January 16, 2014

CFTC Expands Portal Capabilities to Make Public Submissions More Efficient and Secure

Washington, DC — The U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC or Commission) announced today that it has expanded the capabilities of an external portal that allows market participants and the general public to submit information more easily and securely while enhancing the CFTC’s ability to process submissions.

The CFTC Portal Project now allows the public and market participants, including designated contract markets (DCMs), derivatives clearing organizations (DCO), Swap Execution Facilities (SEF), Swap Dealers (SD) and Major Swap Participants (MSP), to more easily complete applications and submit data to CFTC in a timely and more confidential manner.

When Congress passed the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, the Commission was responsible for developing electronic mechanisms to support new requirements that were being implemented under the new law. The CFTC Portal Project was the mechanism developed over incremental phases to support these requirements for electronic submissions. Since the CFTC Portal Project’s inception in September 2012, more than 50 market participants have registered and more than 1,700 transactions have been processed, including more than 450 submissions from authenticated users.

The first phase of the CFTC Portal Project enabled the public to submit general and Whistleblower tips and complaints. Both forms allow users to securely submit information regarding suspicious activities or transactions in violation of the Commodity Exchange Act or Commission regulations. The second phase included the creation of an authenticated portal that enabled designated contract markets (DCMs) with accounts created by CFTC to login and submit quarterly financial resource reports to comply with CFR Title 17, Part 38.1101(f). The portal also gave derivatives clearing organizations (DCO) the ability to submit the condition of their financial resources on a monthly, quarterly, and annual basis; certification by the Chief Compliance Officer; and other event based submissions to comply with CFR Title 17, Part 39.

The Commission has incrementally released additional features through the CFTC Portal Project, including forms for submitting Swap Execution Facility (SEF) applications; Swap Dealer (SD) and Major Swap Participant (MSP) information; and filing unreported trade option data.

The Commission is continually improving and expanding its electronic operations through the CFTC Portal Project to better support users.

Last Updated: January 16, 2014