The Securities and Exchange Commission and the National Futures Association signed a Memorandum of Understanding on May 21, 2026, formalizing a collaboration designed to cut through the regulatory tangle that has long frustrated market participants. The deal, signed in Washington, D.C., commits both organizations to sharing information more freely, coordinating examinations, and trimming redundant oversight.
The agreement centers on three priorities: tackling emerging risks in financial markets, improving compliance oversight for derivatives and securities laws, and eliminating duplicative regulatory efforts between the SEC and NFA.
The NFA serves as the primary self-regulatory organization for the US futures industry, operating under the oversight of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission. Where their jurisdictions collide, particularly around complex derivatives and hybrid products, firms have often been caught in a regulatory no-man’s-land.
Under the new arrangement, both organizations will hold periodic staff meetings to coordinate on examination planning, market conditions, and shared regulatory priorities.
SEC Chairman Paul S. Atkins framed the MOU as a milestone for financial oversight. NFA President and CEO Thomas W. Sexton echoed the sentiment, positioning the agreement as a meaningful step toward better supervision of an increasingly complex market landscape.
