Riveles Wahab, a leading New York-based boutique law firm for investment management and private funds has been recognised in several categories in alternative investment industry data and analytics provider Preqin’s Service Providers in Alternatives 2023 Report. The report is a comprehensive review of the alternative investment fund industry’s service provider community, covering fund administrators, placement agents, auditors, custodians and law firms. Riveles Wahab features in the top …
New SEC Rules for Private Fund Managers (including Key Takeaways and Summary Chart) (August 2023)
On August 23, 2023, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) implemented heavily anticipated private fund reforms (the “Private Funds Rules” or the “Rules”) promulgated under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, as amended (the “Advisers Act”). Although the Rules are far less “mandate-driven” than those originally proposed in February 2022, the Rules nevertheless impose significant disclosure (and in some cases, operational) requirements that all …
The New Change in ERISA’s “Fiduciary” Definition and its Effect on Private Fund Managers
Broadened Scope of ERISA Fiduciary Rules After several years of debate and revision, a Department of Labor (DOL) regulation, revising the definition of a “fiduciary” as it applied to investment managers, became applicable on June 9, 2017. The new regulation expands the definition of “fiduciary” under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) and the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, to …
SEC Issues Notice of Intent to Raise Net Worth Threshold for Qualified Clients
By William Kelly and Simon Riveles On May 24, 2016, the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) published a notice of its intent to issue an order increasing the net worth threshold for “qualified clients,” as defined in Rule 205-3 under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, as amended (the “Advisers Act”). The Advisers Act generally prohibits SEC-registered investment advisers from charging any client a performance-based …
FinCEN Proposes Long-Expected AML Rule for Investment Advisers
By William Kelly On August 25th, the Treasury Department’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (“FinCEN”) proposed a new rule applicable to investment advisers. At its core, the proposal seeks to extend anti-money laundering (“AML”) obligations imposed under the Bank Secrecy Act (“BSA”) to registered investment advisers. This proposal comes as little surprise, as the Treasury Department has long contemplated the extension of AML regulations to investments …
SEC Issues New Guidelines on Social Media Use
By Masha Goncharova and Simon Riveles In response to growing interest among investment advisers to communicate to clients through social media, the SEC staff has been establishing new informal guidelines on proper social media use. New parameters set forth this spring limit the scope of client testimonials and now allow advisers to provide required cautionary legends via hyperlinks, making it easier to communicate on platforms …
SEC Sees Deficiencies in “Custody Rule”: Warns Clients to be Vigilant.
The Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”) recently issued an Investor Bulletin with guidelines on compliance with its “custody rule” for investment advisers. While the rule is designed to enhance safeguards over client assets, clients still need to be aware of the specific steps taken by their advisers to comply with the rule. Custody relates to the holding of client funds or securities, directly or …