SEC revokes licenses of Unisecurities, 53 other Fund Management companies

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has, with effect from today revoked the licences of Fifty-Three (53) Fund Management Companies (see Annex A for list of Companies). These actions were taken pursuant to Section 122 (2) (b) of the Securities Industry Act, 2016 (Act 929 or “the Act”) which authorises the Securities and Exchange Commission to revoke the licence of a market operator under any of the following circumstances

(a) If it is wound up;
(b) It ceases to carry on the business for which it was licensed;
(c) If the Commission has reason to believe that the licensed body or any of its directors or employees has not performed its functions or the functions of directors efficiently, honestly and fairly;
(d) If the licensed body contravenes or fails to comply with a condition or restriction applicable in respect of the license or any other provision of Act 929; and
(e) If the licensed person fails to commence business within 6 months of being granted a licence.
The revocation of the licences of the specified companies has become necessary as they have largely failed to return client funds which remain locked up and in a number of cases, they have even folded up their operations. Essentially, they have failed to perform their functions efficiently, honestly and fairly and in some cases are in continuing breach of the requirements under relevant securities laws, rules or conditions, despite opportunities provided to them by the SEC within a reasonable period of time to resolve all regulatory breaches. The SEC has concluded after extensive engagement with these institutions that their continuous existence in the light of their conduct poses severe risks to the stability of the capital market and to the interests of investors.
The SEC has taken this action in accordance with its mandate of protecting investors and the integrity of the capital market. The SEC and its authorised agents will secure the premises of the affected companies for further investigations under section 26 of the Act. In addition, the SEC has notified the Registrar of Companies of the revocation of these licenses and has requested that the Registrar petitions the High Court to commence winding-up proceedings against these companies under the Bodies Corporate (Official Liquidations) Act, 1963 (Act 180).
The authorized agent of SEC (and the Liquidator once appointed) will work together with the Government to pay a capped amount to all affected investors of these firms in line with Government commitment to support the securities industry and to provide some immediate relief to investors who are hurting because of their locked-up funds. The outcome of the court process will inform the handling of assets retrieval and liquidation to further sort out validated investor claims.
By the close of business on Monday the 11th of November 2019, SEC, together with its authorized agent, will provide further details about the validation process and specific locations where investors can present their claims to be validated. In the interim, we urge all investors to remain calm, gather all receipts, statements and any other documentation related to their investment with the affected institutions. There is also no need for any panic withdrawals on the firms whose licences are intact and not on the revocation list. A list of firms whose licences have not been revoked can be found on the SEC website (www.sec.gov.gh)