Week of October 25 - November 1, 2026

🗓️ October 27, 2026

• CFTC Sues to Block State Enforcement in Utah Amid Ongoing Efforts to Preserve Jurisdiction. Washington - The Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) has filed a lawsuit against Utah to prevent the state from using its laws to shut down CFTC-registered contract markets. This legal action follows Utah’s civil enforcement actions against these markets, which the CFTC argues obstructs Congress’s federal preemption of state law. CFTC Chairman Michael S. Selig emphasized the importance of event contracts for providing public information and reaffirmed the CFTC’s exclusive jurisdiction over these markets, noting similar legal actions against nine other states. 🔗 Read more
• EIOPA staff paper sets out four-pillar approach to integrating behavioral insights into conduct of business supervision. The European Insurance and Occupational Pensions Authority (EIOPA) has published a Staff Paper outlining a four-pillar framework to help supervisory authorities apply behavioral insights in business supervision to improve consumer outcomes. The framework includes defining and assessing consumer outcomes, understanding consumer behavior, considering interventions at different levels, and combining evidence-gathering methods. The paper provides examples from EIOPA’s work, such as the natural catastrophe insurance protection gap and credit protection insurance sold through banks, to illustrate the proposed approach. 🔗 Read more

🗓️ October 28, 2026

• Federal Reserve issues FOMC statement. The Federal Open Market Committee decided to maintain the target range for the federal funds rate at 3-3/4 to 4 percent to support the Federal Reserve’s dual mandate and is continuing its policy of maintaining ample reserves in the banking system. Economic activity is expanding at a strong pace with resilient domestic spending, strong productivity growth, robust capital investment, and steady job gains, while inflation remains elevated. The Committee will gather more information to determine the appropriate policy stance to ensure a timely return of inflation to its 2 percent goal and deliver price stability. 🔗 Read more
• SIFMA Foundation and FINRA Announce Strategic Alliance to Expand Investor Education. WASHINGTON and NEW YORK - FINRA and the SIFMA Foundation have announced a strategic alliance to expand access to financial education for young people nationwide, leveraging their expertise to help investors develop the knowledge and skills needed for informed financial decisions. The partnership aims to reach more young people and families by broadening access to practical investing education, with a focus on engaging digital-native investors. The SIFMA Foundation’s flagship program, The Stock Market Game, has reached over 24 million young people since its launch in 1977, highlighting the importance of early financial education. 🔗 Read more
• The Star ordered to pay $260 million for serious AML/CTF breaches. The Federal Court has ordered The Star Entertainment Group to pay a penalty of $260 million for breaching Australia’s anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing laws. This follows previous penalties totaling $200 million and the suspension of The Star’s casino licenses. The Court found that The Star allowed high-risk customers to gamble without proper checks, with revenue from junkets alone exceeding $1.4 billion and profit from high-risk customers over the period from November 2016 to November 2022 being approximately $1.33 billion. 🔗 Read more

🗓️ October 29, 2026

• Federal Reserve Board announces approval of application by The Bank of Nova Scotia. The Federal Reserve Board approved The Bank of Nova Scotia’s application to become a bank holding company by acquiring Maple Financial Holdings, Inc., which includes MapleMark Bank. This acquisition involves The Bank of Nova Scotia, based in Toronto, Canada, and Maple Financial Holdings, Inc., located in Dallas, Texas. 🔗 Read more
• Two Entities Charged in $130 Million Fraud Scheme That Used False SEC Filings to Boost Investor Confidence.  Washington D.C. - The Securities and Exchange Commission charged BG Wealth Sharing Ltd and DSJ Exchange Pty Ltd for a fraud scheme involving false SEC filings to deceive investors into a supposed wealth-sharing program, raising over $130 million. The defendants falsely claimed to be a large hedge fund and a secure crypto trading platform, using various communication channels and fake certificates to maintain the illusion. The SEC’s complaint, filed in California, seeks injunctions, disgorgement, and penalties against the entities, citing violations of securities laws. 🔗 Read more
• SEC Charges Crypto-Asset Joint Venture Partners and Their Principals with an Alleged Multi-Year $200 Million Offering Fraud. The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) charged Blox Lending, LLC, Jason R. Anderson, Digital Licensing, Inc., Schad Brannon, and Roydon Nelson with alleged offering fraud, raising at least $200 million from over 100,000 retail investors through DEBT Box. The complaint claims that from November 2021 to August 2023, the defendants falsely represented that DEBT Box crypto assets were linked to revenue-generating real-world projects, using over $101 million in investor funds for Ponzi-like payments. The SEC seeks permanent injunctions, civil penalties, and disgorgement, with Brannon and Nelson agreeing to pay significant disgorgement and penalties, while DLI faces a civil penalty of $591,127. 🔗 Read more
• The EBA advises on targeted simplifications to Taxonomy disclosures. The European Banking Authority (EBA) has responded to the European Commission’s Call for Technical Advice on key performance indicators (KPIs) and the Disclosures Delegated Act under the Taxonomy Regulation, advising on changes to streamline disclosure requirements and enhance usability. The EBA’s advice focuses on removing certain KPIs, simplifying investment firms’ ‘other services’ KPI, aligning grandfathering provisions with the EU Green Bond Regulation, and simplifying group disclosures, among other recommendations. These suggestions were developed in cooperation with ESMA and EIOPA, considering feedback from a public consultation. 🔗 Read more
• EIOPA risk dashboard highlights market and cyber risks as key concerns for Europe’s insurers. The European Insurance and Occupational Pensions Authority (EIOPA) released its October 2026 Insurance Risk Dashboard, highlighting elevated market and cyber risks in a complex geopolitical environment. Macroeconomic risks are medium with a deteriorating outlook due to geopolitical instability and rising interest rates, while credit risks remain stable due to high-quality asset portfolios. Market risks are elevated due to bond market volatility, and while solvency and profitability risks are stable, insurance risks have declined to low levels. ESG-related risks are stable with a modest increase in green bond holdings, but the outlook is expected to worsen, and digitalisation and cyber risks are elevated with a worsening outlook. 🔗 Read more
• ESMA proposes simpler EU Taxonomy reporting. The European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) has published its Final Report offering technical advice to the European Commission on simplifying key performance indicators under the Taxonomy Disclosures Delegated Act. ESMA suggests narrowing the mandatory operating expenditure KPI to non-capitalised research and development expenditure and proposes simpler group Taxonomy reporting by removing the weighted-average KPI. These proposals aim to reduce the reporting burden while maintaining the relevance, comparability, and reliability of Taxonomy disclosures. 🔗 Read more

🗓️ October 30, 2026

• SEC Issues Exemptive Relief from Treasury Clearing Requirements for Certain Inter-Affiliate and Non-U.S. Repo Transactions. Washington D.C. - The Securities and Exchange Commission issued exemptive relief to assist broker-dealers and market participants in transitioning to central clearing of U.S. Treasury securities by excluding certain repo transactions involving non-U.S. counterparties and inter-affiliate repo transactions from eligible secondary market transactions. This relief follows extensive public engagement and aims to address practical concerns while maintaining the benefits of central clearing, with the SEC extending compliance dates and launching a one-stop webpage for updates and resources. 🔗 Read more
• SEC Charges Investment Adviser for Alleged Breaches of Fiduciary Duty in Connection with Unsuitable Investments in Leveraged and Inverse ETFs. The Securities and Exchange Commission charged Cary Urich, an investment adviser from Greenville, South Carolina, with breaches of fiduciary duty for using leveraged and inverse ETFs in discretionary client accounts, which resulted in significant losses for 54 clients, mostly elderly. Urich allegedly held these high-risk investments for an average of 798 days, contrary to the short-term holding period recommended, and failed to disclose the associated risks and negative returns. Without admitting the allegations, Urich consented to a final judgment that would enjoin him from violating antifraud provisions, bar him from acting as an investment adviser for two years, and impose a $100,000 civil penalty. 🔗 Read more
• SEC Files Settled Action as to Connecticut Resident and His Company for Operating Alleged Fraudulent Investment Scheme. The Securities and Exchange Commission filed settled charges against Bran Crudden and his company, Transparent Equity Entrepreneurs, LLC, for allegedly operating a fraudulent investment scheme. Crudden and Transparent Equity agreed to pay $910,577 in monetary relief, including $544,390 in disgorgement and $129,736 in prejudgment interest, without admitting the allegations. The final judgment, if approved, would also impose a permanent injunction on Crudden, prohibiting him from engaging in securities transactions except for his own accounts, and require him to pay a civil penalty of $236,451. 🔗 Read more
• Two Entities Charged in $130 Million Fraud Scheme That Used False SEC Filings to Boost Investor Confidence. The Securities and Exchange Commission charged BG Wealth Sharing Ltd and DSJ Exchange Pty Ltd for orchestrating a fraud scheme involving false SEC filings to raise over $130 million from tens of thousands of retail investors. The entities falsely claimed to offer a risk-free wealth-sharing program with extraordinary returns, misrepresented their status as a registered hedge fund and secure crypto trading platform, and submitted false filings to appear legitimate. The SEC’s complaint, filed in the Northern District of California, seeks permanent injunctions, disgorgement with prejudgment interest, civil penalties, and conduct-based injunctions against BG Wealth. 🔗 Read more
• FDIC Board Approves Notice of Proposed Rulemaking for Large-Bank Deposit Insurance Determination Modernization. Washington - The FDIC Board of Directors approved a notice of proposed rulemaking to rescind part 370 recordkeeping rule for insured depository institutions (IDIs) with two million or more deposit accounts. The proposal would amend the Large-Bank Deposit Insurance Determination Modernization rule to apply to these IDIs, relieving them from maintaining deposit insurance calculation systems while aligning recordkeeping burdens without impeding the FDIC’s ability to calculate deposit insurance. IDIs currently covered by section 360.9 would not face new requirements or additional burdens. 🔗 Read more
• FDIC Publishes September Enforcement Actions. Washington - The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) published a list of administrative enforcement actions taken against banks and individuals in September 2026, including 17 orders, one Notice of Charges, and one adjudicated Decision. These actions comprised various orders such as a combined order to pay, written agreements, orders terminating consent orders, orders of prohibition, orders of termination of insurance, and orders terminating waiver orders. No administrative hearings are scheduled for November 2026. 🔗 Read more
• EIOPA publishes its final advice on enhancements to insurers’ corporate disclosures under the EU Taxonomy. The European Insurance and Occupational Pensions Authority (EIOPA) has published its Advice on the review of (re)insurance disclosures under the Taxonomy Disclosures Delegated Act, aiming to simplify reporting and improve transparency in insurance undertakings’ Taxonomy disclosures. EIOPA recommends changes to the Underwriting Key Performance Indicator (KPI), including renaming it to Adaptation Underwriting KPI, defining a common calculation method, and limiting the denominator to eight eligible lines of business. Additionally, EIOPA suggests removing irrelevant information from reporting templates and advises against introducing the Operational Expenditure KPI, while recommending simplified group-level reporting using the parent undertaking’s KPI. 🔗 Read more
• Brits nearly twice as likely to spot pressure tactics in horror films as investment red flags. A survey of UK 18 to 40-year-olds revealed that while many can identify classic horror warning signs, they struggle to recognize similar tactics in investment opportunities. For instance, 65% identified ‘this is your only chance’ as a horror warning, but only 36% became more cautious when faced with a ‘last chance to buy’ investment. Additionally, peer pressure and hype significantly influence investment decisions, with 29% feeling reassured by friends’ excitement rather than conducting their own research. Lucy Castledine from the FCA emphasized the importance of research before acting on investment opportunities, and the FCA’s InvestSmart campaign aims to help consumers make informed decisions. 🔗 Read more