Commodity Futures Trading Commission June 2020 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Commodity Futures Trading Commission (``CFTC'' or the ``Commission'') is announcing an opportunity for public comment on the proposed revision to the collection of certain information by the Commission. Under the Paperwork Reduction Act (``PRA''), Federal agencies are required to publish notice in the Federal Register concerning each proposed collection of information and to allow 60 days for public comment. The Commission revised its Form 8-R, the application form that individuals use to register with the Commission or to be listed as a principal. This notice solicits comments on the PRA implications of the revisions to Form 8-R, including comments that address the burdens associated with the modified information collection requirements of the revised Form 8-R.

The Commodity Futures Trading Commission (the ``Commission'' or ``CFTC'') is issuing this final interpretive guidance concerning the term ``actual delivery'' as set forth in the Commodity Exchange Act (``CEA'') pursuant to the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (the ``Dodd-Frank Act''). Specifically, this final interpretive guidance is being issued to inform the public of the Commission's views when determining whether actual delivery has occurred in the context of retail commodity transactions in certain types of digital assets that serve as a medium of exchange, colloquially known as ``virtual currencies.'' The Commission issues this interpretive guidance after a 90-day comment period and a significant amount of time and effort further observing the development of the digital asset and virtual currency marketplace.

The Commodity Futures Trading Commission (Commission) is proposing to amend the conditions in Commission regulation 3.10(c) under which a person located outside of the United States engaged in the activity of a commodity pool operator (CPO; each person located outside of the United States a non-U.S. CPO) in connection with commodity interest transactions on behalf of persons located outside the United States (collectively, an offshore commodity pool or offshore pool) would qualify for an exemption from CPO registration and regulation with respect to that offshore pool. Specifically, through amendments to Commission regulation 3.10(c), the Commission is proposing that non-U.S. CPOs may claim an exemption from registration with respect to its qualifying offshore commodity pools, while maintaining another exemption from registration, relying on an exclusion, or registering as a CPO with respect to the operation of other commodity pools. The Commission is also proposing to add a safe harbor by which a non-U.S. CPO of an offshore commodity pool may rely upon the proposed exemption in Commission regulation 3.10(c) if they satisfy enumerated factors related to the operation of the offshore commodity pool. Additionally, the Commission is proposing to permit certain U.S. control affiliates of a non-U.S. CPO to contribute capital to such CPO's offshore pools as part of the initial capitalization without rendering the non-U.S. CPO ineligible for the exemption from registration under Commission regulation 3.10.

The Commodity Futures Trading Commission (the ``Commission'') is proposing amendments to its regulations governing bankruptcy proceedings of commodity brokers. The proposed amendments are meant to comprehensively update those regulations to reflect current market practices and lessons learned from past commodity broker bankruptcies.