(Washington)

The SEC’s Investor Advocate has pointed out that Reg BI is under threat. Some of the developments in the market have meant that Reg BI may be rendered useless. In particular, the increasing use of “nudges” in trading inevitably rubs against the fundamental meaning of Reg BI. If trading platforms for retail investors are constantly using “nudges”, or encouragements to trade, how much does that constitute a recommendation? That is the esoteric question that the SEC must address. According to the SEC’s Investor Advocate, Rick Fleming, “In my view, it appears that the use of certain DEPs, by gamifying securities trading for retail customers, could significantly influence these retail customers’ investment decisions in ways that were not fully contemplated when the commission adopted Reg BI with its important distinction between solicited and unsolicited trading.

FINSUM: Reg BI is only a couple years old and it is already antiquated!