The CFTC unanimously approved a final rule to amend CFTC Rule 1.35(a) ("Records of Commodity Interest and Related Cash or Forward Transactions") to reduce certain recordkeeping requirements imposed on end-users. Much of the rulemaking codifies existing no-action relief provided by the CFTC staff. Specifically, the final rule: excludes members of a designated contract market ("DCM") or swap execution facility ("SEF") that are not CFTC-registrants from the requirement to keep certain written recordkeeping requirements, including written pre-trade communications and transaction records

The North American Securities Administrators Association (NASAA) launched its new Web site, ServeOurSeniors.org. The Web site is designed to provide resources for senior investors, caregivers, industry and policymakers.

The UK Financial Conduct Authority ("FCA") published a consultation paper in which it proposed revisions and requested comments on its regulation of the secondary trading of financial instruments in its first Markets in Financial Instruments Directive II Implementation ("MiFID II"). The paper seeks comment relating: Trading Venues: Regulated Markets: new obligations relating to algorithmic and high-frequency trading, direct electronic access, tick sizes, business continuity and systems and controls; Multilateral Trading Facilities ("MTFs"): strengthening conflicts-of-interest requirements; and

FINRA named former President of the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia Charles I. Plosser to its Board of Governors. Dr. Plosser also was a member of the Federal Open Market Committee. Earlier in his career, he was the John M. Olin Distinguished Professor of Economics and Public Policy, as well as Director of the Bradley Policy Research Center at the William E. Simon Graduate School of Business Administration at the University of Rochester, where he also served as dean from 1993 to 2003. Currently, he is a research associate at the National Bureau of Economic Research in Cambridge

A recent IOSCO survey of its research department's "Expert Network" and regulatory members identified various financial stability, investor protection and market efficiency issues. The results of the survey were contained in the a working paper titled: A Survey of Securities Market Risk Trends 2015, Methodology and Detailed Results, December 2015.