Recently there has been considerable discussion, debate, and confusion as to whether Rule 15c2-11 (Rule) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (Exchange Act) applies to debt securities.   Although this article does not address the extent to which Rule 15c2-11 does or should apply to debt securities in general, it does focus on whether the Rule applies to one group of fixed income securities, namely "government securities" as defined in Section 3(a)(12)(A)(i) of the Exchange Act.   It concludes that, based on statutory structure, precedent, and policy, the Rule does not apply to such securities.

In the run-up to the September 28, 2021, Compliance Date for the amendments to Rule 15c2-11 under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (Exchange Act), the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has approved amendments to Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) Rule 6432.   The amendments revise FINRA Form 211 and establish new requirements for "qualified inter-dealer quotation systems" (QIDQS).

Stephen Gannon of the firm's FinTech & Blockchain and Banking & Financial Services practices will be a speaker at the Wyoming Blockchain Stampede, hosted by The University of Wyoming's Center for Blockchain and Digital Innovation. Murphy & McGonigle is proud to sponsor the event, which takes place from September 21-26. Mr. Gannon will be a guest speaker during the WyoHackathon event on September 23.

London Digital Asset Week will be focusing on two separate overriding subject areas across different summits during the week. Their goal is to bring the traditional funding and listing players together with new digital exchange and platform opportunities, and to advocate for the institutional adoption of digital assets.

Financial services law firm Murphy & McGonigle announced today the addition of a new Partner to its Chicago office, Ross Pazzol, an accomplished financial services lawyer who brings experience to clients from both the Chicago Mercantile Exchange and the Securities and Exchange Commission. Mr. Pazzol joins from CME Group, where he served as Assistant General Counsel for the past five years.

On September 7, 2021, El Salvador became "the world's first crypto-nation.

The SEC sued a crypto lending platform and its top executives alleging they were involved in a global $2 billion fraud, confirming the SEC’s recent commitment to enforcement actions relating to digital asset and crypto investment misconduct.