The Consolidated Audit Trail (CAT) had a controversial path on the way to becoming a key weapon of U.S. market regulators in their fight against the manipulation of financial markets and other abuses that leave an electronic trail. But it looks as if the CAT surveillance system might be on a challenging path again, as… Read More >>
Digital Assets Will Spur Ops & Compliance Overhauls
Securities firms participating in cryptocurrencies, tokenization, decentralized finance (DeFi) systems, and other digital asset realms will have to rely less on external regulatory guardrails and more on their own proactive efforts as the Trump administration charts a new course for the regulation of digital asset environments. The marching orders for this rapid reversal of Biden-era… Read More >>
SEC Publishes Data & Analysis on Key Groups
The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is doing its part to offer more transparency into capital markets via its Division of Economic and Risk Analysis (DERA), which has published new data and analysis on public issuers, exempt offerings, commercial mortgage-backed securities (CMBS), asset-backed securities (ABS), money market funds, and security-based swap dealers (SBSD). DERA officials… Read More >>
The CFTC Takes a U-Turn on Digital Assets
Earlier this month, amid a flurry of executive orders, policy shifts, and layoffs of federal workers, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) charted a new course for its policies toward digital asset regulation. It is a dramatic change that puts the regulator in a new alignment with the Trump administration, the U.S. Department of Justice,… Read More >>
Joint Whistleblowers Share $6M from the SEC
Two whistleblowers were likely celebrating during the Spring holidays as they were awarded approximately $6 million by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). They provided new information “that led to the opening of an examination and provided a roadmap for an enforcement action that resulted in the covered action,” according to the SEC. The financial… Read More >>
Nasdaq Wants ‘Smart Reforms’ to Strengthen Public Companies
Private markets are becoming more appealing as public companies face greater burdens and an unpredictable regulatory environment. So say Nasdaq officials who want to change this situation by strengthening capital markets and recommending key public policy proposals to make that happen. The policy recommendations are featured in a paper, “Advancing the U.S. Public Markets: Unlocking… Read More >>
SEC & CFTC Prioritize Crypto Regs Creation
The Securities and Exchange Commission and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) are following up on their recent announcements to move quickly on cryptocurrency regulation just as industry providers are getting on the crypto train. The SEC is offering more details about the mission of its special Crypto Task Force and the CFTC will be… Read More >>
SEC Quietly Approves Cost Savings for the CAT System
It’s been a while since I wrote about the ambitious and controversial big data, U.S. securities transaction monitoring project known as the Consolidated Audit Trail (CAT), which has been helping regulators FINRA and the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) monitor U.S. equity and options markets, exchanges, participants, transactions, and more. CAT issues have receded as… Read More >>
SEC’s Acting Chairman Launches Crypto Task Force
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) under the new Trump team is wasting no time when it comes to forging policies that the now-former SEC Chair Gary Gensler fought against during his time at the top, particularly those concerning cryptocurrencies and other digital assets. Gensler stepped down on January 20 and Commissioner Mark T…. Read More >>
Is Wall Street Ready for 24-Hour Trading?
Are financial markets in North America ready for exchanges that operate nonstop or as close as possible to a 24-hour cycle per day? We may find out next year as the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) last month issued an order approving the registration application of 24X National Exchange, LLC, which plans to operate… Read More >>
