Securities and Futures Act 2001 · 2020 Revised Edition · Part 13 · Offers of Investments
309. Securities hawking prohibited
Feedback & supportLast amended by an amending law of 2019. 2 amendments in all.
A person must not —
make an offer to any person of units in a collective investment scheme, securities or securities‑based derivatives contracts for subscription or purchase, in the course of, or arising from, an unsolicited meeting with that other person; or
make an invitation to any person to subscribe for or purchase units in a collective investment scheme, securities or securities‑based derivatives contracts, in the course of, or arising from, an unsolicited meeting with that other person.
Subsection (1) does not apply to any person who makes an offer or invitation in respect of units in a collective investment scheme, securities or securities‑based derivatives contracts that does not need a prospectus by virtue of section 274, 275, 304 or 305.
collective investment scheme
“collective investment scheme” means —(a)an arrangement in respect of any property —(i)under which the participants do not have day‑to‑day control over the management of the property, whether or not the participants have the right to be consulted or to give directions in respect of such management;(ii)under which either or both of the following characteristics are present:(A)the property is managed as a whole by or on behalf of a manager;(B)the contributions of the participants, and the profits or income out of which payments are to be made to the participants, are pooled; and(iii)under which either or both of the following characteristics are present:(A)the effect of the arrangement is to enable the participants (whether by acquiring any right, interest, title or benefit in the property or any part of the property or otherwise) —(AA)to participate in or receive profits, income, or other payments or returns arising from the acquisition, holding, management, disposal, exercise, redemption or expiry of, any right, interest, title or benefit in the property or any part of the property; or(AB)to receive sums paid out of such profits, income, or other payments or returns;(B)the purpose, purported purpose or purported effect of the arrangement is to enable the participants (whether by acquiring any right, interest, title or benefit in the property or any part of the property or otherwise) —(BA)to participate in or receive profits, income, or other payments or returns arising from the acquisition, holding, management, disposal, exercise, redemption or expiry of, any right, interest, title or benefit in the property or any part of the property; or(BB)to receive sums paid out of such profits, income, or other payments or returns,whether or not —(BC)the arrangement provides for the participants to receive any benefit other than those set out in sub‑paragraph (BA) or (BB) in the event that the purpose, purported purpose or purported effect is not realised; or(BD)the purpose, purported purpose or purported effect is realised; or(b)an arrangement which is an arrangement, or is of a class or description of arrangements, specified by the Authority as a collective investment scheme by notice in the Gazette,but does not include —(c)an arrangement operated by a person otherwise than by way of business;(d)an arrangement under which each of the participants carries on a business other than investment business and enters into the arrangement solely incidental to that other business;(e)an arrangement under which each of the participants is a related corporation of the manager;(f)an arrangement made by or on behalf of an entity solely for the benefit of persons, each of whom is —(i)a bona fide director or equivalent person, a former director or equivalent person, a consultant, an adviser, an employee or a former employee of that entity or, where that entity is a corporation, a related corporation of that entity; or(ii)a spouse, widow or widower, or a child, adopted child or stepchild below 18 years of age, of such director or equivalent person, former director or equivalent person, employee or former employee;(g)an arrangement made by or on behalf of 2 or more entities solely for the benefit of persons, each of whom is —(i)a bona fide director or equivalent person, a former director or equivalent person, a consultant, an adviser, an employee or a former employee of any of those entities or, where any of those entities is a corporation, a related corporation of the entity which is a corporation; or(ii)a spouse, widow or widower, or a child, adopted child or stepchild below 18 years of age, of such director or equivalent person, former director or equivalent person, employee or former employee;(h)a franchise;(i)an arrangement under which money received by an advocate and solicitor from his or her client, whether as a stakeholder or otherwise, acting in his or her professional capacity in the ordinary course of his or her practice, or under which money is received by a statutory body as a stakeholder in the carrying out of its statutory functions;(j)an arrangement made by any co‑operative society registered under the Co‑operative Societies Act 1979 in accordance with the objects thereof solely for the benefit of its members;(k)an arrangement made for the purposes of any chit fund permitted to operate under the Chit Funds Act 1971;(l)an arrangement arising out of a life policy within the meaning of the Insurance Act 1966;(m)a closed‑end fund constituted either as an entity, a sub‑fund or a trust;(n)an arrangement under which the whole amount of each participant’s contribution is a deposit as defined in section 4B of the Banking Act 1970;(o)an arrangement of which —(i)the predominant purpose is to enable the participants to share in the use or enjoyment of the property or to make its use or enjoyment available gratuitously to others; and(ii)the property does not consist of any of the following:(A)any currency of any country or territory;(B)any capital markets products;(C)any policy as defined in the First Schedule to the Insurance Act 1966;(D)any deposit as defined in section 4B of the Banking Act 1970;(E)any credit facilities as defined in section 2(1) of the Banking Act 1970;(p)an arrangement which is an arrangement, or is of a class or description of arrangements, specified by the Authority as not constituting a collective investment scheme by notice in the Gazette;
The Authority may exempt —
any person or class of persons; or
any class or description of units in a collective investment scheme, securities or securities‑based derivatives contracts,from compliance with subsection (1), subject to such conditions as the Authority may determine.
Every person who acts, incites, causes or procures any person to act in contravention of subsection (1) shall be guilty of an offence and shall be liable on conviction to a fine not exceeding $10,000 or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 6 months or to both and, in the case of a second or subsequent offence, to a fine not exceeding $20,000 or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 12 months or to both.
Where any person is convicted of having made an offer or invitation in contravention of subsection (1), the court before which the person is convicted may order that any contract made as a result of the offer or invitation is void and may give such consequential directions as it thinks proper for the repayment of any money or the retransfer of any units in a collective investment scheme, securities or securities‑based derivatives contracts, as the case may be.
An appeal against any order made under subsection (5) and any consequential directions shall lie to the General Division of the High Court.
In this section —
“securities” has the meaning given by section 2 and also includes the securities of an entity or a business trust, whether the entity or business trust is in existence or is to be formed;
“securities‑based derivatives contracts” has the meaning given by section 2 and also includes securities‑based derivatives contracts of an entity or a business trust, whether the entity or business trust is in existence or is to be formed;
“unit”, in relation to a collective investment scheme, has the meaning given by section 2 and also includes units in a collective investment scheme, whether the collective investment scheme is in existence or is to be formed;
a reference to an offer or invitation in respect of securities, securities‑based derivatives contracts or units in a collective investment scheme for subscription or purchase includes an offer or invitation in respect of securities, securities‑based derivatives contracts or units in a collective investment scheme (as the case may be) by way of barter or exchange.