Retail clients and wholesale clients: value of non‑cash payment products
7.1.24 Retail clients and wholesale clients: value of non‑cash payment products
This regulation makes arrangements about the value of a non‑cash payment financial product to which a financial service relates.
Under paragraph 761G(7)(a) of the Act, if a financial product is not, or a financial service provided to a person does not relate to, a general insurance product, a superannuation product or an RSA, the financial product or financial service is provided to the person as a retail client unless the price for the provision of the financial product, or the value of the financial product to which the financial service relates, equals or exceeds the amount specified in regulations made for the purposes of that paragraph as being applicable in the circumstances.
In general, the ‘value’ of a product will be the amount that the product is worth once it is issued or acquired by the client. It is anticipated that the test for the value of the product in paragraph 761G(7)(a) of the Act will usually be used to assess a client’s status as a retail or wholesale client at or before the time that a financial service (eg financial product advice, disposal of the product) is provided to the client in respect of an existing product.
Value
For paragraph 761G(7)(a) of the Act, the amount applicable in relation to a non‑cash payment financial product is $500 000.
Working out value: general rule
For paragraph 761G(10)(a) of the Act, the value of a non‑cash payment financial product on a day is the amount of money that stands to the client’s credit in respect of that product.
For subregulation (3), in calculating an amount of money, disregard any amount of fees or charges:
that the product issuer has an actual or accrued right to deduct, or otherwise to have access to, from the value of the non‑cash payment financial product (whether or not the amount has been deducted); or
that has accrued as at the time that the client’s status as a retail or wholesale client is assessed.
Time of assessment
If a financial services provider needs to assess the status of a client as either retail or wholesale at a particular time in order to ensure that the client complies with the Act, or for any related purpose, the value of a financial product may be assessed at any time, whether or not a financial service is being provided at that time in relation to that product.
Subregulation (5) will ensure that a provider of financial services may assess a client’s status at any time (for example, the provider may need to ascertain whether ongoing disclosure of a significant event must be sent to the client under section 1017B of the Act because the client is a retail client).
This Act’s bill:Explanatory statement
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