SIFMA has announced that Ananias ("Andy") Blocker will serve as the new executive Vice President of Public Policy and Advocacy. Mr. Blocker will be responsible, starting in January, for SIFMA's governmental affairs and advocacy initiatives. See: Press Release.

The SEC held a public meeting to propose rules and forms related to the offer and sale of securities pursuant to Section 3(b) of the Securities Act, as mandated by Title IV of the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act (the "JOBS Act"). The JOBS Act mandated the SEC increase offering guidelines, which allow small companies to issue securities and be exempt from registration. The current SEC Regulation A ("Reg. A") allows for small companies to issue securities and be exempt from registration for offerings up to $5 million in a 12-month period. The proposed rule amendments keep that limit but also

The SEC has announced fraud charges against three brokerage subsidiaries, and two former employees, of a global trading services provider that caused many institutional clients to pay higher amounts than disclosed for the execution of trading orders. In a parallel action, the Department of Justice also announced criminal charges against the brokerage subsidiaries and two former employees. The SEC order alleged that the brokerage firms routinely routed orders, including orders for U.S. equities, to an offshore affiliate in Bermuda that executed them on a riskless basis and opportunistically

The SEC has charged a senior portfolio manager at a large tech firm and his friend and business partner with insider trading ahead of company announcements. See: SEC Complaint; Press Release.

The National Futures Association ("NFA") issued a notice to its members regarding the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network's ("FinCEN") advisory announcing that the Financial Action Task Force ("FATF") has updated its list of jurisdictions with Anti-Money Laundering/Countering the Financing of Terrorism ("AML/CFT") deficiencies. According to the notice, NFA Member futures commission merchants ("FCMs") and IBs should review this Advisory to ensure that their AML programs have the most current information on FATF-identified jurisdictions with AML/CFT deficiencies, and should revise their AML