BROKER-DEALER -
FINRA Releases Targeted Examination Letter for No Commission Brokers -
On February 20, the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) released a targeted examination letter requesting that certain...more
3/2/2020
/ Bitcoin ,
CFTC ,
Derivatives ,
Derivatives Clearing Organizations ,
European Central Bank ,
Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) ,
Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) ,
Reporting Requirements ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Swap Data Repositories ,
UGMA ,
UK ,
UTMA
BROKER-DEALER -
SEC Proposes to Modernize Infrastructure for NMS Securities Market Data -
On February 14, the Securities and Exchange Commission proposed to modernize the infrastructure for the collection,...more
SEC/CORPORATE -
SEC Proposes Amendments to Financial Disclosure in Regulation S-K and Issues New Guidance -
On January 30, the Securities and Exchange Commission voted to propose amendments to certain financial...more
2/11/2020
/ AML/CFT ,
Antitrust Provisions ,
Broker-Dealer ,
CFTC ,
Corporate Governance ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) ,
Hart-Scott-Rodino Act ,
MD&A Statements ,
New Guidance ,
Performance Standards ,
Publicly-Traded Companies ,
Regulation S-K ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Securities Exchange Act ,
Threshold Requirements
SEC/CORPORATE -
SEC Division of Corporation Finance Issues C&DIs on Omission of Third Year From MD&A -
As previously discussed in the April 12, 2019 edition of Corporate & Financial Weekly Digest, the Securities and...more
2/3/2020
/ Anti-Money Laundering ,
Bank Holding Company Act ,
C&DIs ,
CFTC ,
Final Rules ,
Financial Statements ,
Incorporation by Reference ,
MD&A Statements ,
NIST ,
OCIE ,
Registration Statement ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Transitional Arrangements ,
UK Brexit
SEC/CORPORATE -
SEC Approves Amended Rule Change to FINRA Rule 5110 -
On December 23, 2019, the Securities and Exchange Commission approved the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority’s (FINRA) proposed amendments to...more
1/20/2020
/ Amended Rules ,
Auditor Independence ,
Broker-Dealer ,
CFTC ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
EU ,
FDIC ,
Filing Requirements ,
Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) ,
Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) ,
OCC ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)
BROKER-DEALER -
SEC Proposes Changes to Market Data Plans -
On January 8, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) released a proposed order to improve the governance of National Market System (NMS) data plans...more
1/13/2020
/ Anti-Money Laundering ,
Banking Sector ,
Broker-Dealer ,
CFTC ,
Derivatives ,
European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) ,
Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) ,
Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) ,
Financial Markets ,
National Futures Association ,
National Market System (NMS) ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)
SEC/CORPORATE -
SEC Announces Proposed Amendments to the Definitions of “Accredited Investor” and “Qualified Institutional Buyer” -
On December 18, the Securities and Exchange Commission voted to propose amendments...more
12/23/2019
/ Accredited Investors ,
Broker-Dealer ,
CFTC ,
Comment Period ,
European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) ,
Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) ,
Investment Advisers Act of 1940 ,
Investment Company Act of 1940 ,
Libor ,
New Rules ,
Private Placements ,
Proposed Amendments ,
Proposed Rules ,
Public Comment ,
Qualified Institutional Buyers ,
Resource Extraction ,
Rule 144A ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Securities Exchange Act ,
Security-Based Swaps
BROKER-DEALER -
SEC Issues Guidance on Substituted Compliance Applications by Non-US Security-Based Swap Dealers and Major Security-Based Swap Participants -
On November 25, the Securities and Exchange Commission’s...more
12/16/2019
/ Broker-Dealer ,
Capital Requirements ,
CFTC ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Economic and Financial Affairs Council (ECOFIN) ,
Emissions Trading System ,
European Banking Authority (EBA) ,
Final Rules ,
Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) ,
Financial Markets ,
Green Finance ,
Popular ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Security-Based Swaps ,
Senior Management Regime (SMR) ,
Swap Dealers ,
Swaps
BROKER-DEALER -
FINRA Expands Transparency Initiative Related to OTC Equity Trading Volume -
The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) previously announced an expansion to its ongoing transparency initiative...more
12/9/2019
/ Banking Sector ,
Broker-Dealer ,
CFTC ,
Cross-Border Transactions ,
Derivatives ,
European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) ,
Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) ,
Investment Management ,
MiFID II ,
NFA ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)
SEC/CORPORATE -
Glass Lewis Releases 2020 US Proxy Paper Guidelines -
On November 1, Glass Lewis released its 2020 US Proxy Paper Guidelines. The updates to the voting guidelines primarily add additional factors that...more
11/25/2019
/ Broker-Dealer ,
CFTC ,
Corporate Governance ,
Cryptoassets ,
Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) ,
Glass Lewis ,
Institutional Shareholder Services (ISS) ,
Proxy Season ,
Proxy Voting Guidelines ,
Sale of Goods Act (SOGA) ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Smart Contracts ,
UK
SEC/CORPORATE -
SEC Proposes New Amendments to Modernize Shareholder Proposal Rules -
On November 5, the Securities and Exchange Commission voted to propose amendments to Rule 14a-8 of the Securities Exchange of 1934...more
11/11/2019
/ Broker-Dealer ,
CFTC ,
Corporate Governance ,
Derivatives ,
Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) ,
Investment Adviser ,
No-Action Letters ,
Proxy Season ,
Proxy Voting Guidelines ,
Publicly-Traded Companies ,
Rule 14a-8 ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Shareholder Proposals ,
UK Brexit
SEC/CORPORATE -
SEC Proposes Modernization of Filing Fee Disclosure and Payment Methods -
On October 24, the Securities and Exchange Commission proposed amendments to update filing fee disclosure and payment methods....more
11/4/2019
/ AML/CFT ,
Broker-Dealer ,
CFTC ,
Derivatives ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) ,
Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) ,
Foreign Private Issuers ,
Proxy Voting Guidelines ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
XBRL Filing Requirements
SEC/CORPORATE -
SEC Issues Legal Bulletin Regarding Shareholder Proposals Exclusion -
On October 16, the staff of the Division of Corporation Finance (Staff) of the Securities and Exchange Commission issued Staff...more
10/21/2019
/ AML/CFT ,
Asset Management ,
Broker-Dealer ,
CFTC ,
Corporate Governance ,
Derivatives ,
Digital Assets ,
Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) ,
FinCEN ,
Rule 14a-8 ,
Rule 14a-8(i)(7) ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Securities Exchange Act ,
Shareholder Proposals ,
Swaps ,
Virtual Currency
BROKER-DEALER -
SEC Proposes to Require Proposed NMS Plan Fee Amendments to Follow Public Notice, Comment and Approval Procedure -
On October 1, the Securities and Exchange Commission proposed an amendment to...more
10/14/2019
/ Banking Sector ,
Broker-Dealer ,
CFTC ,
Derivatives ,
European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) ,
Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) ,
Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) ,
Financial Instruments ,
Financial Markets ,
Form CRS ,
Inter-Bank Offered Rates (IBORs) ,
MiFID ,
National Futures Association ,
National Market System (NMS) ,
Regulation Best Interest ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)
BROKER-DEALER -
SEC Proposes to Amend Quotation Rule for OTC Securities -
The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has proposed to amend Rule 15c2-11, which governs the publication and submission of quotations by...more
SEC/CORPORATE -
New SEC Rule Expands “Test-the-Waters” to All Issuers -
On September 26, the Securities and Exchange Commission adopted a new rule to allow all issuers, not just emerging growth companies, to utilize...more
9/30/2019
/ Accredited Investors ,
Emerging Growth Companies ,
Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) ,
Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) ,
Institutional Investors ,
Proposed Rules ,
Qualified Institutional Buyers ,
Regulation FD ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Testing-the-Waters Communications ,
UK Brexit
SEC/CORPORATE -
SEC Staff Announces Changes to Rule 14a-8 No-Action Request Process -
On September 6, the staff of the Division of Corporation Finance (the Staff) of the Securities and Exchange Commission announced...more
9/16/2019
/ Broker-Dealer ,
CFTC ,
Consolidated Audit Trail ,
Corporate Governance ,
EMIR ,
European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) ,
Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) ,
Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) ,
Financial Markets ,
No-Action Letters ,
No-Action Requests ,
Proposed Amendments ,
Regulation Best Interest ,
Rule 14a-8 ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Securities Exchange Act
SEC/CORPORATE -
SEC Division of Corporation Finance Issues C&DIs Regarding Inline XBRL -
On August 20, the staff of the Division of Corporation Finance (the staff) of the Securities and Exchange Commission released...more
8/26/2019
/ C&DIs ,
CFTC ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Derivatives ,
Enforcement Actions ,
European Commission ,
European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) ,
FDIC ,
Investment Adviser ,
Proxy Season ,
Proxy Voting Guidelines ,
Regulation FD ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
XBRL Filing Requirements
SEC/CORPORATE –
SEC Proposes to Modernize Business, Legal Proceedings and Risk Factor Disclosures Required by Regulation S-K –
On August 8, the Securities and Exchange Commission proposed amendments to modernize the...more
8/19/2019
/ Business Development ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
EMIR ,
EU ,
European Commission ,
European Supervisory Authorities (ESAs) ,
GAAP ,
Investment Firms ,
MD&A Statements ,
MiFID II ,
Proposed Amendments ,
Public Comment ,
Regulation S-K ,
Risk Factors ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)
BROKER-DEALER -
FINRA Proposes to Ease Restrictions on Initial Equity Public Offerings and New Issues -
The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) is proposing to amend its Rule 5130 and Rule 5131 to...more
8/5/2019
/ Blockchain ,
CFTC ,
Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) ,
Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) ,
Foreign Investment ,
Foreign Sovereigns ,
Initial Public Offering (IPO) ,
No-Action Letters ,
Proposed Amendments ,
Reporting Requirements ,
Securities Act of 1933 ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
TRACE ,
UK
BROKER-DEALER -
Division of Trading and Markets and FINRA Staffs Issue Joint Statement on Broker-Dealer Custody of Digital Asset Securities -
On July 8, in response to questions raised by market participants regarding...more
7/15/2019
/ AML/CFT ,
Books & Records ,
Broker-Dealer ,
CFTC ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Customer Protection Rule ,
Debt Securities ,
Derivatives ,
Digital Assets ,
FATF ,
Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) ,
Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) ,
Financial Markets ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Self-Reporting ,
Virtual Currency
SEC/CORPORATE -
SEC Adopts Additional Rules for Security-Based Swaps -
On June 21, the Securities and Exchange Commission adopted a panoply of final rules dealing with the following
aspects of the regulation of...more
7/1/2019
/ Broker-Dealer ,
CFTC ,
Cross-Border ,
European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) ,
Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) ,
Financial Instruments ,
Investment Adviser ,
MSBSPs ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Security-Based Swaps ,
Stand-Alone SBSDs ,
Swap Dealers ,
Swaps
BROKER-DEALER -
SEC Requests Public Comment on Improving Private Security Offering Exemptions -
On June 18, the Securities and Exchange Commission requested public comment on ways to simply harmonize and improve the...more
6/24/2019
/ Broker-Dealer ,
Capital Markets ,
CFTC ,
EMIR ,
EU ,
NFA ,
Private Offerings ,
Public Comment ,
Retail Investors ,
Securities Act of 1933 ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)
BROKER-DEALER -
FINRA Issues Regulatory Notice Reminding Member Firms about CAT Reporting Deadlines -
On May 21, the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) issued Regulatory Notice 19-19 (Notice), which reminds...more
5/28/2019
/ Broker-Dealer ,
CFTC ,
Cross-Border Transactions ,
Derivatives ,
Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) ,
Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) ,
Investment Management ,
IOSCO ,
NFA ,
Proposed Amendments ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
UK
SEC/CORPORATE -
SEC Proposes Amendments to Update the Accelerated and Large Accelerated Filer Definitions -
On May 9, the Securities and Exchange Commission proposed amendments to the accelerated filer and large...more
5/20/2019
/ Accelerated Filers ,
Broker-Dealer ,
CFTC ,
CRD IV Directive ,
CRR II ,
Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) ,
ICFR ,
Internal Controls ,
Proposed Amendments ,
Reporting Requirements ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Smaller Reporting Companies ,
Threshold Requirements