Introducing ACA Passport

Many U.S. compliance professionals will be familiar with the uncertainty and confusion the AIFMD¹ brought for firms in America and across the globe. Others have wrestled with the impact of EMIR² for their U.S. business, the risk-management or eligible investment requirements of a UCITS³ fund or maybe the relevance (or otherwise) of the forthcoming MiFID II⁴  and MiFIR⁵  legislative changes in Europe. Equally challenging can be the myriad of Short-Selling rules across the European Union (‘EU’) under SSR⁶, the differing marketing and fund distribution requirements in the EU, or the requisite conditions when considering expansion into the UK.

Additional EU legislative or regulatory changes likely to impact firms outside of Europe are coming down the line and in this environment, simply understanding what is and what is not relevant to your firm is a challenge for any U.S. compliance officer.

INTRODUCTION. As a response to the issues described above, ACA is pleased to announce the launch of our new subscription-based service, ACA Passport – designed specifically for our non-European based clients.

Your subscription to ACA Passport will retain the services of ACA’s London-based team of former UK regulators and experienced compliance practitioners, providing a go-to solution for your European regulatory work and queries, whilst keeping you abreast of developments in Europe that may impact your current business or future plans.

SERVICES. Fully included in your Subscription to ACA Passport are the following benefits:

• Assistance with many EU requirements relevant to U.S. based firms;
• Unlimited telephone support on EU regulatory matters;
• Annual review of European-driven policies and procedures;
• Private website focused on EU regulatory issues; and
• EU regulatory newsletters, alerts, events and webcasts.

WHO IS IT FOR? ACA Passport is the ideal solution for non-EU firms:

• Marketing (or planning to market) in Europe;
• Taking in investors or clients from Europe;
• Trading European-listed securities, exchange/OTC derivatives or sovereign debt;
• Trading on European exchanges;
• Managing an AIF or UCITS fund;
• Taking EU short positions; or
• With a UK-based business activity in their group.

WHAT DOES IT COST? Annual subscriptions to ACA Passport are $15,000 (USD) a year.