SEC Issues Roadmap on Phasing in Derivatives Regulation

The SEC issued a policy statement describing the order in which it expects new rules regulating the derivatives market would take effect. The statement covers final rules to be adopted by the SEC under the 2010 Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act.

The SEC is requesting public comment on its plan to phase in final rules regulating security-based swaps and security-based swap market participants. The policy statement does not estimate when the rules would be put in place, but describes the sequence in which they would take effect. The phased-in approach is intended to avoid the disruption that could occur if all the new rules took effect simultaneously. To date, the Commission has proposed nearly all the rules required under the Act and already has begun to adopt those rules.

In addition, the policy statement discusses the timing of the expiration of the temporary relief the SEC previously granted to securities-based swaps market participants.

The SEC will seek public comments for 60 days after the date of the policy statement’s publication in the Federal Register.