The Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Regulated Activities) Order 2001

[F1 [F2 Article 10 U.K. Characteristics of other derivative contracts relating to currencies

Textual Amendments

F1 Sch. 2 substituted (1.4.2007 for specified purposes, 1.11.2007 in so far as not already in force) by The Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Regulated Activities) (Amendment No. 3) Order 2006 (S.I. 2006/3384), arts. 1(2), 29

F2 Sch. 2 Pt. 2 substituted (1.4.2017 for specified purposes, 3.1.2018 in so far as not already in force) by The Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Regulated Activities) (Amendment) Order 2017 (S.I. 2017/488), arts. 1(2), 10(4)

1.   For the purposes of [F3 paragraph 4 of Part 1 of Schedule 2 to this Order], other derivative contracts relating to a currency shall not be a financial instrument where the contract is one of the following: U.K.

(a) a spot contract within the meaning of paragraph 2 of this Article,

(b) a means of payment that:

(i) must be settled physically otherwise than by reason of a default or other termination event;

(ii) is entered into by at least a person which is not a financial counterparty within the meaning of Article 2(8) of Regulation (EU) No. 648/2012 of the European Parliament and of the Council;

(iii) is entered into in order to facilitate payment for identifiable goods, services or direct investment; and

(iv) is not traded on a trading venue.

Textual Amendments

F3 Words in Sch. 2 Pt. 2 substituted (31.12.2020) by The Markets in Financial Instruments (Amendment) (EU Exit) Regulations 2018 (S.I. 2018/1403), regs. 1(3), 4(4)(e) (with savings in S.I. 2019/680, reg. 11); 2020 c. 1, Sch. 5 para. 1(1)

2.   A spot contract for the purposes of paragraph 1 shall be a contract for the exchange of one currency against another currency, under the terms of which delivery is scheduled to be made within the longer of the following periods: U.K.

(a) 2 trading days in respect of any pair of the major currencies set out in paragraph 3;

(b) for any pair of currencies where at least one currency is not a major currency, the longer of 2 trading days or the period generally accepted in the market for that currency pair as the standard delivery period;

(c) where the contract for the exchange of those currencies is used for the main purpose of the sale or purchase of a transferable security or a unit in a collective investment undertaking, the period generally accepted in the market for the settlement of that transferable security or a unit in a collective investment undertaking as the standard delivery period or 5 trading days, whichever is shorter.

A contract shall not be considered a spot contract where, irrespective of its explicit terms, there is an understanding between the parties to the contract that delivery of the currency is to be postponed and not to be performed within the period set out in the first subparagraph.

3.   The major currencies for the purposes of paragraph 2 shall only include the US dollar, Euro, Japanese yen, Pound sterling, Australian dollar, Swiss franc, Canadian dollar, Hong Kong dollar, Swedish krona, New Zealand dollar, Singapore dollar, Norwegian krone, Mexican peso, Croatian kuna, Bulgarian lev, Czech koruna, Danish krone, Hungarian forint, Polish złoty and Romanian leu. U.K.

4.   For the purposes of paragraph 2, a trading day shall mean any day of normal trading in the jurisdiction of both the currencies that are exchanged pursuant to the contract for the exchange of those currencies and in the jurisdiction of a third currency where any of the following conditions are met: U.K.

(a) the exchange of those currencies involves converting them through that third currency for the purposes of liquidity;

(b) the standard delivery period for the exchange of those currencies references the jurisdiction of that third currency.]]