Training Course: QFMA Rules and Regulations Course: Governance, Market Conduct and Compliance

Introduction:

QFMA rules and regulations are the law, rulebooks and codes through which the Financial Markets Authority (QFMA) licenses, supervises and disciplines listed companies, financial services firms and other capital market participants. This one-week course is for compliance, legal, governance, risk, audit and market professionals as well as board members and senior managers, and each delegate leaves with a QFMA Compliance Gap Assessment and Action Plan. It is taught at practitioner level through case studies on announcements, governance reports and licensed-firm files, working directly from the QFMA Law and the current rulebooks.

Course Objectives:

• Define the mandate, powers and rulebook structure of the QFMA and identify which obligations apply to a listed company and which to a licensed firm
• Distinguish insider dealing from market manipulation under the Code of Market Conduct and apply the right preventive control to each
• Compare full compliance with comply-or-explain under the Governance Code for Listed Companies and interpret what each requires of the board
• Apply disclosure, insider list and AML/CFT procedures to day-to-day announcements, transactions and client files
• Interpret QFMA supervision, inspection and enforcement exposure and select monitoring tests that address it
• Justify a prioritised QFMA Compliance Gap Assessment and Action Plan to senior management and the board

Target Audience:

• Compliance officers and specialists who monitor licensed or listed entities and decide which QFMA obligations to test first
• Legal counsel and company secretaries who advise boards and judge whether a matter triggers disclosure or governance action
• Investor relations, risk and internal audit professionals who review announcements and controls and decide when a weakness needs escalation
• Brokerage and asset management staff who handle client orders and funds and judge when activity may be market abuse or money laundering
• Board members and senior managers who oversee the compliance function and decide how much resource and authority it needs

Course Outline:

Day 1: QFMA Legal Foundations, Mandate and the Capital Market Landscape

• QFMA Law: Authority Mandate, Supervisory Powers, Enforcement Tools and Regulatory Objectives
• QFMA vs Stock Exchange vs Edaa: Regulator, Market Operator and Central Depository Roles
• Main Market and Venture Market Segments: Issuer Categories and Their Governance Regimes
• QFMA Rulebook Map: Governance, Market Conduct, Offering, Listing and Licensing Instruments
• Current-State Compliance Baseline: Mapping an Organisation's Obligations Against the QFMA Rulebooks

Day 2: The Current QFMA Rulebooks: Governance, Market Conduct, Offering and Licensing

• Governance Code for Listed Companies: Board Composition, Independent Directors and Mandatory Committees
• Full Compliance vs Comply-or-Explain: Main Market and Venture Market Governance Application
• Code of Market Conduct: Insider Dealing, Recommending, Inducing and Market Manipulation Prohibitions
• Offering and Listing, and Mergers and Acquisitions Rules: Lead Advisor, Direct Listings, Takeovers
• Licensing of Financial Services Firms: Licensed Activities, Accredited Individuals and Qualification Exams

Day 3: Applying Disclosure, Insider Controls, Fund Rules and AML/CFT Duties

• Material Information Disclosure: Timing, Arabic and English Releases and Delayed Disclosure Controls
• Insider List Management: Restricted Periods and Insider Transaction Reporting Workflows for Listed Companies
• Annual Governance Report vs Independent Assurance Report: Content, Ownership and Board Review Steps
• AML/CFT Law Obligations for Licensed Firms: Customer Due Diligence and Suspicious Transaction Reporting
• Investment Fund and REIT Rules: Fund Units, Borrowing Limits and Fund Manager Duties

Day 4: Supervision, Inspections, Enforcement Cases and Control Weaknesses

• QFMA Supervision and Inspection Cycle: Information Requests, On-Site Visits and Findings Letters
• Market Abuse Red Flags: Wash Trades, Spoofing, Layering and Pump-and-Dump Order Patterns
• Penalties vs Settlement: Article 40 Fines and Article 49 Settlement Under the QFMA Law
• Social Media and Misleading Statements: Investor Relations Controls and Announcement Approval Procedures
• Compliance Monitoring Plan: Risk-Based Testing, Trade Surveillance Reports and Board Escalation Routes

Day 5: Case Study Practice: Building the QFMA Compliance Gap Assessment and Action Plan

• Listed Company Case Diagnosis: Applying the Rulebook Map to Governance and Disclosure Files
• Disclosure Drafting Exercise: Preparing a Material Information Announcement and Investor Holding Statement
• Licensed Firm Case Work: Testing Market Conduct, AML/CFT and Licensing Controls on Sample Files
• Board Committee Oversight vs Line Management Reporting: Positioning the Compliance Function and Its Mandate
• QFMA Compliance Gap Assessment and Action Plan: Prioritised Remediation, Owners and Peer Challenge

Skills You Will Gain:

• QFMA Rulebook Mapping
• Material Information Disclosure Drafting
• Insider List Administration
• Market Abuse Surveillance
• Governance Report Review
• AML/CFT Customer Due Diligence
• Compliance Monitoring Planning
• Regulatory Inspection Readiness

Why Attend This Course:

• From reading QFMA rulebooks one at a time to working from a single map that shows which obligation applies to which entity and role
• From drafting announcements under time pressure without a method to applying a tested disclosure and delayed-disclosure procedure
• From reacting to inspection findings and enforcement letters to running a risk-based monitoring plan that anticipates them
• From scattered compliance checklists to a QFMA Compliance Gap Assessment and Action Plan with owners, priorities and deadlines ready for the board

Conclusion:

QFMA rules and regulations set out what listed companies and licensed firms in this capital market must do, disclose and avoid, and how the authority checks and enforces it. The course makes three distinctions clear: insider dealing versus market manipulation, full compliance versus comply-or-explain under the governance code, and penalties versus settlement in enforcement. It is the right choice for compliance, legal, governance, investor relations, audit, brokerage and asset management professionals, and for the board members and managers who oversee them, who need to apply the rules in practice rather than only recognise them.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ):

What should delegates know before the QFMA Rules and Regulations Course?

Delegates need no legal qualification, but working experience in a listed company, broker, asset manager or adviser helps. Bringing a recent announcement, governance report or compliance policy from their own organisation strengthens the case work and the final gap assessment.

How does the QFMA Rules and Regulations Course differ from a general corporate governance course?

A general governance course covers board practice in principle. This course works through the specific QFMA law, rulebooks and codes, adding market conduct, disclosure, licensing, AML/CFT and enforcement, and applies them to listed companies and licensed firms alike.

Which QFMA rules and regulations apply to a listed company compared with a licensed firm?

Listed companies mainly answer to the Governance Code for Listed Companies, the Offering and Listing rules and disclosure duties. Licensed firms answer to licensing, conduct, client and AML/CFT requirements. The Code of Market Conduct applies to everyone who deals in the market.

What does a delegate take back to work after the QFMA Rules and Regulations Course?

Each delegate takes back a QFMA Compliance Gap Assessment and Action Plan for their own organisation, with a rulebook map, rated gaps, remediation owners, a monitoring plan outline and a drafted disclosure, refined through peer challenge during the case work.