SSARIS Advisors, LLC -- s. 80 of the CFA
Headnote
Section 80 of the Commodity Futures Act (Ontario) -- Foreign advisers exempted from the adviser registration requirement in section 22(1)(b) of the CFA where such advisers act as an adviser in respect of commodity futures contracts or commodity futures options (commodities) for certain institutional investors in Ontario who meet the definition of "permitted client" in NI 31-103 Registration Requirements, Exemptions and Ongoing Registrant Obligations -- Commodities are primarily traded on commodity futures exchanges outside of Canada and primarily cleared outside of Canada.
Terms and conditions on exemption correspond to the relevant terms and conditions on the comparable exemption from the adviser registration requirement available to international advisers in respect of securities set out in section 8.26 of NI 31-103 Registration Requirements, Exemptions and Ongoing Registrant Obligations -- Exemption also subject to a "sunset clause" condition.
Statutes Cited
Securities Act, R.S.O. 1990, c. S.5, as am.
Commodity Futures Act, R.S.O. 1990, c. C.20. as am., ss. 1(1), 22(1)(b), 80.
Instruments Cited
National Instrument 31-103 Registration Requirements, Exemptions and Ongoing Registrant Obligations, ss. 1.1, 8.26.
IN THE MATTER OF
THE COMMODITY FUTURES ACT,
R.S.O. 1990, CHAPTER C.20, AS AMENDED
(the CFA)
AND
IN THE MATTER OF
SSARIS ADVISORS, LLC
ORDER
(Section 80 of the CFA)
UPON the application (the "Application") of SSARIS Advisors, LLC (the "Applicant") to the Ontario Securities Commission (the "Commission") for an order pursuant to section 80 of the CFA that the Applicant and any individuals engaging, in or holding themselves out as engaging in, the business of advising others on the Applicant's behalf (the "Representatives") be exempt, for a period of five years, from the adviser registration requirements in paragraph 22(1)(b) of the CFA, subject to certain terms and conditions;
AND UPON considering the Application and the recommendation of staff of the Commission;
AND WHEREAS for the purposes of this Order;
"Canadian Permitted Client" has the meaning ascribed to that term in subsection 8.26(2) [international adviser] of NI 31-103;
"CFA Adviser Registration Requirement" means the requirement in the CFA that prohibits a person or company from acting as an adviser unless the person or company is registered in the appropriate category of registration under the CFA;
"CFTC" means the United States Commodity Futures Trading Commission;
"Contract" has the meaning ascribed to that term in subsection 1(1) of the CFA;
"Foreign Contract" means a Contract that is primarily traded on one or more organized exchanges that are located outside of Canada and primarily cleared through one or more clearing corporations that are located outside of Canada;
"International Adviser Exemption" means the exemption set out in section 8.26 of NI 31-103 from the OSA Adviser Registration Requirement;
"NFA" means the United States National Futures Association;
"NI 31-103" means National Instrument 31-103 Registration Requirements, Exemptions and Ongoing Registrant Obligations, as amended;
"OSA" means the Securities Act, R.S.O. 1990, c. S.5, as amended;
"OSA Adviser Registration Requirement" means the requirement in the OSA that prohibits a person or company from acting as an adviser unless the person or company is registered in the appropriate category of registration under the OSA;
"SEC" means the United States Securities and Exchange Commission; and
"U.S. Advisers Act" means the United States Investment Advisers Act of 1940.
AND UPON the Applicant having represented to the Commission that:
1. The Applicant is a limited liability company organized under the laws of the State of Delaware, United States of America. The Applicant's head office and principal place of business are located in the State of Connecticut, United States of America.
2. The Applicant, an affiliate of State Street Global Advisors, is a specialized portfolio manager that advises institutional investors on all matters related to hedge fund and fund of hedge funds investing and to the construction and ongoing monitoring of investment portfolios. As at June 30, 2011, the Applicant had over US$1.9 billion in assets under management.
3. The Applicant is registered in the United States with the SEC as an investment adviser under the U.S. Advisers Act.
4. The Applicant is not registered under the OSA and relies on the International Adviser Exemption to advise Canadian Permitted Clients in Ontario with respect to foreign securities.
5. The Applicant is registered with the CFTC as a commodity pool operator and a commodity trading advisor, and is an approved member of the NFA. The Applicant engages in the business of commodity trading advising in the United States.
6. The Applicant is not registered in any capacity under the CFA.
7. In Ontario, institutional investors that are Canadian Permitted Clients seek to engage the Applicant as a discretionary investment manager for purposes of implementing certain specialized investment strategies.
8. The Applicant seeks to act as a discretionary investment manager on behalf of prospective institutional investors that are Canadian Permitted Clients. The proposed advisory services would include the use of specialized investment strategies employing Foreign Contracts to construct and manage global portfolios of foreign currency, interest rate, stock index and commodity sector futures, options and forwards.
9. Were the proposed advisory services limited to securities, the Applicant could rely on the International Adviser Exemption and carry out such activities on behalf of Canadian Permitted Clients on a basis that would be exempt from the OSA Adviser Registration Requirement.
10. There is currently no exemption from the CFA Adviser Registration Requirement that is equivalent to the International Adviser Exemption. Consequently, in order to advise Canadian Permitted Clients as to trading in Foreign Contracts, the Applicant would be required to satisfy the CFA Adviser Registration Requirement and would have to apply for registration in Ontario as an adviser under the CFA in the category of commodity trading manager.
11. The Applicant submits that it would not be prejudicial to the public interest for the Commission to grant the requested relief because:
(a) the Applicant will only advise Canadian Permitted Clients as to trading in Foreign Contracts;
(b) Canadian Permitted Clients seek to access certain specialized portfolio management services provided by the Applicant, including advice as to trading in Foreign Contracts;
(c) the Applicant meets the prescribed conditions to rely on the International Adviser Exemption in connection with the provision of advice to Canadian Permitted Clients with respect to foreign securities; and
(d) the Applicant would provide advice to Canadian Permitted Clients as to trading in Foreign Contracts on terms and conditions that are analogous to the prescribed terms and conditions of the International Adviser Exemption.
AND UPON being satisfied that it would not be prejudicial to the public interest for the Commission to grant the exemption requested on the basis of the terms and conditions proposed,
IT IS ORDERED pursuant to section 80 of the CFA that the Applicant and its Representatives are exempt, for a period of five years, from the adviser registration requirements of paragraph 22(1)(b) of the CFA in respect of providing advice to Canadian Permitted Clients as to the trading of Foreign Contracts provided that:
1. the Applicant provides advice to Canadian Permitted Clients only as to trading in Foreign Contracts and does not advise Canadian Permitted Clients as to trading in Contracts that are not Foreign Contracts, unless providing such advice is incidental to its providing advice on Foreign Contracts;
2. the Applicant's head office or principal place of business remains in the United States;
3. the Applicant remains registered in the United States in a category of registration that permits it to carry on the activities in the United States that registration as an adviser under the CFA Adviser Registration Requirement would permit it to carry on in Ontario;
4. the Applicant continues to engage in the business of an adviser, as defined in the CFA, in the United States;
5. as at the end of the Applicant's most recently completed financial year, not more than 10% of the aggregate consolidated gross revenue of the Applicant, its affiliates and its affiliated partnerships is derived from the portfolio management activities (which, for greater certainty, includes both securities-related and commodities-related activities) of the Applicant, its affiliates and its affiliated partnerships in Canada;
6. before advising a Canadian Permitted Client with respect to Foreign Contracts, the Applicant notifies the Canadian Permitted Client of all of the following:
(i) the Applicant is not registered in the local jurisdiction to provide the advice described under paragraph 1 of this Order;
(ii) the foreign jurisdiction in which the Applicant's head office or principal place of business is located;
(iii) all or substantially all of the Applicant's assets may be situated outside of Canada;
(iv) there may be difficulty enforcing legal rights against the Applicant because of the above; and
(v) the name and address of the Applicant's agent for service of process in Ontario;
7. the Applicant has submitted to the Commission a completed Submission to jurisdiction and appointment of agent for service in the form attached as Appendix "A";
8. by December 1 of each year, the Applicant notifies the Commission if it is relying on the exemption from registration granted pursuant to this order.
October 11, 2011
APPENDIX "A"
SUBMISSION TO JURISDICTION AND
APPOINTMENT OF AGENT FOR SERVICE
INTERNATIONAL DEALER OR INTERNATIONAL ADVISER EXEMPTED FROM
REGISTRATION UNDER THE COMMODITY FUTURES ACT, ONTARIO
1. Name of person or company ("International Firm"):
2. If the International Firm was previously assigned an NRD number as a registered firm or an unregistered exempt international firm, provide the NRD number of the firm:
3. Jurisdiction of incorporation of the International Firm:
4. Head office address of the International Firm:
5. The name, e-mail address, phone number and fax number of the International Firm's individual(s) responsible for the supervisory procedure of the International Firm, its chief compliance officer, or equivalent.
Name:
E-mail address:
Phone:
Fax:
6. The International Firm is relying on an exemption order under section 38 or section 80 of the Commodity Futures Act (Ontario) that is similar to the following exemption in National Instrument 31-103 Registration Requirements, Exemptions and Ongoing Registrant Obligations (the "Relief Order"):
[ ] Section 8.18 [international dealer]
[ ] Section 8.26 [international adviser]
[ ] Other [specify]:
7. Name of agent for service of process (the "Agent for Service"):
8. Address for service of process on the Agent for Service:
9. The International Firm designates and appoints the Agent for Service at the address stated above as its agent upon whom may be served a notice, pleading, subpoena, summons or other process in any action, investigation or administrative, criminal, quasi-criminal or other proceeding (a "Proceeding") arising out of or relating to or concerning the International Firm's activities in the local jurisdiction and irrevocably waives any right to raise as a defence in any such proceeding any alleged lack of jurisdiction to bring such Proceeding.
10. The International Firm irrevocably and unconditionally submits to the non-exclusive jurisdiction of the judicial, quasi-judicial and administrative tribunals of the local jurisdiction in any Proceeding arising out of or related to or concerning the International Firm's activities in the local jurisdiction.
11. Until 6 years after the International Firm ceases to rely on the Relief Order, the International Firm must submit to the regulator
a. a new Submission to Jurisdiction and Appointment of Agent for Service in this form no later than the 30th day before the date this Submission to Jurisdiction and Appointment of Agent for Service is terminated; and
b. an amended Submission to Jurisdiction and Appointment of Agent for Service no later than the 30th day before any change in the name or above address of the Agent for Service.
12. This Submission to Jurisdiction and Appointment of Agent for Service is governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the local jurisdiction.
Acceptance
The undersigned accepts the appointment as Agent for Service of ____________________ [Insert name of International Firm] under the terms and conditions of the foregoing Submission to Jurisdiction and Appointment of Agent for Service.