On October 9, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission approved proposed rules intended to simplify regulations for commodity pool operators (CPOs) and commodity trading advisors (CTAs) generally by codifying existing staff advisory and no-action letter relief and streamlining registration requirements for CPOs that operate in multiple jurisdictions.… Continue Reading
On October 11, the National Futures Association (NFA) issued a notice to its members that amendments to NFA Bylaw 1303 take effect on October 31. NFA Bylaw 1303 allows the NFA to deem an NFA member’s failure to pay certain fees as a request for withdrawal from NFA membership. Bylaw 1303 will be deemed amended,… Continue Reading
On October 1, Commodity Futures Trading Commission Chairman J. Christopher Giancarlo released a white paper addressing the regulation of cross-border swaps. The white paper, titled “Cross-Border Swaps Regulation Version 2.0: A Risk-Based Approach with Deference to Comparable Non-U.S. Regulation,” sets forth various proposed changes to the CFTC’s current cross-border approach.… Continue Reading
The Commodity Futures Trading Commission and the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) have entered into a cooperation arrangement on financial technology innovation. The arrangement is intended to facilitate cooperation and the sharing of information between the CFTC and ASIC relating to financial technology and the use of technology for purposes of regulation and oversight… Continue Reading
National Futures Association (NFA) has issued a notice to commodity pool operator (CPO) and commodity trading advisor (CTA) members clarifying the method by which CPOs and CTAs should calculate the Current Asset/Current Liability (CA/CL) ratios and the Total Revenue/Total Expenses (TR/TE) ratios for purposes of NFA Forms PQR and PR.… Continue Reading
The Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) issued an advisory to announce that the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) updated its list of jurisdictions with strategic anti-money laundering and combatting the financing of terrorism (AML/CFT) deficiencies. In the advisory, FATF has removed Iraq and Vanuatu from the list and added Pakistan to the list. The advisory… Continue Reading
National Futures Association (NFA), Futures Industry Association (FIA) and other industry professionals have collaborated to launch an FIA training course on safeguarding customer funds. The course, which is designed to assist futures commission merchants in meeting their training requirements under Commodity Futures Trading Commission Rule 1.11, covers the basics of segregation, residual interest, investment of… Continue Reading
The Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) has announced that its Technology Advisory Committee (TAC) will hold a meeting on Friday, October 5. The meeting will be held in the Conference Center at the CFTC’s Washington, DC headquarters from 10:00 am – 3:30 pm ET. Representatives of several TAC subcommittees, including the Automated and Modern Trading… Continue Reading
On September 12, the National Futures Association issued Notice I-18-15, announcing that the amendments to NFA’s Interpretive Notice entitled NFA Compliance Rule 2-30(b): Risk Disclosure Statement for Security Futures Contracts (Interpretive Notice) will become effective on October 12.… Continue Reading
On September 13, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission issued Release 7784-18, announcing that the CFTC and the Monetary Authority of Singapore signed the Cooperation Arrangement on Financial Technology Innovation (FinTech Arrangement) on September 13. The FinTech Arrangement supports both authorities’ efforts to facilitate FinTech development and innovation in their respective markets by focusing on information… Continue Reading
On September 4, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, in conjunction with the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, Treasury, the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation and Securities and Exchange Commission, extended the comment period on the proposed amendments to the regulations implementing Section 13 of the… Continue Reading
On September 6, the National Futures Association (NFA) sent a notice to its members with information regarding the Interpretive Notice to NFA Compliance Rule 2-49. NFA Compliance Rule 2-49 requires swap dealers and major swap participants (collectively, SDs) to promptly submit relevant information to the NFA in the form and manner prescribed by NFA. The… Continue Reading
On August 29, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission’s Division of Swap Dealer and Intermediary Oversight (Division) issued a no-action letter confirming that it will not recommend enforcement action against a futures commission merchant (FCM) if the accountant’s audit opinion included in the FCM’s annual financial report does not include “critical audit matters” (or the absence… Continue Reading
On August 28, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission’s Division of Swap Dealer and Intermediary Oversight (Division) issued time-limited, no-action relief, permitting certain insured depository institutions (IDIs) from counting certain swaps toward the swap dealer de minimis threshold. Relief was requested after certain IDIs experienced a spike in the demand for interest rate swaps from existing… Continue Reading
On August 28, the US Senate confirmed the nominations of Dawn Stump and Dan Berkovitz as commissioners of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission. With the addition of two new commissioners, all five commissioner positions have now been filled. Commissioners Brian D. Quintenz and Rostin Behnam and Chairman J. Christopher Giancarlo released statements following the Senate… Continue Reading
On August 21, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission adopted amendments to Rule 3.3, which sets out the duties of a chief compliance officer (CCO) of a futures commission merchant, swap dealer and major swap participant (each, a registrant). The amended rules are designed to simplify a CCO’s duties under the rule and to harmonize further… Continue Reading
On August 23, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission proposed amendments to Rule 50.5 in order to exempt certain bank holding companies, savings and loan holding companies, and community development financial institutions from the clearing requirement for certain swaps. The proposed amendments would codify no-action relief that the Division of Clearing and Risk (DCR) had granted… Continue Reading
On August 22, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission announced it had issued Orders of Registration to Osaka Exchange, Inc. (OSE), a Foreign Board of Trade (FBOT) located in Japan, and Nasdaq Oslo ASA (Nasdaq Oslo), an FBOT located in Norway. The Orders authorize OSE and Nasdaq Oslo to provide their identified members or other participants… Continue Reading
On August 14, the Joint Audit Committee (JAC) released Regulatory Alert #18-04. The Alert, which responds to industry requests, clarifies the procedures that a futures commission merchant (FCM) should follow prior to making an intra-day withdrawal from the residual interest amount that the FCM maintains in its segregated, secured 30.7 and cleared swap customer accounts… Continue Reading
On August 8, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission announced that it has proposed rules pursuant to which a clearing organization located outside of the United States may obtain an exemption from registration as a derivatives clearing organization (DCO) in order to provide swaps clearing services to certain US persons. The proposed rules codify the CFTC’s… Continue Reading
On August 9, the National Futures Association (NFA) announced the effective date of its recently adopted Interpretive Notice, Disclosure Requirements for NFA Members Engaging in Virtual Currency Activities. The Interpretative Notice will go into effect on October 31 (“Effective Date”).… Continue Reading
On July 31, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission’s Division of Clearing and Risk extended no-action relief to the Shanghai Clearing House (SHCH). Originally set to expire on February 28, 2019, the relief is extended until July 31, 2021. The no-action relief, originally granted in May 2016 and renewed several times, permits SHCH to continue to… Continue Reading
The Commodity Futures Trading Commission KISS initiative has finally produced some substantive results for swap dealers in the form of proposed amendments to Subpart L of the CFTC’s regulations (“Segregation of Assets in Uncleared Swap Transactions”) that were issued for comment on July 24. Subpart L (which encompasses CFTC Regulations 23.700-704) has been problematic for… Continue Reading
The Commodity Futures Trading Commission is proposing to amend its position limits rules for security futures products (SFPs) to provide exchanges that list SFPs with greater discretion in setting limit levels, allowing the exchanges to provide a more effective risk management tool. Specifically, the proposed CFTC amendment would: (1) increase the default level of equity… Continue Reading
