The Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) issued an order approving proposed amendments (the “Proposed Amendments”) by The Nasdaq Stock Market LLC (“Nasdaq” or “Exchange”) to the Exchange’s rules to enable trading of certain securities in tokenized form during the pendency of a tokenization pilot program (the “DTC Pilot”) operated by The Depository Trust Company (“DTC”).
Joshea Mark
FINRA Proposes Amendments to Communications Rule to Permit Use of Projections
FINRA’s proposal would expand investor access to performance projections and targeted returns to more closely align FINRA Rule 2210 with the IA Marketing Rule
The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Inc. (“FINRA”) recently filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission proposed amendments (the “Proposed Amendments”) to FINRA Rule 2210 (Communications with the Public) to permit…
SEC Investor Advisory Committee to Consider Recommendation on Tokenization of Equity Securities
On March 5, 2026, the Market Structure Subcommittee of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission’s (“SEC”) Investor Advisory Committee (“IAC”) released a recommendation regarding the tokenization of equity securities. The recommendation will be discussed and voted on at the IAC’s March 12, 2026 meeting. As discussed below, the IAC cautions against adoption of a…
SEC Approves Amendments to FINRA’s Gifts Rule
Amendments increase the annual gift limit to $300, provide exemptive relief authority, codify existing guidance and clarify that the rule does not apply to gifts to individual retail customers
On February 12, 2026, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission approved the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Inc.’s (“FINRA”) amendments (the “Amendments”) to FINRA Rule 3220 (Influencing…
FINRA Provides Guidance on the Use of Negative Consent for Bulk Transfers of Customer Accounts and Discontinues Related Prior Review Process
The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Inc. (“FINRA”) issued Regulatory Notice 26-03 (the “Notice”) consolidating guidance on the use of negative consent letters for bulk transfers or assignments of customer accounts between FINRA members. Moreover, the Notice eliminates the current practice of submitting draft negative consent letters to FINRA staff for review; this change will become…
SEC Staff Issues Guidance on the Application of Federal Securities Laws to Tokenized Securities
On January 28, 2026, the Divisions of Corporation Finance, Investment Management, and Trading and Markets (collectively, the “Staff”) of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) issued another in a series of statements providing guidance on the application of the federal securities laws to various types and aspects of cryptocurrency, in particular, certain taxonomies…
SEC Division of Trading and Markets Issues FAQs on Crypto Asset Activities Focusing on Trading and Settlement Issues
On December 17, 2025, the staff of the Division of Trading and Markets (the “Staff”) of the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) released an update to its May 2025 FAQs relating to crypto asset activities and distributed ledger technology. The additional FAQs focus on trading and settlement issues, including how alternative trading systems (“ATSs”) and…
SEC Staff Statement on Broker-Dealer Custody (“Physical Possession”) of Crypto Asset Securities
On December 17, 2025, the Staff of the Division of Trading and Markets (the “Division”) of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) issued a statement explaining its views on the application of paragraph (b)(1) of SEC Rule 15c3-3 to broker-dealers seeking to establish custody of crypto asset securities. The statement focuses on broker-dealers’ “physical…
FINRA Publishes 2026 Annual Regulatory Oversight Report
The Report highlights FINRA’s continued focus on generative artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, small-cap securities fraud, and third-party risk
The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Inc. (“FINRA”) published its 2026 FINRA Annual Regulatory Oversight Report (the “Report”), which builds on the structure and content of FINRA’s prior reports for 2021-2025. This year, the Report was published earlier than…
SEC No-Action Relief Allows a Registered Representative-Owned Personal Services Entity to Receive Transaction-Based Compensation without Broker-Dealer Registration
On November 17, 2025, the staff of the Division of Trading and Markets (the “Staff”) of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) issued no-action relief permitting a registered representative-owned personal services entity (“PSE”) to receive transaction-based compensation (“TBC”) without registering as a broker-dealer (“BD”) pursuant to Section 15(b) of the Securities Exchange Act of…

