On December 8, in response to a request by the European Commission (EC), the Commodity Futures Trading Commission issued an order exempting certain multilateral trading facilities (MTFs) and organized trading facilities (OTFs) authorized within the European Union (EU) from the requirement to register with the CFTC as swap execution facilities (SEFs).… Continue Reading
On December 12, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission requested comment on a proposed exemptive order, pursuant to Section 4(c) of the Commodity Exchange Act (CEA), which would grant ICE Clear Credit, ICE Clear US and ICE Clear Europe (ICE DCOs) limited exemptions from Section 4d of the CEA and CFTC Rule 1.25. Subject to the… Continue Reading
On November 30, the National Futures Association (NFA) submitted proposed amendments to NFA Registration Rule 802 to the Commodity Futures Trading Commission. The amendment is intended to ensure the language of Rule 802 is consistent with that in recently amended registration forms. Specifically, the amendments reflect changes in the language of Forms 7-R; 8-R; and… Continue Reading
On November 7, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission’s (CFTC) Division of Clearing and Risk (DCR) published Staff Letters 17-57, 17-58 and 17-59 (Staff Letters), which provided Banco Centroamericano de Integración Económica, the European Stability Mechanism, and the North American Development Bank, respectively, with no-action relief from the swap clearing requirements set forth in Section 2(h)(1)… Continue Reading
On October 13, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission and the European Commission (EC) made three announcements that are significant for cross-border swap activity between the United States and Europe. CFTC Margin Rule Comparability Determination. The CFTC has made a determination that the margin rules for uncleared swaps that apply in the European Union are comparable to… Continue Reading
The Division of Clearing and Risk (DCR) of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission has issued an interpretive letter clarifying that payments of variation margin, price alignment amounts and other payments in satisfaction of outstanding exposures on a counterparty’s cleared swap positions constitute “settlement” under the Commodity Exchange Act (CEA) and CFTC Regulation 39.14. The CEA… Continue Reading
National Futures Association (NFA) has revised the process by which each swap dealer (SD) and major swap participant (MSP) applicant demonstrates its ability to comply with Commodity Futures Trading Commission regulations implementing Section 4s of the Commodity Exchange Act (4s Regulations), including but not limited to regulations relating to capital and margin requirements, reporting and… Continue Reading
On May 23, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission approved amendments to Regulation 1.31, which contains the recordkeeping requirements under the Commodity Exchange Act and CFTC regulations. The final rule adopts the amendments as proposed with a few exceptions. The proposed amendments are discussed in the January 13 edition of the Corporate & Financial Weekly Digest.… Continue Reading
On May 22, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission approved amendments to the whistleblower rules in 17 CFR Part 165. The amended rules strengthen the anti-retaliation protections for whistleblowers and enhance the process for review of whistleblower claims.… Continue Reading
The Chicago Mercantile Exchange, Inc. (CME) has submitted to the Commodity Futures Trading Commission a petition for an order pursuant to Section 4d of the Commodity Exchange Act (CEA) whereby CME and its clearing members that are registered futures commission merchants would be permitted to hold, in accounts segregated in accordance with Section 4d of… Continue Reading
On January 12, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission approved for publication in the Federal Register proposed amendments to Regulation 1.31, which contains the recordkeeping requirements under the Commodity Exchange Act and CFTC regulations. The CFTC proposes to eliminate certain outdated terms and provisions, add new definitions, and update language to reflect advances in information technology.… Continue Reading
On November 29, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission approved the CME Clearing Europe (CMECE) registration as a derivatives clearing organization (DCO) under the Commodity Exchange Act. As a registered DCO, CMECE may provide clearing services with respect to 1) swaps, subject to certain requirements; and 2) futures and options on futures contracts traded on or… Continue Reading
On October 18, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission approved a final order exempting certain transactions of Southwest Power Pool, Inc. (SPP) from the Commodity Exchange Act (CEA) and CFTC regulations. SPP is a Regional Transmission Organization (RTO) regulated by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.… Continue Reading
On August 30, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission published in the Federal Register proposed amendments to its whistleblower awards process (17 CFR Part 165). The proposed amendments are designed to clarify the process for reviewing whistleblower claims and to reinterpret the CFTC’s authority as it relates to retaliation against whistleblowers.… Continue Reading
On August 23, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission issued an Order of Registration granting Seed SEF LLC (Seed) full registration status as a Swap Execution Facility (SEF). Upon reviewing Seed’s application, the CFTC determined that Seed is in compliance with the Commodity Exchange Act (CEA) and CFTC regulations applicable to SEFs. As a registered SEF,… Continue Reading
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… Continue Reading
On June 2, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission proposed to exempt Federal Reserve Banks that provide customer accounts to systematically important derivatives clearing organizations (SIDCOs) from Sections 4d and 22 of the Commodity Exchange Act (CEA). As a result, Federal Reserve Banks would be permitted to hold cash, securities and property deposited into a customer… Continue Reading
The Commodity Futures Trading Commission has proposed to amend its order exempting specified electric energy-related transactions administered by regional transmission organizations (RTOs) and independent system operators (ISOs) from certain provisions of the Commodity Exchange Act (CEA). As set forth in the order, these transactions currently are exempt from all provisions of the CEA with the… Continue Reading
The Commodity Futures Trading Commission has proposed to issue guidance clarifying that certain electric power and natural gas contracts are not “swaps” for purposes of the Commodity Exchange Act.… Continue Reading
The Commodity Futures Trading Commission has adopted an amendment to Regulation 3.21 to provide an exemption for certain foreign natural persons from the general requirement that an applicant for registration with the CFTC as a principal or associated person of a registrant, or as a floor broker or floor trader, submit a fingerprint card with… Continue Reading
The Commodity Futures Trading Commission’s Energy and Environmental Markets Advisory Committee (EEMAC) will hold a public meeting on February 25.… Continue Reading
On February 1, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission issued an order granting Eurex Clearing AG registration as a derivatives clearing organization (DCO) under the Commodity Exchange Act (CEA). The order will allow Eurex Clearing to provide clearing services, in its capacity as a registered DCO, for swaps for (1) US persons clearing for their own… Continue Reading
On January 21, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission launched its Whistleblower Program’s new website, www.whistleblower.gov. The new website has a user-friendly interface to help educate the public regarding the Whistleblower Program, including whistleblower rights and protections, the process for filing a tip and applying for an award. Users also can submit tips on potential Commodity… Continue Reading
On January 8, the Division of Clearing and Risk (Division) of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission issued no-action relief from the swap clearing requirements of Section 2(h)(1)(A) of the Commodity Exchange Act to certain bank holding companies (BCHs), savings and loan holding companies (SLHCs), and Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs).… Continue Reading
