The current SEC administration has expressed the view that most crypto assets are offered and sold as securities and has proposed several rules that address “digital asset securities” or “crypto asset securities.” In this...more
Priorities Echo Prior Alerts and Enforcement Actions - The SEC’s Division of Examinations (the “Division”) released on October 16 a report on its “Examination Priorities” (the “Report”) for fiscal year 2024. This release...more
The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) proposes to amend Regulation Systems Compliance and Integrity (Reg SCI) to update and expand the regulatory oversight of the core technology of the U.S. securities markets.1 The...more
This OnPoint summarizes the panel discussion at Dechert’s annual investment funds conference that took place in Luxembourg in the last quarter of 2022. At the conference, we discussed the Regulation on the Markets of Crypto...more
Recently, the SEC published a proposed new regulation (the “Proposed Rule”) to amend the definition of an “exchange” for purposes of the Securities Exchange Act. Any person whose conduct meets the Proposed Rule’s new...more
The SEC Division of Examinations recently published its list of priorities for 2022. While it was a bit late compared to a typical year, the priorities letter provides a roadmap for firms to better understand where the...more
In July 2017, the SEC issued its landmark DAO Report, which clarified, among other things, its view that digital tokens with characteristics akin to those of an "investment contract" as established in SEC v. W.J. Howey Co....more
The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) proposed significant changes to the regulation of securities trading systems that use non-firm trading interest and alternative trading systems (ATSs) that trade government...more
On January 26, 2022, the SEC proposed rule changes that would greatly expand the scope of Regulation ATS, the regulatory regime that governs alternative trading systems (“ATSs”). The proposal focuses on four main changes: ...more
A significant expansion of rules relating to cybersecurity risks - particularly for the financial sector - is under consideration by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). In public remarks last week, SEC Chair...more
On January 10, 2022, tZERO’s ATS settled a matter with the SEC in which it agreed to an $800,000 fine. Given the size of the penalty and substantial attention on the SEC’s approach to regulating digital asset securities,...more
The first 10 years of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's Rule 15c3-5, known as the market access rule, have been a textbook example of the principle of regulation by enforcement, resulting in an informal patchwork...more
Sometimes, the numbers that FINRA cites in its settlements with big broker-dealers are so ridiculously large that it’s nearly impossible to compare these cases with those brought against small firms for similar rule...more
On February 26, 2021, the SEC's Division of Examinations released a Risk Alert to make digital asset market participants aware of recurring issues that have arisen in the course of recent examinations, and provide notice of...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 Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has amended Rule 15c2-11 (the amended Rule), which governs the publication of quotations in the over-the-counter (OTC) markets, i.e., quotes that are published away from a...more
The Staff of the Securities and Exchange Commission’s Division of Trading and Markets (Staff) issued a no-action letter to the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority on September 25, 2020 (Letter), in which the Staff stated...more
SEC relief streamlines noncustodial settlement of digital asset trades, but broker-dealer custody is still off-limits. On September 25, 2020, the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) issued a no-action letter (the...more
The Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) and Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (“FINRA”) recently issued guidance in connection with firms’ relationships with third-party service providers. These publications...more
On July 8, 2019, the staff of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) Division of Trading and Markets and the staff of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (“FINRA”) issued a joint statement outlining...more
BROKER-DEALER - SEC Chairman Clayton and Trading and Markets Director Redfearn Call for a Reassessment of Regulation NMS - On March 8, US Securities and Exchange Commission chairman Jay Clayton and director, Division...more
On July 18, 2018, the SEC ramped up its oversight of alternative trading systems (“ATSs”) by adopting a series of rule amendments imposing public disclosure requirements on ATSs that trade NMS (“National Market System”)...more
Fund managers take note – after over a year of warning, this month the SEC announced a pair of settlement orders with respect to registration requirements for a fund and broker dealer operating in the crypto and digital...more
• Coinbase, one of the largest cryptocurrency exchanges, recently approached the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) about possible licensing as a broker-dealer. If Coinbase decides to register with the SEC, it will...more
The staff of the Divisions of Enforcement and Trading and Markets (collectively, Staff) of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on March 7, 2018 jointly issued a statement on digital asset trading platforms...more