News Centre

SEC: Jessica Kane Named Director Of Division Of Corporation Finance’s Disclosure Review Program

Date 13/10/2020

The Securities and Exchange Commission today announced that Jessica S. Kane has been named Director of the Division of Corporation Finance’s Disclosure Review Program.

FIA Announces New Board Chair, Vice Chair And New Board Members

Date 13/10/2020

FIA today announced that the Board of Directors have elected Nicholas Rustad of J.P. Morgan Securities as Chair and Alicia Crighton of Goldman Sachs as Vice Chair of the FIA Board of Directors.  Rustad had been serving as the Board’s Vice Chair and served as interim Chair following the retirement of Citi’s Jerome Kemp earlier this year. Crighton has served on the Board of Directors since 2018 and has been active in the Board’s diversity initiative.

CFTC Staff Provides Reporting Relief For Swaps Related To Upcoming DCO Auctions As Part Of The Industry-Wide Initiative To Transition Away From LIBOR

Date 13/10/2020

The Division of Market Oversight of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission today announced it has provided swap transaction and pricing data reporting relief to specific derivatives clearing organizations (DCOs) and market participants participating in upcoming DCO auctions that will help transition certain cleared swaps from discounting using the Effective Federal Funds Rate (EFFR) to the Secured Overnight Financing Rate (SOFR). This discounting transition is an essential part of the industry-wide initiative to transition from swaps that reference the London Interbank Offered Rate (LIBOR), and other interbank offered rates, to swaps that reference alternative benchmarks.

FINRA: New Research: U.S. Investors Unfazed By Pandemic-Related Market Volatility - African American And Hispanic Investors Showed Greatest Increase In Interest In Investing

Date 13/10/2020

Despite dramatic market volatility related to the COVID-19 pandemic during early 2020, investor optimism about the stock market remained high, and one in five Americans indicated an increased interest in investing, according to a new research study by the FINRA Foundation and NORC at the University of Chicago. At the same time, low levels of investment knowledge underscore the need for additional investment education opportunities, especially among African Americans and Hispanics, the research shows.

IMF: Intergovernmental Group Of Twenty-Four On International Monetary Affairs And Development, Chaired By Kenneth Ofori-Atta, Minister Of Finance Of Ghana

Date 13/10/2020

1. COVID-19 has spread rapidly around the world and in many emerging markets and developing countries (EMDCs) over the past six months. While countries are in different stages in containing the spread of the virus, several are still experiencing high levels of infection and deaths. While the global economy remains in recession, the global outlook has improved slightly as the economic decline in some major economies has been less severe than projected earlier. The economic impact of the global contraction and national measures taken to contain the pandemic, while varying across countries, has been severe for EMDCs overall. For the first time in decades, GDP growth in EMDCs, as a group, is expected to be negative this year. The pandemic is also exacerbating inequality, with millions of people losing their livelihood and falling into poverty.

CFTC: Federal Court Orders Affiliate Marketer To Pay More Than $13.8 Million For Binary Options Fraud

Date 13/10/2020

The Commodity Futures Trading Commission announced today that the U.S. District Court for the District of Hawaii entered an order of default judgment on September 14, 2020 finding that Peter Szatmari, formerly of Hawaii, fraudulently solicited U.S. residents to open binary options trading accounts. Szatmari is required to pay more than $13.8 million in connection with the fraud.

FSB Publishes High-Level Recommendations For Regulation, Supervision And Oversight Of “Global Stablecoin” Arrangements

Date 13/10/2020

The Financial Stability Board (FSB) today published the final version of its high-level recommendations for the regulation, supervision and oversight of “global stablecoin” (GSC) arrangements following an earlier public consultation. The report states that GSC arrangements are expected to adhere to all applicable regulatory standards and to address risks to financial stability before commencing operation, and to adapt to new regulatory requirements as necessary.

CFTC’s Energy And Environmental Markets Advisory Committee To Meet On October 16

Date 13/10/2020

Commissioner Dan M. Berkovitz, the sponsor of the Energy and Environmental Markets Advisory Committee (EEMAC) at the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, announced that the EEMAC will hold a public meeting on Friday, October 16, 2020 to hear remarks on the integration of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) factors within the energy and environmental markets. The meeting will begin at 9:00 a.m. (EDT) and be held via videoconference in accordance with the agency’s implementation of social distancing due to the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic.

BIS: Bankruptcies, Unemployment And Reallocation From Covid-19

Date 13/10/2020

Key takeaways

• The expected wave of business failures in the Covid-19 recession has yet to materialise, due in part to policy support, but also reflecting the inherent lag between declines in GDP and insolvencies.
• Bankruptcies weigh heavily on labour markets. Unemployment typically increases three times more if a fall in GDP is accompanied by a similar-sized increase in bankruptcies.
• Concentration of bankruptcies in those sectors hit especially hard by Covid-19 could exert a significant drag on the labour market.
• The natural renewal process where young, dynamic firms displace those who exited takes two to three years, leaving a protracted period of lacklustre activity. This underscores the need to reallocate resources quickly and efficiently to drive growth in the post-pandemic world.

FSB Delivers A Roadmap To Enhance Cross-Border Payments

Date 13/10/2020

The Financial Stability Board (FSB) today published a roadmap to enhance cross-border payments. The roadmap has been delivered to G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors for their meeting on 14 October 2020.