U.S. securities regulators have approved a rule that will bring more transparency to over-the-counter (OTC) equity trading.
The U.S. Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) announced on Thursday that the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has given its blessing to FINRA’s proposal to expand its transparency initiative for OTC equities.
Under the new rule, FINRA will publish data on all equity volume executed over-the-counter by FINRA members, in addition to the alternative trading system (ATS) volume that it already publishes. By doing so, FINRA will expand volume transparency to the entire OTC market, which, FINRA says, will enable traders and investors to better understand a firm’s trading volume and market share.
The rule “is designed to bring additional transparency to this area of the financial markets, as part of an ongoing effort to help enhance investor confidence,” FINRA says.
Non-ATS volume will be published on the same schedule as ATS volume, with built in reporting delays. In addition, a firm’s aggregate non-ATS volume for each month will be published on a delayed basis.
FINRA plans to announce the timing for the new reporting regime in an upcoming regulatory notice.