By Jim Toes, President & CEO, STA
At STA, we strongly believe that industry education is crucial for firms navigating our complex regulatory landscape and to maintain a healthy market system. This belief has been a cornerstone of our mission for nearly 90 years – and it’s a big reason why we’re proud to stage events like our Washington DC Spring Update. This year’s event, scheduled for Wednesday, April 19, will see congressional and regulatory leaders, as well as business decision-makers from across the industry, convene virtually to discuss the most important issues facing our market structure.
In the time since we hosted our last DC Spring Update, there has been a wave of significant industry and regulatory developments, from market turmoil to new rulemaking activity. In December 2022, the SEC unveiled the most comprehensive set of proposed reforms to the US equities market since Reg NMS was instituted in 2005. These equity market structure proposals addressed a range of issues including Rule 605, tick sizes, access fees, price transparency, retail auctions and best execution, sparking much debate around their potential impact on the larger trading landscape. Combine that with high-profile instances of turbulence in the digital assets space and recent flux in the banking industry, and it’s clear that our upcoming event and the discussions it will generate are occurring at a critical time.
One of the highlights of the event will be an interview with our featured regulatory speaker, SEC Commissioner Mark T. Uyeda, who will discuss the SEC’s perspective on key industry trends and recent efforts to facilitate transparency and liquidity in the face of market fluctuations. Another regulator on the agenda is Greg Ruppert, Executive Vice President of Member Services at FINRA, who will provide an update on the regulatory body’s 2023 priorities in a conversation moderated by Len Amoruso of AM 100 law firm Davis Wright Tremaine.
Additionally, a series of Congressional interviews with key members of the House Financial Services Committee – Rep. Byron Donalds (R-FL), Rep. Mike Flood (R-NE), Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ), Rep. Bill Huizenga (R-MI) and Rep. Brittany Pettersen (D-CO) – will provide a valuable opportunity to hear directly from lawmakers responsible for the oversight of the securities industry and gain insight into their priorities and planned initiatives.
In addition to hearing from the regulators and lawmakers themselves, attendees will get a neutral view of the state of play in DC when Joel Oswald of Williams & Jensen shares an assessment of the SEC’s initiatives and the potential implications for all industry stakeholders. Also on the agenda is a fireside discussion on ETFs with Giang Bui, Head of U.S. Exchange Traded Products at Nasdaq, Josh Khalif, Institutional Trader at Flow Traders, and Eric Pollackov, Global Head of ETF Capital Markets at Invesco. This discussion will represent the industry side of the regulatory equation and unpack how the SEC’s proposed rules and regulations will impact the operation of the ETF markets and their participants.
These are just a few reasons why this year’s Spring Update promises to be a valuable opportunity for professionals in the securities industry to stay informed and connected. Registration for the event is open now, and additional speakers will be announced in the coming days. Don’t miss this chance to stay up to date on the regulatory and governmental priorities shaping our industry’s future. We hope to (virtually) see you at the event!
