On November 13, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission’s Division of Market Oversight (DMO) issued CFTC Staff Letter No. 20-35, which extends temporary no-action relief to swap execution facilities (SEFs) and other market participants originally provided by CFTC Staff Letter No. 17-60. (For additional information regarding CFTC Staff Letter No. 17-60, please refer to the November 17, 2017 edition of Corporate & Financial Weekly Digest.) Staff Letter No. 17-60 provided that DMO would not recommend enforcement action against a SEF that has rules and/or procedures that use the SEF’s non-order book trading systems or platforms to facilitate the execution of block trades for swaps that are intended-to-be-cleared, and thus are not compliant with CFTC Regulation 43.2, subject to certain conditions being met.
Continue Reading CFTC Extends Relief for SEFs From Certain Block Trade Requirements

On April 12, the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) published a regulatory notice (the “Notice”) requesting comment on a proposed pilot program to study proposed changes regarding corporate bond block trade dissemination based upon recommendations by the Fixed Income Market Structure Advisory Committee (FIMSAC) of the Securities and Exchange Commission. The changes are aimed at improving corporate bond block trade dissemination—mainly, by increasing block liquidity without imposing significant costs on market participants. Currently, FINRA’s Trade Reporting and Compliance Engine (TRACE) provides information to the marketplace regarding corporate bonds and other debt securities. It is intended that the pilot program will study FIMSAC’s recommendations to determine whether such recommendations can enhance current TRACE protocols.
Continue Reading FINRA Requests Comment on Proposed Pilot Program to Study Changes to Corporate Bond Block Trade Dissemination

On June 14, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) announced that it had advised ICE Futures US (IFUS) that IFUS’s amendment to its Block Trade FAQ, which IFUS had previously self-certified to the CFTC pursuant to CFTC Regulation 40.6, would be stayed for a period of 90 days pending further review. The CFTC had determined that the amendment presented novel and complex issues that would require additional time to review and may be inconsistent with the Commodity Exchange Act (Act) and CFTC Regulations.
Continue Reading CFTC Seeks Comment With Respect to ICE Futures US Rule Amendment Certification