There are benefits to extended and 24-hour trading, and exchanges entering the space may bring in more liquidity partially limiting risk, but compliance teams need to enhance their systems and procedures. There are more considerations than simply extending the hours: staffing and processes need to be modified for the additional hours, systems need to be updated or redesigned, and they both need to be adjusted for the different market dynamic that happens outside of the 9-5 window.
May 2025 Capital Markets Regulatory Updates
19 May 2025: The International Organization of Securities Commissions (IOSCO) released three final reports on finfluencers, online imitative trading practices and digital engagement practices, as part of its global strategy to protect retail investors from online fraud and misinformation.
12 May 2025: The European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) launched a consultation on proposed changes to the Market Abuse Regulation and MiFID II under the Listing Act, aiming to reduce administrative burdens and improve capital market access while maintaining market integrity and investor confidence.
9 May 2025: The FCA finalized rules allowing pooled investment funds to combine payments for research and trading services, aiming to enhance access to high-quality investment research, boost market efficiency, and support competition and cross-border research purchases.
8 May 2025: At the SEC’s 31st International Institute for Securities Market Growth and Development, a Commissioner emphasized that balanced, innovation-friendly regulation is essential for thriving capital markets, highlighting efforts to modernize rules—especially around tokenized securities—and calling for global collaboration to foster growth and investor confidence.
2 May 2025: The FCA released a discussion paper seeking feedback on the future regulation of crypto asset activities as part of its Crypto Roadmap, aiming to balance innovation with consumer protection and market integrity ahead of upcoming legislation.
29 April 2025: The ESMA issued guidelines to help national regulators prevent and detect market abuse in crypto assets under MiCAR, emphasizing risk-based supervision, cross-border coordination and the challenges of crypto trading and social media influence.
Latest Fines and Enforcement Actions
- The Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) is suing a trading firm for allegedly misreporting up to 1.5 billion short sales over 14 years due to systemic failures.
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The SEC charged Unicoin, Inc. and its executives for making false statements in offerings of certificates linked to Unicoin tokens and common stock, misleading over 5,000 investors with exaggerated claims about asset backing and sales figures.
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The United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York announced that three individuals pleaded guilty to securities fraud for engaging in an insider trading scheme involving Kaman Corporation’s acquisition, profiting over $1 million illegally
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CME Group fined and suspended a broker for repeatedly making unauthorized account changes and trade transfers in Copper futures markets, resulting in significant losses to a corporate account, without customers’ knowledge or consent.
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The South African Financial Sector Conduct Authority (FSCA) fined Ninety One Fund Managers SA (RF) (Pty) Ltd R3 million and issued a directive for remediation after the firm failed to comply with anti-money laundering provisions.
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The Hong Kong Eastern Magistrates’ Courts convicted brothers-in-law for conspiring to commit false trading in Pa Shun International Holdings shares and additionally convicted one brother for failing to disclose changes in his shareholding to SEHK on eight occasions.
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The CFTC dropped its appeal against a court ruling allowing KalshiEX LLC to offer election-based event contracts, signaling a shift in regulatory posture toward prediction markets.
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The New Zealand Financial Markets Authority (FMA) – Te Mana Tatai Hokohoko ordered a retail investor to pay a NZ$198,000 penalty for deliberately manipulating the price of Rua Bioscience shares through small, non-genuine trades in breach of market conduct laws.
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The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) barred Patel Wealth Advisors and four directors from the securities market and ordered the seizure of ₹3.2 crore in alleged illegal gains for engaging in spoofing.
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The SEC charged three individuals with fraud for orchestrating a multi-year scheme that generated over $21 million by manipulating the stock of American Green, Inc. through discounted share sales, false disclosures and promotional tactics.
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