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”).
Steffen Hemmerich
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…
CFTC Issues Request for Comment and Staff Advisory on Prediction Markets
On March 12, 2026, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (“CFTC”) released two documents regarding “event contract” derivatives traded on prediction markets. The CFTC issued an Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (“ANPRM”) requesting public comment on the regulation of prediction markets. The CFTC’s Division of Market Oversight issued a staff advisory providing guidance to designated contract…
Capital Markets Insight: Beyond Borders: How U.S. Broker-Dealers Can Engage Brazilian Clients Without Crossing Regulatory Lines
Brazil has emerged as one of the world’s most dynamic and tightly regulated wealth markets. Local investors are increasingly sophisticated, and appetite for offshore products has never been higher. For U.S. broker-dealers and investment advisers, the opportunity is clear: Brazilian clients want access to global markets and U.S. platforms are well positioned to provide it.…
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…
SEC Staff Issues Guidance on Treatment of Payment Stablecoins under the Broker-Dealer Net Capital Rule (2% Haircut)
On February 19, the staff of the Division of Trading and Markets of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission issued an FAQ, stating the staff will not object if a broker-dealer treats a proprietary position in a payment stablecoin (as defined in the FAQ) as having a “ready market” under SEC Rule 15c3-1 and takes…
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 No-Action Relief for DTC Pilot Provides a Pathway for Tokenized Securities
On December 11, 2025, the staff of the Division of Trading and Markets of the Securities and Exchange Commission issued a no-action letter to The Depository Trust Company (“DTC”) concerning a pilot version (the “Preliminary Base Version”) of a securities tokenization program, referred to as the “DTCC Tokenization Services.” The letter permits DTC to conduct…
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…

