The impact of regulation on the hedge fund industry in South Africa

Abstract

Since the onset of the global financial crisis, there have been calls to regulate those parts of the financial system that were previously either unregulated or lightly regulated. These proposals are being put forward as part of an international drive to bring parts of the financial sector within the ambit of regulation, with the overarching aim of protecting investors from bearing the brunt of regulatory failures, as was experienced in the 2007/2008 global financial crisis. The purpose of this study was to explore the impact of proposed regulation on the South African Hedge Fund industry.The focus of this research study was limited specifically to regulation in the Hedge Fund industry, although there are also proposals to strengthen regulations in other parts of the financial system. Qualitative research was conducted through a combination of face-to-face and telephonic interviews with stakeholders in the Hedge Fund industry.The research found that the proposed regulation would result in growth in the hedge fund industry by virtue of giving more credibility to the industry, thereby increasing the consumer base. The research also revealed that regulation would negatively impact the functioning of hedge funds and the quality of regulation in the industry was found to be good.