Release: 6291-12

For Release: June 28, 2012

CFTC Approves Notice of Proposed Rulemaking to Enhance its Identification of Futures and Swap Market Participants

Washington, DC – The Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC or Commission) has approved for publication in the Federal Register proposed rules and related forms to enhance its identification of participants in Commission-regulated futures and swaps markets. The proposed rules would enhance and automate the Commission’s existing position and transaction reporting programs by requiring the electronic submission of expanded trader identification and market participant data.

In addition, the proposed rules would strengthen the Commission’s existing trade practice and market surveillance programs for futures and options on futures, and facilitate surveillance programs for swaps. In the aggregate, the proposed rules would help the Commission to better deter and prevent market manipulation; deter and detect abusive or disruptive trading practices; and better perform risk-based monitoring and surveillance between related accounts. The proposed rules would also significantly enhance the Commission’s ability to identify participants in the derivatives markets and to understand relationships between trading accounts, special accounts, reportable positions, and market activity.

The proposed rules incorporate a revised approach to the Commission’s previous initiative to collect an ownership and control report (OCR) for trading accounts active on designated contract markets (DCMs) or swap execution facilities (SEFs). The Commission is separately publishing in the Federal Register a notice withdrawing its previous proposal with respect to the OCR.

The Commission invites the public and interested parties to comment on the proposed rules and forms. Comments will be due on or before 60 days after the notice of proposed rulemaking is published in the Federal Register. Comments may be submitted electronically through the CFTC’s Comments Online Process (www.cftc.gov). All comments will be posted on the Commission’s website.

Last Updated: June 28, 2012