Financial Services Act 1986

Dealings as principal

17 (1) Paragraph 12 above applies to a transaction which is or is to be entered into by a person as principal only if—

(a) he holds himself out as willing to enter into transactions of that kind at prices determined by him generally and continuously rather than in respect of each particular transaction ; or

(b) he holds himself out as engaging in the business of buying investments with a view to selling them and those investments are or include investments of the kind to which the transaction relates ; or

(c) he regularly solicits members of the public for the purpose of inducing them to enter as principals or agents into transactions to which that paragraph applies and the transaction is or is to be entered into as a result of his having solicited members of the public in that manner.

(2) In sub-paragraph (1) above " buying" and " selling " means buying and selling by transactions to which paragraph 12 above applies and "members of the public", in relation to the person soliciting them (" the relevant person "), means any other persons except—

(a) authorised persons, exempted persons, or persons holding a permission under paragraph 23 below ;

(b) members of the same group as the relevant person ;

(c) persons who are, or propose to become, participators with the relevant person in a joint enterprise ;

(d) any person who is solicited by the relevant person with a view to—

(i) the acquisition by the relevant person of 20 per cent, or more of the voting shares in a body corporate (that is to say, shares carrying not less than that percentage of the voting rights attributable to share capital which are exercisable in all circumstances at any general meeting of the body); or

(ii) if the relevant person (either alone or with other members of the same group as himself) holds 20 per cent, or more of the voting shares in a body corporate, the acquisition by him of further shares in the body or the disposal by him of shares in that body to the person solicited or to a member of the same group as that person ; or

(iii) if the person solicited (either alone or with other members of the same group as himself) holds 20 per cent, or more of the voting shares in a body corporate, the disposal by the relevant person of further shares in that body to the person solicited or to a member of the same group as that person;

(e) any person whose head office is outside the United Kingdom, who is solicited by an approach made or directed to him at a place outside the United Kingdom and whose ordinary business involves him in engaging in activities which fall within Part II of this Schedule or would do so apart from this Part or Part IV.

(3) Sub-paragraph (1) above applies only if the investment to which the transaction relates or will relate falls within any of paragraphs 1 to 6 above or, so far as relevant to any of those paragraphs, paragraph 11 above.

(4) Paragraph 12 above does not apply to a transaction which relates or is to relate to any other investment and which is or is to be entered into by a person as principal if he is not an authorised person and the transaction is or is to be entered into by him—

(a) with or through an authorised person, an exempted person or a person holding a permission under paragraph 23 below; or

(b) through an office outside the United Kingdom, maintained by a party to the transaction, and with or through a person whose head office is situated outside the United Kingdom and whose ordinary business is such as is mentioned in sub-paragraph (2){e) above.