Background
Another issue we are studying through the lens of FINRA360 is branch office inspections. The responsibility of firms to supervise their associated persons is a critical component of federal broker-dealer regulation. Over the last few years, and in comments we have recently received, firms have raised questions about the manner in which they must conduct internal inspections,
Background
In March 2017, FINRA's Board of Governors established a new standing committee, the Regulatory Operations Oversight Committee (ROOC), to advise and assist the Board in providing oversight on FINRA's regulatory operations, and supplementing FINRA's broader self-evaluation through FINRA360. This includes providing guidance on the full breadth of FINRA's regulatory
Background
Advanced data analytics is a critical function within FINRA and an important component of our efforts to be a risk-based and data-driven organization.7 This work, which supports our examination, surveillance and enforcement functions among others, is conducted in a number of areas throughout FINRA, but primarily within Market Regulation Surveillance, Research, Methodology, and
Background
Input from our stakeholders indicated that they would welcome greater transparency regarding FINRA's budget, especially its financial projections and potential use of fines. FINRA for many years has published an Annual Financial Report that is prepared and audited in accordance with GAAP6 that describes the prior year's finances and operations. In the interest of promoting
Background
Examinations are central to FINRA's regulatory operations, and they are one of the principal means by which the organization protects investors and promotes market integrity. FINRA's examinations also aim to provide valuable feedback to firms on areas for improvement and best practices based on insights we have gathered from examining others in the industry.
FINRA has
Background
Until mid-2017, FINRA maintained two distinct enforcement teams within the organization—one handling disciplinary actions related to trading-based matters found through our market surveillance and trading examination programs, and the other handling cases referred from other regulatory oversight divisions within FINRA, such as sales practice examinations and our Office of Fraud
FINRA360 has yielded a number of organizational and operational changes aimed at making FINRA a more efficient, more effective regulator.
Changes to FINRA Enforcement Structure
FINRA Examination Program Improvements
FINRA Annual Budget Summary and Financial Principles
Interim Report on Use of Fine Monies
Data and Analytics
Regulatory Operations Oversight Committee (ROOC)
Enhancements to
We launched FINRA360 in March 2017 with one overarching objective: to ensure that FINRA is operating as the most effective and efficient self-regulatory organization (SRO) we can be.
The time was right for us to begin such a review. In the 10 years since the NASD and NYSE Regulation merged to form FINRA, the industry and financial markets had changed significantly. And in traveling
UPDATE 10/19/2018: During the week of Oct. 8, 2018, exceptional market volatility again produced record numbers of electronic messages processed by FINRA, including the three highest-volume days in history:
The 107 billion messages processed on Oct. 10 topped the previous record of 101 billion set on March 28, 2018.
The very next day – Oct. 11 – saw a significantly higher record set: 135
Just over one year ago, FINRA launched the Innovation Outreach Initiative as part of FINRA360, our comprehensive organizational review. The Initiative began an ongoing dialogue with industry participants, investor advocates and policy makers centered on the implications of financial technology (fintech) for the broker-dealer industry.
