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Remarks Of CFTC Commissioner Brian Quintenz At The DerivCon 2018: SEFCON Transformed, Pivoting From Adoption To Adaptation

Date 01/02/2018

Introduction

Thank you for that very kind introduction.

Before I begin, let me quickly say that the views contained in this speech are my own and do not represent the views of the Commission. I’m very pleased to be speaking here with you today at DerivCon 2018.

Let’s take a trip back in time. It’s the early 1980s. Beverly Hills Cop and Ghostbusters rule the box office. Prince and Tina Turner dominate the airwaves. The torture device known as the rotary telephone is being replaced with a push-button model. Chances are you do not have a personal computer at home; only 8% of U.S. households do. Those computers use floppy disks and run DOS. And IBM and the World Bank enter into a transaction ,which is widely considered to be the first swap.

NYSE’s Record-Breaking January Across IPOs And ETFs Opens 2018

Date 01/02/2018

The New York Stock Exchange (NYSE), a wholly owned subsidiary of Intercontinental Exchange (NYSE:ICE), reached three historic milestones in January that amplified its leadership as the world’s premier stock exchange:

• $8.5 billion in capital raised from 11 new IPOs resulted in the best January in the New York Stock Exchange’s 225 year history.
• 38 of the last 38 large IPOs, defined by raising $700 million or more, have listed on the New York Stock Exchange, a streak that began in 2014. Large listings in January included ADT Inc. (NYSE: ADT) at $1.47 billion, Americold Realty Trust (NYSE: COLD) at $724.8 million, Hudson Ltd. (NYSE: HUD) at $748.9 million, PagSeguro Digital Ltd. (NYSE: PAGS) at $2.27 billion, and VICI Properties, Inc. (NYSE: VICI) at $1.2 billion.
• 34 new exchange traded funds (ETFs) listed on NYSE Arca, representing $4.2 billion in assets under management, and 83 percent of U.S. new listings. This contributed to the exchange’s strongest January in ten years.

Staff Will Participate In The CFTC KISS Policy Initiative Forum Hosted By The Risk Desk On February 12th

Date 01/02/2018

Federal Reserve Board Releases Scenarios For 2018 Comprehensive Capital Analysis And Review (CCAR) And Dodd-Frank Act Stress Test Exercises And Issues Instructions To Firms Participating In CCAR

Date 01/02/2018

The Federal Reserve Board on Thursday released the scenarios banks and supervisors will use for the 2018 Comprehensive Capital Analysis and Review (CCAR) and Dodd-Frank Act stress test exercises, and issued instructions to firms participating in CCAR.

OCC Cleared Contract Volume Increased 42 Percent In January

Date 01/02/2018

• Third highest month ever for cleared volume
• Highest January for cleared volume
• Securities lending activity percent up 29 percent
• Index options volume highest month ever

ISDA, AFME, ICMA, SIFMA And SIFMA AMG Launch Benchmark Transition Roadmap

Date 01/02/2018

ISDA, the Association of Financial Markets in Europe (AFME), International Capital Market Association (ICMA) and the Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association (SIFMA) and its asset management group (SIFMA AMG) have today launched a roadmap that highlights key challenges involved in transitioning financial market contracts and practices from interbank offered rates, or ‘IBORs’, to alternative risk-free rates (RFRs).

FINRA Announces Comprehensive Changes To Advisory Committees, Including Creation Of Two New Committees - Launches New Online Portal To Facilitate Engagement

Date 01/02/2018

The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) today announced a series of changes to its advisory committees – including the addition of two new committees focused on the specialized issues surrounding clearing firms and capital acquisition brokers – as part of a comprehensive effort to improve opportunities for firms to provide input on key issues. The changes, which build on several enhancements to FINRA’s advisory committee structure announced in November, are a response to feedback received through President and CEO Robert W. Cook’s listening tour and comments received through the FINRA360 Special Notice on FINRA’s engagement programs.

IBOR Global Benchmark Survey Transition Roadmap

Date 01/02/2018

The International Swaps and Derivatives Association, Inc. (ISDA), the Association of Financial Markets in Europe (AFME), International Capital Market Association (ICMA), as well as the Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association (SIFMA)and its asset management group (SIFMA AMG) (the “Trade Associations”), have joined together to publish this Roadmap in response to this call to action. By combining their resources the Trade Associations can help the regulators and market participants who areleading the global transition initiatives reach parts of the market which have yet to fully engage in the process. The Roadmap aims to raise awareness of some of the challenges to be solved as part of the transition plan and provide a central resource of information for benchmark transition across market sectors.

OneChicago Announces Trading Volume For January 2018

Date 01/02/2018

OneChicago, LLC (OCX), a securities finance exchange, today announced its January 2018 volume of 889,659, an increase of 14% year-over-year. OneChicago is a CFTC and SEC regulated exchange offering Single Stock Futures (SSF), a Delta One product, on approximately 1,800 equities, including ADRs and ETFs.

European Commission Launches The EU Blockchain Observatory And Forum

Date 01/02/2018

The Commission launched today the EU Blockchain Observatory and Forum with the support of the European Parliament, represented by Jakob von Weizsäcker responsible for the recent report on virtual currencies.