Year: 2026

July carried forward the defining securities regulatory themes of 2026: modernization of supervision, a steady move away from prescriptive rules toward risk-based frameworks, and the rapid migration of artificial intelligence from a technology concern into a core compliance obligation. FINRA advanced proposals that would reshape how firms supervise communications and administer qualification exams, the SEC’s clock continued to run on a pending rule that would consolidate outside activity requirements, and a newly effective category of retirement account began surfacing questions that reach into both broker-dealer and investment adviser programs. For broker-dealers and investment advisers alike, the throughline is consistent: regulators […]

July sustained the high-volume, multi-dimensional pace that has defined insurance regulation throughout 2026. Artificial intelligence continued its move into insurance oversight as additional jurisdictions issued governance guidance; states advanced continuing education changes in both directions, adding new pathways and eliminating longstanding requirements; and the wave of health-coverage mandates, catastrophe-driven property measures, and consumer-protection and market-conduct activity showed no sign of slowing. For carriers, agencies, and compliance teams, the picture remains one of continuous, cross-functional change spanning claims, underwriting, licensing, coverage design, and market conduct simultaneously. Meanwhile, the annuity best interest training requirement — now in place across 49 states — […]

June continued the high-volume, multi-dimensional pace that has defined insurance regulation all year, and early-July activity confirms the workload is not slowing heading into the second half of 2026. At the state level, a growing number of jurisdictions moved on licensing fees, adjuster requirements, and line-of-business mandates, while a discernible trend toward higher licensing and continuing education provider fees began to take shape. On the federal side, CMS remained the dominant driver of operational compliance activity, but Treasury, OFAC, PBGC, and FinCEN each surfaced developments with direct implications for insurers’ reporting, tax, and anti-money laundering functions. And the annuity best […]

June reinforced the securities regulatory themes that have defined 2026: modernization, deregulation, and an increasingly assertive posture toward emerging market structures and investor protection. The SEC advanced its deregulatory agenda while sharpening its focus on investment adviser conduct; FINRA’s Board of Governors pressed forward on supervision modernization and continuing education reforms; and the NFA proposed meaningful revisions to its branch office supervision rules. Early-July activity carried these threads forward and added new ones — including reduced FINRA qualification exam retake waiting periods, expanded trade reporting hours moving the industry toward near-continuous operations, a new SEC enforcement focus on retail fraud, […]