2026 Industry Snapshot

FINRA is a private, not-for-profit membership organization that is responsible under federal law for supervising our member firms. FINRA regulates a critical part of the securities industry—member brokerage firms doing business in the United States.

FINRA’s Board of Governors, our governing body, consists of industry governors and public governors. FINRA’s funding primarily comes from regulatory fees paid by member firms, use-based fees for specific services and data we provide to those firms and the public in support of our regulatory mission, and fees paid by other regulators for regulatory services that FINRA provides pursuant to contract. As a self-regulatory organization, we are registered with the SEC and perform our work under the supervision of the SEC, but we are not part of the government. As a membership organization, FINRA’s work is informed by our member firms, with advisory committees that provide feedback on rule proposals, regulatory initiatives and industry issues.

The self-regulatory model for broker-dealers has a long history, developing in the United States over more than two centuries. This well-established model enriches our regulatory program while giving us the authority to carry out our mission. It enables FINRA to engage with the industry, investors and other key stakeholders to quickly adapt our oversight to changing markets, as well as to develop tools and resources that enhance industry practices and aid investors. This engagement results in stronger, more informed regulation.

In an effort to increase public awareness and understanding about the broad range of FINRA-registered firms and individuals, FINRA shares an annual snapshot of some of the data collected in the course of our work.

The 2026 FINRA Industry Snapshot provides a high-level overview of FINRA membership, ranging from the number of FINRA-registered individuals to the overall revenues of firms, and from trading activity to how firms market their products and services. The Snapshot is based on data housed at FINRA, which includes data FINRA collects and maintains through its regulatory responsibilities, as well as key data that FINRA collects and maintains on behalf of the SEC and states. All the data are reported in aggregate to respect the confidentiality of regulatory information.

Note: FINRA regularly updates historical data series due to data revisions.