Saudi Press

Saudi Arabia and the world
Sunday, Jun 01, 2025

Fidelity Asset manager conducted $40bn in futures trades over 11 years without right licence

Fidelity Asset manager conducted $40bn in futures trades over 11 years without right licence

Hong Kong’s financial regulator has rebuked Fidelity for conducting about $40bn in futures trades over 11 years without the right licence and for not reporting the breach to authorities quickly enough.
The city’s Securities and Futures Commission fined the US asset manager HK$3.5m ($450,000), pointing out that the misconduct was not deliberate, and adding that clients did not lose money as a result of the failure.

The SFC said that between August 2007 and July 2018 Fidelity dealt in futures contracts without a “Type 2 licence”, relying on certain exemptions.

Fidelity, which manages about $2.5tn worldwide, then found out when it conducted a licensing review in May 2018 that there were incidences where the trades did not qualify for exemptions.

The Type 2 licence is used for dealing in futures contracts, oversees trading or broking and buying and selling contracts for clients.

The asset manager did not report the incident — which involved 6,738 trades for affiliated entities worth $39.7bn — to the SFC until August later that year, “after it had obtained external legal advice on the matter”, according to the regulator.

These sorts of incidents must be reported immediately on discovery, the SFC said. The regulator also criticised Fidelity over paperwork mistakes the fund made in 2017.

“The SFC is of the view that [Fidelity] failed to . . . put in place satisfactory and effective systems and controls to ensure the accuracy of information submitted to the SFC,” the regulator said.

The company’s management said in a statement that it was “disappointed” by the incident and felt “regret” that it took place.

“We reported the licence issue to the SFC and we have co-operated fully with them during their investigation. We have taken all steps necessary to improve our internal controls,” the statement said.

The SFC has previously come down hard on international investment banks over due diligence failings.

This year the regulator hit UBS, Morgan Stanley, Bank of America Merrill Lynch and Standard Chartered with fines worth a total of about HK$786.7m, and blocked UBS from sponsoring initial public offerings for a year.

The SFC’s decision was influenced by the fact that Fidelity approached them, no investors lost money and that the trades were not viewed as fraudulent.

The regulator said it took into account that the company had engaged an independent reviewer to look at its internal controls, that it co-operated with the regulator and that it had “an otherwise clean disciplinary record with the SFC”.

In 2012, a former fund manager at Fidelity in the US was banned from trading in Hong Kong for two years, and in 2011 the SFC criticised Fidelity over breaches of the takeovers code.
Newsletter

Related Articles

Saudi Press
0:00
0:00
Close
OPEC+ Agrees to Increase Oil Output for Third Consecutive Month
Turkey Detains Istanbul Officials Amid Anti-Corruption Crackdown
Meta and Anduril Collaborate on AI-Driven Military Augmented Reality Systems
EU Central Bank Pushes to Replace US Dollar with Euro as World’s Main Currency
European and Arab Ministers Convene in Madrid to Address Gaza Conflict
U.S. Health Secretary Ends Select COVID-19 Vaccine Recommendations
Trump Warns Putin Is 'Playing with Fire' Amid Escalating Ukraine Conflict
India and Pakistan Engage Trump-Linked Lobbyists to Influence U.S. Policy
U.S. Halts New Student Visa Interviews Amid Enhanced Security Measures
Trump Administration Cancels $100 Million in Federal Contracts with Harvard
SpaceX Starship Test Flight Ends in Failure, Mars Mission Timeline Uncertain
King Charles Affirms Canadian Sovereignty Amid U.S. Statehood Pressure
Iranian Revolutionary Guard Founder Warns Against Trusting Regime in Nuclear Talks
UAE Offers Free ChatGPT Plus Subscriptions to Citizens
Lebanon Initiates Plan to Disarm Palestinian Factions
Iran and U.S. Make Limited Progress in Nuclear Talks
The Daily Debate: The Fall of the Dollar — Strategic Reset or Economic Self-Destruction?
Trump Administration's Tariff Policies and Dollar Strategy Spark Global Economic Debate
OpenAI Acquires Jony Ive’s Startup for $6.5 Billion to Build a Revolutionary “Third Core Device”
Turkey Weighs Citizens in Public as Erdoğan Launches National Slimming Campaign
Saudi-Spanish Business Forum Commences in Riyadh
Saudi Arabia and Spain Sign MoU to Boost SME Sectors
UK Suspends Trade Talks with Israel Amid Gaza Offensive
Iran and U.S. Set for Fifth Round of Nuclear Talks Amid Rising Tensions
Russia Expands Military Presence Near Finland Amid Rising Tensions
Indian Scholar Arrested in Crackdown Over Pakistan Conflict Commentary
Israel Eases Gaza Blockade Amid Internal Dispute Over Military Strategy
President Biden’s announcement of advanced prostate cancer sparked public sympathy—but behind closed doors, Democrats are in panic
A Chinese company made solar tiles that look way nicer than regular panels!
Indian jet shootdown: the all-robot legion behind China’s PL-15E missiles
The Chinese Dragon: The True Winner in the India-Pakistan Clash
Australia's Venomous Creatures Contribute to Life-Saving Antivenom Programme
The Spanish Were Right: Long Working Hours Harm Brain Function
Did Former FBI Director Call for Violence Against Trump? Instagram Post Sparks Uproar
US and UAE Partner to Develop Massive AI Data Center Complex
Apple's $95 Million Siri Settlement: Eligible Users Have Until July 2 to File Claims
US and UAE Reach Preliminary Agreement on Nvidia AI Chip Imports
President Trump and Elon Musk Welcomed by Emir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim with Cybertruck Convoy
Strong Warning Issued: Do Not Use General Chatbots for Medical, Legal, or Educational Guidance
Saudi Arabia Emerges as Global Tech Magnet with U.S. Backing and Trump’s Visit
This was President's departure from Saudi Arabia. The Crown Prince personally escorted him back to the airport.
NVIDIA and Saudi Arabia Launch Strategic Partnership to Establish AI Centers
Trump Meets Syrian President Ahmad al-Shara in Historic Encounter
Trump takes a blow torch to the neocons and interventionists while speaking to the Saudis
US and Saudi Arabia Sign Landmark Agreements Across Multiple Sectors
Why Saudi Arabia Rolled Out a Purple Carpet for Donald Trump Instead of Red
Elon Musk Joins Trump Meeting in Saudi Arabia
Trump says it would be 'stupid' not to accept gift of Qatari plane
Quantum Computing Threatens Bitcoin Security
Michael Jordan to Serve as Analyst for NBA Games
×