The SEC Division of Corporate Finance waived a bank's "bad actor" disqualification from exemptions provided by Rule 506 under Regulation D.

The CFTC requested comments on simplifying rules and practices in order to make them less costly and complex. Acting Chair J. Christopher Giancarlo stated that responses to the Project KISS ("Keep It Simple, Stupid") initiative should focus on enhancements rather than rewrites or repeals.

The SEC approved a proposed rule change that will permit the listing and trading of the first quadruple-leveraged exchange-traded funds ("ETFs"). Prior to this approval, the highest-leveraged ETFs offered three times leveraged (or inverse leveraged) exposure to their benchmarks.

The House of Representatives passed the Fair Access to Investment Research Act of 2017. The bill is intended to establish a safe harbor that would permit broker-dealers to issue research reports that cover exchange-traded funds.

The CFTC proposed rule amendments that would (i) define the term "senior officer," (ii) clarify the responsibilities of a chief compliance officer employed by a futures commission merchant, swap dealer, or major swap participant, and (iii) modify the content and submission requirements of a CCO annual report.