As regulators grapple with the emergence of digital assets, the U.S. Financial Industry Regulatory Authority Inc. (FINRA) is calling on firms to be transparent about any involvement they have in the fledgling sector.
In a notice to industry firms, FINRA said dealers should advise frontline staff of the self-regulatory organization if the firm or its reps are dealing in, or intend to deal in, digital assets. This includes assets that aren’t considered securities.
The activity covered in the notice includes trading directly in digital assets, dealing in funds that hold digital assets, providing advice on these kinds of assets, participating in initial coin offerings (ICOs), providing custody services, and mining cryptoassets, among others.
“As the area of digital assets continues to evolve and present unique regulatory challenges, FINRA believes it is important to keep the lines of communication with [dealers] open,” the SRO said.
FINRA added that firms should continue providing notifications of their digital asset activities through July 31, 2021.