LRC Advisory

Legal, Risk & Compliance

Legal Risk & Compliance Advisory

A niche group of highly skilled Legal, Risk and Compliance consultants who focus on providing crucial legal and regulatory compliance support to your pan-African business, as and when you need it.  We have a wealth of hands-on experience through our past roles in global financial service groups and have come together to assist businesses with their ongoing legal challenges and rapidly changing regulatory demands.

The Covid-19 pandemic has highlighted the ability of lawyers and compliance professionals to work remotely and independently, whilst still providing quality legal advice and genuine value-add regulatory support to your business.  Although certain risk management firms are costly, due to large overheads and extensive service capabilities, LRC Advisory is uniquely focused on providing a select network of highly skilled lawyers and professional compliance officers to support and advise you on your LRC issues.

Capabilities

Not all business challenges require an audit or legal firm.  However, some transactions need an experienced lawyer or compliance professional to either lead a project, augment your internal bandwidth, or manage a specific transaction.  LRC Advisory will match your transactional requirement with the appropriate LRC consultant, who will advise on or support your specific business challenge.

Services

Commercial
Law

Every day, we assist FSPs across Africa with their commercial legal business requirements.

Data
Privacy

Our data privacy experts are ready to help you navigate the complex requirements of POPIA, GDPR or local equivalents to ensure that your business is protected.

Financial Crimes Compliance

Our professional compliance officers and advisors have a wealth of experience in AML, CFT and Sanctions risk based methodologies.

Enterprise Risk Management

Our risk management professionals cover a range of risk management services for banks, asset managers, long & short-term insurers, FinTech’s, IFAs & FSPs.

Corporate
Governance

Our governance experts are able to assist with director induction training, board assessments and corporate governance compliance.

Pan-African Law & Regulation

We support our client's regulatory compliance and we never stop working to further develop our global regulatory knowledge and expertise.

Stakeholder Engagement

With our recognized leadership in applying legal, risk and compliance services, we strive to deliver commercial advantage to clients.

Regional Experience

Our experts offer financial service providers a range of integrated pan-African capabilities. These include legal, compliance, regulatory and corporate risk support and advisory services.

Resources

Insights & Articles

The rapidly-changing world of financial compliance has become so complex that many organisations across Africa as well as in South Africa are transgressing their regulators’ requirements and government legislation every day – often without being aware of it.

Read the full article HERE

Treating Customers Fairly (TCF) is an outcomes based regulatory and supervisory approach designed to ensure that regulated financial institutions deliver specific, clearly set out fairness outcomes for financial customers. Regulated entities are expected to demonstrate that they deliver the following six TCF Outcomes to their customers throughout the product life cycle, from product design and promotion, through advice and servicing, to complaints and claims handling:

  • Customers can be confident they are dealing with firms where TCF is central to the corporate culture
  • Products & services marketed and sold in the retail market are designed to meet the needs of identified customer groups and are targeted accordingly
  • Customers are provided with clear information and kept appropriately informed before, during and after point of sale
  • Where advice is given, it is suitable and takes account of customer circumstance
  • Products perform as firms have led customers to expect, and service is of an acceptable standard and as they have been led to expect
  • Customers do not face unreasonable post-sale barriers imposed by firms to change product, switch providers, submit a claim or make a complaint.

See full article HERE

FINANCIAL SERVICES DURING A PANDEMIC – KNOW YOUR RIGHTS 

The aim of this communication is to inform financial customers of the safety protocols that should be adhered to by financial institutions when interacting face-to-face with employees and travelling nurses for the purposes of medical underwriting during the COVID-19 advanced level 3 lockdown requirements. 
 
COVID 19 has swept across the globe and many are thinking about their financial future and that of their families more seriously. The way we used to do things versus now has changed dramatically, with the introduction of mandatory face mask wearing, social distancing, sanitising, washing your hands and cleaning surfaces more frequently in order to reduce and avoid the spread of the virus. However, if you are going to engage with financial institutions or need any medical tests for life insurance purposes  – There are a few things that you as a financial customer should know when engaging these services amidst COVID-19. 
 
The Financial Sector Conduct Authority (FSCA), the Prudential Authority (PA) and the National Payment System Department of the South African Reserve Bank (SARB), published a Joint Communication which sets out measures to be taken by financial institutions and payment institutions when performing financial services as well as services relating to the national payment system. 
With the economy opening in a phased approach, businesses have a greater responsibility to ensure that the working environment is safe for staff and in addition, care must also be taken to protect customers and members of the public who come into contact with financial services workers. 
 
How do I engage with financial institutions, intermediaries, financial advisors and travelling nurses during Covid-19?
 
Remote interaction
If you require financial services, you are encouraged to seek these services via remote means. i.e. via the telephone, e-mail or online meetings. Face to face meetings are discouraged. Only in exceptional cases are face to face meetings or physical interactions permitted. 
 
Appropriate locations for face to face meetings
A meeting can only take place between the employee of the financial institution and the financial customer at premises where appropriate health measures and social distancing can be implemented for example; at the financial institution; the customers place of work or other premises as well as medical facilities which applies to travelling nurses who need to do blood work for customers. 
 
Financial services at home
If meetings are to be conducted at the customers home, there must be a confirmed appointment; both parties have to fill in a risk questionnaire (which establishes possible risk to both parties and their families. It is only valid for 24 hours); both parties must take a non-contact temperature screen in the presence of each other; both parties need to sanitise and wear face masks; social distancing must be practiced as far as possible whilst completing forms in order to limit the time spent in close proximity to the customer; lastly, a record of the meeting containing that the above protocols have been adhered to is required by the representative of the financial institute.  
 
Nurses and home visits
A nurse may visit a customer at home for purposes of medical underwriting if there is not alternative. The nurse and the customer will have to follow the guidelines listed in the point above plus follow additional requirements such as;  on arrival at the customer’s home, the nurse must wear a mask, face shield and a pair of gloves; the nurse should use two pairs of gloves for the consultation. The first pair should be used for completing forms, and a new pair for the medical examination, which includes drawing blood and taking blood pressure. 
 
Financial institutions are required to have certain safety protocols in place prior to engaging with customers. If you feel uncomfortable at any point you have a right to request that these safety protocols be followed to in order to keep you, your families and those around you safe. In instances where you are unable to engage with financial institutions remotely, do your part to minimize the spread of the virus by wearing a face mask, washing your hands frequently, adhering to social distancing and using sanitiser when you cannot wash your hands. 
 
To read more on the Joint publication issued by the FSCA, PA and SARB to financial and payment institutions click here
 
The FSCA expects that all businesses in the financial services industry inform their customers of safety precautions during this pandemic and treat them fairly. 
 
Consumers also have a responsibility to ask the questions and make sure they are treated fairly, especially insisting on these COVID-19 precautionary and safety measures to be adhered to, to keep themselves and their families safe. 
 
Enquiries: Financial Sector Conduct Authority
Sharecall: 0800 203 722 (FSCA)
Website: www.fsca.co.za
 
For more consumer financial education messages visit the FSCA’s consumer website: www.FSCAmymoney.co.za or email: CED.Consumer@fsca.co.za 

Contact Us

Contact us today to schedule a review of your requirements.

    With our recognized leadership in applying legal service and technology innovation, we strive to deliver commercial advantage to clients.

    Johannesburg

    ADDRESS Suite 889 P/Bag X9, Benmore 2010

    MAIL info@lrca.co.za

    TEL +27 83 408 4936 / +27 82 669 0905

    LRC Advisory (PTY) Ltd
    Reg. No. 2019/043861/07
    VAT No. 4570285660

    Contact Details

    Johannesburg

    ADDRESS Suite 889 P/Bag X9, Benmore 2010
    MAIL info@lrca.co.za
    TEL +27 83 408 4936 / +27 82 669 0905

    LRC Advisory (PTY) Ltd
    Reg. No. 2019/043861/07
    VAT No. 4570285660