, while the SPC structure is often seen for smaller, private long only funds. It is possible to
combine SPC structures with master-feeder structures, for example each segregated sub-fund can be a
feeder fund into a separate master fund.

Proposal for a Hong Kong Open-Ended Fund Company

Investment funds are domiciled in Hong Kong, they are most usually established as unit trusts because
the capital maintenance rules and the restrictions on reduction of, and distributions out of, share capital
under Hong Kong company law make it impractical to operate a Hong Kong company as an open-ended
fund. In order to attract more funds to domicile in Hong Kong, on 20 March 2014, the Financial Services
and the Treasury Bureau of Hong Kong (the “FSTB”) issued a consultation paper on the proposed
regulatory framework for open-ended fund companies (“OFCs”) as an additional form of investment fund
vehicle. On 15 January 2016, the FSTB published its consultation conclusions on allowing OFCs to be
established under the SFO. The OFC regime is expected to become operational in 2018.
An OFC will have a variable share capital and therefore the flexibility to meet shareholder redemption
requests and to make distributions out of its share capital, subject only to solvency and disclosure
requirements. The OFC legislation will provide for a “protected cell” regime, such that an OFC, like a
Cayman Islands SPC, can be established as an umbrella fund with multiple sub-funds whose assets are
ring-fenced on a sub-fund by sub-fund basis.
In order to form an OFC, an application must first be made to the SFC for approval. When the SFC has
issued its approval-in-principal for registration, the Companies Registry will then incorporate and register
the OFC. While private OFCs will not have to be licensed or authorised under the SFO, the SFC will
exercise its supervisory function in relation to all OFCs through: (i) the SFC licensed fund managers which
will have to ensure compliance with the SFC’s proposed OFC Code (in addition to compliance by the
managers with the SFC’s Code of Conduct and the Fund Manager Code of Conduct); and (ii) their
custodians, which will also have to comply with the proposed OFC Code. The SFC will also be empowered
under the SFO or subsidiary legislation to approve the appointment and replacement of key operators of
the OFC including the OFC’s directors, custodian and investment manager.
The perceived advantages of an OFC are that, unlike a trust, it will have separate legal personality and its
own board of directors, and hence will not require a trustee. This should lead to greater cost savings. As
a company, an OFC may also be more marketable and easier to understand than unit trusts, which may
not be common in jurisdictions throughout Asia. Additionally, the OFC may provide an attractive vehicle
for the purpose of seeking mutual recognition in the PRC under the proposed mutual fund recognition
regime between Hong Kong and the PRC. As an OFC would be clearly domiciled in Hong Kong,
establishing tax residency in Hong Kong so as to take advantage of double tax agreements, including
with the PRC, may also be easier.
Given possible cost advantages of OFCs over unit trusts, OFCs may become popular vehicles for both SFC
authorised, as well as non-authorised private funds. The FSTB has recently introduced proposals
(“Proposals”) to extend the profits tax exemption currently enjoyed by publicly offered funds and certain
offshore funds, to onshore privately offered OFCs. In order to enjoy the profitx tax exemption, an OFC
needs to satisfy certain conditions. For instance, it has to be a resident in Hong Kong, not closely held,
with restricted asset classes and with transactions carried out or arranged by SFO licensed / registered
managers. The Proposals will likely attract more fund companies and managers to establish Hong Kong
domiciled funds.

C Marketing restrictions
Under the SFO, any marketing document that contains offers of investment products to the public of
Hong Kong (or any class of the public of Hong Kong) may not be issued, unless either the relevant
advertisement (including offering documents) is authorised by the SFC or the offer is made within an
exemption set out in the SFO.

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Provided that the hedge fund is offered in Hong Kong only to “professionals investors” (as defined in the
SFO and the Securities and Futures (Professional Investor) Rules (Cap. 571D) (the “Professional Investor
Rules”)) or by way of private placement (hence not made to the public), no authorisation or regulatory
approval of the hedge fund itself is necessary. Under the SFO and the Professional Investor Rules,
“professional investors” include financial institutions, licensed corporations and insurance companies as
well as certain high net worth individuals or corporations having investment portfolios or total assets of
not less than certain prescribed amounts. High net worth individual professional investors for these
purposes include individuals with net liquid assets of HK$8 million (approximately US$1 million).
Under the Companies (Winding Up and Miscellaneous Provisions) Ordinance (Cap. 32) (the
“C(WUMP)O”) which, in addition to the SFO, regulates public offers of shares in corporate funds, it is
also possible to offer shares to the same categories of professional investors without registering a
prospectus. In addition, a minimum subscription exemption (HK$500,000, approximately US$65,000) and
a minimum number of offerees exemption (no more than 50 in a 12 month period) are also provided
under the Seventeenth Schedule to the C(WUMP)O.
All marketing documents or advertisements (including offering documents) directed at the public of
Hong Kong are, as a condition of SFC approval, required to contain adequate and accurate disclosures
for investors to make informed decisions. Disclosure standards for offering documents of collective
investment schemes are set out in the SFO as well as the SFC’s Handbook for Unit Trusts and Mutual
Funds, Investment-Linked Assurance Schemes and Unlisted Structured Investment Products (the “SFC
Handbook”). Compliance with the SFC Handbook is a requirement to have an offering document
approved by the SFC. In reality, the SFC will not approve any offering document without the fund being
authorised under the SFO. Most hedge funds cannot be authorised.

D Licensing
Regulated activities
Under the SFO, it is a criminal offence for any person to carry on a business in Hong Kong or hold
himself out as carrying on a business in certain regulated activities, unless that person is licensed by or
registered with the SFC. Financial institutions such as banks are primarily supervised by the Hong Kong
Monetary Authority and will need to be registered with the SFC as “registered institutions” if they also
engage in securities or futures related activities. All other persons carrying on regulated activities should
be licensed by the SFC as “licensed corporations” or, in the case of individuals, be accredited to a
licensed corporation to engage in the activity as “licensed representatives”.
There are presently ten regulated activities set out in Schedule 5 to the SFO:
 Type 1 (dealing in securities);
 Type 2 (dealing in futures contracts);
 Type 3 (leveraged foreign exchange trading);
 Type 4 (advising on securities);
 Type 5 (advising on futures contracts);
 Type 6 (advising on corporate finance);
 Type 7 (providing automated trading services);
 Type 8 (securities margin financing);
 Type 9 (asset management); and
 Type 10 (providing credit rating services).
For a hedge fund manager in Hong Kong, the three most relevant regulated activities are:
 Type 1 (dealing in securities) –buying and selling of “securities” or inducing another party to enter
into an agreement with a view to the buying or selling of securities; in this regard, the term
“securities” is defined in the widest possible sense under the SFO and includes, among other things
and subject to exceptions, shares, stocks, bonds, debentures, interests in any collective investment
scheme and interests “commonly known as securities”;

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 Type 9 (asset management) – includes real estate investment scheme management or securities or
futures contract management which, importantly, includes providing a service of managing a
portfolio of securities for another person; and
 Type 4 (advising on securities) – giving advice or issuing analyses or reports on whether, which, the
time at which or the terms or conditions on which securities should be acquired or disposed of.
The definition of each of these regulated activities includes various limited carve-outs. For example:
 A person licensed for Type 1 regulated activity does not need to be licensed for Type 9 regulated
activity if he provides asset management service wholly incidental to the carrying on of Type 1
activity; similarly, a Type 9 licensee does not need to be licensed for Type 1 regulated activity if he
performs Type 1 activity solely for the purpose of carrying on asset management activity.
 A person does not need to be licensed for Type 1 regulated activity if he is acting as principal and
dealing only with professional investors (for example, where the directors of a fund are marketing the
fund).
 A Hong Kong based company does not need to be licensed for Type 9 or Type 4 activity if it is
providing such service solely to any of its wholly owned subsidiaries, its 100% holding company, or
other wholly owned subsidiaries of that parent company; however, the SFC considers that the
exemption from a Type 9 license can only be used if no third party funds are under management.
Accordingly, if the Hong Kong company is an investment manager or sub-investment manager of a
fund, this would not work.
 A person does not need to be licensed for Type 4 regulated activity if he is licensed for Type 1
regulated activity and is performing Type 4 activity wholly incidentally to dealing in securities, or if he
is licensed for Type 9 regulated activity and is providing advice to a for he is managing the portfolio
of securities solely for the purpose of providing the asset management service.

New OTC Derivatives Licensing Regime

The Securities and Futures (Amendment) Ordinance (the “Amendment Ordinance”) was published on
the Hong Kong Government Gazette on 4 April 2014. The Amendment Ordinance has:
 introduced two new regulated activities:
 Type 11 – Dealing or advising in over-the-counter (“OTC”) derivative products; and
 Type 12 – Providing clearing agency services for OTC derivative products; and
 expanded on two existing regulated activities:
 Type 9 (asset management) – to cover management of a portfolio of OTC derivative products;
and
 Type 7 (providing automated trading services) – to cover the provision of automated trading
services for OTC derivative products.
For fund managers in Hong Kong, the new Type 11 and expanded Type 9 regulated activities will be the
most relevant. In particular, managers that intend to either deal or advise in relation to OTC derivatives
and managers/funds that enter into an OTC derivatives transaction other than as a “price taker” (i.e.
primarily for the purpose of hedging) will have to obtain a Type 11 licence.
Managers that have, as part of the portfolio that they are managing, any OTC derivative, even purely as
part of the fund’s hedging strategy, will need to apply for an expanded Type 9 licence. In respect of
both Type 9 and Type 11 regulated activities, there is a two-year Hong Kong experience (in relation to
OTC derivatives) requirement.

Key Licensing Requirements

If none of the exemptions or carve-outs applies, a fund manager must apply to be licensed for the
regulated activities which it engages in, and in doing so must satisfy the following criteria.

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Incorporation
The fund manager seeking to be licensed must be either a Hong Kong incorporated company or a non-
Hong Kong company registered with the Hong Kong Companies Registry under Part 16 of the
Companies Ordinance (Cap. 622). Sole proprietorship or partnership is not an acceptable form of
business structure for licensing purposes.

Competence
The fund manager must satisfy the SFC that it has a proper business structure, good internal control
systems and qualified personnel status to ensure proper management of risks that it will encounter in
carrying on its proposed business as detailed in its business plan. A business plan together with client
documentation and a compliance manual must be submitted as part of the licence application.

Fitness and Properness

The SFC is obliged to refuse to grant a licence if the fund manager fails to satisfy the SFC that the fund
manager itself, its substantial shareholders and officers, as well as any other person who is or is to be
employed by or associated with the fund manager, are “fit and proper” for the purpose of the regulated
activity.
In determining whether a person is fit and proper, the SFC will take into account the following factors, in
addition to any other matters that the SFC may consider relevant:
 financial status or insolvency;
 educational or other qualifications or experience having regard to the nature of the functions to be
performed;
 ability to carry on the regulated activity concerned competently, honestly and fairly; and
 reputation, character, reliability and financial integrity.

Responsible Officers
Every fund manager must have at least two licensed representatives who are additionally approved by
the SFC as responsible officers (“Responsible Officers”) of the manager to supervise the conduct of each
of the regulated activities it carries on. Applications for approval of the proposed Responsible Officers
must be lodged with the SFC at the same time as the licence application.
For each regulated activity, at least one of the Responsible Officers must be an executive director which,
in the licensing context, means a director of the licensed corporation who actively participates in, or is
responsible for directly supervising, the business of a regulated activity for which the corporation is
licensed. All of the fund manager’s executive directors who are individuals must in any event seek the
SFC’s approval as Responsible Officers of the fund manager in relation to all the regulated activities it is
licensed to carry on. Provided that there is no conflict of interest, a Responsible Officer may supervise
more than one regulated activity.
The SFO further requires that, for each regulated activity, at least one of the Responsible Officers must be
available at all times to supervise the business. This has been interpreted by the SFC as requiring at least
one of the Responsible Officers to be based in Hong Kong, and at least one of them must be
immediately contactable at all times by the SFC and by the fund manager’s staff who are working from
its Hong Kong office.
In order to qualify as a Responsible Officer, an individual must fulfil four competence requirements:
1. Management Experience
The individual must have a minimum of two years’ proven management skills and experience.
2. Industry Experience

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The individual must possess three years of relevant industry experience over the six years immediately
prior to the date of application. Experience acquired by an individual from a broad range of activities
and investment strategies, including asset management, proprietary trading, research, private equity,
special situations, as well as experience in dealing with other alternative investments, will be considered
as industry experience directly relevant to hedge fund management.
Where the individual has only acquired experience indirectly relevant to hedge fund management
business (e.g. in sales, marketing or risk management of hedge funds), the SFC may exercise their
discretion to accept him or her as a Responsible Officer but impose a licensing condition under which the
individual must, when actively participating in or when directly supervising the business for which the
firm is licensed, do so under the advice of another Responsible Officer who possesses the required direct
hedge fund management experience.
3. Academic/Industry Qualification
The individual must have obtained one of the recognised industry qualifications relevant to the regulated
activities to be performed. For example, for Type 9 regulated activity, these are: (i) Papers 1 and 3 of the
Hong Kong Securities Institute (“HKSI”) Diploma Programme Examination (“DPE”); or (ii) Papers 7 and 12
of the HKSI Licensing Examination for Securities and Futures Intermediaries (“LE”). However, this
requirement can be compensated by:
 a degree in Accounting, Business Administration, Economics, Finance or Law, or other degree but
with passes in at least two courses in the aforesaid disciplines;
 internationally recognised professional qualifications in Law, Accounting or Finance, such as
Chartered Financial Analyst, Certified International Investment Analyst and Certified Financial Planner;
 passes in English or Chinese, and Mathematics in the Hong Kong Certificate of Education Examination
or equivalent high school public examinations and university entry examinations, plus an additional
two years of relevant industry experience, which will be assessed by reference to any recognised
industry qualifications, the role and functions to be performed and any experience that is closely
related to such functions; or
 an additional five years of relevant industry experience (i.e. eight years in total).
Full and conditional exemptions from the academic/industry qualification requirement can be granted by
the SFC. A full exemption is possible for individuals who are currently, or within the past three years have
been, licensed representatives and would like to apply for: (i) a different type of regulated activity licence
with the same competence requirements and in the same role; or (ii) a transfer of accreditation to
another licensed corporation for the same regulated activities and in the same role.
An individual may be granted conditional exemption in exceptional circumstances if he is a current
licensee with five years of related experience over the past eight years, and is now applying to carry on a
regulated activity with different competence requirements but in the same role. Where the exemption is
granted, the SFC may impose restrictions on the scope of activities that may be undertaken and the
individual is required to complete an additional five hours of continuous professional training in
industry/product knowledge in respect of the new regulated activity.
4. Regulatory Knowledge
The individual must have passed one of the recognised local regulatory framework papers. For example,
for a Type 9 licence, these are: (i) HKSI DPE Paper 2; (ii) Paper 1 of the HKSI Financial Market Principal
Programme Examination; or (iii) HKSI LE Papers 1 and 6 (although Paper 1 is not required for an existing
licensed representative applying to be a Responsible Officer). The SFC may as a matter of complete
discretion grant a six-month grace period to one of the Responsible Officers to pass the relevant
regulatory examinations, and a failure to obtain a pass within six months of obtaining approval may
render the approval invalid unless a further extension of time is granted by the SFC in exceptional
circumstances.
However, a full exemption to the regulatory knowledge examination requirement may be granted if the
individual: (i) has been licensed with the SFC within the past three years for a regulated activity with the
same competence requirements and in the same role as previously licensed; or (ii) has been actively
involved in regulatory or compliance work in Hong Kong in the relevant industry for not less than three
years over the past six years.

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A conditional exemption to the regulatory knowledge examination requirement may be granted on such
conditions as the SFC may consider necessary to impose, such as restricting the individual’s activities
within the same group of related companies or to non-retail clients, if the individual can demonstrate
certain things.
A conditional exemption may also be granted in certain circumstances.

Hong Kong's "Manager-in-Charge" regime

A licensed corporation is required to nominate a Manager-In-Charge (“MIC”) for each of the following
core functions. A MIC is an individual appointed by the Company to be principally responsible, either
alone or with others, for managing the relevant core function(s) of the Company:
 Overall Management Oversight (a function responsible for directing and overseeing the effective
management of the overall operations of the Company on a day-to-day basis)
 Key Business Line (a function responsible for directing and overseeing a line of business which
comprises one or more types of regulated activities)
 Operational Control and Review (a function responsible for: (i) establishing and maintaining adequate
and effective systems of controls over the corporation’s operations; and (ii) reviewing the adherence
to, and the adequacy and effectiveness of, the corporation’s internal control systems)
 Risk Management (a function responsible for the identification, assessment, monitoring and
reporting of risks arising from the Company’s operations)
 Finance and Accounting (a function responsible for ensuring the timely and accurate financial
reporting and analyses of the operational results and financial positions of the Company)
 Information Technology (a function responsible for the design, development, operation and
maintenance of the computer systems of the Company)
 Compliance (a function responsible for: (i) setting the policies and procedures for adherence to legal
and regulatory requirements in the jurisdiction(s) where the Company operates; (ii) monitoring the
Company’s compliance with the established policies and procedures; and (iii) reporting on
compliance matters to the Board and senior management)
 Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorist Financing (a function responsible for establishing and
maintaining internal control procedures to safeguard the Company against involvement in money
laundering activities or terrorist financing)
An individual may be MIC for more than one core function. The purpose of the MIC regime is to have
clearly identified individuals held accountable for regulatory lapses that belong to their area of
responsibility.

Financial Resources
A licensed corporation must maintain at all times financial resources of no less than the specified levels
of minimum paid-up share capital and liquid capital. The levels of these requirements depend on the
regulated activity for which the licensed corporation is licensed and are set out in the Securities and
Futures (Financial Resources) Rules (Cap. 571N) made under the SFO.

Application Forms
In general, three main applications need to be submitted: for the licensed corporation, for each individual
seeking to be licensed as a licensed representative and for each individual seeking approval as a
Responsible Officer. Application forms can be downloaded from the SFC’s website.

Application Processing Time

For applications lodged by a new fund manager to become a licensed corporation, the SFC’s estimated
processing time is approximately 15 weeks once the relevant papers have been received in good order.
However, this period refers only to the time taken by the SFC to process the application on their part,
and does not include the time lapse between the issue of the SFC’s requisitions and the applicant’s
responses. Accordingly, assuming there will be no significant issues, a more realistic time estimate would
be 20 weeks, although in some cases applications can be processed in less time.

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E Ongoing Obligations for Licensed Fund Managers
Remaining Fit and Proper
Having successfully become licensed for the relevant regulated activities and therefore a licensed
corporation, the fund manager and the licensed representatives accredited to it must remain fit and
proper at all times. In particular, they must comply with all applicable provisions of the SFO and its
subsidiary legislation, as well as the codes and guidelines issued by the SFC. Failure to comply with the
applicable codes may be taken into account in considering whether the fund manager or the relevant
representative is fit and proper to remain licensed.

Submission of Audited Accounts etc. and Annual Fee

As a licensed corporation, the fund manager is also required to submit to the SFC the following
documents and fees on a periodic basis:

Document Time Limit Comment

Audited Accounts Within four months after the end of each Audited accounts and other required
financial year documents, made up to the date of
cessation, should be submitted not later
than four months after the date on which
the corporation ceases to carry on all of the
regulated activities for which it is licensed.
Financial Resources Return Within three weeks after the end of each N/A
month, except for corporations which are
licensed for only Type 4, Type 5, Type 6, Type 9
and/or Type 10 regulated activities and are
subject to the condition that they shall not
hold client assets, in which case, within three
weeks after the end of June and December
each year
Business and Risk Within four months after the end of each N/A
Management Questionnaire financial year
Annual Return Within one month after each anniversary date Failure to submit on time could result in
of the licence suspension and revocation of the licence.
Payment of Annual Fee Within one month after each anniversary date Monthly surcharges apply to outstanding
of the licence amounts. Failure to pay on time could also
result in suspension and revocation of the
licence.

Notification of Certain Events and Changes

All licensed corporations and licensed representatives are required to notify the SFC of certain events and
changes within the specified time limit. Some of the more common changes and events that require
notification are set out in the table below:

Types of change/events Time limit on notification

Cessation of business At least seven business days in advance for intended cessation
of business
Ceasing to act as a licensed representative Within seven business days
Ceasing to act as a Responsible Officer Within seven business days
Change in name Within seven business days
Change in business address At least seven business days in advance for intended change in
business address

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Change in director or his particulars Within seven business days
Change in complaints officer or his particulars Within seven business days
Change in share capital or shareholding structure Within seven business days
Change in contact information Within seven business days
Change in bank accounts Within seven business days
Change in associated entity or its particulars Within seven business days
Change in auditor’s name Within seven business days
Giving notice of a motion to remove or change an auditor to Within one business day
be moved in general meeting, or cessation of an auditor
before expiration of its term of office
Change in executive officer or his particulars Within seven business days

In addition, licensed corporations and licensed representatives are required to seek prior approval of the
SFC if they intend to make certain changes. Some of the more common changes that require prior
approval of the SFC include:
addition of regulated activity;
 reduction of regulated activity;
 modification or waiver of licensing or registration condition;
 change of financial year end;
 adoption of a period exceeding 12 months as financial year;
 extension of deadline for submission of audited accounts;
 new premises to be used for keeping records or documents;
 any person becoming a substantial shareholder of a licensed corporation;
 transfer or addition of accreditation; and
 any licensed representative becoming a Responsible Officer.

Continuous Professional Training

Fund managers, as licensed corporations, are held primarily responsible for designing and implementing
continuous professional training (“CPT”) programmes that are best suited to the training needs of the
licensed representatives they engaged. Such programmes should be able to enhance the individuals’
industry knowledge, skills and professionalism. Sufficient records on the CPT programmes and activities
undertaken by the individuals should be kept for a minimum of three years and be made available for
inspection upon request by the SFC.
Licensed representatives are generally required to complete five CPT hours per calendar year for each
regulated activity which they may carry out. They should also retain their own CPT compliance records
for a minimum of three years.

Recent Regulatory Updates

 Hong Kong Fund Manager Code of Conduct set to change
At the end of November 2016, the SFC launched a Consultation Paper on Proposals to Enhance Asset
Management Regulation and Point-of-sale Transparency, affecting the Fund Manager Code of
Conduct. The SFC’s proposed enhancements relate specifically to (i) securities lending and repurchase
agreements (repos); (ii) custody, (iii) liquidity risk management and (iv) disclosure of leverage. A key
aspect and thrust of the proposals is that fund managers will have explicit responsibility under the
Fund Manager Code of Conduct for the funds they manage.
 Suitability Obligations
The SFC issued two sets of FAQs on 23 December 2016 on compliance with suitability obligations by
licensed or registered persons, and on triggering of suitability obligations respectively. The FAQs set
out a list of six of such suitability obligations (and other miscellaneous ones), provide guidance on
how to comply with each of these duties, and clarify the types of interactions or relationships in

13
which suitability obligations may arise. In terms of actual compliance, an intermediary should perform
proportionate due diligence both for the investment products it recommends and particularly on the
clients to whom it is recommending, and ensure that compliance is ongoing and regularly reviewed.

14
“The ‘excellent’ Core strengths
team … is always
on on top of Simmons & Simmons' leading hedge fund practice in Hong Kong provides
everything” authoritative advice to hedge fund sponsors and managers across Asia.
Our core team is led by three partners and supported by 8 full time assistants as well
Legal 500 Asia Pacific 2014
as other legal staff. Specialist lawyers outside the core team are also involved to
provide the full range of legal services required by hedge fund clients. In addition our
team enjoys the full support of Simmons & Simmons London's market-leading
European hedge funds practice which has been providing authoritative advice to the
industry for over 20 years.
We have the largest hedge fund team of any law firm in the UK which works closely
Best Law Firm for with our international network. Through our alliance with Seward & Kissel LLP for
Asset
hedge fund and asset management work and our joint law venture in Singapore, we
Management
are able to provide coordinated US, UK, Hong Kong and Singapore legal advice on all
AsianInvestor Asset aspects of hedge fund formation as well as US, UK, Hong Kong and Singapore
Management Awards 2016 regulatory, operational and transactional advice to hedge fund managers and
and 2017 sponsors. In-depth industry knowledge and expertise in specialist areas equips us to
advise on the full range of issues relevant to hedge funds and their managers.

Alliance with Seward & Kissel LLP

 Coordinated approach for funds and advice relevant to funds and their
managers provides clients with managers). See attached list of key
Best Regulatory seamless top-tier global contacts for investment fund advice
Practice representation in the hedge fund and  Seward & Kissel LLP established what
asset management space across is considered the first hedge fund,
Hedge Fund Journal
Europe, Asia and the United States A.W. Jones, and has earned numerous
Awards 2016
 Dedicated group of Seward & Kissel best in class awards for its work with
LLP attorneys for hedge fund and hedge funds. The firm has one of the
private equity fund formation and largest and deepest hedge fund
regulatory advice (e.g., SEC, CFTC, practices among US law firms
ERISA, tax and other specialised US

Simmons & Simmons JWS

Asset  Our Singapore office was established  In November 2016 Simmons &
Management in 2013 and provides a hub to support Simmons entered into a Joint Law
Team of the Year clients throughout South East Asia Venture with JWS Asia Law
with seamless service covering both Corporation to deliver an integrated
Financial News Awards for international and Singapore law client service through Simmons &
Excellence in Legal Services advice. Working in integrated teams Simmons JWS. Simmons & Simnons
2016 with our other Asian offices in Beijing, JWS provides Singapore hedge fund
Hong Kong, Shanghai, and Tokyo, as expertise and local market knowledge
well as with those in the UK, the alongside a full range of legal services
Middle East and continental Europe, to clients across all stages of
the lawyers in our Singapore office development — from fund
focus on cross-border transactions, structuring, formation and marketing,
investigations and arbitrations for to regulatory advisory services such as
clients working across the South East licensing and corporate structuring.
Asia region.

1
 Our services
 Advising on structuring funds, and other futures and options
choosing the domicile, listing agreements)
requirements and drafting fund  Advising on strategic and
documentation transactional matters, including fund
 Advising on legal restrictions on M&A, illiquid investments and active
marketing internationally (with the investment situations
assistance of our international  Advising on all aspects of the
network) employment relationship (both
 Advising on the SFC licensing and contentious and non-contentious)
application process including employment contracts,
employee entitlement and protection,
 Advising on regulatory issues for
employee documentation, termination
hedge fund managers including
disputes and redundancies
disclosures of interests
 Through our Shanghai and Beijing
 Advising on structuring and setting up
offices, advising on PRC issues
hedge fund management businesses
including marketing restrictions and
 Negotiating prime brokerage and other applicable PRC regulations
trading documentation (including
ISDA Master agreements, CFD, repo

“Exceptional track Expertise in practice

record for its
expertise in ETF We act for many of the best known hedge fund sponsors and managers. We advise
and hedge funds.” hedge fund managers across Asia and in the UK, Europe and the US from Hong Kong
and Singapore. Our clients include both specialist hedge fund firms as well as
Legal 500 Asia Pacific 2014
institutional fund management houses.

LaunchPlus Hong Kong

With the introduction of our award-winning online resource – “LaunchPlus Hong
Kong” – we are now better placed than ever before to assist our manager clients
achieve their goals.
LaunchPlus Hong Kong is a free offering for our start-up clients which provides access
to a host of valuable step-by-step guides, reference materials, templates and
precedents. Each module is designed to guide a start-up manager through each phase
of a hedge fund’s life-cycle - from launch, to operation through to growth of the
fund.
If you are a start-up manager and you would like to know more about LaunchPlus
Hong Kong, including having trial access – come speak to us !

Our hedge fund clients in Asia include:

 ABCI Asset Management  Asia Lion Capital (Hong Kong) Limited
 AID Partners Asset Management  Athos
Limited  Bach
 Ajia Partners  Ballingal Investment Advisors
 Ally Bridge  Bosera
 Altis  Brevan Howard
 Arcus Investment  BTG HK
 Aristagora Investment Management  Capula Investment Management
2
 CG Partners Asset Management  LBN Advisers
Limited  Lone Pine Capital
 Chartwell Capital  Mandarin Capital
 Cheetah Investment Management  Marshall Wace
 China Investment Securities  MCP Asset Management Company
 China Merchants Limited
 Chongyang  Modus Asset Management
 CICC Investment Solution  Myo Capital Advisors
Management  NF Trinity Capital
 Cinda International Asset  North West
Management Limited
 Ocean Arete
 CloudAlpha Capital Management
 Orbis Investment Advisory Limited
Limited
 CG Partners  Oriental Harbor (Hong Kong)
 OTS Capital
 Deepwater Capital
 Pedder Street
 Dragonstone Capital
 Dymon Asia  Perry Capital (Asia)
 Petrel Capital
 East Purple Capital
 Pickers Capital
 Eastfort Asset Management
 EIP  Plymouth Lane Capital
 Prism Financial Products LLP
 Elevation Capital
 Rafiki Capital
 Ellis Brady Management
 Elpis Capital Limited  Rongtong
 RT Capital
 Epiphany Asset Management
 Samsung Asset Management (Hong
 Ethan China
Kong) Limited
 Evo Capital Management Asia
 Silk Road AFC Management Limited
 Excel Investment
 Sixpoint Partners LLP
 Fighton
 Standard Perpetual Partners Limited
 Folger Hill Asset Management LP
 Sunwah Kingsway Capital Holdings
 Foundation Asset Management Limited
 Founder Asset Management  Tangible Asset Management
 Four Elements  The Wittgensteins Consulting Limited
 Fundamental Value Partners  Tian Yue
 Goldstream  Vantage
 Grand Fund Hong Kong Management  VL
Limited  Wei Capital
 Guotai Junan  Wing Lung
 Hehui Investment Management  Winton
(Shanghai) Co., Ltd.  Zeal
 HFZ Capital Management  Zenas
 Hound Partners
 HT Capital Management
 Huatai-Pinebridge Fund Management
Co., Ltd.
 Hutchin Hill
 HZ Capital Limited
 H2 Capital Limited
 InnoFusion
 Jaala Asset Management
 Junson Asset Management
 Juntong Capital Management Limited

3
Contact
Gaven Cheong
T +852 2583 8323
E [email protected]

Gaven Cheong is a Partner in the Investment Funds and Regulatory group of Simmons & Simmons in
Hong Kong. Gaven specializes in fund establishment work across a range of private fund structures,
including hedge, private equity, hybrid and fund of funds. He also advises on contentious and non-
contentious regulatory issues in relation to asset management generally and across the life cycle of a
fund.