Just a quick note that we had an article published in the June issue of the NIBA Journal titled How will the Proposed Swaps Regulations Affect IBs? In the article we discuss how the OTC derivatives regulations have essentially overshadowed some of the CFTC’s other rulemaking initiatives like Proposed Regulation 1.71.  Proposed [...]

“Lite-Touch” Regulatory Approach for Certain CFTC Registrants In general, CFTC registered CPOs and CTAs must adhere to certain disclosure and reporting requirements as specified in the Commodity Exchange Act (“CEA”) and regulations thereunder.  However, some CFTC registered firms can operate under a “lite-touch” regulatory regime if the firm only provides [...]

Proposal to Rescind 4.13(a)(3) & 4.13(a)(4) CPO Exemptions Pursuant to rulemaking required under the Dodd-Frank Act, the CFTC is jointly proposing with the SEC that CPOs and CTAs which are dually registered (that is with the CFTC and as an investment adviser with the SEC) file certain information on a [...]

(www.hedgefundlawblog.com) Overview of Forex Registration & Compliance Issues By Bart Mallon, Esq. In preparation for the implementation of the new retail forex regulations, the NFA recently conducted a retail forex registration and compliance workshop in Las Vegas at the Trader’s Expo.  The workshop covered a number of topics which the [...]

The Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (“Act”) has changed a number of laws in all of the securities acts including the Commodity Exchange Act.  Two specific changes deal with certain transactions in commodities on the spot market.  Specifically, Section 742 of the Act deals with retail commodity transactions. [...]

(www.hedgefundlawblog.com) In a move that has been long overdue, the CFTC has launched a new website which was designed to make getting to CFTC information easier.  We have had a chance to explore the new site and believe that it is a significant improvement over the old site, even if [...]

First CPO Quarterly Report Due May 17, 2010 As we recently discussed in an earlier article on NFA Compliance Rule 2-46, the NFA has adopted a new compliance rule which will require commodity pool operators to provide certain information to the NFA on a quarterly basis.  In general CPOs will [...]

Leverage, Inaccessibility for Smaller Traders, and Offshore Threat are Focus of Public Comments As we’ve discussed in related posts, the CFTC has proposed rules regulating the off-exchange spot forex industry (see Retail FOREX Registration Regulations Proposed).  The CFTC has requested comments from the public and there are currently about 100 public comments [...]

Information on Filing Annual Report with NFA Commodity Pool Operators (“CPOs”) are required to distribute an Annual Report, certified by an independent public accountant, to each participant in each pool it operates (i.e. the investors in the commodity/futures hedge fund) within 90 days after the pool’s fiscal year-end (normally December 31). [...]

Easy Step by Step Guide for NFA Member Firms NFA Member Firms are all required to complete a yearly self-examination checklist to ensure that the Member Firm is complying with all the NFA Rules (as well as the CFTC Regulations and other applicable laws).  The NFA has provided some resources [...]