STATUTORY FRAMEWORK FOR PROSPECTUS LIABILITY (II)
The Netherlands, Curaçao, St. Maarten and the BES-islands compared
The Netherlands
In the Netherlands there is a two-track law concerning prospectus liability as professor L. Timmerman calls it. There are two sets of rules supplementing the general doctrine of the wrongful act (Section 6:162 of the Dutch Civil Code (‘BW-NL‘):
1. Misleading and comparative advertising (B2B)
Section 6:194 subsection 1 BW-NL:
“A person who with regard to goods or …
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STATUTORY FRAMEWORK FOR PROSPECTUS LIABILITY (I)
The Netherlands, Curaçao, St. Maarten and the BES-islands compared
That a prospectus must be approved (in the Netherlands and the BES Islands by the Authority for the Financial Markets, and in Curaçao and Sint Maarten by the Joint Central Bank of these countries) does not guarantee that the prospectus is not misleading. Therefore approval by the regulator does not entail a guarantee. The approval can be considered as an administrative approval contributing to better quality and more uniformity of the prospectuses.
A prospectus is an offer or an invitation to make an offer directed to the general public or to …
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WHEN IS A PROSPECTUS REQUIRED?
The Netherlands, Curaçao, St. Maarten and the BES-islands compared
The Netherlands
The legal system in the Netherlands has a European origin. We will not discuss this further here.* Chapter 5.1 of the Dutch Financial Supervision Act (Wet op het financieel toezicht: ‘Wft’) includes the rules for offering securities.
Section 5:2 Wft stipulates:
“It is forbidden in the Netherlands to offer securities to the general public or to allow securities to be traded in a regulated market situated or operating in the Netherlands unless – with regard to the offering or the admission – a prospectus is generally available which has …
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PROSPECTUS LIABILITY AND PRIVATE INTERNATIONAL LAW
The Netherlands, Curaçao, St. Maarten and the BES-islands
The Netherlands
Since 11 January 2009 Rome II* has been applicable in the Netherlands with regard to the applicable law on non-contractual obligations. Rome II is not applicable in Curaçao, St. Maarten, Aruba and the BES Islands. This observation obviously does not exclude a certain reflex effect.
Rome II applies to events causing loss occurring after 11 January 2009 (Section 31 Rome II). Non-contractual obligations, insofar as they are relevant here, involve obligations arising from (legal) obligations to pay compensation pursuant to a wrongful act (tort).
In my opinion prospectus …
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PROSPECTUS LIABILITY IN THE NETHERLANDS
World Online is the landmark case
Undoubtedly the most important ruling with regard to prospectus liability is the ruling of the Dutch Supreme Court (Hoge Raad) in the case of World Online (WOL) of 27 November 2009 (JOR 2010, 43 with annotation by Karel Frielink).
World Online was a European Internet Service Provider and its Initial Public Offering (IPO) in 2000 proved a disaster. According to the Dutch newspaper NRC Handelsblad of 22 July 2000: “World Online had all the ingredients to become a conflagration with prices going through the roof, as they say in stock exchange folklore.”
After the …
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PROSPECTUSPLICHT EN -AANSPRAKELIJKHEID
Nederland, BES, Curaçao en St. Maarten
In het kader van de door de Radboud Universiteit te Nijmegen en The University of Curaçao georganiseerde Masterclass Financieel recht heb ik als docent een bijdrage geleverd onder de titel “Prospectusplicht en -aansprakelijkheid“.
Het onderwerp prospectusaansprakelijkheid laat zich vanuit verschillende gezichtspunten belichten. Hier worden genoemd: (i) het nationale aansprakelijkheidsrecht van Nederland, Curaçao en St. Maarten, en de BES eilanden (Bonaire, St. Eustatius en Saba), (ii) het internationale privaatrecht van de genoemde landen en (iii) internationale bevoegdheidsvragen. De eerste twee onderwerpen staan centraal, met her en der een zijstapje. Uitgangspunt is een NV die aandelen uitgeeft …
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DE ZORGPLICHT VAN PROFESSIONELE PARTIJEN
Naleving van de zorgplicht is een vorm van risicobeheersing
Google het woord ‘zorgplicht’ en constateer dat je dit begrip in relatie tot uiteenlopende onderwerpen tegenkomt: sport, kinderopvang, leerlingen, cliënten, werknemers, gevangenen, afvalwaterzorg, krijgsgevangenen, hemelwaterzorg, huurauto’s, grondwaterzorg, bancaire en financiële dienstverlening, enz. enz. enz.
Ons recht is met de zorgplicht doordrenkt. Dat is niet iets van de afgelopen jaren. Een begrip als de ‘zorg van een goed huisvader’ treffen we al eeuwen aan. En die zorgplicht betreft, zoals we al zagen, allerlei uiteenlopende situaties. Ik noem er nog een paar: de zorg van een goed vruchtgebruiker, de zorg van de arts …
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SECURED CROSS-BORDER FINANCING TRANSACTIONS
Trust and parallel debt
Cross-border financing transactions have links with different jurisdictions, and may include both civil law and Anglo-Saxon jurisdictions. Some jurisdictions do and some don’t accept that it is possible to grant security to a security agent (e.g. a special purpose vehicle or a trust) in order to secure money owed to several lenders (syndicated loan / facility).
As far as secured syndicated facilities are concerned, it is not uncommon that one or more lenders change. It is important that despite fluctuations in the group of lenders the security remains valid, without the need to re-establish (or re-register) …
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THE CURACAO TRUST BECOMES MORE AND MORE POPULAR
Curaçao Trust could be used for asset segregation purposes
According to Professor of Law David Hayton, an Anglo-Saxon trust arises from the settlor’s transfer of title to property to another person, intending that person to be a trustee-manager of it for the benefit of beneficiaries or for a charitable or other permitted purpose. Trusts are founded on a transfer of title to property: contracts are not. Professor Hayton:
Such a contractual concept inevitably leads – or rather misleads – civil lawyers to consider that the Anglo-Saxon trust is simply a glorified form of contract between the settlor …
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FATCA AND THE US – DUTCH INTERGOVERNMENTAL AGREEMENT
Dutch IGA published
In connection with the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (“FATCA”), the government of the Netherlands entered into a Model 1 Intergovernmental Agreement (“IGA”) with the United States (click here). Under the Dutch IGA, Netherlands financial institutions would report required information to the Netherlands tax authorities, followed by an automatic exchange of the reported information to the IRS.
The Dutch IGA, entered into on December 18, 2013, is substantially similar to the Model 1A IGA that includes a reciprocal approach for the sharing of information between the two governments. Article 3 paragraph 7 of the …
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RISK MANAGEMENT AND ASSET PROTECTION
Curaçao offers legitimate risk management solutions
Why would one consider an asset protection strategy? There are individuals and business entities all around the world not trusting their government (e.g. fear for expropriation or nationalization by their government). Or they are seeking legitimate protection from any future downturns. Or they do not want the world to know about their wealth and do want to protect their privacy as much as possible. Asset protection also can be an aspect of business, personal or estate planning.
It is quite common that limited liability companies are used for operating a business. The alternative, a …
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DUTCH CARIBBEAN BANKS AND REGULATORY ISSUES
A bank has less freedom than an ordinary legal entity
What would be the requirements, from a regulatory point of view, if a Curaçao or St. Maarten bank wished to sell its entire business or a substantial part thereof? Would it require approval from the Central Bank of Curaçao and St. Maarten (‘Centrale Bank van Curaçao en St. Maarten’)?
Generally, if the activity at a bank is characterized as some form of financial reorganization, for example, the prior approval of the Central Bank is required. The bank is also obliged to immediately inform the Central Bank in writing of any …
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