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
For securities industry employers, Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) disciplinary actions and fines can be costly. FINRA disciplinary actions in the first half of 2024 show three areas of significant regulatory...more
The digital revolution has transformed the banking industry. As financial services and associated communications move online, it is more important than ever for institutions to manage and control their online presence....more
The Financial Industry Regulation Authority’s (FINRA) Enforcement Division recently announced a resolution to a nearly two-and-a-half-year investigation in which TradeZero America, Inc. (TradeZero) agreed to pay a fine of...more
In the all-encompassing age of social media, a new breed of influencers has emerged — FINfluencers (financial influencers). These individuals leverage their significant number of followers on social mediaon platforms such as...more
On June 10, FINRA agreed to a Letter of Acceptance, Waiver, and Consent (AWC) from a company, addressing various regulatory infractions for improper use of social media influencers in promotional activities. From 2020 to...more
The Securities and Exchange Commission announced an upcoming meeting of its Investor Advisory Committee, which will be held on June 6, 2024. The agenda includes a number of interesting topics....more
Welcome to the latest issue of Bracewell’s FINRA Facts and Trends, a monthly newsletter devoted to condensing and digesting recent FINRA developments in the areas of enforcement, regulation and dispute resolution. This month,...more
FINRA, as part of its targeted exam of member firms’ social media practices for gaining new customers, recently announced an $850,000 fine against M1 Finance LLC (“M1 Finance”) stemming from promotional social media posts...more
The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority’s (FINRA) Enforcement Division recently announced its first settlement involving a firm’s supervision of social media influencers. The respondent, M1 Finance LLC (M1), is a...more
Investment firms and other financial institutions are subject to the strict recordkeeping and communication regulations laid out by both the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) and the Securities and Exchange...more
On March 18, 2024, FINRA announced that it has fined a broker-dealer $850,000 in connection with the firm’s program to pay individuals with followings on social media sites (i.e., “influencers”) to promote the firm in social...more
Several years before announcing the first “off-channel” communications enforcement action, the SEC and FINRA cautioned broker-dealers and investment advisers about problematic record-keeping practices involving the use of...more
Securities products and social media don’t always mix. Just ask any of the celebrities who in recent years have faced SEC charges for unlawfully touting crypto asset securities. In March, the SEC settled charges against six...more
Welcome to the latest issue of Bracewell’s FINRA Facts and Trends, a monthly newsletter devoted to condensing and digesting recent FINRA developments in the areas of enforcement, regulation and dispute resolution. This...more
On February 28, 2023, FINRA provided an update for its sweep on Social Media Influencers, Customer Acquisition and Related Information Protection....more
I attended the four-day SIFMA Compliance and Legal seminar last week, and there were a bunch of interesting soundbites from regulators that folks might find interesting. The challenge at these conferences is always...more
Social media influencers are individuals, sometimes celebrities, who help businesses gain customers through social media communications. Influencers may communicate, for example, on TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube,...more
In This Issue. The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) published a sample comment letter on climate change disclosures; the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) is conducting a review of brokerage firm...more
Last week FINRA announced a new inquiry into firms’ use of social media and “influencers” to attract clients. After the well-publicized market volatility in GameStop, which was bolstered by an online influencer known as...more
On February 1, 2021, the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (“FINRA”) released its “Report on FINRA’s Risk Monitoring and Examination Activities.” The Report combines two of FINRA’s long-standing reports: (a) the...more
If you’re a regular reader of Hanzo, we’ve probably already convinced you that you need to be archiving any social media profiles that your organization maintains, along with your website. Chances are you’ve heard us talk...more
WARCs? WORMs? Is this a lost installment of the Lord of the Rings? Unfortunately, no. Rather, WARC and WORM are abbreviations that you should be familiar with if you’re maintaining digital archives for regulatory compliance,...more
When you need information, where do you go? For the majority of people today, the answer involves a smartphone and social media. From Facebook and LinkedIn to Instagram, Twitter, and even YouTube, social media is...more
The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority's (FINRA) constantly updated record of disciplinary actions contains a mixed bag of run-of-the-mill infractions, unethical behavior, and large-scale corporate misconduct and...more
Context is essential to understand any piece of data or information. “Those are some gorgeous melons!” could be someone's positive feedback about produce at a farmer's market, or sexual harassment directed toward a farmer....more