Overview
Bermuda is a major centre in the international offshore investment fund industry with over US$200bn of fund assets domiciled here. In addition to over 600 investment funds registered in and operating from Bermuda, there are also a significant number of unregulated investment funds, being primarily closed-ended investment companies and limited partnerships that fall outside of the Investment Funds Act 2006. As closed-ended funds are not required to be registered with the Bermuda Monetary Authority (BMA), it is not possible to estimate with accuracy the number of such funds domiciled in Bermuda.
The Bermuda fund industry sees investment predominantly from North America and Europe and therefore trends in the Bermuda fund finance market track the major onshore markets. Although there is no overall data reporting service for the fund finance market, anecdotal reports from many of the major facility lenders as well as Appleby practitioners anticipate that there will continue to be a strong period of fundraising through 2017 and into 2018, as well as an increase in demand for bespoke structures, such as funds of one and segregated accounts.
Bermuda as a jurisdiction is highly responsive to evolving market demands and over the past two years key stakeholders, including the government, the financial services regulator (the BMA) and investment industry professionals have collaborated to make legislative changes that serve to cement Bermuda's position as one of the premier offshore jurisdictions for private equity funds. A review of the most significant changes from a private equity fund perspective is set out in the 'Key developments' section below.
Fund formation and finance
(i) Investment funds – overview
The Investment Funds Act 2006, as amended (IFA) governs the exclusion, exemption and authorisation of investment funds and contains certain requirements for the formation of investment funds, their operation and the offering of shares or interests of investment funds. An 'investment fund' is broadly defined under the IFA and means any arrangements with respect to property of any description, including money, the purpose or effect of which is to enable persons taking part in the arrangements to participate in or receive profits or income arising from the acquisition, holding, management or disposal of the property or sums paid out of such profits and income.
Investment funds are prohibited from being operated in or from Bermuda unless they are authorised or exempted under the IFA. The requirement to be authorised or exempted does not apply to investment funds that are deemed to be private (such as master funds). An investment fund is a private fund (or an excluded fund) if the number of participants is 20 or less, and if the promotion, communication and offer to participate in the investment fund are restricted and not made to the general public. An operator of an excluded fund is required to serve a notice on the BMA of the fact that the private fund qualifies for the exclusion as soon as practicable following the formation of the fund.
(ii) Regulatory approval
The formation of companies, partnerships and limited liability companies (LLCs) is subject to the approval of the Registrar of Companies (Registrar) and the BMA (the Registrar and BMA being the principal regulatory bodies). The BMA is the principal body responsible for the regulation of investment funds, including those listed on the Bermuda Stock Exchange (BSX). The Registrar is responsible for the registration of companies, partnerships and LLCs and has powers pursuant to, inter alia, the Companies Act 1981 (Companies Act), the Partnership Act 1902, the Limited Partnership Act 1883, the Exempted Partnerships Act 1992, the Segregated Accounts Companies Act 2000 and the Limited Liability Company Act 2016. While the Registrar and the BMA do not regulate the formation of unit trust funds, a unit trust fund is required to apply to the BMA for authorisation or exemption under the IFA, and must also seek the permission of the BMA under the Exchange Regulations to issue units (as further defined and explained below).
(iii) Anti-money laundering (AML) and anti-terrorist financing (ATF)
The Bermuda AML and ATF framework, set out in the Proceeds of Crime (Anti-Money Laundering and Anti-Terrorist Financing, Supervision and Enforcement) Act 2008, requires that AML and ATF regulated financial institutions as well as independent professionals establish policies and procedures to forestall and prevent money laundering and terrorist financing. Such policies and procedures must cover:
- customer due diligence measures and ongoing monitoring;
- reporting;
- record keeping;
- internal control;
- risk assessment and management; and
- the monitoring and management of compliance with and the internal communication of such policies and procedures in order to prevent activities related to money laundering and terrorist financing.
The policies and procedures should be developed using a risk-based approach. The nature and extent of such policies and procedures will depend on a variety of factors, including the nature, scale and complexity of the business; the diversity of its operations, including geographical diversity; and its customer, product and activity profile.
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Originally published in Global Legal Insights
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