The Act prohibits any person from carrying on, or purporting to carry on, regulated activities in the United Kingdom unless that person is an authorised person or an exempt person. If an overseas investment exchange wishes to undertake regulated activities in the United Kingdom, it will need to:

1. (1)

   obtain a Part 4A permission2 from the FCA2;

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2. (2)

   (in the case of an EEA firm or a Treaty firm) qualify for authorisation under Schedule 3 (EEA Passport Rights) or Schedule 4 (Treaty rights) to the Act, respectively; or

3. (3)

   (in the case of an EEA market operator)1 obtain exempt person status by exercising its passport rights under article 34(6)3 of MiFID (in the case of arrangements relating to a multilateral trading facility) or organised trading facility3) or article 53(6)3 of MiFID (in the case of arrangements relating to a regulated market);1 or

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4. (4)

   obtain exempt person status by being declared by the FCA2 to be an ROIE.

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Having the status of an ROIE2 facilitates the participation of overseas investment exchanges in UKmarkets. In comparison with authorisation, it reduces the involvement which UK authorities need to have in the day-to-day affairs of an overseas recognised body because they are able to rely substantially on the supervisory and regulatory arrangements in the country where the applicant's head office is situated.

1. (1)

   Overseas investment exchanges which are considering whether to seek authorisation or recognition should first consider whether they will be carrying on regulated activities in the United Kingdom. Overseas investment exchanges which do not carry on regulated activities in the United Kingdom need take no action.

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2. (2)

   Prospective applicants should discuss authorisation and recognition with the FCA3 before deciding whether to seek authorisation or recognition.

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A prospective applicant may wish to contact the Infrastructure and Trading Firms Department4 at the FCA3 at an early stage for advice on the preparation, scheduling and practical aspects of an application to become an overseas recognised body.

Applicants for authorised person status should refer to the FCA3 website “Authorisation”: www.fca.org.uk/firms/authorisation1. Applications for recognition as an overseas recognised body should be addressed to:

The Financial Conduct Authority3 (Infrastructure and Trading Firms Department)4

12 Endeavour Square5

London, E20 1JN5

There is no standard application form for application for recognition as an ROIE2. An application should be made in accordance with any direction the FCA3 may make under section 287 (Application by an investment exchange) of the Act and should include:

1. (1)

   the information, evidence and explanatory material necessary to demonstrate to the FCA3 that the recognition requirements (set out in REC 6.3) will be met;

2. (2)

   the application fee (see REC 7);

3. (3)

   the address of the applicant's head office in its home territory;

4. (4)

   the address of a place in the United Kingdom for the service on the applicant of notices or other documents required or authorised to be served on it under the Act (see section 292(1));

5. (5)

   the applicant's regulatory provisions;

6. (6)

   one copy of each of the following documents:

   1. (a)

      its most recent annual report and accounts; and

   2. (b)

      the applicant's memorandum and articles of association or any similar or analogous documents; and

7. (7)

   information identifying the following (if not contained in the documents listed in (5) or (6) or the material referred to in (1)):

   1. (a)

      any type of regulated activity which the applicant envisages carrying on in the United Kingdom;

   2. (b)

      any type of specified investmentdealt in on, or arranged to be3 cleared through3 the applicant;

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   3. (c)

      the date by which the applicant wishes the recognition order to take effect; and

   4. (d)

      any body or authority which supervises the applicant under the law of the home territory, the status of the applicant under that law, and the enactment or regulation under which the supervision is conducted.

The FCA3 may require further information from the applicant and may need to have discussions with the appropriate authorities in the applicant's home territory. To allow sufficient time for applications to be processed and for the necessary contacts to be made with the appropriate home territory authorities, applications should be made not later than six months before the applicant wishes the recognition order to take effect. No guarantee can be given that a decision will be reached within this time, although the FCA3 will endeavour to meet the applicant's reasonable timing requirements.

All material should be supplied in English, or accompanied, if appropriate, by an accurate English translation. An English glossary of technical or statistical terms may be sufficient to accompany tables of statistical or financial information.

Before making a recognition order, the FCA3 will need to be satisfied that the recognition requirements in section 292(3) of the Act (Overseas investment exchanges) have been met. These requirements are the only recognition requirements applicable to ROIEs3.

The reference to recognition requirements in section 292(3)(a) of the Act is a reference to the requirements applicable to UK RIEs in the Recognition Requirements Regulations. These requirements are set out, together with guidance, in REC 2.

If the FCA1 considers that the requirements of the Act are satisfied, it may make a recognition order, which will state the date on which it takes effect.

Where the FCA1 considers that it is unlikely to make a recognition order, it will discuss its concerns with the applicant with a view to enabling the applicant to make changes to its rules or guidance, or other parts of the application. If the FCA1 decides to refuse to make a recognition order, it will follow the procedure set out in section 298 of the Act (Directions and revocation: procedure) (which applies in consequence of section 290(5) of the Act (Recognition orders)) which is described in more detail in REC 4.8.

An ROIE1 is required to notify the FCA1 of certain events and give information to it on a regular basis and when certain specified events occur. Section 295 of the Act (Notification: overseas investment exchanges and overseas clearing houses) requires each ROIE1 to provide the FCA1 with a report (at least once a year) which contains:

1. (1)

   a statement as to whether any events have occurred which are likely to affect the FCA's assessment of whether it is satisfied that the ROIE continues to satisfy the recognition requirements set out in the section 292(3) of the Act (Overseas investment exchanges and overseas clearing houses) (see REC 6.3);1

2. (2)

   the information specified in the FCA'snotification rules1 for ROIEs1 (see REC 6.7).

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The following events are examples of events likely to affect an assessment of whether an ROIE1 is continuing to satisfy the recognition requirements

1. (1)

   significant changes to any relevant law or regulation in its home territory, including laws or regulations:

   1. (a)

      governing exchanges or, if relevant to an ROIE's satisfaction of the recognition requirements,1clearing houses;

   2. (b)

      designed to prevent insider dealing, market manipulation or other forms of market abuse or misconduct;

   3. (c)

      designed to protect the interests of clients of members of the ROIE1, or of a class of bodies which includes the ROIE1;

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   4. (d)

      which affect:

      1. (i)

         the ability of the ROIE1 to seek information (whether compulsorily or voluntarily) from its members, including information relating to the price and volume of transactions, the identity of parties to transactions, and the movement of funds associated with transactions;

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      2. (ii)

         the ability of theROIE1 to pass such information, on request, to UK authorities;

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2. (2)

   significant changes to its internal organisation or structure;

3. (3)

   significant changes to the practices of the ROIE1 applying to any regulated activities carried on by it in the United Kingdom;

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4. (4)

   any other event or series of events in relation to the body which:

   1. (a)

      affects or may significantly affect cooperation between the ROIE1, or its supervisor in its home territory, and the FCA1; or

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   2. (b)

      has or may have a substantial effect on the structure of the markets in which the body operates; or

   3. (c)

      brings about or may bring about a substantial change in the nature and composition of its membership in the United Kingdom; or

   4. (d)

      brings about or may bring about a substantial change in the regulated activities undertaken by it in the United Kingdom.

The period covered by a report submitted under section 295(1) of the Act starts on the day after the period covered by its last report or, if there is no such report, after the making of the recognition order recognising theROIE1 as such, and ends on the date specified in the report or, if no date is specified, on the date of the report.

If an ROIE1 changes the period covered by its report, it should ensure that the first day of the period covered by a report is the day immediately following the last day of the period covered by the previous report.

The period covered by a report submitted under section 295(1) of the Act would most conveniently be one year.

Copies of the report should be sent to the FCA1 within two months after the end of the period to which it relates.

The notification rules in this chapter are made by the FCA1 in order to ensure that it is provided with notice of events and information which it reasonably requires for the exercise of its functions under the Act.

Guidance on the period covered by an ROIE's1 report submitted in compliance with section 295(1) of the Act is given in REC 6.6.3 G11.

An English glossary of technical or statistical terms may be sufficient to accompany tables of statistical or financial information.

ROIEs 1may apply to the FCA1 for a waiver of any of the notification rules. The procedure is the same as that for applications from UK recognised bodies. Guidance on the procedure is given in REC 3.3.

The FCA1 has similar powers to supervise ROIEs1 to those it has to supervise UK RIEs1. It may (in addition to any other powers it might exercise):

1. (1)

   give directions to an ROIE1 under section 296 of the Act (Authority's power to give directions) if it has failed, or is likely to fail, to satisfy the recognition requirements or if it has failed to comply with any other obligation imposed by or under the Act; or

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2. (2)

   revoke a recognition order under section 297 of the Act (Revoking recognition) if an ROIE1 is failing, or has failed, to comply with the recognition requirements or any other obligation in or under the Act; or1

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3. (3)

   require an ROIE or a person connected with the ROIE, under section 165 of the Act, to provide or produce specified information or information of a specified description, at a specified place and before the end of a reasonable period, in such form and with such verifications or authentications as it may reasonably require; or1

4. (4)

   require any of the following persons, under section 166 of the Act, to provide the FCA with a report on any matter, or appoint a skilled person to provide the FCA with information or produce documents with respect to any matter:

   1. (a)

      the ROIE; or

   2. (b)

      any other member of the ROIE's group; or

   3. (c)

      a partnership of which the ROIE is a member; or

   4. (d)

      a person who has at any time been a person falling within (a), (b) or (c).

The FCA1 will follow the approach in REC 4.6, REC 4.7,1REC 4.8, REC 4.2F and REC 4.2G1 if it is considering exercising these powers in relation to an ROIE1.