The Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) wants input from derivatives industry participants about the ways artificial intelligence (A.I.) might impact them. The regulator’s Divisions of Market Oversight, Clearing and Risk, Market Participants, and Data and the Office of Technology Innovation sent out a request for comment (RFC) “to better inform them on the current and… Read More >>
How to Survive the Recordkeeping Crackdown
The Securities and Exchange Commission’s (SEC) December 2021 announcement that J.P. Morgan Securities LLC had been fined $125 million for allegedly violating the agency’s recordkeeping rules amounted to a shot heard up and down Wall Street. The market regulator made clear that it took breaches of recordkeeping regulations seriously, and that the J.P. Morgan penalty… Read More >>
CFTC, IOSCO & Nasdaq Push Voluntary Carbon Trading Advances
The voluntary carbon credit (VCC) trading markets are still in their early days and face many operational challenges such as a reliance on too many manual steps, data collection difficulties, a high rate of bilateral transactions, and disparate technology choices when it comes to the trading and settlement of VCCs. However, over the past week,… Read More >>
CFTC Enforcement Unit Urges Higher Penalties
The Commodity Futures Trading Commission’s Division of Enforcement has issued an advisory “designed to give enforcement staff guidance on future enforcement resolution recommendations to the Commission.” One long-time securities industry observer summarized the enforcement advisory’s import by saying “The big news here is that the CFTC will no longer be letting firms off the hook… Read More >>
DSB’s UPI Service Targets Swap Reporting Regs
The Derivatives Service Bureau (DSB) reports that it has launched a service, dubbed the Unique Product Identifier (UPI), that industry participants will be required to use for swap recordkeeping and reporting to trade repositories, giving authorities a new view into potential systemic risks. Officially, UPI has been established as International Organization of Standardization standard (ISO)… Read More >>
SIFMA Criticizes SEC’s Rulemaking Under Gensler
SEC Chair Gary Gensler has recently come under fire for the 63 new rules that have been proposed during his time at the helm. One of the most prominent voices in the U.S. securities industry Kenneth E. Bentsen, Jr., president and CEO of SIFMA, is taking on Gensler and is offering data to back up… Read More >>
Wedbush Pays $16M to Resolve Recordkeeping Problems
Accusations don’t equal proof of guilt. Lawyers for a certain much-indicted ex-president will tell you that. However, multiple accusations by credible accusers aren’t a particularly good look, whether for a politician or a registered futures commission merchant. Which brings us to Wedbush Securities. The Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) recently ordered Los Angeles-based Wedbush Securities… Read More >>
Carbon Markets Fraud Is On the CFTC’s Radar
Fraud in the burgeoning carbon credit markets is on the radar of the CFTC’s Whistleblower Office in the Division of Enforcement, which recently issued an alert asking the public to report potential Commodity Exchange Act (CEA) violations in this marketplace. The regulator notes that voluntary carbon markets “can support the transition to a low-carbon economy… Read More >>
SEC Wins Legal Battle to Protect Binance Clients
The United States District Court for the District of Columbia has granted the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission “emergency relief” that applies to “all the defendants in its litigation against Binance Holdings Limited, BAM Management US Holdings Inc., BAM Trading Services Inc.,” and the order states that Binance platform customers “can continue to withdraw their… Read More >>
CFTC Blesses Clearing for Digital Asset Futures
Is there a lesson here for the crypto exchanges that are facing the wrath of the SEC? Digital asset clearing and settlement is a new reality for securities firms that want to keep clients happy. Toward that end, the CFTC approved Cboe Clear Digital to clear margined digital asset futures. Technically, the CFTC approved an… Read More >>
