President Donald Trump will nominate Mike Selig, a longtime crypto ally and chief counsel of the Securities and Exchange Commission's Crypto Task Force, to chair the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, with Selig pledging to help make the US the "Crypto Capital of the World." While a market-structure bill is stalled in the Senate, the CFTC is expected to play a central oversight role in crypto markets if it advances.

The financial landscape is transforming as alternative investments, once exclusive to institutional and high-net-worth investors, become increasingly accessible to retail investors. This Compliance Corner article by Colleen Corwell of Kroll explores key Investment Company Act fund structures that enable retail access to alternative investments, highlighting their features, compliance obligations and strategic alignment for fund managers navigating this evolving landscape.

The IAA announced a strategic relationship with Charles Schwab Advisor Services, a leading provider of custodial, operational and technology solutions for investment advisers. This collaboration brings together the IAA -- the premier advocate for fiduciary investment advisers -- and Schwab, known for supporting operational and growth needs of advisory firms. Together, the two organizations will work to strengthen industry advocacy and deliver impactful education and resources to help advisers better serve their clients.

The 2026 IAA Investment Adviser Compliance Conference will take place on March 18-20 in Washington, D.C. Get a sneak peek at the agenda, venue, continuing education and more -- now available on the Compliance Conference website. Registration will open in early November.

The Treasury Department has proposed a rulemaking that would formalize its two-year extension of the anti-money-laundering rule's effective date. The IAA submitted a letter in support, noting that the delay would provide "the opportunity to ensure that any AML and [customer identification program] requirements for investment advisers are appropriately tailored to reduce unnecessary or duplicative regulatory burdens while achieving the agencies' policy goals."

Securities and Exchange Commission Chairman Paul Atkins said at an industry event that the agency's recent crackdown on off-channel communications, such as texting, was excessive. Atkins said the SEC needs to focus on cases that involve genuine harm to investors.

The Securities and Exchange Commission is actively monitoring financial markets for suspicious activity despite being largely sidelined by the government shutdown, Chairman Paul Atkins said in an interview with CNBC. Atkins also noted the SEC's ongoing efforts to streamline the regulatory process, including soliciting opinions on President Donald Trump's push to end quarterly reporting.

After separate meetings with industry leaders, Senate Democrats and Republicans remain far apart on a crypto market-structure bill, with Democrats rebuking leaks of draft language on decentralized finance and GOP members warning the window to pass legislation could close this year amid a government shutdown. Executives including Coinbase's Brian Armstrong, Galaxy's Mike Novogratz, a16z's Miles Jennings and Chainlink's Sergey Nazarov said the main obstacles to a deal are partisan tensions and questions over the independence of agencies such as the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission.

Current Federal Reserve board members Christopher Waller and Michelle Bowman, former Fed Governor Kevin Warsh, White House National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett and BlackRock executive Rick Rieder have been confirmed as the five finalists to succeed Jerome Powell as chair of the Federal Reserve, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said. Bessent said he hopes to present President Donald Trump a "good slate" of candidates after Thanksgiving, while Trump said he expects to make a nominee decision by the end of the year.