On May 3, 2022, the SEC announced the assignment of 20 additional positions to the unit charged with protecting investors in crypto markets from cyber-related threats. The newly renamed Crypto Assets and Cyber Unit (formerly known as the Cyber Unit) in the SEC’s Division of Enforcement will now be comprised of 50 dedicated positions, nearly doubling the size of this key unit. The addition of the new positions into the unit strengthens the ranks of its supervisors, investigative staff attorneys, trial counsels, and fraud analysts in the agency’s headquarters in Washington, DC and in several regional offices. Continue reading "SEC Enhances Division of Enforcement’s Crypto..." »

On April 25th, the SEC announced that it has revised its list of unregistered entities that use inaccurate data to solicit mainly non-US investors. This update adds 58 soliciting entities, 11 impersonators of real firms, and one bogus regulator. Continue reading "SEC Revises PAUSE List of Firms Using..." »

The SEC’s Office of the Investor Advocate, in conjunction with the North American Securities Administrators Association (NASAA) and AARP will host a public listening session covering a number of investing matters pertaining to American senior and older communities, including those with diminished capacity. The discussions are geared also toward seniors’ loved ones, caregivers, financial professionals and consumer advocates. The audio event, which brings together investors and the securities regulators who protect them from investment fraud, will be held on Thursday, April 28, 2022 from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. ET. It will be streamed live on sec.gov. Continue reading "SEC, NASAA, AARP to Co-Host Older Investor..." »

The Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) has issued three proposed Taxonomy Implementation Guides (Implementation Guides) based on the US GAAP Reporting Taxonomy. The guides provide additional guidance and further insight for preparers using the taxonomy when creating their XBRL documents. The guides have been assessed by various advisors, including the SEC, industry resource groups, and members of the Taxonomy Advisory Group (TAG), and are neither authoritative nor the result of actions taken by the FASB. Continue reading "FASB Releases Proposed Taxonomy Implementation..." »

The SEC has announced that its Small Business Capital Formation Advisory Committee will hold a remote meeting to discuss matters related to the rules and regulations affecting small and emerging companies and their investors under the federal securities laws. The free webcast will take place on Friday, May 6, 2022, from 10:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. ET. The event is open to the public and will be presented live on sec.gov. {expires: 2022-05-07} Continue reading "SEC to Hold Small Business Capital Formation..." »

On April 8, 2022, the SEC released the required notice regarding new fee rates in compliance with Section 31 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Starting on May 14, 2022, the fee rates applicable to most securities transactions will be set at $22.90 per $1 million. These adjustments do not directly affect the amount of funding available to the SEC. Self-regulatory organizations will continue to pay the SEC a rate of $5.10 per million for covered sales occurring on charge dates until May 13, 2022 and then a rate of $22.90 per million for covered sales occurring on charge dates on or after May 14, 2022. For more information on the term “charge date”, refer to Rule 31(a)(3) and Exchange Act Release No. 49928 on the SEC’s website. Continue reading "SEC Issues Fee Rate Advisory #1 for Fiscal Year..." »

On April 6th, the SEC proposed new Regulation SE under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. The rules would establish the process for an entity to register with the SEC as a security-based swap execution facility (SBSEF) and introduce a new form required for registration. Continue reading "SEC Proposes Rules to Reform Registration and..." »

On March 30, the SEC’s Division of Examinations issued its annual examination priorities, the publication that provides an overview of the Division’s risk-based approach, including the areas it believes present potential risks to investors and the integrity of the US capital markets. When compiling the examination priorities, the Division leans heavily on its four pillars: promoting and improving compliance, preventing fraud, monitoring risks, and informing policy. Continue reading "SEC Staff Announces 2022 Examination Priorities" »

On March 30, the SEC announced that it is proposing rules to improve disclosure and investor protection in initial public offerings (IPOs) by special purpose acquisition companies (SPACs) and in business combination transactions involving shell companies and private operating companies. The SEC also is proposing rules that would address matters concerning projections made by SPACs and their target companies. Finally, the SEC is proposing to require SPACs to tag all information disclosed under Subpart 1600 of Regulation S-K in a structured, machine-readable data language, in particular, Inline XBRL. Continue reading "SEC Announces Rule Proposals to Improve..." »

The SEC’s Division of Trading and Markets will hold a meeting via webcast on sec.gov to discuss and consider whether to propose rules under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 for the registration and regulation of security-based swap execution facilities (SBSEFs) and related topics and concerns. The Division also is proposing rules that would address the cross-border application of registration and execution requirements for security-based swaps. In addition, the proposed rules would decrease conflicts of interest at SBSEFs and national securities exchanges that trade security-based swaps. The meeting is free, open for the public to attend, and will take place on Wednesday, April 6, 2022, and will begin at 10:00 a.m. ET. {expires: 2022-04-07} Continue reading "SEC Staff to Host Open Meeting to Discuss Rules..." »

On March 28th, the SEC announced that it is proposing new rules that would add clarity to certain terminology currently included in the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (Exchange Act). New rules 3a5-4 and 3a44-2 under the Exchange Act will further define the phrase,“as a part of a regular business”, in Sections 3(a)(5) and 3(a)(44) of the Exchange Act to identify specific activities that would lead individuals who engage in such activities to act as “dealers” or “government securities dealers” subject to the registration requirements of Sections 15 and 15C of the Act, respectively. Continue reading "SEC Proposes Rules to Clarify Certain..." »

On March 21, 2022, EDGAR Release 22.1 was released by the SEC. The release included the addition of a new submission form type to EDGARLink Online, orders granting substituted compliance regarding Rule 18a-7, and a new exhibit “EX-99.36 Form 7-R” added to submission form types SBSE-A and SBSE-A/A. The release also updated the EDGAR Filer Manual Appendices B, F and D and made revisions to filing fee disclosure, payment methods, and tagging requirements for Forms N-3, N-4, and N-6 in iXBRL.
Continue reading "SEC Issues EDGAR 22.1" »

On March 21st, the SEC upgraded the EDGAR system to Release 22.1. The system now supports the 2022 reporting taxonomies, which are the final versions of the draft taxonomies that were posted by SEC staff for public comment on September 1, 2021. Refer to the final 2022 taxonomies’ Release Notes for details of the changes. Continue reading "SEC Releases 2022 XBRL Taxonomies Update" »

On March 23, the SEC announced that it is proposing amendments to remove references to credit rating agencies from current exceptions included in Regulation M. The rules that comprise Regulation M are intended to maintain the pricing integrity of the securities trading markets by prohibiting issuers, distribution participants, selling security holders, and any of their affiliated purchasers from taking part in activities that could inorganically influence the market for an offered security. The proposed changes would also implement new standards to replace the current standard gauges for credit-worthiness and add new record-keeping requirements in certain cases. Continue reading "SEC Announces Proposed Amendments to Remove..." »

The SEC’s Divisions of Corporation Finance and Investment Management will host a meeting via webcast on sec.gov to discuss whether to propose amendments concerning special purpose acquisition companies, shell companies, and the use of projections in SEC filings. The staff will also consider a rule addressing the status of special purpose acquisition companies under the Investment Company Act of 1940. The meeting is free, open for the public to attend, and will take place on Wednesday, March 30, 2022 at 11:30 a.m. ET. {expires: 2022-03-31} Continue reading "SEC Staff to Hold Meeting to Discuss Special..." »