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ACA Group boosts UK-based SEC consulting team

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ACA Group (ACA) has added Martin Fawzy to its London-based team of consultants, dedicated to providing regional US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) regulatory support to hedge funds, private equity and diversified financial services firms domiciled outside of the US.

ACA Group (ACA) has added Martin Fawzy to its London-based team of consultants, dedicated to providing regional US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) regulatory support to hedge funds, private equity and diversified financial services firms domiciled outside of the US.

The move is particularly important to the industry as it follows the lifting of a two-year long moratorium on UK firms applying for SEC registration. In 2018, the SEC froze applications from European Union-based firms, due to concerns that the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) prevented registered investment advisers from providing certain books and records to the SEC for inspection. 

ACA’s dedicated London-based SEC team has provided support to more than 100 financial services firms registered with the FCA, Central Bank of Ireland, BaFIN, FINMA, AMF, and Swedish FSA, among other regulators. Services include SEC registration and compliance programme development, annual compliance review, mock SEC exam, SEC exam preparation, consultancy on marketing into the US, guidance on private placements and raising capital under SEC Regulation D, as well as ongoing compliance training and educational support.

Martin Fawzy, Principal Consultant, ACA Group, says: “I’m excited to join ACA’s UK-based SEC team supporting European-based investment managers and advisers doing business in the U.S. and attracting U.S. investors. Our practice provides RIAs and ERAs a unique offering of on-the-ground, comprehensive SEC compliance support from a team of SEC compliance specialists with decades of experience working in the US.

“And importantly, as we are supported by a strong ACA team of over 600 individuals, which includes more than 90 former regulators and hundreds of compliance, risk, regulatory hosting, ESG, performance, CFTC/NFA, Investment Company, bank regulation, and regulatory technology specialists, we can offer firms a holistic service that helps them reimagine their governance, risk, and compliance.”

Fawzy joined ACA’s San Francisco office in October 2018 bringing more than 20 years of investment adviser compliance experience. He has experience designing, managing, and supporting the compliance programs of advisers to hedge funds, real estate funds, private equity funds, venture capital funds, mutual fund companies, wrap accounts, and separate accounts.

Before ACA, Martin held several CCO and senior compliance officer roles at SEC registered firms, including Symphony Asset Management LLC, Fuller & Thaler Asset Management Inc, SEI Investments and Nuveen Investments, Inc. He also previously worked at a regulatory compliance consulting firm, where his client base included exempt reporting advisers and advisers specialising in cryptocurrency, retail investor strategies, equity, debt and currency portfolios. In addition, Martin acted as internal auditor for major US banks where he reviewed trust operations, lending, collateralised obligations, investment advisers, trading desks and trading operations.

Martin will be joining Crystal Christian, Senior Principal Consultant, and Kira Karabatak, Consultant. Crystal joined ACA’s London-based SEC team in 2016, and Kira joined the team in 2019. Both Crystal and Kira worked with investment advisers in the US prior to moving to the UK and have assisted numerous clients with SEC registrations, SEC examinations, and development and maintenance of their SEC compliance programs.

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