Reports & Studies

FINRA welcomes comments on this paper, including input from financial industry market participants who are currently exploring metaverse technology or have identified other use cases in the securities industry.

The term “metaverse” has attracted significant attention and curiosity in recent years from the media, entertainment and technology sectors. Though the term has no concrete definition, and interpretations may differ, the metaverse is generally viewed as the next evolution of today’s internet.

FINRA regulates a critical part of the securities industry – member brokerage firms doing business in the United States. In an effort to increase public awareness and understanding about the broad range of FINRA-registered firms and individuals, FINRA shares an annual snapshot of some of the data collected in the course of its work.

The 2024 FINRA Annual Regulatory Oversight Report provides member firms with insight into findings from FINRA’s Member Supervision, Market Regulation and Enforcement programs.

/**/ Quantum mechanics is a branch of physics that deals with the complex properties of atoms and sub-atomic particles.2 Quantum computing leverages the principles of quantum mechanics to solve problems too large or complex for traditional computers.

FINRA is a not-for-profit, self-regulatory organization (SRO) dedicated to promoting investor protection and market integrity in a manner that facilitates vibrant capital markets. One of FINRA’s tools for achieving this objective is fair and effective enforcement of member firms’ compliance with securities laws and regulations.

The Audit Committee of the FINRA Board of Governors engaged Lowenstein Sandler LLP to conduct an independent review in connection with a Fulton County, Georgia Superior Court decision vacating an arbitration award in favor of respondent Wells Fargo Clearing Services, LLC. The Court of Appeals of Georgia reversed the Fulton County, Georgia Superior Court decision finding no evidence of an agreement between Wells Fargo and FINRA. Furthermore, the Court of Appeals of Georgia found nothing that indicated Wells Fargo manipulated the arbitrator pool in the subject arbitration.

FINRA is a not-for-profit, self-regulatory organization (SRO) dedicated to promoting investor protection and market integrity in a manner that facilitates vibrant capital markets. One of FINRA’s tools for achieving this objective is fair and effective enforcement of member firms’ compliance with securities laws and regulations.

Cloud computing is transforming how broker-dealers operate by providing opportunities to enhance agility, efficiency, resiliency and security within firms’ technology and business operations while potentially reducing costs. As a result, cloud computing is increasingly seen by many firms as an important architectural component to their infrastructure.