News, updates, and meaningful insights from the MBK Search team.

The SEC recently adopted rules 3a5-4 and 3a44-2 that aim to capture proprietary trading firms, hedge funds, and potentially other entities that actively provide liquidity in securities markets but are not registered as broker-dealers. The rules could have significant implications for firms in these spaces. MBK Search has compiled this explainer on the changes and what firms demonstrate to be compliant.

In January, the SEC unveiled major rules to strengthen investor guardrails around SPAC transactions. The rules aim to enhance transparency, accountability, and disclosure standards. Governance and compliance teams must prepare firms for critical new compliance changes. The changes enable fairer, more trustworthy deals. They also maintain the speed advantages. These are the five biggest takeaways GRC professionals need to be aware of.

SEC Commissioner Mark Uyeda recently outlined his vision for rethinking private securities offerings to aid startups and retail investors. Governance, risk management, and compliance teams should note several dimensions covered that could reshape oversight duties.

SEC Commissioner Mark Uyeda recently outlined his vision for rethinking private securities offerings to aid startups and retail investors. Governance, risk management, and compliance teams should note several dimensions covered that could reshape oversight duties.

The EU's Anti-Money Laundering Regulation (AMLR) will soon uniformize compliance across the bloc alongside its 6th Anti-Money Laundering Directive (AMLD6). The expansive rulebook will substantially impact governance, risk management, and compliance approaches. Here are 6 key points for GRC teams.

FINRA recently published its yearly review showing where stock trading firms slip up on protecting customers. The report is a deep dive into regulatory areas the agency will be scrutinizing in depth throughout the year, with several new areas brought into sharp relief. Here’s MBK Search's high-level summary for governance and compliance teams.

The SEC made history this week, overturning years of rejections to finally approve the first cryptocurrency exchange-traded funds (ETFs) tracking bitcoin prices. The watershed regulatory move carries significant implications across the crypto industry and for the governance, risk, and compliance market as a whole.

The Federal Trade Commission recently imposed landmark penalties against location data companies X-Mode Social and Outlogic over privacy breaches related to selling sensitive consumer GPS data without consent. The settlement order hands down strict prohibitions on precise location data sharing alongside tougher technical safeguarding mandates that together establish a new high-water mark for privacy and ethical data handling accountability.

In a January speech, Federal Reserve Governor Michelle Bowman offered insights into bank regulators’ focus for 2024 following a turbulent 2023. MBK Search looked through the speech and pulled out these key takeaways.

The UK's Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) recently issued guidance to investment platforms and pension operators expressing concerns with how some firms retain interest earned on idle customer cash balances. This "Dear CEO" letter explains what information regulators sought, areas of noncompliance found, and steps now expected to satisfy FCA Consumer Duty rules.