Managing Partner, Nick Humphrey Features in Elevate Together Podcast
Hamilton Locke Managing Partner, Nick Humphrey featured in Elevate Services Elevate Together…
Are you a responsible entity of a fund? Are the advertising and disclosures relating to your fund clear, comprehensive and accurate? Could your advertising and disclosure be considered false or misleading?
As a result of the greater financial risks presented by the COVID-19 pandemic, ASIC has focused its attention on fund advertising and disclosure. As a part of its focus, ASIC has warned responsible entities (REs) about ensuring that their products are true to label, and to ensure that marketing and website advertising provides clear, balanced and accurate information.
ASIC’s warnings come after the regulator carried out a risk-based surveillance and identified that a number of funds were providing inadequate information or were not accurately and clearly presenting key features of their funds.
In particular, ASIC was concerned about:
ASIC also flagged that REs need to accurately represent features of their product throughout the economic cycle. REs need to exercise diligence when making disclosures that might give the impression that capital is safe or that withdrawals will be available at short notice, especially in the current environment.
Advertising good practice
REs should take the time to consult Regulatory Guide 234: Advertising financial products and services (including credit): Good practice guidance (RG 234) prior to promoting funds. RG 234 sets out good practice guidance to help financial product promoters comply with their legal obligations to not make false or misleading statements or engage in misleading or deceptive conduct. In particular, REs should consider the following guidelines set out in RG 234:
How we can help
Hamilton Locke’s Funds and Financial Services Team is experienced in providing high quality advice on regulatory matters. We assist REs comply with legal obligations not to make false or misleading statements or engage in misleading or deceptive conduct.
For more information, please contact Justin Gross, Samuel Jones or Jack Peterson.
The information contained in this article is for information purposes only and does not constitute legal advice.
Hamilton Locke Managing Partner, Nick Humphrey featured in Elevate Services Elevate Together…
Hamilton Locke has featured in the Australian Financial Review (AFR) as one of Australia’s top 50…
Hamilton Locke is delighted to share that legal research and ranking directory guide, Legal 500 has…