The Czech National Bank wishes to point out that an offer to buy shares from the public is reserved only for persons granted relevant authorisation by the Czech National Bank – an investment firm licence. This is because this activity meets the criteria of the core investment service of dealing for own account, for the performance of which a licence is required. A person not licensed to provide investment services breaches the prohibition pursuant to Article 4a of the Capital Market Undertakings Act, thereby committing an offence for which a fine of up to CZK 150 million may be imposed.
The Czech National Bank issues this warning in reaction to the leaflet below, which it received from the public in recent days. Using this or similarly published offer may cause prospective sellers a significant financial loss.
The lists of regulated and registered entities are published on the Czech National Bank’s website.
Example: Leaflet – offer to buy shares