An accredited or sophisticated investor is an investor with a special status under financial regulation laws. The definition of an accredited investor, and the consequences of being classified as such, vary between countries. Generally, accredited investors include high-net-worth individuals, banks, financial institutions and other large corporations, who have access to complex and higher-risk investments such as venture capital, hedge funds and angel investments.
The Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) is an independent Australian government body that acts as Australia's corporate regulator. ASIC's role is to enforce and regulate company and financial services laws to protect Australian consumers, investors and creditors. ASIC was established on 1 July 1998 following recommendations from the Wallis Inquiry. ASIC's authority and scope is determined by the Australian Securities and Investments Commission Act, 2001 (Cth).
The Resolution Trust Corporation (RTC) was a U.S. government-owned asset management company run by Lewis William Seidman and charged with liquidating assets, primarily real estate-related assets such as mortgage loans, that had been assets of savings and loan associations (S&Ls) declared insolvent by the Office of Thrift Supervision (OTS) as a consequence of the savings and loan crisis of the 1980s. It also took over the insurance functions of the former Federal Home Loan Bank Board (FHLBB).
A trustee in bankruptcy is an entity, often an individual, in charge of administering a bankruptcy estate.
A custodian bank, or simply custodian, is a specialized financial institution responsible for safeguarding a firm's or individual's financial assets and is not engaged in "traditional" commercial or consumer/retail banking such as mortgage or personal lending, branch banking, personal accounts, Automated Teller Machines (ATMs) and so forth. The role of a custodian in such a case would be to:
An open-ended investment company or investment company with variable capital is a type of open-ended collective investment formed as a corporation under the Open-Ended Investment Company Regulations 2001 in the United Kingdom. The terms "OEIC" and "ICVC" are used interchangeably with different investment managers favouring one over the other. In the UK OEICs are the preferred legal form of new open-ended investment over the older unit trust.
A financial adviser or financial advisor, is a professional who suggests and renders financial services to clients based on their financial situation. In many countries financial advisors have to complete specific training and hold a license to provide advice. In the United States for example a financial adviser carries a Series 7 and Series 65 or Series 66 license and according to the U.S. Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA), license designations and compliance issues must be reported for public view. FINRA describes the main groups of investment professionals who may use the term financial advisor to be: brokers, investment advisers, private bankers, accountants, lawyers, insurance agents and financial planners.
Superannuation in Australia are the arrangements put in place by the Government of Australia to encourage people in Australia to accumulate funds to provide them with an income stream when they retire. Superannuation in Australia is partly compulsory, and is further encouraged by tax benefits. The government has set minimum standards for contributions by employees as well as for the management of superannuation funds. It is compulsory for employers to make superannuation contributions for their employees on top of the employees' wages and salaries. The employer contribution rate has been 9.5% since 1 July 2014, and as of 2015, was planned to increase gradually from 2021 to 12% in 2025. People are also encouraged to supplement compulsory superannuation contributions with voluntary contributions, including diverting their wages or salary income into superannuation contributions under so-called salary sacrifice arrangements.
Alberta Investment Management Corporation (AIMCo) is one of Canada's largest and most diversified institutional investment fund managers, with an investment portfolio of approximately $100 billion focusing on private equity, public equity, fixed income and private debt. Headquartered in Edmonton, Alberta, AIMCo manages the assets of a diverse set of public sector pensions, endowments, government funds and is one of the world's largest institutional investors.
Australian securities law relates to securities issued by corporations as well as other securities, including debentures, stocks and bonds issued by governments, and interests in managed investment schemes.
The Public Investment Corporation (PIC) is a South African state owned entity (SOC) with R2.083 trillion of assets under management as of 31 March 2018. It is Africa's largest asset manager. Established in 1911, it holds large stakes in several South African companies, and is one of the entities through which the government implements its policy of Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment. The PIC is also responsible for investing the South African Government Employees Pension Fund (GEPF).
Strata management, sometimes known as "body corporate management", is a specialist area of property management involving the day-to-day operation and management of a property that is jointly owned and comprises multiple units, common areas and common facilities. It is derived from an Australian concept of property law called strata title applied to the administration of common ownership in apartment buildings on multiple levels, or strata. Emerging markets in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, the Philippines and India have adopted the Australian system. It is one of the fastest growing forms of housing in the United States today, similar to common-interest development (CID), a category that includes planned unit developments of single-family homes, known as homeowner associations (HOAs), condominiums, and cooperative apartments. Federally-subsidized financing provided by two government-sponsored enterprises Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac via uniform financial instruments—mortgages that oblige the borrower to honour covenant restrictions of the collective-property regime with PUD or condo riders. Such provisions however are only enforceable where statutes recognise their validity. Common expense liabilities are often subordinated as junior liens in bankruptcy courts, with the bank retaining senior title.
An investment fund is a way of investing money alongside other investors in order to benefit from the inherent advantages of working as part of a group. These advantages include an ability to:
A specialized investment fund or SIF is a lightly regulated and tax-efficient regulatory regime aimed for a broader range of eligible investors. This type of investment fund is governed by the Luxembourg law of 13 February 2007 replacing the law of 1991 defining the legal framework for institutional funds and enlarging the distribution scope to “well-informed investors”. The SIF law significantly simplified the rules for setting up investment fund structures ranging from straightforward investment strategies investing in listed securities to hedge funds, real estate and private equity funds.
Financial regulation in Australia is extensive and detailed.
In Australia, Charitable Investment Fundraisers (CIF) are not-for-profit entities with charitable purposes that take deposits from the public to finance those charitable purposes. They may issue debentures or run managed investment schemes, which are normally considered to be “financial products” that require the entity to hold an Australian Financial Services Licence (AFSL). For example, the solicitation of secured loans that are paid back with interest are considered debentures. Such deposit taking entities have since 2003 also been exempted from certain requirements of the Banking Act 1959. Also, as charities, these entities enjoy tax and other exemptions and benefits.
