NFA Chairman Chris Hehmeyer Talks Bankruptcy Reform
An Update on SEF, IDB and Swap Regulation from Chris Ferreri of ICAP
CFTC Proposal Poses “Monumental” Challenge to FCMs
Daily Reports: Tell Us Where The Money Is
Customer Protection Fund: Slip it to SIPC
Customer Protection Fund: Building a Better Piggy Bank
An initial question faced by a new hedge fund manager is whether or not registration with the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) will be required. Limited Trading Exemption - CFTC Rule 4.13(a)(3), which...more
After years of denials, the SEC has finally approved its first Bitcoin spot ETFs. Reaching this point has involved legal battles, repeated reviews of applications, and much more....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
Attached please find the updated Foreign Listed Stock Index Futures and Options Approvals Chart, current as of December 19, 2023. All prior versions are superseded and should be discarded. Please note the following...more
In the ever-evolving world of digital assets and law, Grayscale Investments, LLC (Grayscale) found itself at the pinnacle of a major decision by the Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia. On August 29, the court...more
Last month, Euronext published a notice to clients that will be of interest to US broker-dealers and FCMs who facilitate client execution and clearing of futures contracts listed on Euronext. The notice advises that from 20...more
Cornerstone Research reports that during the first six months of 2022, plaintiffs filed 110 securities class actions, a pace that is generally in line — 2.8% higher — with what we saw in the second half of 2021. Looking...more
Complex financial products continue to present difficult issues for the Commission. In many instances the products involved are so complex that is may be questionable if any amount of policies, procedures and...more
On June 29, 2022, Grayscale Investments, LLC petitioned the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia for review of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission’s June 29, 2022 final order disapproving of an October...more
The SEC has, for many years, used broker-dealer and associated persons’ failure to create and maintain books and records as a basis for the imposition of serious penalties. In recent actions, it appears to be continuing—and...more
President Franklin D. Roosevelt once noted: “The only thing to fear is fear itself ... ” Apparently, some in the federal government no longer share this belief. In a recent Investor Bulletin[2] (“Bulletin”), the Securities...more
Alex Oh, U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Chair Gary Gensler’s pick for the agency’s Director of the Division of Enforcement, unexpectedly resigned on Wednesday amid growing criticism for her decades-long work as...more
Attached please find the updated Foreign Listed Stock Index Futures and Options Approvals Chart, current as of March 25, 2021. All prior versions are superseded and should be discarded. Please note the following developments...more
Perhaps it is in the spirit of March Madness and bracketology, but the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC or Commission) recently acknowledged consideration of a proposal by a sports gambling company to allow...more
As the cannabis industry continues to evolve and generate capital raising and investment opportunities, the SEC Division of Enforcement will continue to closely keep watch and target the bad actors that new market...more
Deutsche Bank, the infamous German bank connected to President Trump, settled FCPA and fraud cases with the Justice Department and the SEC, and agreed to pay a total of $130 million....more
JP Morgan Chase (“JP Morgan”) is not having a positive year when it comes to government enforcement. JP Morgan is at the brink of a multi-billion dollar FCPA settlement for its involvement in the 1MDB corruption scandal in...more
JPMorgan is preparing to finalize a deal with federal prosecutors and regulators in which the bank would pay nearly $1 billion to “settle civil and criminal charges that its traders rigged futures and securities markets”...more
On August 19, 2020, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (“CFTC”) issued three orders filing and settling charges against a bank with a provisionally registered swap dealer (the “Firm”) requiring the Firm to pay $127.4...more
Effective July 1, 2020, the KRX300 (a Korean Large-Cap Index) Futures Contract will no longer be considered a broad-based security index futures contract and instead will be subject to joint regulation by the CFTC and SEC as...more
The Regulation of Retail Commodity Transactions—History and Background - On March 24, 2020, the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (the Commission or the CFTC) finalized long-awaited interpretive guidance regarding...more
On March 24, 2020, the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (the Commission or the CFTC) finalized long-awaited interpretive guidance regarding what constitutes the “actual delivery” of a digital asset in the context of...more
A promise of “unlimited” QE from the Fed Monday morning briefly turned the tides on Dow futures but wasn’t enough to overcome another day of COVID-19-related fears and DC gridlock over the $1.8 trillion stimulus package III...more
As the world responds to COVID-19, we have identified a number of compliance and legal considerations for asset managers. We summarize a select list of these in our note below....more
Wells Fargo & Co. agreed to pay a total of $3 billion to resolve criminal and civil investigations by the DOJ and SEC. Wells Fargo admitted “that it took millions in wrongful fees and interest, misused customer information...more