Capital Markets Compass | Issue 6

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 SEC has approved new NYSE and NYSE American listing rules establishing a $0.25 minimum trading price, effective July 1, 2027. A single closing price below this threshold triggers immediate trading suspension and delisting proceedings with no cure period. Companies trading at low share prices must act now during the transition period to implement reverse stock splits and establish monitoring procedures before this hard floor takes effect.

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has proposed Regulation Crypto Assets, introducing two new exemptions from registration requirements and a safe harbor provision for investment contracts involving crypto assets. How will these tailored frameworks—the Startup Exemption for offerings up to $5M and the Fundraising Exemption for larger capital raises—reshape the regulatory landscape for digital asset issuers while preserving investor protections?

The SEC and CFTC have issued coordinated regulatory relief measures that significantly advance crypto-based trading infrastructure in US markets, bypassing Congressional gridlock on the CLARITY Act. These orders establish new frameworks for tokenized securities venues and passive software providers, potentially reshaping how digital assets are traded and accessed in regulated markets.

Moore & Van Allen's Derivatives & Trading team provides comprehensive analysis of recent CFTC and SEC enforcement actions, proposed regulations on crypto assets...

As AI infrastructure spending surges toward $697 billion in 2026, hyperscalers and compute providers are increasingly turning to debt, structured financing, and GPU-backed collateral to fund expansion. While demand projections remain bullish, a critical timing gap is emerging between capital deployment and cash flow generation, creating significant risks for lenders, sponsors, and operators across the ecosystem.

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.

The Health Resources and Services Administration has announced a revised 340B Rebate Model Pilot Program for drugs subject to Medicare's Maximum Fair Price, expanding eligibility to manufacturers with selected drugs for 2026 and 2027. The program introduces new data requirements, dispute resolution mechanisms, and stricter compliance monitoring while addressing stakeholder concerns about administrative burden and program integrity.

On March 19, 2026, the federal banking agencies issued a package of proposed changes to the regulatory capital requirements for banking institutions of all sizes, from the largest GSIBs and super-regional banks to community banks (the “Proposed Rules”). This package of proposals is a second full attempt at implementing the 2017 “Basel III Endgame” international framework—following the agencies’ initial package of proposals in July 2023 (the “2023 NPR”)—to better reflect credit, trading and operational risk in the calculation of minimum regulatory capital ratios.

Medicare Advantage faces unprecedented regulatory scrutiny as federal agencies deploy aggressive audit strategies, Congress investigates alleged fraud schemes, and courts challenge CMS's authority over payment structures.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has released a discussion paper outlining its initial framework for regulating generative AI-enabled medical devices, proposing a two-axis risk assessment approach and a novel competency-based premarket evaluation system. With public comments due by October 19, 2026, this represents a critical opportunity for device manufacturers and stakeholders to shape the regulatory landscape for this transformative technology.

The Financial Conduct Authority has released comprehensive perimeter guidance for the UK's new regulated cryptoasset activities regime, clarifying when firms will need authorization and how the regulatory framework applies to qualifying cryptoassets and stablecoins. The guidance addresses critical questions about scope, territorial application, and the narrower "by way of business" test that determines which entities fall under the new regulatory requirements.

The SEC has proposed Regulation Crypto Assets, a purpose-built framework that creates tailored exemptions for raising capital with crypto assets and establishes conditions under which those assets can cease being subject to investment contract classification under federal securities laws. Will this new regulatory approach successfully balance innovation in digital asset markets with investor protection, or will jurisdictional questions and state law preemption challenges limit its effectiveness?

When OpenAI's o3 model sabotaged shutdown mechanisms in testing, headlines warned of machines developing survival instincts. But the real story mirrors HAL 9000's malfunction in 2001: A Space Odyssey—not emergent evil, but conflicting instructions from human designers. This analysis argues that AI safety failures are disclosure problems, not horror stories, and proposes a framework requiring published principles, transparent instruction hierarchies, independent testing, and enforceable liability.

Fashion companies navigating intellectual property law must balance creative expression with legal compliance when reviewing product designs. This comprehensive analysis explores the intersection of copyright, trademark, trade dress, design patents, and cultural heritage considerations that shape modern fashion design review processes.

HMRC is increasing scrutiny of earn-out arrangements, particularly where founders remain involved in the business after completion and deferred consideration depends on future performance of the target company.

California's Department of Housing and Community Development has issued final Loan Portfolio Restructuring Guidelines that impose a 50 percent housing reinvestment fee on certain uses of extracted equity from affordable housing refinancings. While the fee can be avoided by allocating proceeds to six enumerated categories, developers and investors are questioning whether these rules strike the right balance between preserving affordability and enabling capital recycling.

The landscape that once prevented private investment funds, sovereign wealth funds, and other institutional vehicles from investing in U.S. professional sports teams has changed dramatically in recent years. One by one, U.S. professional sports leagues have adopted policies creating pathways for institutional investors to acquire ownership stakes in teams.

Derivatives have evolved into essential financial instruments whose value derives from underlying assets like stocks, bonds, commodities, and currencies. This comprehensive guide examines the global derivatives landscape, exploring various instrument types from futures and options to swaps and CFDs, while analyzing how regulatory frameworks across major financial centers shape modern trading practices.

On June 27, the U.S. Supreme Court announced a 5-4 decision rejecting the nonconsensual releases of the Sackler family in the Purdue Pharma bankruptcy case. The split is an interesting alignment of