Fund Management Licensing and Registration
Singapore’s funds and fund management industry continues to grow rapidly and Singapore continues to be regarded as the investment funds hub for the region. Ease of doing business and tax incentive schemes are some of the factors that attribute to this outstanding growth.
Fund management activities in Singapore are regulated by Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS). Before you can engage in regulated fund management activities under the Securities and Futures Act, it must be registered with Monetary Authority of Singapore (“MAS”) or hold a capital market services (CMS) license to operate either as a:
- Registered fund management company (RFMC) or;
- Licensed fund management company (LFMC). Managers of venture capital funds may also apply to operate under the venture capital fund manager (VCFM) regime.
Admission criteria and applicable requirements
MAS takes into consideration the following factors when assessing an application to be an RFMC, LFMC or VCFM:
- Fitness and propriety of the applicant, its shareholders and directors.
- Track record and fund management expertise of the applicant and its parent company or major shareholders.
- Ability to meet the minimum financial requirements prescribed under the SFA.
- Strength of internal risk management and compliance systems.
- Business model/ plans and projections and the associated risks.
Moreover, the Company must operate from a dedicated and secure office space that is accessible only by the company’s directors and staff.
The standard timeline for MAS to review LFMC and RFMC may take up to 6 months and up to 4 months to review VCFM applications.
