Regulation
A thicket of new rules has sprung up around the investing community. Some of them apply directly and specifically to certain types of firms; others snare activities or individuals. All carry more weight than they may have done in the past, as the penalties for non-compliance have increased.
Risk.net focuses on regulation that relates to our other coverage areas – essentially, risk management and risk transfer. Right now, that includes rules and guidelines on liquidity risk, capital requirements, conduct, clearing and margining, as well as supervisory expectations around best execution and operational risk.
Hedge funds doubt tall tales around UK short-selling review
FCA has never used powers to ban short-selling, but reporting tweaks would be welcome

UK’s plans to ditch share trading rules threaten liquidity
Asset managers say London’s decision to relax EU equity regime will fragment liquidity – with unpredictable consequences

Top Fed watchdog supports non-bank Sifi designation
Vice-chair Barr complains regulators lack “even basic data” on some areas of shadow banking

Hedge funds warn SEC dealer rule is ‘unenforceable’
Private funds say they are collateral damage of poorly drafted push to regulate PTFs
Federated’s CIO on the fight to save prime MMFs
SEC reform proposal could be final nail in coffin for institutional prime funds
Have corporate bond markets outgrown the plumbing?
Regulators must examine both investor demand and dealer liquidity supply, say Iosco experts
Regulators need to go back to fundamentals on fund risks
Policy-makers need to identify risks posed by open-ended investment funds more precisely
SEC outdoes Europe on hedge fund, private equity disclosures
US to ban preferential treatment and introduce quarterly performance updates in rule shake-up
Investment fund leverage: the known unknowns
More work needed on first-mover redemption incentives and margin calls, says Iosco chief
US prime fund swing pricing proposal sparks industry alarm
Some fear SEC rule would repel investors; high liquidity requirements could make funds uneconomic
SEC stock loan disclosure plan won’t make markets more equal
The GameStop saga showed that securities lending is opaque. New rules are unlikely to improve things
In over their heads? How greenwashing overwhelms regulators
Difficult to identify and difficult to prove: asset managers doubt regulators’ ability to crack down
Prime MMFs accept need for higher liquid asset ratios
But industry wants regulators to steer clear of mandatory swing pricing or gates
TCFD backs carbon disclosure, but not temperature scores
Influential standard setter decides the implied temperature rise ‘is not ready’ for funds
Insurers’ favourite credit rating becomes more expensive
US institutions face a dilemma: go up a rating and lose yield or go down a rating and increase risk
Green bonds risk failing TLAC test
Europe’s banks – in their scramble to issue ethical debt – butt up against tough rules on loss-absorbing capital
Green push from SEC could trigger another ‘Enron’, says Peirce
SEC commissioner warns that mandating ESG disclosure standards would distort capital flows
Banks and HFTs team up to solve exchange outage dilemma
Hopes that ‘gentlemen’s agreement’ can break first-mover disadvantage for liquidity providers
Green figures: EU funds search for sustainable taxonomy data
Fund managers must report compliance with taxonomy before many investee companies
Shades of green: sustainability guidance may not help EU funds
Talk of high SFDR hurdle for ESG funds stokes fears “sustainable” label will be unobtainable
Trouble in the family: regulators’ options after Archegos
What rule changes are needed in response to the messy collapse of Bill Hwang’s firm?
EU still undecided on how to implement minimum repo haircuts
Concerns over non-bank leverage may derail push to include haircuts in bank capital rules
New Hong Kong fund rules collide with China’s poor ESG data
Under proposed rules, funds will need climate risk data from investee firms, many of them Chinese
A bitcoin ETF could threaten the world’s biggest crypto fund
Regulated funds may suck away demand for Grayscale’s off-exchange investment trusts