Americas – Page 3 – Global Investment Law Watch

United States: Cooking the Books: CFTC Turns Up the Heat on Voluntary Carbon Market Fraudsters

Oct 17 2024

By: Cheryl L. Isaac, Clifford C. Histed, and Benjamin C. Skillin

On 2 October 2024, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) announced multiple actions related to fraud in the voluntary carbon credit (VCC) market, just over one year after establishing the Environmental Fraud Task Force. Specifically, the CFTC filed a complaint in federal court against the former CEO of a carbon credit project developer and, on the same day, settled charges against CQC Impact Investors LLC (CQC) and its former COO, all related to a deceptive scheme purportedly intended to reduce carbon emissions.

United States: Why the CTA Should Be at the Top of Your End-of-Year Checklist

Oct 15 2024

By: C. Todd Gibson, Robert H. McCarthy Jr., and Jamie M. Robinson

The time has come to finalize those end-of-year checklists and for anyone with US entities, foreign entities doing business in the United States, or for those who are planning to form or register entities to do business in the United States, the United States Corporate Transparency Act (CTA) should be at the top of the list. This includes investment advisers and funds that they manage.

United States: Extra Credit Projects: SEC Settles Charges Against Carbon Offset Project Developer for US$250 Million Offering Fraud

Oct 07 2024

By: Pablo Man and Benjamin Skillin

On 2 October 2024, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) announced settled charges against one of the largest carbon credit project developers (the Developer), for fraudulently altering data concerning its business and making material misrepresentations in the offering of equity to institutional investors in the United States. The SEC’s order found that the Developer violated Section 17(a) of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 10(b) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and Rule 10b-5 thereunder.

United States: The Fed’s Recent Interest Rate Cut: A Step in the Right Direction for PE Sponsors

Sep 24 2024

By: Ed Dartley and Jamie M. Robinson

On 18 September 2024, the Federal Open Market Committee lowered the benchmark federal funds rate by 50 basis points to a target range of 4.75-5%. While this is welcome news on many levels, we expect that in the coming months it will have a real and positive impact on private equity sponsors, and particularly mid-sized and smaller sponsors.

United States: Gee, Have You Thought About Your 13G? (New Reporting Compliance Deadlines Start at Month-End)

Sep 10 2024

By: Pablo J. Man, C. Todd Gibson, and Lisa N. Ju

Updated on 26 September 2024

Starting 30 September 2024, the amendments to the Section 13 beneficial ownership rules under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (Amendments), as they relate to initial and amended Schedule 13G filings come into effect. The new accelerated deadlines for initial and amendment filings vary by investor type, as follows:

United States: CME Group Clarifies and Emphasizes the Duty to Supervise Trading on its Markets

Aug 09 2024

By: Clifford Histed and Cheryl Isaac

If you or your company trades on CME, CBOT, NYMEX or COMEX (CME Group exchanges, collectively referred to herein as “CME”), you will need to take note of CME’s new Market Regulation Advisory Notice (MRAN), which became effective on 16 July. The new MRAN is called “Supervisory Responsibilities for Employees and Agents” and should be reviewed closely to understand CME’s expectations related to diligent supervision, including policies, trainings, monitoring, remediation and sanctions.

United States: NFA Announces Effective Date for New Compliance Rule 2-52 and Related Guidance Re: Member Questionnaire

May 22 2024

By: Clifford C. Histed, Cheryl L. Issac, Matthew J. Rogers, and Wiley F. Cole

On 20 May 2024, the National Futures Association (NFA) announced that its recently finalized Compliance Rule 2-52, related Interpretive Notice 9082 and amended Bylaw 301 will go into effect on 15 October 2024. NFA members will be required to submit their Member Questionnaire (formerly, the Annual Questionnaire) at least annually, and sometimes more frequently, as required by the NFA. If an NFA member’s business operations materially change rendering previously provided information inaccurate or incomplete, the NFA member will be required promptly to update its Member Questionnaire. While NFA members may use their discretion to determine what constitutes a material change, Interpretive Notice 9082 provides illustrative guidance on this point.

Global: Three Things to Know About Cboe’s ETF Share Class Filing

Apr 23 2024

By: Stacy L. Fuller, Kevin R. Gustafson, Christine Mikhael and Crystal Liu

On 15 April 2024, Cboe BZX Exchange, Inc. (Cboe) filed an application pursuant to Rule 19b-4 under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), to amend its exchange-traded funds (ETFs) listing standards to permit ETF share classes issued by open-end investment companies that offer mutual fund share classes pursuant to any exemptive relief to be granted by the SEC.

United States: SEC Fines Adviser for Off-Channel Communications

Apr 05 2024

By: Lance C. Dial and Pablo J. Man

On 3 April 2024 the SEC announced the first off-channel communications settlement with a registered investment adviser who was not otherwise affiliated with a broker-dealer. This settlement provides new insight into how the SEC views adviser’s recordkeeping obligations, which are narrower than broker-dealer regulatory requirements.

United States: Out of the Shadows: SEC Shines a Light on Insider Trading

Apr 01 2024

By: Neil T. Smith, Hayley Trahan-Liptak, and Sophia A. Khan

The traditional understanding of how the government charges insider trading is evolving, as the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) pushes to expand the scope of what constitutes misappropriation of material non-public information (MNPI) under Rule 10b-5.

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