March 16, 2020

CFTC Cancels March 19 Open Meeting  

Washington, D.C. — Commodity Futures Trading Commission Chairman Heath P. Tarbert today announced the open meeting scheduled for March 19 has been cancelled in response to recently issued guidance from the Office of Management and Budget and the President’s emergency declaration regarding COVID-19.

The Commission will instead consider the following items via seriatim this week:

• Final Rule: Amendment to Regulation 23.161—Compliance Schedule Extension for Initial Margin Requirements for Uncleared Swaps
• Final Interpretive Guidance: Retail Commodity Transactions Involving Certain Digital Assets

The CFTC will announce the results of the votes on these matters following completion. The proposed rule regarding amendments to compliance requirements for commodity pool operators on Form CPO-PQR will be voted on at a later date.

“This continues to be a fluid situation and the safety and health of our employees is my top priority,” said Chairman Tarbert. “Nevertheless, I am committed to moving forward with our policy agenda while also making sure we are taking appropriate action to facilitate orderly functioning of the U.S. derivatives markets.”

-CFTC-