Washington, D.C. — The Commodity Futures Trading Commission and the Securities and Exchange Commission, at their first joint open meeting to vote on rulemaking initiatives, today approved: (1) a joint final rule to harmonize the minimum margin level for security futures held in a futures account with the minimum margin level for security futures held in a securities portfolio margin account, and (2) the issuance of a joint request for comment on the portfolio margining of uncleared swaps and non-cleared security-based swaps. 

The joint final rule and request for comment are two components of the Commissions’ ongoing efforts to further harmonize their regulatory regimes to better serve the markets and investors. 

“The markets the CFTC and SEC regulate are highly interconnected, so coordination is vital to regulatory effectiveness. The historic joint open meeting of our two agencies reflects our strong commitment to cooperation and harmonizing our efforts where appropriate,” said CFTC Chairman Heath P. Tarbert. “Today’s final rule represents an important example of our long history of cooperation regarding the joint regulation of security futures. I am pleased that the Commissions will continue this collaboration to examine potential ways to implement the portfolio margining of uncleared swaps and non-cleared security-based swaps.”

“Collaboration and coordination between the two Commissions are critical to achieving our shared regulatory objectives,” said SEC Chairman Jay Clayton. “I want to express my thanks to my colleagues at both the SEC and CFTC for their hard work, and I look forward to continuing to work together to improve our markets, including exploring potential opportunities for efficiencies in portfolio margining.”

Additional information on these rulemakings, including statements of the CFTC Chairman and the Commissioners, can be found here.