Companies which intend to conduct regulated activities in Hong Kong are required to be licensed as “Licensed Corporations” under Section 116 of the Securities and Futures Ordinance (“SFO”). The Securities and Futures Commission (“SFC”) is the regulator empowered by the SFO to oversee such activities.

Under the SFO, individuals who supervise and carry out those regulated activities (i.e., Responsible Officers) are also required to obtain the relevant SFC licenses.

Our Practice

We provide ongoing regulatory advice, documentation and technical support to our clients throughout the application process. Our scope of work includes:

• Provide preliminary advice to management on the regulatory approval process and the types of RA license(s) required;
• Assist in identifying and capturing all the regulatory issues/ hurdles that may arise during the application process;
• Advise on the key areas considered by the SFC in granting the RA license, including business plan, financial resources projections, etc.;
• Preparation of documentation for submission to the SFC. In this regard, we can make reference to the documentation which is currently available within GMO and tailor it to a standard acceptable by the SFC;
• Preparation of documentation for submission to the SFC;
• Work with management in responding to the queries raised by the SFC during their review of the application documents; and
• Accompany management to meetings with the SFC in order to discuss any issues and concerns arising from the approval process.