Caught in a crisis in which they’re unable to meet client withdrawals, Ghana’s fund managers will be forced to set aside 20 times more capital than they do now to avoid running out of cash again.
The Securities and Exchange Commission will require money managers to increase their minimum capital reserves to 2 million cedis ($365,260) from the current 100,000 cedis, Director General Daniel Ogbarmey Tetteh, said by phone from the capital, Accra. The directive, which will require law changes, will be fully communicated by the end of the year for compliance by December 2020, he said.
The markets regulator is seeking to strengthen the industry and restore confidence as at least 70,000 investors struggle to access savings that were trapped in the aftermath of a separate clean up of banks, savings and loans companies, and micro-lenders. Existing capital requirements were too low, allowing too many people to start fund-management companies, hindering supervision, Ogbarmey Tetteh said.
“Some who will not be able to meet that capital will have to fall out,” he said. “If you are a fund manager you must keep to the obligations in the contract with your clients. You signed an investment contract to do ABC -- just stick to it.”
The SEC is investigating 21 fund managers for sinking as much as 5 billion cedis in risky investments such as unlisted bonds, direct private equity stakes and related-party deals that are difficult to liquidate. Another 4 billion cedis is tied up in fixed-term investments, which are now starting to trickle in after the government stepped in and bailed out failed banks with 11.2 billion cedis and micro lenders with another 925 million cedis.
Ogbarmey Tetteh urged investors not to panic, saying that the SEC has their “best interests at heart.” The SEC will more strictly enforce the usage of information-technology platforms, clamp down on related-party deals and better police money managers who promise guaranteed returns, he said.
The number of fund managers dropped to 140 in 2018 from 155 a year earlier as some voluntarily shut down and the licenses of others were revoked, according to the SEC.
Latest Stories
-
Paris Olympic hopes hang in the balance as Ghana’s 4×100 relay team drops baton at World Relays
2 hours -
Western Regional House of Chiefs commends Bawumia for his humility and respect for traditional authorities
3 hours -
#JustTurned18: First-time voters critical to deciding 2024 presidential election
5 hours -
Video: EC lied that the cost per voter in 2020 was $7.7; it was $12.5 – Bright Simons
5 hours -
Former IGP passes on
5 hours -
Ejisu by-election: Kwadaso MP gave money to EC officials out of goodwill – Ahiagbah
5 hours -
Millennium City: Land owner breaks silence on fatal shooting of soldier
5 hours -
Photos of 2024 Aboakyer Festival
6 hours -
#JustTurned18: I now have an opportunity to use my thumb to bring someone into power – Excited prospective voters
6 hours -
OSP acted as a whistleblower transferring Cecilia Dapaah’s case to EOCO – Sammy Darko
6 hours -
IMF calls for tariff adjustment for energy sector cost recovery
7 hours -
Samson’s Take: Journalists, block the pretentious idiots
8 hours -
Real Madrid crowned LaLiga champions after Barcelona’s defeat at Girona
8 hours -
Daniel Otting Awuah elected SRC President of Ghana School of Law
9 hours -
Lawrence Ati-Zigi signs St. Gallen contract extension
9 hours