Financial Regulatory Developments Focus - Issue 2017

On Wednesday, July 15, CFPB Director Richard Cordray assured the Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee, as well as the public, that data collected by the CFPB could not be used to personally identify any consumer.

The final rule goes into effect on November 9, 2020.

In a registration filing with the SEC, an investment firm is seeking approval of a series of double-leveraged bullish and bearish exchange-traded funds ("ETFs") that each track the performance of a single U.S.-listed equity security.

Climate disclosure regulations are among the most significant and complex challenges faced by companies and boards, with a variety of requirements emanating this year from numerous governmental authorities...

The Chicago Mercantile Exchange has filed a lawsuit against the CFTC challenging its approval of Kalshi's bitcoin perpetual futures contract, arguing that perpetual contracts should be classified as swaps rather...

On September 30, 2026, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) issued two rule proposals and five notices aimed at expanding investors’ access to private markets. The package would add ways to qualify as an accredited investor, including passing a new exam administered by the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA), broaden performance-based compensation and modernize regulated funds, including interval funds and business development companies (BDCs).

The OCC and FDIC have jointly issued a final rule establishing the first binding regulatory definition of "unsafe or unsound practice" for banks, introducing a three-tiered supervisory framework...

The SEC has proposed sweeping amendments to expand retail investor access to private market strategies, including changes to performance-based compensation rules for registered investment advisers and modernization of the interval fund framework. The proposals also explore new credential-based pathways for individuals to qualify as accredited investors, potentially opening private offerings to a broader pool of eligible participants.

The Securities and Exchange Commission has approved FINRA Rule 3290, which will replace existing rules governing outside business activities and private securities transactions for registered persons. This new rule narrows the scope to focus on investment-related activities while maintaining similar supervisory obligations for member firms. Understanding the key changes and implementation requirements will be critical for broker-dealers as they update their compliance policies and procedures.

The Securities and Exchange Commission has proposed six new pathways for individuals to qualify as accredited investors, moving beyond traditional income and wealth thresholds. These changes would allow qualification through professional certifications like CPA, CFA, and CFP designations, as well as through a new FINRA-administered exam testing securities knowledge.

Japan has enacted sweeping amendments to its Act on the Protection of Personal Information, introducing an administrative surcharge regime with monetary penalties for data protection violations, new protections for children under 16 and biometric data, and expanded exceptions for data utilization in statistical analysis and AI development. The reforms, which take effect in stages through 2028, fundamentally reshape Japan's privacy enforcement landscape by granting the Personal Information Protection Commiss

The SEC has issued a groundbreaking Innovation Exemption allowing tokenized securities venues to facilitate trading of tokenized NMS stocks using automated market makers and liquidity pools. This temporary five-year exemption from exchange and dealer registration requirements establishes conditions for permissioned blockchain-based trading while granting public companies a 30-day window to object to third-party tokenization of their securities.

A Delaware Court of Chancery decision examines whether an acquiror can terminate a $2.35 billion merger agreement when antitrust approval is delayed beyond the outside date. The case centers on whether the acquiror's abandonment of discussions with a competitor—which triggered an FTC investigation—constitutes "willful conduct" that prevents the buyer from walking away from the deal.

The European Union's new Regulation on packaging and packaging waste has fundamentally transformed compliance requirements for companies placing packaged goods on the EU market, replacing decades-old directive-based frameworks with directly applicable product-law rules. While promising regulatory harmonization across member states, the reality presents a complex dual-compliance landscape where businesses must navigate both EU-wide packaging standards and diverging national implementation approaches.

The Hong Kong Securities and Futures Commission (SFC) has issued a circular that sets forth comprehensive guidelines and expectations for licensed corporations (LCs) regarding the responsible use...

The European Commission's Industrial Accelerator Act proposes to reshape battery supply chains by conditioning access to EU public procurement and support schemes on strict origin requirements. As China controls over 80% of global battery manufacturing capacity, the legislation introduces escalating component-count thresholds that could fundamentally alter market access, financing structures, and supplier eligibility across the battery value chain.

The Delaware Court of Chancery imposed significant sanctions in a merger litigation case after finding that the company's controlling stockholder and senior officers recklessly destroyed Signal messages following legal hold notices. The court shifted the burden of proof by presuming certain facts favorable to plaintiffs, requiring defendants to rebut these presumptions with clear and convincing evidence rather than a preponderance standard.

Spain's draft Royal Decree introduces stringent energy sustainability, environmental, resilience and digital sovereignty requirements for data centers, including renewable additionality, hourly correlation, and efficiency standards. The regulation applies to all access and connection permits obtained after entry into force, with specific compliance deadlines for projects in progress and those with granted permits not yet connected to the grid.

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has proposed Regulation Crypto Assets, introducing two tailored exemptions from Securities Act registration requirements for certain offerings of covered investment contracts involving crypto assets. The proposal establishes a startup exemption allowing up to $5 million in offerings over four years and a two-tier fundraising exemption permitting offerings up to $75 million...

California has enacted a comprehensive package of four bills that fundamentally reshape online safety protections for minors, targeting addictive design features, data privacy practices, age verification systems, and platform liability. These new laws establish strict requirements for social media companies, including mandatory stripped-down interfaces for users under 16, enhanced privacy defaults, and potential damages up to $1 million for negligent harm to children. The legislation represents one of the m