2013-12-26
The Financial Markets Council issued General Decision No. 20 of December 26, 2013 to establish standardized procedures for the establishment and liquidation of venture capital funds (FCPR) and seed funds, while defining related modifications and information obligations. The decision mandates management companies to submit detailed approval applications, updated internal regulations, and prospectuses adhering to specific annex models, ensuring unitholders receive timely information on lock-up periods, fees, and risk profiles. It further requires quarterly and annual statistical reporting, real-time net asset value filings, and clear protocols for both approved and non-approved fund modifications to protect investor interests.
1 General Decision of the Financial Markets Council No. 20 of December 26, 2013 on the Establishment and Liquidation Procedures for Venture Capital Funds and Seed Funds, as well as Related Modifications and Information Obligations The College of the Financial Markets Council, convened on December 26, 2013, Having regard to Law No. 94-117 of November 14, 1994 on the reorganization of the financial market, as amended and supplemented by subsequent texts, particularly Articles 28, 31, and 48; Having regard to the Collective Investment Scheme Code promulgated by Law No. 2001-83 of July 24, 2001, as amended and supplemented by subsequent texts, particularly Chapter Two bis; Having regard to Law No. 2005-58 of July 18, 2005 on seed funds; Having regard to the Financial Markets Council Regulation concerning securities collective investment schemes and portfolio management for third parties, as amended and supplemented by subsequent texts, particularly Articles 21, 22, 23, 24, 29, 30, 31, 38, 40, and 41; Decides,
Article 1: For the purposes of this General Decision, the following terms shall apply:
Chapter 1 Establishment Procedures
Article 2 The approval of the establishment of a fund or a fund benefiting from a simplified procedure is subject to the submission by the management company to the Financial Markets Council of an approval application signed by its legal representative and containing:
Article 3 A fund or a fund benefiting from a simplified procedure may receive subscriptions only after the preparation of a prospectus submitted to the Financial Markets Council's visa, which must be drafted according to the model presented in Annex 2 of this General Decision if it is a fund, or in Annex 3 if it is a fund benefiting from a simplified procedure. A copy of the prospectus must be sent to the Financial Markets Council electronically.
Article 4 The management company and the depositary shall draft the internal regulations according to the model presented in Annex 4 of this General Decision if it is a fund, or in Annex 5 if it is a fund benefiting from a simplified procedure. The internal regulations, signed by the concerned parties, are filed with the Financial Markets Council. A copy is sent to the Financial Markets Council electronically.
Chapter 2 Modifications Affecting the Fund or a Fund Benefiting from a Simplified Procedure and Related Information Obligations
Article 5 A fund or a fund benefiting from a simplified procedure may be subject to modifications submitted to the Financial Markets Council's approval and others not subject to its approval. Modifications may take effect immediately or deferred. Immediate entry into force is understood as three business days after the information of unitholders. The procedures and information obligations related to each type of modification are summarized in the synthetic table provided in Annex 6 of this General Decision. In all cases, the Financial Markets Council must be previously informed of any modification not included in this General Decision. The Financial Markets Council determines the appropriate processing method and the information medium for unitholders.
Section 1 Modifications Subject to Approval and Related Information Obligations
Article 6 Modifications subject to approval require the submission by the management company to the Financial Markets Council of an approval application signed by its legal representative and containing:
Article 7 The management company must prepare a report on the relevance of the modifications to be made and their potential impact on unitholders' interests, when these modifications concern the following elements:
Article 8 During the processing of the approval application regarding modifications to be made, the Financial Markets Council may request any additional document or information. When the submitted application is incomplete or contains non-compliant or inconsistent information, it is returned to the management company with an indication of the reasons for the return. The Financial Markets Council's approval decision is notified to the management company by registered letter with acknowledgment of receipt.
Article 9 The envisaged modifications may only be implemented after the information or agreement of the depositary, as applicable, and after obtaining the Financial Markets Council's approval. The management company must promptly inform the fund's or fund benefiting from a simplified procedure's auditor of modifications subject to approval.
Article 10 The management company must file with the Financial Markets Council the updated internal regulations signed by the concerned parties, as well as the updated prospectus, no later than three business days before the entry into force of the modifications. A copy of these documents is sent to the Financial Markets Council electronically.
Article 11 When the internal regulations of a fund or a fund benefiting from a simplified procedure provide for the possibility for unitholders to request early redemption of their shares in case of a modification subject to approval, this redemption must not incur any fees for the unitholders.
Section 2 Modifications Not Subject to Approval and Related Information Obligations
Article 12 The management company must inform the depositary and the auditor of a fund or a fund benefiting from a simplified procedure about modifications not subject to approval, and declare them to the Financial Markets Council no later than three business days before the entry into force of the modifications. The envisaged modifications may only be implemented after filing with the Financial Markets Council the updated internal regulations signed by the concerned parties, as well as the updated prospectus. A copy of these documents must be transmitted electronically. The management company informs unitholders about these modifications according to the procedures set out in the table provided in Annex 6 of this General Decision.
Article 13 When the management company declares to the Financial Markets Council that a fund or a fund benefiting from a simplified procedure has entered pre-liquidation, it must file a dossier containing:
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Chapter 3 Liquidation Procedures
Article 14 The approval of the liquidation of a fund is subject to the submission by the management company to the Financial Markets Council of an approval application signed by its legal representative and containing:
Article 15 The management company must, before the fund or a fund benefiting from a simplified procedure enters liquidation, provide unitholders with necessary information, including:
Chapter 4 Information Obligations vis-à-vis the Financial Markets Council
Article 16 The management company must file with the Financial Markets Council the net asset value of a fund or a fund benefiting from a simplified procedure on the same day it is determined. A copy is also transmitted to the Financial Markets Council electronically.
Article 17 The management company must prepare a quarterly statistical statement of all funds it manages and communicate it to the Financial Markets Council 30 days after the close of each quarter. The management company must also prepare an annual statistical statement of all funds it managed, which must be communicated to the Financial Markets Council before February 15 of each year. The statistical elements are collected for each fund individually and presented according to the models provided in Annex 9 of this General Decision regarding quarterly statistics, and in Annex 10 regarding annual statistics.
Visa The Minister of Finance The President of the Financial Markets Council
ANNEX 1 APPROVAL FORM FOR THE ESTABLISHMENT OF A FUND OR A FUND BENEFITING FROM A SIMPLIFIED PROCEDURE Establishment 1 Type of Fund: FCPR / FCPR benefiting from a simplified procedure / Seed fund / Seed fund benefiting from a simplified procedure 2 Investment policy: 3 Name of the Fund or fund benefiting from a simplified procedure: 4 Name of the management company: 5 Name of the depositary: 6 Name of the Auditor: 7 Management delegation for the Fund or fund benefiting from a simplified procedure Administrative management: Name of the establishment: Accounting management: Name of the establishment: 8 Profit allocation methods: Capitalization / Distribution 9 Frequency of net asset value calculation allowing subscriptions/redemptions: Semi-annual / Annual / Other: 10 Fees borne by the fund or fund benefiting from a simplified procedure: FORM COMPLETED BY Name of case officer: Company: Tel.: Email: Fax: Address of the management company: ATTACHED DOCUMENTS Establishment: Documents to be provided obligatorily For all Funds: A draft internal regulations established according to the model presented in Annex 4 or Annex 5 of this General Decision, depending on whether it is a fund or a fund benefiting from a simplified procedure, and signed by the concerned parties. A copy of the internal regulations must be sent electronically. The agreements concluded between the various parties to the transaction. Commercial documents, where applicable. A written declaration of acceptance of its mission by the depositary. Any other document that the management company deems necessary for processing the file.
ANNEX 2 STANDARD FUND PROSPECTUS I. - Brief presentation: The first page of the prospectus provides a brief presentation of the fund as follows: "This document contains important information and must be read carefully before subscribing to any investment." 1 – Warning: "The Financial Markets Council draws your attention to the fact that your money is locked for a period of … years, (except cases of early unlocking provided in the internal regulations). The fund is primarily invested in unlisted companies that present particular risks. You must review the risk factors of this fund described in the "risk profile" section of the prospectus. Finally, the Financial Markets Council's approval does not mean that you will automatically benefit from the various tax mechanisms presented by the management company. This depends, among other things, on the fund's compliance with certain investment rules, the duration for which you hold its shares, and the individual situation of each investor." 2 - Summary table presenting the list of other venture capital funds already managed by the management company and the percentage of their eligible assets reaching the quota as of the last known date. 3 - Type of fund: FCPR / Seed fund 4 - Name: 5 - Lock-up period duration: 6 - Fund life span: 7 - Names of participants in the fund's life and their contact details (including, where applicable, the addresses of their respective websites):
II. - Information concerning investments: 1 - Management objective: This section explains the overall management objective pursued by the fund. It must give a precise description of it, avoiding general phrases such as "capital appreciation". Step 1: Subscription