Christopher Nickas

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On April 2, 2026, the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (“FINRA”) Investor Education Foundation (the “Foundation”) published a brief (the “Brief”) examining the demographic characteristics, investment knowledge and fraud vulnerabilities of retail investors who reported using social media to inform their investing decisions or making investing decisions based on the recommendation of social media personalities dispensing…

Earlier this month, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (“CFTC”) and Major League Baseball (“MLB”) entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (“MOU”) establishing a formal framework for cooperation, information sharing, and coordination on matters affecting the integrity of the prediction markets related to professional baseball.  The MOU does not create any legally binding obligations or enforceable…

The Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) announced it will host its 45th Annual Small Business Forum (the “Forum”) on March 9, 2026 from 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. ET at the SEC’s headquarters in Washington, D.C.

The Forum, organized by the SEC’s Office of the Advocate for Small Business Capital Formation, brings together members…

The Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) and Commodity Futures Trading Commission (“CFTC”) will hold a joint public event on Thursday, January 29, 2026 (rescheduled from Tuesday, January 27), at the CFTC Headquarters in Washington, D.C., to discuss harmonization of the regulatory approach taken by the agencies and U.S. leadership in the crypto era. The…

In December 2025, the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Inc. (“FINRA”) published its 2026 Annual Regulatory Oversight Report (the “Report”).  The Report includes a focused discussion of private placements, highlighting areas that continue to draw attention from FINRA’s Member Supervision, Market Oversight and Enforcement teams.

FINRA reiterates that recommendations of private placements to retail investors trigger…