Speaking today at the Stanford Rock Center for Corporate Governance, Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) Chair Atkins recapped a number of the key achievements and rulemaking proposals, including the two significant proposals released just last week, about which we blogged (see our first post and second post), all of which are intended to encourage
Leveling the Shelf: The SEC’s Proposal on Registered Offering Reform
On May 19, 2026, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC” or the “Commission”) proposed extensive amendments to the registered offering framework under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”). The SEC’s rulemaking proposal on Registered Offering Reform (the “Proposal”) has the potential to be the most significant offering reform in…
SEC Proposes Rules Simplifying Filer Status Determinations and Increasing Disclosure Accommodations
On May 19, 2026, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) published two rulemaking proposals, each of which would substantially revise the requirements of the U.S. federal securities laws applicable to public companies. These proposals mark the next step in SEC Chair Paul Atkins’ mission to grow the U.S. capital markets and “make IPOs…
IPOs in Focus at Upcoming SEC Advisory Committee Meeting
The Securities and Exchange Commission’s next meeting of the Small Business Capital Formation Advisory (“SBCFA”) Committee convenes April 28, 2026, to explore ways to encourage more companies to go public. The SBCFA Committee will hear from members on the state of the IPO market while considering the existing regulatory framework and how IPO activity and…
FINRA Proposes to Exempt CTFs from its IPO Purchase Restriction Rules
On March 30, 2026, the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) proposed amendments to its rules imposing restrictions on the purchase and sale of equity securities offered in initial public offerings (IPOs) (Rule 5130) and new issue allocations and distributions (Rule 5131) to exempt specified collective trust funds (CTFs) from the rules’ prohibitions.
CTFs (also known…
Pre-IPO to IPO: Communications & IR Readiness
Webinar | April 22, 2026
12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m. ET
Register here.
As mature private companies grow larger and more complex, a sophisticated investor relations strategy becomes essential. Clear, differentiated communications, paired with strong media visibility, can help strengthen reputational capital and even influence market valuation as companies move toward a liquidity event.…
Rulemaking Petition on Communications Rules
A rulemaking petition filed recently highlights the need to address the communications safe harbors. The Securities and Exchange Commission has not reviewed the rules and regulations relating to social media under the securities laws since 2000. The last comprehensive review of the rules relating to offering related communications and safe harbors was Securities Offering Reform…
Staff Report from the Office of the Advocate for Small Business Capital Formation: Part II
IPOs and Small Public Companies
As we noted in our prior post, the Office of the Advocate for Small Business Capital Formation recently issued its Staff Report for fiscal year 2025, which provides information on the Office’s activities. We discussed the Report’s findings with respect to reliance on exempt offerings as well as…
26 Trends Affecting Capital Markets in 2026
On this blog, we have commented quite a number of times regarding a number of trends affecting our capital markets—many of which have been a factor since the early 2000s and which have become more pronounced since the adoption of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act and related reforms. For example, we have noted the decline in the…
SEC Approves Nasdaq Proposal to Amend Initial Listing Requirements for de-SPAC Transactions
On December 8, 2025, the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) approved proposed rule changes submitted by The Nasdaq Stock Market LLC (“Nasdaq”) that exempt certain over-the-counter (“OTC”)-traded SPACs from the reverse merger rule and minimum average daily trading volume requirements. Citing a recent increase in the number of SPACs that were listed at the time…

