FINRA is responsible for the Central Registration Depository (CRD®) program, which supports the licensing and registration filing requirements of the U.S. securities industry and its regulators. The CRD program covers the registration records of broker-dealer firms, branch offices and their associated individuals, including their qualification, employment and disclosure histories; it also directs the processing of form filings, fingerprint submissions, collection and disbursement of registration-related fees, qualification exams and continuing education sessions. The registration filing requirements of the CRD program are being integrated into the new FINRA Gateway system.
As part of FINRA’s program to monitor firms for compliance with the SEC’s Regulation M, FINRA’s Market Regulation department reviews over-the-counter (OTC) trading and quoting activity for prohibited purchases, bids or attempts to induce bids or purchases during the applicable restricted period, and for prohibited short sales during the five-day period prior to pricing the offering.
Throughout your securities industry career, FINRA, other regulatory organizations and your employer collect and maintain a variety of information. Learn about all phases of your career in the securities industry, from considering becoming registered to taking exams to obligations when you leave the industry.
As part of FINRA’s Digital Experience Transformation, FINRA will begin consolidating most compliance system-generated notifications that are sent to firms into one notification system.
System-generated notifications will begin coming in a new format from:
E-mail: [email protected]
IP
The penny stock rules under the Exchange Act require broker-dealers engaging in certain over the counter transactions in low-priced stocks to provide customers with specified information. See Securities Exchange Act Release No. 30608 (April 20, 1992), 57 FR 18004 (April 28, 1992). The penny stock rules permit a broker-dealer to fulfill some of these disclosure obligations by relying on pricing
An alternative trading system (ATS) is an SEC-regulated trading venue in which a computerized system matches buy and sell orders of securities. An ATS is not a national securities exchange, an ATS may apply to the SEC to become a national securities exchange. An ATS that registers as a broker-dealer must also comply with the obligations associated with being a registered broker-dealer, including FINRA membership and compliance with FINRA rules.
(a) FINRA may provide a means to permit alternative trading systems ("ATSs"), as such term is defined in Regulation ATS, and electronic communications networks ("ECNs"), as such term is defined in Rule 600(b)(23) of SEC Regulation NMS, to comply with the display requirements of Rule 301(b)(3) of SEC Regulation ATS and the terms of the ECN display alternative provided for in
The Series 32 exam—the Limited Futures Examination-Regulations—is a National Futures Association (NFA) exam administered by FINRA.
INFORMATIONAL
Decimalization
SUGGESTED ROUTING
KEY TOPICS
Legal & Compliance
Operations
Options
Registered Representatives
Senior Management
Technology
Trading & Market Making
Decimalization
Executive Summary
Nasdaq® has released its most recent decimalization testing schedule. The test schedules and necessary registration information are provided in
2025 FINRA Annual Regulatory Oversight ReportThe Consolidated Audit Trail (CAT) topic of the 2025 FINRA Annual Regulatory Oversight Report (the Report) informs member firms’ compliance programs by providing annual insights from FINRA’s ongoing regulatory operations, including (1) regulatory obligations, (2) findings and effective practices, and (3) additional resources.SEC Rule 613 requires FINRA
