PART IIU.K. SPECIFIED ACTIVITIES

[F1CHAPTER IIAU.K. ELECTRONIC MONEY

Textual Amendments

F1Pt. 2 Ch. 2A inserted (11.4.2002 for specified purposes, 27.4.2002 in so far as not already in force) by The Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Regulated Activities) (Amendment) Order 2002 (S.I. 2002/682), arts. 1(2), 4 (with arts. 9, 10)

The activityU.K.

Issuing electronic moneyU.K.

9B.  Issuing electronic money [F2by—

(a)a [F3qualifying credit institution], a credit union or a municipal bank; or

(b)a person who is deemed to have been granted authorisation under regulation 74 of the Electronic Money Regulations 2011 or who falls within regulation 76(1) of those Regulations,]

is a specified kind of activity.

Textual Amendments

F2Art. 9B(a)(b) and word inserted (9.2.2011 for specified purposes, 30.4.2011 in so far as not already in force) by The Electronic Money Regulations 2011 (S.I. 2011/99), reg. 1(2), Sch. 4 para. 12(c) (with reg. 3)

[F49BA.  Articles 9C to 9I and 9K apply only in the case of a person falling within regulation 76(1) of the Electronic Money Regulations 2011.]U.K.

Textual Amendments

F4Art. 9BA inserted (9.2.2011 for specified purposes, 30.4.2011 in so far as not already in force) by The Electronic Money Regulations 2011 (S.I. 2011/99), reg. 1(2), Sch. 4 para. 12(d) (with reg. 3)

ExclusionsU.K.

Persons certified as small issuers etc.U.K.

9C.—(1) There is excluded from article 9B the issuing of electronic money by a person to whom [F5the FCA] has given a certificate under this article (provided the certificate has not been revoked).

(2) An application for a certificate may be made by—

(a)a body corporate, or

(b)a partnership,

other than a credit institution F6... which has its head office in the United Kingdom.

(3) [F7The FCA] must, on the application of such a person (“A”), give A a certificate if it appears to [F8the FCA] that paragraph (4), (5) or (6) applies.

(4) This paragraph applies if—

(a)A does not issue electronic money except on terms that the electronic device on which the monetary value is stored is subject to a maximum storage amount of not more than 150 euro; and

(b)A’s total liabilities with respect to the issuing of electronic money do not (or will not) usually exceed 5 million euro and do not (or will not) ever exceed 6 million euro.

(5) This paragraph applies if—

(a)the condition in paragraph (4)(a) is met;

(b)A’s total liabilities with respect to the issuing of electronic money do not (or will not) exceed 10 million euro; and

(c)electronic money issued by A is accepted as a means of payment only by—

(i)subsidiaries of A which perform operational or other ancillary functions related to electronic money issued or distributed by A; or

(ii)other members of the same group as A (other than subsidiaries of A).

(6) This paragraph applies if—

(a)the conditions in paragraphs (4)(a) and (5)(b) are met; and

(b)electronic money issued by A is accepted as a means of payment, in the course of business, by not more than one hundred persons where—

(i)those persons accept such electronic money only at locations within the same premises or limited local area; or

(ii)those persons have a close financial or business relationship with A, such as a common marketing or distribution scheme.

(7) For the purposes of paragraph (6)(b)(i), locations are to be treated as situated within the same premises or limited local area if they are situated within—

(a)a shopping centre, airport, railway station, bus station, or campus of a university, polytechnic, college, school or similar educational establishment; or

(b)an area which does not exceed four square kilometres;

but sub-paragraphs (a) and (b) are illustrative only and are not to be treated as limiting the scope of paragraph (6)(b)(i).

(8) For the purposes of paragraph (6)(b)(ii), persons are not to be treated as having a close financial or business relationship with A merely because they participate in arrangements for the acceptance of electronic money issued by A.

(9) In this article, references to amounts in euro include references to equivalent amounts in sterling.

(10) A person to whom a certificate has been given under this article (and whose certificate has not been revoked) is referred to in this Chapter as a “certified person”.

Textual Amendments

Applications for certificatesU.K.

9D.  The following provisions of the Act apply to applications to [F9the FCA] for certificates under 9C (and the determination of such applications) as they apply to applications for Part IV permissions (and the determination of such applications)—

[F10(a)section 55U(1)(b) and (4) to (8);

(b)section 55V;

(c)section 55X(2) and (4)(f); and

(d)section 55Z3(1).]

Textual Amendments

Revocation of certificate on [F11FCA’s] own initiativeU.K.

9E.—(1) [F12The FCA] may revoke a certificate given to a person (“A”) under article 9C if—

(a)it appears to it that A does not meet the relevant conditions, or has failed to meet the relevant conditions at any time since the certificate was given; or

(b)the person to whom the certificate was given has contravened any rule or requirement to which he is subject as a result of article 9G.

(2) For the purposes of paragraph (1), A meets the relevant conditions at any time if, at that time, paragraph (4), (5) or (6) of article 9C applies.

(3) Sections [F1355Z and 55Z3(2)] of the Act apply to the revocation of a certificate under paragraph (1) as they apply to the cancellation of a Part IV permission on [F14the FCA’s] own initiative, as if references in those sections to an authorised person were references to a certified person.

Textual Amendments

Revocation of certificate on requestU.K.

9F.—(1) A certified person (“B”) may apply to [F15the FCA] for his certificate to be revoked, and [F15the FCA] must then revoke the certificate and give B written notice that it has done so.

(2) An application under paragraph (1) must be made in such manner as [F15the FCA] may direct.

(3) If—

(a)B has made an application under Part IV of the Act for permission to carry on a regulated activity of the kind specified by article 9B (or for variation of an existing permission so as to add a regulated activity of that kind), and

(b)on making an application for revocation of his certificate under paragraph (1), he requests that the revocation be conditional on the granting of his application under Part IV of the Act,

the revocation of B’s certificate is to be conditional on the granting of his application under Part IV of the Act.

Textual Amendments

Obtaining information from certified persons etc.U.K.

9G.—(1) [F16The FCA] may make rules requiring certified persons to provide information to [F16the FCA] about their activities so far as relating to the issuing of electronic money, including the amount of their liabilities with respect to the issuing of electronic money.

(2) [F17Section 138A] of the Act (modification or waiver of rules) applies in relation to rules made under paragraph (1) as if references in that section to an authorised person were references to a certified person.

(3) [F18Section 138D] of the Act (actions for damages) applies in relation to a rule made under paragraph (1) as if the reference in subsection (1) of that section to an authorised person were a reference to a certified person.

(4) [F19The FCA] may, by notice in writing given to a certified person, require him—

(a)to provide specified information or information of a specified description; or

(b)to produce specified documents or documents of a specified description.

(5) Paragraph (4) applies only to information or documents reasonably required for the purposes of determining whether the certified person meets, or has met, the relevant conditions.

(6) Subsections (2), (5) and (6) of section 165 of the Act ([F20Regulator’s] power to require information) apply to a requirement imposed under paragraph (4) as they apply to a requirement imposed under that section.

(7) Section 166 of the Act (reports by skilled persons) has effect as if—

F21(a). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

(b)the reference in section 166(2)(a) of the Act to an authorised person included a reference to a certified person.

(8) Subsection (4) of section 168 of the Act (appointment of persons to carry out investigations in particular cases) has effect as if it provided for subsection (5) of that section to apply if it appears to [F22the FCA] that there are circumstances suggesting that a certified person may not meet, or may not have met, the relevant conditions.

(9) Sections 175 (information and documents: supplemental provisions), 176 (entry of premises under warrant) and 177 (offences) of the Act apply to a requirement imposed under paragraph (4) as they apply to a requirement imposed under section 165 of the Act (the reference in section 176(3)(a) to an authorised person being read as a reference to a certified person).

(10) In this article—

(a)“specified”, in paragraph (4), means specified in the notice mentioned in that paragraph;

(b)a certified person (“A”) meets the relevant conditions at any time if, at that time, paragraph (4), (5) or (6) of article 9C applies.

Textual Amendments

SupplementalU.K.

Rules prohibiting the issue of electronic money at a discountU.K.

9H.—(1) [F23The FCA] may make rules applying to authorised persons with permission to carry on an activity of the kind specified by article 9B, prohibiting the issue of electronic money having a monetary value greater than the funds received.

(2) [F24Section 138A] of the Act (modification or waiver of rules) applies in relation to rules made under paragraph (1).

Textual Amendments

False claims to be a certified personU.K.

9I.  A person who is not a certified person is to be treated as guilty of an offence under section 24 of the Act (false claims to be authorised or exempt) if he—

(a)describes himself (in whatever terms) as a certified person;

(b)behaves, or otherwise holds himself out, in a manner which indicates (or which is reasonably likely to be understood as indicating) that he is a certified person.

Exclusion of electronic money from the compensation schemeU.K.

9J.  The compensation scheme established under Part XV of the Act is not to provide for the compensation of persons in respect of claims made in connection with any activity of the kind specified by article 9B.

Record of certified personsU.K.

9K.  The record maintained by [F25the FCA] under section 347 of the Act (public record of authorised persons etc.) must include every certified person.]

Textual Amendments

Funds received for payment servicesU.K.

F269L.  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Textual Amendments

F26Art. 9L omitted (9.2.2011 for specified purposes, 30.4.2011 in so far as not already in force) by virtue of The Electronic Money Regulations 2011 (S.I. 2011/99), reg. 1(2), Sch. 4 para. 12(e) (with reg. 3)