FINRA leverages artificial intelligence, big-data technology and open-source solutions, all in the public cloud. On a daily basis we take in billions of securities market events – more than 70 billion per day on average in 2019 – and stitch them together, creating tens of trillions of rows of data. Then we run complex, algorithmic surveillances on the data – including machine learning – to search for patterns and help our human analysts detect potential fraud and manipulation.

It’s very important, impactful work, done on a hugely complex, massive scale, by the best people, who truly believe in our mission. Our people gain expertise on the job, doing meaningful projects you don’t find anywhere else. It’s all part of our distinctive approach to staff learning, development and leadership. That’s how we pioneered the public cloud for the regtech space, and today that’s how we’re delivering the Consolidated Audit Trail, the biggest project in regtech – perhaps in all of fintech.

Using the same approach, we have transformed the portal that member firms use for their FINRA compliance and reporting. The new FINRA Gateway streamlines the firms’ user experience and provides a flexible solution that can be customized to an individual firm’s specific needs. We also apply our expertise and technology to provide database and registration systems under contract with the SEC and state regulators; these include BrokerCheck, the Central Registration Depository and the Investment Adviser Registration Depository and Investment Adviser Public Disclosure. 

In addition to advances by FINRA’s Technology department, FINRA’s Office of Financial Innovation (OFI) serves as a central point of coordination for issues related to significant financial innovations by FINRA member firms, particularly new uses of financial technology. OFI enhances FINRA’s ability to identify, understand and foster financial innovation in the markets in a manner that strengthens investor protection and market integrity.