{"id":"F2016L01943","name":"ASIC Corporations (Nominee and Custody Services) Instrument 2016/1156","slug":"asic-corporations-nominee-and-custody-services-instrument-2016-1156","collection":"legislative_instrument","jurisdiction":"commonwealth","status":"in_force","isInForce":true,"actNumber":null,"makingDate":null,"administeringDepartment":null,"currentVersion":{"id":95601,"registerId":"commonwealth-F2016L01943-current","compilationNumber":null,"startDate":"2026-04-02","status":"InForce","reasons":null,"registeredAt":null},"sections":[{"sectionNumber":"1","sectionType":"section","heading":"ASIC Corporations (Nominee and Custody Services) Instrument 2016/1156","content":"![Commonwealth Coat of Arms and ASIC logo](image.001.png)\n\nASIC Corporations (Nominee and Custody Services) Instrument 2016/1156\n\nAbout this compilation\n\nCompilation No. 4\n\nThis is a compilation of ASIC Corporations (Nominee and Custody Services) Instrument 2016/1156 as in force on 1 September 2023. It includes any commenced amendment affecting the legislative instrument to that date.\n\nThis compilation was prepared by the Australian Securities and Investments Commission.\n\nThe notes at the end of this compilation (the endnotes) include information\n\nabout amending instruments and the amendment history of each amended provision.\n\nContents\n\n[Part 1—Preliminary](#_Toc146275368)\n\n[1 Name of legislative instrument](#_Toc146275369)\n\n[3 Authority](#_Toc146275370)\n\n[4 Definitions](#_Toc146275371)\n\n[Part 2—Exemptions](#_Toc146275372)\n\n[5 Operators of nominee and custody services](#_Toc146275373)\n\n[6 People involved in the operation of nominee and custody services](#_Toc146275374)\n\n[Part 3—Declarations](#_Toc146275375)\n\n[7 Offers of securities through nominee and custody services](#_Toc146275376)\n\n[8 Operators of nominee and custody services](#_Toc146275377)\n\n[9 Product Disclosure Statements: nominee and custody services](#_Toc146275378)\n\n[Endnotes](#_Toc146275379)\n\n[Endnote 1—Instrument history](#_Toc146275380)\n\n[Endnote 2—Amendment history](#_Toc146275381)\n\nPart 1—Preliminary\n\n1 Name of legislative instrument\n\nThis is the ASIC Corporations (Nominee and Custody Services) Instrument 2016/1156.\n\n3 Authority\n\nThis instrument is made under subsections 741(1), 992B(1) and 1020F(1) of the Corporations Act 2001.\n\n4 Definitions\n\nIn this instrument:\n\naccessible financial product means a financial product (other than a security) that may be held through a nominee and custody service.\n\naccessible securities means securities that may be held through a nominee and custody service.\n\nAct means the Corporations Act 2001.\n\ncustodial or depository service has the meaning given by section 766E of the Act.\n\ncustodian means a person who provides a custodial or depository service in connection with a nominee and custody service.\n\nNote: The custodian may also be the operator of the nominee and custody service.\n\nfinancial product has the meaning given by Division 3 of Part 7.1 of the Act.\n\nIDPS has the same meaning as in ASIC Corporations (Investor Directed Portfolio Services) Instrument 2023/669.\n\nIDPS-like scheme has the same meaning as in ASIC Corporations (Investor Directed Portfolio Services Provided Through a Registered Managed Investment Scheme) Instrument 2023/668.\n\nnominee and custody service means a custody and settlement service (which includes the provision of a custodial or depository service):\n\n(a) in relation to which the clients of the service have the sole discretion to decide what (but not necessarily when) financial products will be acquired or disposed of, except where:\n\n(i) there are any prior written directions, which the client has agreed not to vary, to acquire or dispose of a particular financial product in particular circumstances (other than a circumstance that is affected by a discretion of an operator); or\n\n(ii) the client has authorised the operator or another person to give directions on their behalf for the purpose of the other person receiving or securing payment of moneys owing by the client to the person; and\n\n(b) which is not an IDPS or provided under an IDPS-like scheme.\n\noperator, in relation to a nominee and custody service, means a body corporate that is the holder of an Australian financial services licence authorising it to provide a custodial or depository service, who contracts with a client for the provision of the nominee and custody service or a function that forms part of the nominee and custody service.\n\nPart 2—Exemptions\n\n5 Operators of nominee and custody services\n\n(1) An operator of a nominee and custody service does not have to comply with:\n\n(a) Part 6D.2 or 6D.3 or section 992A of the Act for an offer to issue equitable rights or interests in accessible securities arising because of an offer to hold, or arrange for the holding of, the accessible securities through the nominee and custody service; and\n\n(b) Division 8 of Part 7.8, or Part 7.9, of the Act in relation to a financial product that is an equitable right or interest in an accessible financial product arising because of a holding, or an offer to hold or arrange for the holding of, the accessible financial product through the nominee and custody service.\n\nNote: This subsection does not apply to the accessible securities or accessible financial products that are held through the nominee and custody service.\n\n(2) An operator of a nominee and custody service cannot rely on subsection (1) if ASIC has given a notice in writing to the operator stating that it cannot rely on that subsection and has not withdrawn the notice.\n\n6 People involved in the operation of nominee and custody services\n\n(1) A person (other than an operator) who is involved in the operation or promotion of a nominee and custody service does not have to comply with:\n\n(a) Part 6D.2 or 6D.3 or section 992A of the Act for an offer to issue equitable rights or interests in accessible securities arising because of an offer to hold, or arrange for the holding of, the accessible securities through the nominee and custody service; and\n\n(b) Division 8 of Part 7.8, or Part 7.9, of the Act in relation to a financial product that is an equitable right or interest in an accessible financial product arising because of a holding, or an offer to hold or arrange for the holding of, the accessible financial product through the nominee and custody service.\n\nNote: This subsection does not apply to the accessible securities or accessible financial products that are held through the nominee and custody service.\n\n(2) A person cannot rely on subsection (1) if ASIC has given a notice in writing to the person stating that it cannot rely on that subsection and has not withdrawn the notice.\n\nPart 3—Declarations\n\n7 Offers of securities through nominee and custody services\n\nChapter 6D of the Act applies to all persons as if Part 6D.2 were modified or varied by, after section 704, inserting:\n\n“704C Offers through a nominee and custody service\n\n(1) A person who makes an offer of accessible securities through a nominee and custody service that needs disclosure under this Part must promptly notify the operator or custodian if:\n\n(a) a supplementary or replacement document has been lodged in relation to the disclosure document; or\n\n(b) the person is prohibited under Division 1 of Part 6D.3 from making offers of securities under the disclosure document; or\n\n(c) the disclosure document is withdrawn before the expiry date specified in the disclosure document.\n\n(2) Nothing in this Part or Part 6D.3 requires a disclosure document for offers of accessible securities through a nominee and custody service to include information about the nominee and custody service or the rights attached to the accessible securities where they differ from the rights that a person would have if they acquired the accessible securities directly.\n\n(3) A person cannot rely on subsection (2) if ASIC has given a notice in writing to the person stating that it cannot rely on that subsection and has not withdrawn the notice.\n\n(4) In this section:\n\naccessible securities, custodian, nominee and custody service and operator have the same meanings as in subsection 912AH(10).”.\n\n8 Operators of nominee and custody services\n\nPart 7.6 of the Act (other than Division 4 and 8) applies to financial services licensees as if that Part were modified or varied by, before section 912B, inserting:\n\n“912AH Requirements for the operation of a nominee and custody service\n\n(1) This section applies to a financial services licensee that provides a nominee and custody service.\n\nAcquisition of accessible financial products that are interests in unregistered scheme\n\n(2) The licensee must not, and must ensure that any custodian acting on its behalf does not, acquire accessible financial products for a client as part of a nominee and custody service that are:\n\n(a) interests in a managed investment scheme that is not a registered scheme; or\n\n(b) interests in a scheme that would be a managed investment scheme but for paragraph (e) of the definition of managed investment scheme in section 9;\n\nunless the licensee reasonably believes that:\n\n(c) had the client invested directly in the scheme, the scheme would not have been required to have been registered; and\n\n(d) had all interests in the scheme held in custodial arrangements been held by the clients (as defined in section 1012IA) of those arrangements, the scheme would not have been required to be registered.\n\nNote: Under section 601ED a managed investment scheme does not generally need to be registered if it has no more than 20 members. If interests held through an IDPS, an IDPS-like scheme or a nominee and custody service had been acquired directly, the scheme may have required registration as it may have had more than 20 members.\n\nAcquisition of accessible securities under direction from client\n\n(3) The licensee must not, and must ensure that any custodian acting on its behalf does not, acquire accessible securities for a client as part of a nominee and custody service under a direction from the client unless:\n\n(a) for an acquisition of shares resulting from a CSF offer—subsection (3A) is satisfied; and\n\n(b) otherwise:\n\n(i) both of the following are satisfied:\n\n(A) the licensee reasonably believes that the client has been given a disclosure document for the accessible securities that would have been required had the accessible securities been offered to the client directly at the time of the acquisition of the accessible securities;\n\n(B) the licensee has no reason to believe that the disclosure document is defective as if it were prepared at that time; or\n\n(ii) the licensee reasonably believes that the accessible securities could lawfully have been offered and issued or sold, as the case may be, to the client directly without the client being required to be given a disclosure document other than because of subsection 708(1).\n\n(3A) This subsection is satisfied if the licensee reasonably believes that:\n\n(a) the client:\n\n    (i) has accessed the platform of a CSF intermediary containing the CSF offer document for the CSF offer and the licensee has no reason to believe the document is defective as at the time of the acquisition of the shares; and\n    (ii) has completed the acknowledgement that would be required under paragraph 738ZA(3)(b) if the client had applied as a retail client; and\n    (iii) was able to use the relevant communication facility for the CSF offer provided under subsection 738ZA(5); and\n    (iv) was able to withdraw the direction within 5 business days after it was made; and\n    (v) has not been provided with financial assistance in relation to the CSF offer by:\n      (A) a person referred to in subsection 738ZE(1); or\n      (B) the licensee; or\n      (C) an associate of the licensee that is not an Australian ADI; and\n    (vi) has not in total paid for, or become liable to pay for, or given directions under an IDPS, an IDPS-like scheme or a nominee and custody service for the acquisition of, shares under a CSF offer of the company making the CSF offer that together exceed the cap on investment in paragraph 738ZC(1)(b); or\n\n(b) the client would have acquired the shares as a wholesale client if the client had acquired the shares directly under the CSF offer.\n\nAcquisition of accessible financial products under direction from client\n\n(4) The licensee must not, and must ensure that any custodian acting on its behalf does not, acquire accessible financial products for a client as part of a nominee and custody service under a direction from the client unless:\n\n(a) subsection (5), (6) or (7) are satisfied; and\n\n(b) for acquisitions after 31 December 2017—subsection (8) is satisfied.\n\n(5) This subsection is satisfied if:\n\n(a) the licensee reasonably believes that the client has been given a copy of the Product Disclosure Statement for the accessible financial product that would have been required had the financial product been offered to the client directly at the time of the acquisition of the financial product; and\n\n(b) the licensee has no reason to believe that the Product Disclosure Statement is defective as if it were prepared at the time of the acquisition.\n\n(6) This subsection is satisfied if:\n\n(a) the licensee reasonably believes that the accessible financial product could lawfully have been offered and issued or sold, as the case may be, to the client directly without the client being required to be given a Product Disclosure Statement other than because of section 1012E; and\n\n(b) the licensee has no reason to believe that a Product Disclosure Statement would have been required to be given to the client if all other holdings of the financial product in custodial arrangements had been issued to the clients (as defined in section 1012IA) of those arrangements.\n\n(7) This subsection is satisfied if:\n\n(a) the client already holds an accessible financial product of the same kind through the nominee and custody service; and\n\n(b) the licensee has given the client a Product Disclosure Statement for a financial product of the same kind; and\n\n(c) the licensee reasonably believes that the client has access to, and knows that they have access to, a Product Disclosure Statement for the financial product; and\n\n(d) the Product Disclosure Statement the client has access to is the most current in use or does not differ from the most current in use in a way that is materially adverse for the client; and\n\n(e) the licensee has no reason to believe the Product Disclosure Statement the client has access to is defective as if it were prepared at the time of the acquisition.\n\n(8) This subsection is satisfied if the licensee reasonably believes that the issuer or seller of the accessible financial products has a dispute resolution system that satisfies either subsection 912A(2) or 1017G(2) and which covers complaints against the issuer or seller by each client who:\n\n(a) holds through the nominee and custody service an accessible financial product issued or sold by the issuer or seller; and\n\n(b) if the issuer or seller had issued or sold the accessible financial product the subject of the direction to the client directly—would have acquired the product as a retail client;  \n\nwhere the complaints are made in connection with an accessible financial product issued or sold by the issuer or seller that is held through the nominee and custody service.\n\nFacilitating dispute resolution\n\n(9) If a client notifies the licensee that it has a complaint in relation to an accessible investment, the licensee must take reasonable steps to facilitate resolution of the dispute between the client and the issuer of the accessible investment, including informing the client whether the issuer has a dispute resolution system that is available to the client.\n\nInterpretation\n\n(10) In this section:\n\naccessible financial product means a financial product (other than a security) that may be held through a nominee and custody service.\n\naccessible investments means assets or property that may be held through a nominee and custody service, including accessible securities and accessible financial products.\n\naccessible securities means securities that may be held through a nominee and custody service.\n\ncustodial or depository service has the meaning given by section 766E of the Act.\n\ncustodian means a person who provides a custodial or depository service in connection with a nominee and custody service.\n\nNote: The custodian may also be the operator of the nominee and custody service.\n\ndefective:\n\n(a) in relation to a Product Disclosure Statement—has the same meaning as in section 1021B; and\n\n(b) in relation to a disclosure document—means a disclosure document in relation to which a person offering securities under the disclosure document must not issue securities or must deal under subsection 724(2) of the Act with any applications for securities made under the disclosure document that have not resulted in an issue or transfer of the securities; and\n\n(c) in relation to a CSF offer document—has the same meaning as in section 738U.\n\nIDPS has the same meaning as in ASIC Corporations (Investor Directed Portfolio Services) Instrument 2023/669.\n\nIDPS-like scheme has the same meaning as in ASIC Corporations (Investor Directed Portfolio Services Provided Through a Registered Managed Investment Scheme) Instrument 2023/668.\n\nnominee and custody service means a custody and settlement service (which includes the provision of a custodial or depository service):\n\n(a) in relation to which the clients of the service have the sole discretion to decide what (but not necessarily when) financial products will be acquired or disposed of, except where:\n\n(i) there are any prior written directions, which the client has agreed not to vary, to acquire or dispose of a particular financial product in particular circumstances (other than a circumstance that is affected by a discretion of an operator); or\n\n(ii) the client has authorised the operator or another person to give directions on their behalf for the purpose of the other person receiving or securing payment of moneys owing by the client to the person; and\n\n(b) which is not an IDPS or provided under an IDPS-like scheme.\n\noperator, in relation to a nominee and custody service, means a body corporate that is the holder of an Australian financial services licence authorising it to provide a custodial or depository service, who contracts with a client for the provision of the nominee and custody service or a function that forms part of the nominee and custody service.\n\n(11) For the purposes of this section:\n\n(a) the circumstances in which the operator of a nominee and custody service or a custodian acquires an accessible financial product under a direction of a client include:\n\n(i) an allocation of entitlements relating to an accessible financial product to the client in the nominee and custody service; and\n\n(ii) an increased investment in an accessible financial product in respect of which a client has been allocated entitlements;\n\nunder a direction of the client; and\n\n(b) a financial product is of the same kind as another financial product if the products would be of the same kind for the purposes of section 1012D.”.\n\n9 Product Disclosure Statements: nominee and custody services\n\nPart 7.9 of the Act applies in relation to operators of nominee and custody services, and custodians, as if the provisions of that Part were modified or varied by, after subsection 1012IA(9), inserting:\n\n“(10) An operator of a nominee and custody service or a custodian does not need to give a client a Product Disclosure Statement for a regulated acquisition that complies with subsection 912AH(5), (6) or (7).\n\nIn this subsection, custodian, nominee and custody service and operator have the same meanings as in subsection 912AH(10).”.\n\nEndnotes\n\nEndnote 1—Instrument history\n\n| Instrument number | Date of FRL registration     | Date of commencement | Application, saving or transitional provisions |\n| ----------------- | ---------------------------- | -------------------- | ---------------------------------------------- |\n| 2016/1156         | 14/12/2016 (see F2016L01943) | 15/12/2016           |                                                |\n| 2017/821          | 20/9/2017 (see F2017L01216)  | 28/9/2017            | -                                              |\n| 2017/1119         | 21/12/2017 (see F2017L01696) | 22/12/2017           | -                                              |\n| 2021/799          | 22/9/2021 (see F2021L01310)  | 5/10/2021            | -                                              |\n| 2023/670          | 31/8/2023 (see F2023L01161)  | 1/9/2023             |                                                |\n\nEndnote 2—Amendment history\n\n> Note: ad. = added or inserted am. = amended LA = Legislation Act 2003 rep. = repealed rs. = repealed and substituted\n\n| Provision affected                                                       | How affected  |\n| ------------------------------------------------------------------------ | ------------- |\n| Section 2                                                                | rep. s48D LA  |\n| Section 4 (definition of IDPS)                                           | am. 2023/670  |\n| Section 4 (definition of IDPS-like scheme)                               | am. 2023/670  |\n| Paragraph 5(1)(a)                                                        | am. 2021/799  |\n| Paragraph 6(1)(a)                                                        | am. 2021/799  |\n| Section 7 (notional subsection 704C(4))                                  | am. 2017/1119 |\n| Section 8 (notional section 912AE)                                       | am. 2017/1119 |\n| Section 8 (notional subsection 912AE(3))                                 | am. 2017/821  |\n| Section 8 (after notional subsection 912AE(3A))                          | ad. 2017/821  |\n| Section 8 (notional subsection 912AE(10))                                | am. 2017/821  |\n| Section 8 (notional subsection 912AH(10) definition of IDPS)             | am. 2023/670  |\n| Section 8 (notional subsection 912AH(10) definition of IDPS-like scheme) | am. 2023/670  |\n| Section 9 (notional subsection 1012IA(10))                               | am. 2017/1119 |","sortOrder":0}],"analysis":{"flash_summary":{"complexity_score":7,"scope_assessment":{"changed":true,"description":"The instrument's scope has been adjusted through multiple amendments (2017, 2021, 2023) that altered acquisition conditions, added CSF‑specific requirements and updated the definitions of IDPS and IDPS‑like schemes. Those amendments changed which platform arrangements and custodial holdings are covered and tightened licence‑holder duties (see Endnote 2 and the amended provisions in ss4 and 5–9)."},"complexity_factors":["Extensive cross‑references to multiple Parts and sections of the Corporations Act (eg. Part 6D, Part 7.6, Part 7.9) increasing interpretive load (see ss5–9).","Conditional exemptions that depend on factual 'reasonable belief' tests and differing requirements for securities versus other financial products (s8(3)–(7)).","Special‑case rules for crowd‑sourced funding (CSF) offers with multiple procedural conditions (s8(3A)).","ASIC's discretion to withdraw reliance on exemptions by written notice creates regulatory uncertainty for market participants (ss5(2), 6(2), 7(3)).","Interaction with IDPS and IDPS‑like scheme definitions and recent amendments alters application across platform arrangements (definitions in s4; endnote amendment history).","Layered consumer protections (product disclosure, dispute resolution facilitation, issuer dispute‑resolution coverage) with temporal conditions (s8(4)–(9)).","Multiple exceptions and alternative compliance paths (eg. subsections 8(5)–(7) and 9(10)) require case‑by‑case assessment of obligations."],"plain_english_summary":"This instrument creates a regulatory framework for nominee and custody services: it grants targeted exemptions from certain disclosure and product‑disclosure requirements for operators and other persons while imposing licence‑holder duties on acquisitions, client notification, dispute‑resolution facilitation and verification of disclosure (ss5–6, 7–9).\n\nIt chiefly affects AFSL holders operating nominee and custody services, custodians and intermediaries—who pay compliance costs to confirm client disclosure, limit particular acquisitions, and respond to ASIC notices—and clients whose holdings are held through these arrangements."},"flash_summary_failed":{"failed":true,"reason":"Unauthenticated. Configure AI_GATEWAY_API_KEY or use a provider module. Learn more: https://ai-sdk.dev/unauthenticated-ai-gateway","source":"analysis-cron"},"kimi_summary":{"content_quality":"ok","complexity_score":7,"scope_assessment":{"changed":true,"description":"The instrument has grown significantly beyond its original 2016 scope. The amendment history shows four amending instruments (2017/821, 2017/1119, 2021/799, 2023/670) adding substantial new content. Most notably, the 2017 amendments introduced complex crowd-sourced funding (CSF) provisions (subsection 912AH(3A)) that were not part of the original framework, and the 2021 amendments expanded the exemption provisions. The 2023 amendments updated cross-references to new IDPS instruments, indicating the instrument now operates within a much broader regulatory ecosystem than originally contemplated."},"complexity_factors":["Extensive cross-referencing to other ASIC instruments (IDPS instruments 2023/668 and 2023/669) and multiple sections of the Corporations Act 2001","Nested conditional logic with multiple subsections providing alternative compliance pathways (e.g., subsections 912AH(5), (6), (7) and (8) each providing different ways to satisfy acquisition requirements)","Double definitions — terms defined both in section 4 and again in notional section 912AH(10), creating redundancy and potential inconsistency risks","Highly specific carve-outs and exceptions, particularly for crowd-sourced funding (CSF) in subsection 912AH(3A) which contains six separate numbered conditions","Counterfactual reasoning required (e.g., 'had the client invested directly...', 'if all other holdings...had been issued to the clients')","Multiple ASIC override powers (subsections 5(2), 6(2), 7(3)) creating conditional exemptions","Notional provisions that modify the Corporations Act rather than standing alone, requiring readers to mentally integrate text into existing legislation","Technical distinctions between 'accessible securities', 'accessible financial products', and 'accessible investments' with different rules applying to each"],"plain_english_summary":"This instrument creates tailored rules for nominee and custody services that let licensed operators hold investments in their name for clients while exempting the operators’ clients’ equitable interests from ordinary disclosure obligations, subject to conditions. It imposes acquisition safeguards (including for crowd‑sourced funding), requires assistance with issuer disputes, and lets ASIC revoke exemptions where warranted.\n\nIt affects licensees running nominee/custody services, custodians, clients using those services, and issuers, streamlining operations while preserving investor protections."}},"importantCases":[],"_links":{"self":"/api/acts/asic-corporations-nominee-and-custody-services-instrument-2016-1156","history":"/api/acts/asic-corporations-nominee-and-custody-services-instrument-2016-1156/history","analysis":"/api/acts/asic-corporations-nominee-and-custody-services-instrument-2016-1156/analysis","conflicts":"/api/acts/asic-corporations-nominee-and-custody-services-instrument-2016-1156/conflicts","importantCases":"/api/acts/asic-corporations-nominee-and-custody-services-instrument-2016-1156/important-cases","documents":"/api/acts/asic-corporations-nominee-and-custody-services-instrument-2016-1156/documents"}}