Payment for Order Flow (PFOF) and Gamification: Your Questions Answered
Summer Enforcement Action Review; Raising Money in a Pandemic - Investment Management Roundtable Discussion
Investment Management and Private Funds Roundtable – June 2020
Videocast: Asset management regulation in 2020 videocast series – FinTech initiatives
Videocast: Asset management regulation in 2020 videocast series – Fiduciary investment advice: The patchwork emerges
Videocast: Asset management regulation in 2020 videocast series – SEC enforcement
Videocast: Asset management regulation in 2020 videocast series – Complying with new SEC rules for broker-dealers
Investment Management Roundtable Discussion – Regulatory and Enforcement Update
Regulation Best Interest Videocast Series: Establishing An Investment Platform Post-Regulation BI
Investment Management Update - Focus on Data Privacy and Cybersecurity
Editor's Note: The following newsletter provides a roundup summarizing enforcement actions, guidance, rulemakings, and other public statements taken by a federal and/or state financial services regulatory agency, specifically...more
In this issue, we cover regulatory developments from the fourth quarter of 2023 impacting the investment management sector, including the use of shareholder rights plans as an alternative to state control share statutes....more
New Data Published on Cryptocurrency Market Growth - CoinGecko recently released its 2023 Annual Crypto Industry Report. According to the report, “the crypto market experienced a surge in anticipation related to ETFs” and...more
KEY TAKEAWAYS - The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has approved the first spot Bitcoin ETFs, also known as an exchange-traded product (ETP.) With the SEC now permitting spot Bitcoin ETFs, brokers must become...more
On January 10, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) simultaneously approved eleven spot bitcoin Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs) on an accelerated basis based on its Order Granting Accelerated Approval of Proposed...more
Katten's Financial Markets and Funds Quick Take is a monthly newsletter highlighting key noteworthy developments potentially affecting financial markets and funds....more
Starting May 31, National Futures Association (“NFA”) Members and Associates that engage in digital asset commodity activities must comply with NFA Compliance Rule 2-51 (“Rule 2-51” or the “Rule”) regarding anti-fraud, just...more
Even those who are most suspicious of the rise of cryptocurrency will likely admit that the underlying blockchain technology and its potential uses are exciting. One use of this technology, decentralized finance, or DeFi, is...more
“Decentralization” is a concept that has consistently vexed the entire blockchain-enabled ecosystem in the U.S., including its counsel and regulators, wherein a lack of clarity on the exact definition of decentralization has...more
While we would be remiss not to laud the SEC’s statement as a step in the right direction, the shortcomings are inescapable. On Dec. 23, 2020, the SEC published a statement proposing a framework for broker-dealers to...more
U.S. Developments - Legislation - Congress Members Introduce Stablecoin Legislation - On December 2, 2020, Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib (MI-13), Congressmen Jesús “Chuy” García (IL-04) and Chairman of Task Force on...more
The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority’s new request for digital assets activities adds more confusion to the regulatory environment. The United States Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, or FINRA, has once again...more
U.S. Crypto Trading Firms Make Acquisitions Targeted at “Prime Brokerage” Services - This week major U.S. cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase announced plans to acquire Tagomi, a U.S.-based prime brokerage platform focused on...more
A proprietary trading firm was sanctioned by a sixth futures-industry regulator for purported spoofing trades by one of three employees many years ago. For the employees’ aggregate alleged misconduct, the firm was first...more
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
It was a year filled with tantalizing tidbits and many loose ends. 2019 marked the 10th year since blockchain technology was released into the wild by its still unknown inventor, Satoshi Nakamoto, who mined the first bitcoin...more
Is your political compliance program ready for the 2020 election season? With the 2020 election season underway, now is a good time to make certain your internal policies and procedures address applicable campaign...more
In this issue of Structured Thoughts, we discuss: ..European Commission consultation on EU benchmark regulation ..FINRA: Suitability and sales practices remain an issue ..SEC charges Switzerland-based dealer for selling...more
On October 11, 2019, the leaders of the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), the US Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), and the US Treasury Department’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) issued a...more
U.S. Developments - Enforcement and Litigation Developments - Craig Wright Faces Sanctions - Craig Wright, the self-proclaimed inventor of Bitcoin, has been tied up in litigation since February 2018 related to his...more
Two food giants agreed to resolve charges brought by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission that they manipulated or attempted to manipulate prices of the Chicago Board of Trade’s December 2011 wheat futures contract and...more
Last week a Canada-based social media company answered charges filed against it by the Securities and Exchange Commission in June 2019 that alleged its 2017 initial sale of digital tokens constituted an unlawful securities...more
U.S. Developments - Regulatory Developments - SEC and FINRA Issue Joint Statement on Digital Asset Custody Issues - On July 8, 2019, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and the Financial Industry...more
The United Kingdom’s Financial Conduct Authority proposed to ban the marketing and sale in or from the UK to retail persons of derivatives and exchange-traded notes based on cryptocurrencies and utility digital tokens,...more
New York regulators continued an aggressive approach against certain entities engaged in virtual currency businesses when the state's Attorney General’s office obtained an ex parte order precluding companies associated with a...more