Professional Documents
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Malta - Tor - Ic
Malta - Tor - Ic
DECEMBER 2013
1. Definitions
i. In these Terms of Reference, the following terms shall, unless otherwise expressly
defined for any specific purpose or part/s hereof or unless the context otherwise
requires, have the meanings respectively assigned to them hereunder:
“Board of Directors” or means the Board of Directors of the Company, for the
“Board” time being, including any committee thereof (but
excluding the Investment Committee and any Sub-
Investment Committee);
“Compliance Officer” means the person for the time being acting as the
Company’s compliance officer;
“Fund Documents” means the Offering Document and the memorandum and
articles of association or constitutional document related
to the relevant Fund and the collective investment
scheme licence under which such Fund is operated
(including the licence conditions attached thereto);
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“Laws” means the laws of Malta (including delegated legislation
and rules and regulations of any competent authority)
and any other applicable laws and regulations for the
time being in force, including without limitation the
Investment Services Act (Chapter 370 of the Laws of
Malta) and any rules and regulations made thereunder;
“MLRO” means the person for the time being acting as the
Company’s money laundering reporting officer;
ii. Save to the extent that the context or the express provisions otherwise require, in
these Terms of Reference: words importing any gender include all other genders;
words importing the singular number only include the plural number and vice versa;
words which import the whole are to be treated as including reference to any part of
the whole; words importing individuals include legal persons and vice versa;
references to these Terms of Reference or to any other document are to be
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construed as reference to these Terms of Reference or to that other document as
modified, amended, varied, supplemented, assigned, novated or replaced from time
to time; any reference to a Section or Annex is to the relevant Section or Annex of
these Terms of Reference; reference to any statute or statutory provision (including
any subsidiary or delegated legislation) includes any statute or statutory provision
which amends, extends, consolidates or replaces the same, or which has been
amended, extended, consolidated or replaced by the same, and includes any orders,
legislation, instruments or other subordinate legislation made under the relevant
statute or statutory provision; and any phrase introduced by the words “including”,
“include”, “in particular” or any similar expression is to be construed as illustrative
only and shall not be construed as limiting the generality of any preceding words.
iii. The headings in these Terms of Reference are for convenience only and shall not
affect the construction or interpretation thereof.
The Company will be subject to the Standard Licence Conditions included in Part B I
of the Investment Services Rules for Investment Service Providers including the
supplementary conditions applicable to Fund Management Companies
• The Investment Committee members are not being individually approved by the
authority but they are being approved as a set-up, only after having considered
the different yet complementary expertise that they can inject in the Investment
Committee;
The Authority is to keep the Authority updated regarding any additional mandates of
collective investment schemes, including any changes in its operational setup. IN this
regard the MFSA reserves the right to review the staff operational arrangements on
an on-going basis, keeping into consideration the volume of the Company’s business
and the clients being serviced.
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The Investment Committee’s duty shall be to undertake the investment decisions in
relation to any sub-funds, to make recommendations in relation to investments, to
advise and liaise to the Board and/or to review and approve recommendations made
by any Investment Advisor appointed by the Company (if any) and to otherwise
perform such other functions as described herein and/or as may be assigned to them
from time to time by the Board, in relation to the Fund/s in respect of which the
Company is appointed to act as investment manager, and which shall include the
following:
i. The Investment Committee shall cooperate with and provide the Board, the
Compliance Officer, the MLRO and any authorised Service Provider, with such
information and documentation as the Board, Compliance Officer, MLRO or
authorised Service Provider may require for the performance of their respective
functions in respect of the Company or the relevant Fund.
ii. Each Member undertakes to exercise care, diligence and skill in performing its role as
a Member of the Investment Committee and to use all relevant knowledge, skill or
competence that the Member may possess to the benefit of the Fund.
iii. Except to the extent not already or otherwise expressly provided for herein and
subject to the instructions and directions which may be given by the Board from time
to time, the Investment Committee shall regulate its own proceedings.
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4. Appointment
The Board of the Company shall appoint the Members of Investment Committee by
Board Resolution from time to time.
iv. The appointment of a Member shall be for an indefinite period, until such Member is
removed, replaced or resigns in accordance with Section 15.
5. Remuneration
Members of the Investment Committee are entitled to such remuneration as may be
established by the Directors from time to time; the remuneration is subject to review
on a yearly basis by the Board of Directors (and may be varied in view of the Fund/s
under management at the relevant time and the fee structure agreed upon between
the Company and such Fund/s).
6. Meetings
The Investment Committee, may meet together for the dispatch of business, adjourn
and otherwise regulate their meetings as they think fit subject to the proviso that the
Investment Committee shall meet as frequently as necessary or appropriate,
considering the nature of the relevant Fund/s’ investment policy and at least
quarterly in Malta.
Every Member shall have one vote. Questions arising at any meeting and any
resolution put to the vote of the Investment Committee shall be determined
unanimously by the members present at the meeting. There cannot be an equality of
votes, as all members would need to agree. A member of the Investment Committee
may, and the Secretary on the requisition of an Investment Committee member or
the Board shall, at any time summon a meeting of the Investment Committee.
The Secretary shall ensure that proper notices are given of all meetings and shall
provide the members of the Investment Committee with at least 21 days’ written
notice of meeting. This notice requirement may be waived in the case of an
extraordinary meeting called by the Board where members of the Investment
Committee agreeing to waive any notice requirement or if all the members of the
Investment Committee entitled to receive notice have waived notice of the meeting
or have agreed to a shorter notice period for the meeting. Where approved by the
Board, a member of the Investment Committee may participate in a meeting by
telephone or video conference facilities or other electronic communications
equipment by means of which all persons participating in the meeting can hear each
other speak and such participation in a meeting shall constitute presence in person at
the meeting.
The Investment Committee may from time to time decide to elect or remove a
chairman and, if they think fit a deputy chairman and determine the period for which
they respectively are to hold office.
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7. Quorum
The quorum necessary for the transaction of business of the Investment Committee
may be fixed by the Investment Committee, and unless so fixed at any other
number, a quorum of three (3) members present shall be required.
8. Records
The Secretary shall be responsible for keeping:
9. Delegation
Subject to the Company’s licence conditions and policy on outsourcing and the MFSA’s
approval prior consent, the Investment Committee may delegate the day-to-day investment
management of the assets of any of the Funds to a third party investment manager who is
duly authorised in a recognised jurisdiction (the “Sub-Manager”), or to a Member of the
Investment Committee (the “Portfolio Manager”) and may delegate advisory work, including
research and analysis, to an officer or employee of the Company (the “Investment Adviser”).
Any Portfolio Manager, Sub-Manager and Investment Advisor, will undertake the duties
delegated to him subject to the review of the Investment Committee and within the
guidelines set by the Investment Committee and in accordance with the applicable
investment objectives, policy and restrictions described in the Offering Document of the Fund
in question. The role of any appointed Investment Advisor shall not act to limit the duties of
the Investment Committee set out at Section 3 above.
The role of a Portfolio Manager or Sub-Manager (as the case may be) shall be to effect the
day-to-day transactions within the Investment Guidelines set by the Investment Committee,
and in accordance with the Fund’s investment objective(s), policy and restrictions, as
described in the Fund’s Offering Document.
In performing his functions, the Committee shall require the Portfolio Manager / Sub-Manager
to:
(i) carry out the necessary controls and checks to ensure that the Investment Guidelines
and the Fund’s investment objective(s), policy and restrictions, as described in the
Offering Document, are being adhered to. Such controls and checks shall include a
confirmation of adherence to such Investment Guidelines and the Fund’s investment
objective(s), policy and restrictions, signed by the Portfolio Manager/Sub-Manager, in
relation to any transactions effected on behalf of the relevant Fund;
(ii) report to the Investment Committee on any transactions effected on behalf of the
relevant Fund, on a regular basis and whenever the Committee so requests;
(iii) maintain and keep records regarding the process and exercise of the investment
management functions of the Portfolio Manager / Sub-Manager, and submit such
records to the Committee at least on an annual basis, and whenever the Committee
so requests;
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(iv) report to the Committee, any breach of these Terms of Reference, the terms of
appointment of the Portfolio Manager/Sub-manager, the Fund Documents or the
Laws, immediately upon becoming aware thereof;
The Portfolio Manager / Sub-Manager shall cooperate with and provide the Board, the
Investment Committee, the Compliance Officer, the MLRO and any authorised Service Provider,
with such information and documentation as the Board, Investment Committee, Compliance
Officer, MLRO or authorised Service Provider may require for the performance of their
respective functions in respect of the Company or the Fund (as the case may be).
Where no Sub-Manager or Portfolio Manager is appointed in respect of any Fund for the time
being, the Investment Committee shall itself perform the day-to-day investment management
functions regarding such Fund.
10. Duties
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(1) The Investment Committee shall avoid any claim of independence or
impartiality which is untrue of misleading.
Several distinct copies (including fax copies) of the same document or resolution
signed separately by one or more of the members of the Investment Committee shall
when placed together (provided that there are the signatures of each of the
members of the Investment Committee as aforesaid on any of such distinct copies)
constitute one single document or resolution.
ii. Where a Member considers that he has or may have a conflict of interest:
a. that person should declare that interest to the other Members either at the
Committee meeting at which the issue in relation to which he has an interest
first arises, or if the Member was not at the date of such meeting interested
in the issue, at the next Committee meeting held after he became so
interested;
b. unless otherwise agreed to by the other Members, a Member shall avoid
entering into discussions in respect of any contract or arrangement in which
he is interested and should withdraw from the meeting while the matter in
which he has an interest is being discussed;
c. the interested member should not vote at a Meeting in respect of any
contract or arrangement in which he is interested, and if he shall do so,
his/her vote shall not be counted in the quorum present at the Meeting
(provided that where an interested member abstains from voting on any
decision or resolution related to any contract or arrangement in which he is
interested, unanimity of votes shall be achieved if the decision is taken or the
resolution is passed by all other Members present at the meeting);
d. the Minutes of the Committee meeting should accurately record the sequence
of such events.
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For the avoidance of doubt, a Member and/or a Portfolio Manager may hold shares in
the Company or units in any Fund or be interested through shareholding, directorship
or otherwise in a shareholder of the Company or unit holder of any Fund, and such
Member and/or a Portfolio Manager shall not be deemed to have a conflict of interest
or to be interested in any matter, contract or arrangement, solely by reason of
his/her being a shareholder / unit holder or being interested in a shareholder / unit
holder of the Company as aforesaid.
(1) if he resigns his office by giving six weeks notice in writing signed by him and
delivered to the registered office of the Company;
(2) if he has been convicted of any of the crimes affecting public trust or of
knowingly receiving property obtained by theft or fraud;
The Company shall obtain the written consent of the MFSA before any appointment
or replacement of a Member is made, in accordance with the Laws.
16. Secretary
The Secretary shall be appointed by the Directors. Anything required or authorized
to be done by the Secretary may, if the office is vacant or there is for any other
reason no Secretary capable of acting, be done by an assistant or deputy Secretary
or if there is no assistant or deputy Secretary capable of acting, by the Company
Secretary or any other Officer of the Company authorized generally or specially in
that regard by the Directors: PROVIDED THAT any provisions hereof requiring or
authorizing anything to be done by a Director and the Secretary shall not be satisfied
by it being done by the same person acting both as Director and as, or in the place
of, the Secretary.
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Any amendment to these Terms of Reference must be in writing, signed by the Board
and notified to the Investment Committee before the changes take affect.
18. Incorporation
These Terms of Reference form part of the terms between the members of the
Investment Committee and the Company.
19. Indemnity
The Company will indemnify the Investment Committee Members (as appropriate), ,
in respect of actions brought against them and liabilities attaching to them in the
performance of their functions, without limitation, insofar as permitted by law, save
in respect of negligence, default or breach of duty or otherwise in respect of which
they may be guilty in relation to the Company or any Fund, including however
indemnification against liabilities incurred by them in defending any proceedings in
which judgment is given in their favour or in which they are acquitted.
i. “Data Protection Act” shall mean the Data Protection Act (Chapter 440 of the Laws
of Malta), as may be amended or replaced from time to time, and shall include any
subsidiary legislation made thereunder and any related guidance provided by the
Data Protection Commissioner or any other competent authority (including, for the
avoidance of doubt, the MFSA);
ii. The words and expression “Commissioner”, “controller”, “data subject”, “personal
data”, “personal data representative”, “process / processing”, “processor” and “third
party” shall have the same meaning as is assigned to them by article 2 of the Data
Protection Act; and
iii. “Relevant Person” shall mean the Members of the Investment Committee collectively
or in their individual capacity as well as the Portfolio Manager(s), Investment
Advisor(s) and Sub-Manager(s) (if any), and any person acting under the Investment
Committee’s, a Committee Member’s, Investment Advisor’s, Sub-Manager’s or a
Portfolio Manager’s authority, as the case may be.
iv. Where the Relevant Person has access to personal data, the Relevant Person may
only process such personal data insofar as such processing is necessary for the
Relevant Person to comply with its obligations under this Terms of Reference or the
terms of his appointment, as the case may be, and any processing of personal data
by the Relevant Person shall be in accordance with the Data Protection Act, provided
that the Relevant Person may only process such personal data in accordance with the
instructions of the Company, as the controller of personal data (including those
instructions as may be specified by or under these Terms of Reference), unless the
Relevant Person is otherwise required to do so by law.
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v. The Relevant Person shall implement appropriate technical and organisational
measures to protect the personal data that are processed against accidental
destruction or loss or unlawful forms of processing thereby providing an adequate
level of security that gives regard to the:
a. technical possibilities available;
b. cost of implementing the security measures;
c. special risks that exist in the processing of personal data;
d. sensitivity of the personal data being processed.
vi. The Company shall have the right to ensure and to verify, even through the personal
data representative appointed by it (if any), that the Relevant Person has the
capacity to implement the security measures that must be taken, and generally, his
obligations in relation to data protection under these Terms of Reference or the
terms of his appointment, as the case may be, and shall have the right to request the
Relevant Person to implement any such measures identified by the Company, which
in the opinion of the Company are necessary for the Relevant Person to comply with
its obligations in relation to data protection under these Terms of Reference or the
terms of his appointment, as the case may be, or as required by the Laws, and the
Relevant Person shall promptly comply with any such request.
vii. The Investment Committee, each Committee Member and each Portfolio Manager /
Sub-Manager / Investment Advisor, shall ensure that its agents, delegates and all
other persons acting under its authority, who have access to personal data as
contemplated in these Terms of Reference, (i) shall only process such personal data
in accordance with instructions from the Company (including those as may be set out
by or under these Terms of Reference), unless such persons are required by law to
act otherwise, and (ii) are adequately made aware of their obligations with regard to
the security and protection of the personal data, and generally their obligations in
terms of the Data Protection Act and these Terms of Reference.
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Annex I – Letters of Acceptance of the Investment Committee Members
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