Discuss about the Impact of Sovereign Wealth Funds.
The regulatory system, ethical dilemma, taxation arrangement, markets, and governance facets are used in this compare-contrast essay to compare and contrast the two sovereign wealth funds including Norges Bank Investment Management and Qatar Investment Authority. Regarding the regulatory system, the paper examines the regulators of these two funds and how they funds are regulated. The ethical dilemmas for these funds deals with what they invest in and what they avoid.
Taxation arrangement looks at how the two funds are taxed and note whether there are similarities or difference in the corporation in the country and whether they have special provisions. Regarding markets, the article examines what market these funds are investing in and the associated equity types. Finally, governance delves into both companies in terms of their investors, and the industry itself.
Norges Bank Investment Management has created the corporate Governance Advisory Board to strengthen its long-term active ownership. The Board assist in the board nomination practices regarding the listed equity investment of the sovereign funds. The board also serve as the body on active ownership as well as regularly assess the Norges Bank Investment Management’s ownership activities relative to the optimal practices (Truman 2009). The board gives advice to the listed companies that undergo strategy shifts, capital restructuring and takeovers. The Norwegian Ministry of Finance is responsible for managing the fund. It has also delegated responsibility for the operational management of the Norges Bank Investment Management’s international assets to Norges Bank Investment Management which nests within the Norwegian Bank.
Both the funds are directly managed and controlled through the central bank or the finance ministry to ensure transparency. It has been noted that that the Norway’s fund is more transparent in its investment criterion and financial accounting the effective regulation of the ministry of finance and central banks. On the other hand, funds regulated by Qatar are among those that regulators ensure they disclose the least information regarding their activities as well as are probably to consider sovereign interests in their activities of investment. The limited disclosure of the SWFs in Qatar makes it complex to determine whether funds are pursuing non-commercial interests thereby creating fear of the SWF activities.
In Norway, the Storting has laid out the formal framework for the fund in terms of regulation which is to be done through the Ministry of Finance and the Central Bank in the Government Pension Fund Act. The Ministry of Finance has the overal obligation for the fund’s regulation (Jen 2007). The Ministry of Finance has also issued the effective guidelines for its regulation in the Management Mandate for the Government Pension Fund Global. The Norges Bank has been mandated and tasked with the regulation of the fund with the Executive Board of the bank being delegated the operational management together with the regulation of the funds to the Norges Bank Investment Management.
In Qatar, the Chief Executive Officer of the QIA is responsible for the internal regulation of the fund, management of its affairs as well as the general policy implementation. The CEO is helped by a management team comprising the investment committee and business departments alongside the direct investment in real estate as well as private equity. The investment function is supported by the internal audit, legal, and audit, administration as well as finance department to ensure effectiveness in regulation. The QIA also has a governing Board of Directors as the supreme body with full control and regulation over the QIA’s affairs. The Board of Directors discharge of its business and consist of the chairman, a vice chairman and the members. The Board meets regularly to set and review the QIA’s strategic policy according to its mandate. The board does not usually engage itself in such decisions linked o day-to-day business but assigns these through Emiri Decision to the CEO and the management.
The ownership of the QIA is by the Government of the State of Qatar which has a supervisory role to play despite the fund having an independent legal personality as well as a budget. The founding legislations of the fund has been used to separate the roles and responsibilities among the owner, the governing entity as well as the management for effective regulation (Johnson 2007). The government comes it to regulate through the Ministry of Finance and the Central Bank by ensuring the QIA’s mandate of developing, investing as well as managing the state reserve funds alongside other property assigned to it by the Government through the Supreme Council of Economic Affairs and Investment is achieved. The government uses the fund’s founding legislation that gives QIA the required capacity, powers as well as competencies to act in accomplishing its statutory mandate and achieve its objectives to regulate the fund.
Norges Bank Investment Management can invest solely outside Norway. The mandate requires the Norges Bank Investment Management fund to invest sixty percent of its capital in equities. The mandate also requires that 35-40 percent invest in fixed-income securities and up to five percent invest in real estate. Equity investments are limited to companies which are, or intend to be, listed on the recognized market place. At the present Norges Bank Investment Management is invested in most markets, countries, industries and currencies to cover global growth as well as diversify risk as best as possible.
The list of holdings together with the information on all equities, fixed-income instruments as well as properties the fund is invested in is published once a year. Norges Bank Investment Management fund investment is restricted to some companies and courtiers where the fund cannot invest in. The Ministry of Finance has outlined guidelines on responsible investment as well as set up a Council of Ethics that considers whether the investment of the fund in individual companies adhere to these set guidelines. The Council assesses appropriate cases and subsequently makes recommendations to the Norges Bank on the observation and exclusion of companies.
The Executive Board of Norge Bank is responsible for managing the fund and, therefore, takes the final decision on whether to follow the recommendations of the Council. The Ministry may as well make a decision that fund should not be invested in fixed-income securities given by some countries like those subject to extensive international sanctions supported by Norway including Syria, North Korea and Iran.
On the other hand, the Qatar Investment Authority lacks any mandated limitations on its investment universe. Qatar Investment Authority can invest in both local and foreign marketable, real property, securities, private equity funds and alternative assets.
Taxation affects return on investments and can produce risk for the fund and Norges Bank. This policy is crucial in setting out the principles for protecting Norges Bank and Government Pension Fund Global by managing the risk associated with tax associated with the fund’s unlisted real estate investments and Norges Bank Real Estate Management’s operations. This policy entails the management of NBRREM’s tax position, and administrative processes linked to tax in the market where we invest and structures relevant to the unlisted real estate investment as operations.
The policy helps to manage the tax appropriately and prudently and comply with rules relating to tax and minimization of overpayment of taxes. The unlisted real estate investment are held via corporate holding structures to safeguard Norges Bank and the fund from liability as well as prohibit unnecessary tax costs which may reduce the return or restrict the ability to compete commercially.
The Norges Bank Investment Management uses tried and tested structures and follow prudent market prices besides seeking ruling in relation to uncertain tax positions in the countries in and via which the Norges Bank Investment Management invest. It does not use structures that might jeopardize the entire tax position of Norges Bank, the fund or which may negatively affects the tax position of unrelated investment.
The NBREM monitors the taxes paid by the Norges Bank Investment Management alongside its compliance with the tax regulations to safeguard the value of the fund’s unlisted real estate investment as well as safeguard its reputation. Norges Bank Investment Management balances the tax considerations against other business needs as well as manage the interactions between these appropriately.
Norges Bank Investment Management uses securities lending and tax as a value-creating activity in the management of the fund. The Norges Bank Investment Management does not lend the benefit of its favorable tax features to the third parties and it improves its tax position by seeking to avoid entering into security lending transaction. The Norges Bank Investment Management uses the reciprocal exemptions to exempt foreign governments as well as their SWFs only where the foreign governments extend a comparable exemption.
The reciprocal exemption is achieved either locally or via inclusion in the bilateral double taxation treaties. For example, the Norway and Russia have entered a bilateral tax treaty which contain reciprocal exemptions for interest paid as well to foreign governments, regional as well as local authorities together with their agencies.
On the other hand, the Qatar Investment Authority has a significant withholding taxes imposed on the outbound remittances of passive income and they seem to have no special tax preferences for the foreign governments alongside SWFs. The Qatar Investment Authority, therefore, uses the third category which is the most reasoned approach of not to offer any special tax preferences for their SWFs. It uses the same basis to tax charitable organization, and foreign investors (Jen 2009).
Qatar has also engaged in agreements for the avoidance of double taxation that permits the non-taxation or tax at a decreased rate of evidence distributed to the stockholders which are resident in Qatar by firms that are resident in other nations. This agreement has an advantage that include the non-taxation or taxation at a lower rate of interest as well as similar payment made to residents of Qatar with the exemption of the interest paid to the State as well as its local authorities and bodies like Qatar Investment Authority.
The QIA is SWF of the Qatar Government that specialize in public equity, private equity, fixed income, real estate, and alternative markets as well as startups. The Qatar Investment Authority also makes funds of fund investment across the world. However, QIA does not invest in Qatar energy sector. It also invest in companies that are operating across diversified sectors. The QIA seeks to invest in startups in France.
The Qatar Investment Authority has created Qatar Diar Real Estate Investment Company as a podium to handle various essential investment in local and international markets including Oman, Egypt and Syria. The Qatar Investment Authority’s investment in UK include the acquisition of 4 of the largest nursing home chains for approximately five billion USD. Moreover, the Qatar Investment Authority has critical interest in the Canary Wharf Estate in London. The Qatar Investment Authority also owns as well as is currently developing a large prime location retail mall in Kuala Lumpur. The Qatar Investment Authority also directly possess 100% of Qatar National Hotels Company.
The Qatar Investment Authority has direct stakes in several Qatari blue chip companies including QNB and Qtel as well as co-invest alongside them in private equity. The Qatar Investment Authority’s private equity further looks after the domestic private equity as well as venture capital initiatives including the Qatar Foundation.
The Qatar Investment Authority’s international investments include stakes in the United Kingdom-based 4 Seasons Healthcare, Nordic Exchange OMX, London Stock Exchange Group, Lagardere of France, Singapore’s Raffles Medical Group and Jordan’s Housing Bank of Trade and Finance (Do Sovereign and Citizens 2008). The Qatar Investment Authority also sold stake in the London Stock Exchange Group to help buy Frank Russell.
On the other hand Norges Bank Investment Management, has invested 60% in equities, 35% in fixed income and 5% in real estate markets. The Norges Bank Investment Management invests in a broad range of countries, companies, and assets to acquire the highest possible return with the moderate risk as outlined by the Ministry of Finance. Some of the largest equity investment include Nestle (CH), Apple (US), Royal Dutch Shell (UK), Alphabet (US), Roche Holding (CH), Novartis (CH) and Microsoft (US).
In the real estate management, Norges Bank Investment Management fund is slowly increasing the real estate investment to as much as five percent of its assets via the corresponding reduction in its bond holding.
The policy objectives of Sovereign Wealth Funds differ, depending on the wide macro fiscal objectives that they aim at addressing. The organizational structure requires to have a precise distinction of responsibilities as well as authority. Accordingly, a well-defined structure builds a decision making hierarchy which limits risks by making sure the integrity of and effective control over SWF management activities.
The Qatar Investment Authority (QIA) is governed by the board of directors and the Qatar’s State Audit Bureau is responsible for auditing the QIA financial operations. On the other hand, the Norges Bank Investment Management is governed by the Ministry of Finance that owns the fund on behalf of the Norwegians.
The Ministry has established the general investment strategy together with rules for the fund in the Management Mandate for the Government Pension Fund Global following the consultation with the Norges Bank and the debate in the Storting. The Norges Bank has been mandated to manage the fund.
The Executive Board has also delegated the operational management of the fund to the Norges Bank Investment Management. The governance model of the Norges Bank Investment Management builds on a clear delegation of duties as well as effective system for control and supervision. Storting-the Norwegian parliament has laid a formal framework for fund in the Government Pension Fund Act.
The Ministry of Finance enjoys the overall responsibility for the management of the Norges Bank Investment Management fund. The Ministry has issued guidelines for the management of Norges Bank Investment Management in the Management Mandate for the Government Pension Fund Global (Beck and Fidora 2008).
Conclusion
The paper has offered a comprehensive discussion about the Norges Bank Investment Management and the Qatar Investment Authority using the five facets such as taxation, regulatory system, governance, markets, and ethical dilemmas through a compare-contrast approach. It is clear from the discussion that some similarities and differences exist based on the above mentioned facets. What is clear from the discussion is that the mandate of these two Sovereign Wealth Funds is more or less similar and that the ownership is by the government. It has been shown from the discussion that the regulation and management of these two funds is done by the respective country’s government through the Ministry of Finance and the Central Bank. It also clear that both SWFs use reciprocal tax exemption in their taxation arrangements.
References
Beck, R. and Fidora, M., 2008. The impact of sovereign wealth funds on global financial markets. Intereconomics, 43(6), pp.349-358.
Do Sovereign, W.F.B. and Citizens, R., 2008. Sovereign Wealth Funds.
Jen, S., 2007. Sovereign wealth funds. World economics, 8(4), pp.1-7.
Jen, S.L., 2009. How big could sovereign wealth funds be by 2015?. Revue d’Économie Financière.
Johnson, S., 2007. The rise of sovereign wealth funds. Finance and Development, 44(3), p.56.
Truman, E.M., 2009. A blueprint for sovereign wealth fund best practices. Revue d’économie financière (English ed.), 9(1), pp.429-451.
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