FINRA, NFA Expand MOU to Include Information Sharing, Collaboration
WASHINGTON— FINRA and NFA recently held a special summit focused on crypto assets and agreed to expand their Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to address crypto activities that fall within their respective regulatory mandates.
During the day-long summit held at FINRA’s San Francisco office, crypto and blockchain experts from both organizations met to share regulatory intelligence and ways to leverage new technology. FINRA and NFA also discussed the importance of investor protection, as well as potential risks, reporting and supervisory obligations associated with crypto-related activities.
The meeting culminated in an agreement to expand the existing MOU to address information sharing and collaboration regarding crypto assets, blockchain technology developments and crypto asset regulatory risks.
“We are excited to build on our strong relationship with our colleagues at NFA in finding new ways to benefit from one another’s deep expertise,” said Greg Ruppert, Executive Vice President, Member Supervision at FINRA. "Maintaining effective regulatory partnership and information sharing across various products and asset classes helps each of our organizations better serve the investing public.”
"NFA looks forward to collaborating with FINRA as the crypto market continues to evolve," said Regina Thoele, Senior Vice President, Compliance at NFA. "By leveraging our shared expertise, we can continue enhancing our investor protection efforts in light of market developments."
About FINRA
FINRA is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to investor protection and market integrity. It regulates one critical part of the securities industry—brokerage firms doing business with the public in the United States. FINRA, overseen by the SEC, writes rules, examines for and enforces compliance with FINRA rules and federal securities laws, registers broker-dealer personnel and offers them education and training, and informs the investing public. In addition, FINRA provides surveillance and other regulatory services for equities and options markets, as well as trade reporting and other industry utilities. FINRA also administers a dispute resolution forum for investors and brokerage firms and their registered employees. For more information, visit www.finra.org.
About NFA
NFA is the industrywide, self-regulatory organization for the U.S. derivatives industry, including on-exchange traded futures, retail off-exchange foreign currency (forex) and OTC derivatives (swaps). Designated by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) as a registered futures association, NFA strives every day to safeguard the integrity of the derivatives markets, protect investors and ensure Members meet their regulatory responsibilities. For more information, visit www.nfa.futures.org.