17 C.F.R. Appendix A to Part 37—Guidance on Compliance With Registration Criteria
Title 17 - Commodity and Securities Exchanges
This appendix provides guidance on meeting the criteria for registration under Sections 5a(c) and 6 of the Act and this part, both initially and on an ongoing basis. The guidance following each registration criterion is illustrative only of the types of matters an applicant may address, as applicable, and is not intended to be used as a mandatory checklist. Addressing the issues and questions set forth in this appendix would help the Commission in its consideration of whether the application has met the criteria for registration. To the extent that compliance with, or satisfaction of, a criterion for registration is not self-explanatory from the face of the derivatives transaction execution facility's rules, (as defined in §40.1 of this chapter), the application should include an explanation or other form of documentation demonstrating that the applicant meets the registration criteria of Section 5a(c) of the Act and §37.5. Registration Criterion 1 of section 5a(c) of the Act: IN GENERAL—To be registered as a registered derivatives transaction execution facility, the board of trade shall be required to demonstrate to the Commission only that the board of trade meets the criteria specified in §37.5(b). A board of trade preparing to submit to the Commission an application to operate as a registered derivatives transaction execution facility is encouraged to contact Commission staff for guidance and assistance in preparing its application. Applicants may submit a draft application for review prior to the submission of an actual application without triggering the application review procedures of §37.5. Registration Criterion 2 of section 5a(c) of the Act: DETERRENCE OF ABUSES—The board of trade shall establish and enforce trading and participation rules that will deter abuses and has the capacity to detect, investigate, and enforce those rules, including means to—(A) obtain information necessary to perform the functions required under this section; or (B) use technological means to—(i) provide market participants with impartial access to the market; and (ii) capture information that may be used in establishing whether rule violations have occurred. An application of a board of trade to operate as a registered derivatives transaction execution facility should include arrangements and resources to deter abuses by effective and affirmative rule enforcement, including documentation of the facility's authority to do so; such trading and participation rules should be designed with adequate specificity. The submission should include documentation on the ability of the facility either to obtain necessary information or to provide market participants with impartial access and capture information for use in establishing possible rule violations. Registration Criterion 3 of section 5a(c) of the Act: TRADING PROCEDURES—The board of trade shall establish and enforce rules or terms and conditions defining, or specifications detailing, trading procedures to be used in entering and executing orders traded on the facilities of the board of trade. The rules may authorize—(A) transfer trades or office trades; (B) an exchange of—(i) futures in connection with a cash commodity transaction; (ii) futures for cash commodities; or (iii) futures for swaps; or (C) a futures commission merchant, acting as principal or agent, to enter into or confirm the execution of a contract for the purchase or sale of a commodity for future delivery if the contract is reported, recorded, or cleared in accordance with the rules of the registered derivatives transaction execution facility or a derivatives clearing organization. (a) A submission of a board of trade to operate as an electronic registered derivatives transaction execution facility should include the system's trade-matching algorithm and order entry procedures. A submission involving a trade-matching algorithm that is based on order priority factors other than on a best price/earliest time basis should include a brief explanation of the alternative algorithm. (b) A board of trade's specifications on initial and periodic objective testing and review of proper system functioning, adequate capacity, and security for any automated systems should be included in its submission. The Commission believes that the guidelines issued by the International Organization of Securities Commissions (IOSCO) in 1990 (which have been referred to as the “Principles for Screen-Based Trading Systems”), and adopted by the Commission on November 21, 1990 (55 FR 48670), as supplemented in October 2000, are appropriate guidelines for an electronic trading facility to apply to electronic trading systems. Any program of objective testing and review of the system should be performed by a qualified independent professional (but not necessarily a third-party contractor). (c) A registered derivatives transaction execution facility that authorizes transfer trades or office trades, an exchange of futures for physicals or futures for swaps, or any other non-competitive transactions, including block trades, should have rules particularly authorizing such transactions and establishing appropriate recordkeeping requirements. Block trading rules should ensure that the block trading does not operate in a manner that compromises the integrity of the prices or price discovery on the relevant market. Registration Criterion 4 of section 5a(c) of the Act: FINANCIAL INTEGRITY OF TRANSACTIONS—The board of trade shall establish and enforce rules or terms and conditions providing for the financial integrity of transactions entered on or through the facilities of the board of trade, and rules or terms and conditions to ensure the financial integrity of any futures commission merchants and introducing brokers and the protection of customer funds. (a) A board of trade operating as a registered derivatives transaction execution facility should provide for the financial integrity of transactions by setting appropriate minimum financial standards for members and non-intermediated market participants, appropriate margin forms, and appropriate default rules and procedures. If cleared, agreements, contracts and transactions in excluded or exempt commodities that are traded on a DTF may be cleared through clearing organizations other than DCOs registered with the Commission. The Commission believes ensuring and enforcing the financial integrity of transactions and intermediaries, and the protection of customer funds should include monitoring compliance with the facility's minimum financial standards. In order to monitor for minimum financial requirements, a facility should routinely receive and promptly review financial and related information. (b) A registered derivatives transaction execution facility that allows customers that qualify as “eligible traders” under the definition found in section 5a(b)(3) of the Act only by trading through a registered futures commission merchant pursuant to section 5a(b)(3)(B), should have rules concerning the protection of customer funds that address appropriate minimum financial standards for intermediaries, the segregation of customer and proprietary funds, the custody of customer funds, the investment standards for customer funds, related recordkeeping procedures and related intermediary default procedures. [66 FR 42271, Aug. 10, 2001, as amended at 71 FR 1964, Jan. 12, 2006]
Title 17: Commodity and Securities Exchanges
PART 37—DERIVATIVES TRANSACTION EXECUTION FACILITIES
Appendix A to Part 37—Guidance on Compliance With Registration Criteria
