This notice, which comes into force on 1 December 2020, will continue the exemptions in the Financial Advisers (NZX Brokers—Client Money and Client Property) Exemption Notice 2015, which is revoked at the close of 30 November 2020.

Section 77P(1A) of the Financial Advisers Act 2008 (the Act) requires brokers to keep their own money and property (firm money and firm property) separate from client money and client property. This notice exempts certain brokers from that requirement on the conditions set out in the notice.

The notice applies to a broker who is a Market Participant Accepting Client Assets (or any equivalent replacement designation) within the meaning of the NZX Participant Rules (an NZX broker).

The notice grants 2 exemptions: firstly, to permit the operation of gateway accounts (which are accounts used specifically for transacting with particular settlement systems) and, secondly, to permit a buffer of firm money to be kept in those accounts.

The exemptions will permit the co-mingling of client money and client property with firm money and firm property to the extent that it is reasonably necessary to do so in order to—

• facilitate or arrange the settlement of financial product transactions in a prudent and orderly fashion; or

• reduce the risk of a shortfall arising in a client money trust account.

A practice or an action will be regarded as reasonably necessary if the NZX broker—

• has taken reasonable steps to investigate alternatives that would overcome or reduce the extent to which client money or client property is held together with firm money or firm property; and

• is satisfied on reasonable grounds that, in the circumstances, there are no alternatives available or that any such alternatives—

  • would pose an undue risk to the prudent and orderly conduct of the broker’s business; or

  • are not able to be accessed or implemented without exposing the broker or their clients to an unreasonable level of cost or delay or risk; or

  • would be contrary to the best interests of the broker’s clients in being able to undertake financial product transactions in a timely and prudent manner.

This notice will be revoked by the Financial Services Legislation Amendment Act 2019 (the 2019 Act). The 2019 Act was due to come fully into force on 29 June 2020 (seethe Financial Services Legislation Amendment Act Commencement Order 2019). However, because of the effects of COVID-19, commencement of the 2019 Act has been delayed and it will now come into force on 15 March 2021 (see the Financial Services Legislation Amendment Act Commencement Order 2020). This notice is therefore revoked on that date.

The Financial Markets Authority, after satisfying itself as to the matters set out in section 148(2)(a) of the Act, considers it appropriate to grant the exemptions set out in the notice for the following reasons:

• client money trust accounts are exposed to the risk of shortfalls for a variety of reasons, including the imposition of third party charges, timing issues in the settlement process, failure by third parties to fulfil their obligations, foreign exchange rate fluctuations, and operational errors. Such shortfalls, if they occurred, would result in NZX brokers breaching their trust account obligations or having insufficient funds available to settle financial product transactions on behalf of clients. Allowing NZX brokers to hold buffers of firm money in client money trust accounts enables those brokers to effectively manage the risk of shortfalls arising, without impeding the efficient and orderly operation of financial markets:

• the costs of compliance with section 77P(1A) of the Act, including modifications to systems and processes involved in settling financial product transactions, would be unreasonable and would not be justified by the benefit of compliance:

• the risks arising from the proposed co-mingling are appropriately reduced by the scope and conditions of the exemption, and allowing the exemption would ultimately offset more significant risks to consumers arising from transaction failure:

• the exemptions are available only to NZX brokers who are subject to a high degree of industry regulation under the NZX Participant Rules and who are already subject to good broking conduct obligations. In addition, NZX Participant Rules require participants to notify NZX Limited if they are keeping a buffer of firm money and the rules provide the basis on which a buffer is calculated.

• co-mingling of client money or client property with firm money or firm property is permitted only where that co-mingling is reasonably necessary in order to facilitate the settlement of financial product transactions or to reduce the risk of a shortfall arising in the client money held for a client in a client money trust account, and is not permitted for any other purpose:

• client money or client property may not be held together with firm money or firm property for longer than is reasonably necessary for the prudent and orderly conduct of a financial product transaction business:

• market participants relying on the exemptions must take all reasonable steps to ensure that client money and client property remain separately identifiable and must otherwise document, implement, and monitor processes consistent with good practice to manage the risks involved. Participants must also ensure that the amount of firm money held in a client money trust account is no more than is reasonably necessary to cover the risk of a shortfall arising:

• requiring NZX brokers to comply with a requirement to separate client money and client property from firm money and firm property would impair the efficient and timely operation of New Zealand’s financial markets. It could also unduly constrain investor participation in markets and the ability of NZX brokers to assist clients to settle transactions on some overseas markets, with compliance potentially increasing the extent of client exposure to broker failure.