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OSC Reduces Regulatory Burden on Investment Fund Managers of Pooled Funds

The Ontario Securities Commission (OSC) has lifted some of the regulatory burden for investment fund managers of pooled funds. Fund managers of pooled funds now no longer need to apply for approval to act as trustees. As registrants, the OSC deems that fund managers are…

Canadian Securities Administrators Publish Fiscal Year 2018/2019 Enforcement Report

The Canadian Securities Administrators (CSA) have published the Fiscal Year 2018/2019 Enforcement Report (the Report) which details the enforcement actions the regulator took during the past year.  As well, the Report highlighted cooperation between different jurisdictions and the investments in new technology that have enabled…

Ontario Government Replaces FSCO, DICO with new Financial Services Regulator

The government of Ontario has announced that a new independent agency, the Financial Services Regulatory Authority of Ontario (FSRA), will replace both the Financial Services Commission of Ontario (FSCO) and the Deposit Insurance Corporation of Ontario (DICO), effective June 8, 2019. The new agency will…

SEC Charges Waterloo-based Kik Interactive Inc. over Unregistered ICO

The United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) today commenced an enforcement action against Waterloo, Ontario-based Kik Interactive Inc. (Kik) for what it alleges is an illegal USD $100 million ICO Initial Coin Offering (ICO). The SEC alleges that Kik sold the tokens to U.S….

What is a Simple Agreement for Future Equity or SAFE?

A Simple Agreement for Future Equity (SAFE) is a financing contract used by start-ups and investors where operating capital is exchanged for the right to acquire equity at a future time or event, such as the closing of an equity financing round, an M&A transaction…

NextBlock Global Limited and Alex Tapscott Fined by OSC and SEC

On May 14, 2019, the Ontario Securities Commission (OSC) and the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) concluded separate settlement agreements with Toronto-based NextBlock Global Limited (NextBlock) and its chief promoter, Alex Tapscott over the making of misleading statements. In June of 2017, Tapscott, who served…

Canadian Securities Administrators Take First Steps to Replacing SEDAR

The Canadian Securities Administrators (CSA) have taken the first steps to replace the current range of electronic records filing systems used In Canada’s capital markets. The CSA is proposing to replace the System for Electronic Document Analysis and Retrieval (SEDAR), the System for Electronic Disclosure…

Canadian Securities Regulators Publish IIROC Oversight Review Report

On April 18, 2019, the Canadian Securities Administrators (CSA), along with seven participating jurisdictions, released its oversight review (the Review) of the Industry Regulatory Organization of Canada (IIROC). The risk-based review of IIROC’s functional areas and key processes was carried out under the mandates of…