Nasdaq Ditches Dusty 2021 Rules in Boring Cleanup Move

2026-20466, Adviser and Regulated Fund Custody Rules; Crypto Custody Rules

The SEC is updating rules for how investment advisers and funds handle crypto assets, making sure they keep these digital investments safe and properly reported. These changes affect advisers, funds, and anyone managing crypto securities, aiming to modernize rules and improve transparency. Comments on the proposal are open until December 7, 2026, so get ready to weigh in!

2026-19260, Rescission of Rule 14a-8's Federal Regulation of Shareholder Proposals and Amendments to Rule 14a-4

The SEC wants to stop its federal rule that controls how shareholders can make proposals at company meetings, letting state laws and company rules take over instead. They’re also changing rules so companies can sometimes vote on proposals not in their official materials—but shareholders can opt out if they want. This affects investors and companies, with comments open until November 20, 2026, and could shake up how shareholder voices are heard and counted.

2026-18424, Political Contributions by Certain Investment Advisers

The Securities and Exchange Commission (the "Commission" or the "SEC") is proposing to rescind the political contribution rule under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940 (the "Advisers Act"), which prohibits investment advisers from providing investment advisory services for compensation to a government client for two years after an adviser or any covered associate of the adviser makes a contribution to certain categories of elected officials or candidates, among other prohibitions. In the more than fifteen years since the rule was adopted, implementation challenges associated with the political contribution rule have resulted in a range of significant unintended consequences, including compliance practices among some investment advisers that may have had the effect of restricting all political contributions by the investment advisers and their employees. Market participants also have stated that the political contribution rule is burdensome, complex, and both lacks clarity and creates a de facto strict liability standard. The Commission is of the view that other existing requirements of the Advisers Act and its associated rules, including prohibitions on fraud, fiduciary duty requirements, the compliance rule, and the code of ethics rule (defined below), are likely sufficient to address pay-to-play practices while allowing an adviser the flexibility to implement an approach that is more appropriately tailored to its particular risks, rendering the political contribution rule unnecessary. The Commission also is proposing to amend the rule under the Advisers Act pertaining to books and records consistent with the proposed rescission.

2026-18190, Transfer Agent Rules

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC" or "Commission") is proposing to adopt new rules, amend existing rules, amend the existing form for registration with the Commission as a transfer agent (Form TA-1) and the existing form for reporting activities of transfer agents (Form TA-2), and rescind an existing rule governing registered transfer agents. The proposals are designed to modernize the rules governing registered transfer agents.

2026-17183, Regulation Crypto Assets

The Securities and Exchange Commission ("Commission") is proposing new rules to create a tailored offering regime for certain investment contracts involving crypto assets. The proposed offering regime is intended to facilitate capital formation and accommodate innovation within the crypto asset markets while, at the same time, ensuring that investors are adequately protected and provided with the information they need to make informed investment decisions. The proposed rules would be set forth in a new regulation titled "Regulation Crypto Assets" and would include two exemptions from the registration requirements of section 5 of the Securities Act of 1933. The first exemption would permit offerings of up to $5 million during a four-year period. The second exemption would permit offerings of up to $75 million during each 12-month period. Under both exemptions, issuers would be required to make certain principles-based narrative disclosures available to their investors. In addition, issuers under the second exemption would be required to provide financial statements and would be subject to ongoing reporting requirements. Issuers that rely on these exemptions would remain subject to the antifraud and antimanipulation provisions of the Federal securities laws. The proposed rules also would include a conditional safe harbor from the term "investment contract" in the definitions of "security" in the Securities Act of 1933 and the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. If the conditions of that proposed safe harbor are satisfied, then a crypto asset would be deemed not to be subject to an investment contract for purposes of those definitions of "security."

2026-12163, The Trade-Through Rule and Locked and Crossed Markets Provisions of Regulation NMS

The SEC wants to scrap some old rules that stop stocks from being traded at worse prices and prevent confusing market quotes. This change affects stock traders and exchanges, aiming to simplify trading and possibly speed things up. If you want to share your thoughts, you’ve got until August 17, 2026, so don’t miss out!

Previous: 2026-06469, Self-Regulatory Organizations; BOX Exchange LLC; Notice of Filing of Proposed Rule Change To Amend BOX Rules 5055 (FLEX Equity Options) and 3120 (Position Limits)

BOX Exchange wants to update its rules for special options tied to popular Bitcoin and Ethereum ETFs and trusts. These changes affect traders using FLEX equity options and position limits, aiming to keep things fair and clear. The new rules could impact how much traders can hold and trade, with the proposal open for public comments starting April 2026.

Next: 2026-06473, Self-Regulatory Organizations; Nasdaq PHLX LLC; Notice of Filing and Immediate Effectiveness of a Proposal To Amend the Exchange's Anti-Internalization Functionality in Equity 4, Rule 3307, and To Extend the Implementation Date of the CORE FIX Order Entry Protocol

Nasdaq PHLX is updating a rule that helps stop trades from accidentally happening within the same firm, which keeps trading costs down. They’re also pushing back the start date for a new order entry system called CORE FIX. These changes affect traders using Nasdaq PHLX and aim to make trading smoother without extra costs, with the new system launch delayed to give everyone more time to get ready.