Securities Regulation

Are Companies More Likely to Go Public If Their Competitors Do?

By Cyrus Aghamolla and Richard T. Thakor June 11, 2021 by renholding

The determinants of when and why private companies decide to go public through an initial public offering (IPO) is an important question with many policy implications. Anecdotally, one reason why firms decide to do an IPO is as a response …

SEC Chair Talks Finance and Technology in Equity Markets

By Gary Gensler June 10, 2021 by renholding

Thank you, Rich, for that kind introduction and for inviting me here today. As is customary, I’d like to note that my views are my own, and I am not speaking on behalf of my fellow Commissioners or the staff.…

Putting the Electric Cart Before the Horse:* Inevitable Costs of a New ESG Disclosure Regime

By Elad L. Roisman June 7, 2021 by renholding

Thank you to Dan [Bigman] and the Corporate Board Member for inviting me to participate in today’s ESG Board Forum.  Of course, the views I express here are my own and do not necessarily represent those of my fellow Commissioners.

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SEC Commissioners Respond to Chairman’s Call for Review of Proxy-Voting Advice Rules

By Hester M. Peirce and Elad L. Roisman June 3, 2021 by renholding

Today [June 1], Chair Gensler announced that he has directed the SEC staff to consider whether to recommend that the Commission revisit its recent regulatory actions taken with respect to proxy voting advice businesses and its longstanding interpretation of proxy

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SEC Commissioner Crenshaw Speaks at Small Business Forum

By Caroline A. Crenshaw May 28, 2021 by renholding

Good afternoon! Thank you Martha [Miller] for the warm introduction. It is wonderful to be here. I have truly enjoyed hearing from all of the panelists over the last several days. And I am particularly interested in today’s discussion focused

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SEC Commissioner Lee Speaks on Myths and Misconceptions about “Materiality”

By Allison Herren Lee May 26, 2021 by renholding

Thank you, Neil [Stewart] for the introduction and for having me today as you discuss the important and timely topic of climate and ESG disclosures. I very much look forward to hearing from Janine [Guillot] and Julie [Bell Lindsay]. You

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Congress and the Insider Trading Prohibition Act: “Can’t Anybody Here Play This Game?”*

By John C. Coffee, Jr. May 25, 2021 by renholding

Last week, the House of Representatives passed the “Insider Trading Prohibition Act” (“ITPA”).[1] Proponents are hailing it as a triumph of bipartisan cooperation. Conversely, critics are calling it the “Insider Trading Protection Act.” This is because the bill codifies …

Paul Weiss Discusses SEC Approval of Nasdaq Rule Change Allowing Direct Listings

By Mark S. Bergman, Christopher J. Cummings, John C. Kennedy, Raphael M. Russo and Tracey A. Zaccone May 25, 2021 by renholding

On May 19, 2021, the SEC approved Nasdaq’s proposed rule change[1] to permit primary direct floor listings. This will permit companies to undertake an initial public offering and concurrent Nasdaq listing without the use of underwriters to market the …

SEC Commissioner Lee Speaks on Leveraging Regulatory Cooperation

By Allison Herren Lee May 24, 2021 by renholding

Good afternoon. It’s a privilege to welcome you all to the annual Section 19(d) Conference. I want to start by commending NASAA and SEC staff for their work in putting this event together. And thanks to our colleagues from NASAA

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SEC Chair Gensler Speaks at FINRA Annual Conference

By Gary Gensler May 21, 2021 by renholding

Good afternoon. I want to thank the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority and Robert [Cook] for hosting me as part of this week’s conference.[1] I’ve known Robert since he joined the SEC to lead the Trading and Markets Division and

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SPAC vs. IPO: Is There a Difference in Executive Compensation?

By James F. Reda May 20, 2021 by renholding

An emerging company in need of capital to grow has an important decision to make: how and when to raise the necessary capital.

The traditional way of taking an emerging company public in an initial public offering, or IPO, is …

Is Everything Securities Fraud?

By Emily Strauss May 19, 2021 by renholding

Securities litigation is almost inevitable for any public company.  Often, investors sue because the firm’s managers engaged in fraud that directly harmed the shareholders – say, by doctoring the firm’s financials or lying about known business prospects.  However, shareholders also …

Cahill Gordon Discusses SEC Rules Under Holding Foreign Companies Accountable Act

By Geoffrey E. Liebmann and Michael A. Chaia May 19, 2021 by renholding

The Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) has adopted interim final rules^[1] to implement the Congressionally-mandated document submision and disclosure requirements of the Holding Foreign Companies Accountable Act (the “HFCA Act”), which became effective on May 5, 2021.

The …

Mind the (Data) Gaps: SEC Commissioner Speaks at Conference on Financial Market Regulation

By Caroline A. Crenshaw May 17, 2021 by renholding

Before I begin my remarks, I need to mention that the views that I express today are my own and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Commission or its staff.

To start, I want to note that I

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Skadden Discusses SEC and ESG Disclosure

By Brian V. Breheny, Raquel Fox, Marc S. Gerber and Neil P. Stronski May 13, 2021 by renholding

During his Senate confirmation hearing for chair of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Gary Gensler said he would adhere to the U.S. Supreme Court’s view of materiality: Information is material (and should therefore be disclosed) if there is a …

Skadden Discusses Closer Scrutiny of Corporate Conduct Under Biden

By Gary DiBianco, Andrew M. Lawrence, Jessie K. Liu, Colleen P. Mahoney and Jocelyn E. Strauber May 6, 2021 by renholding

The Biden administration is widely expected to be tougher on corporate wrongdoing than its predecessor. Although there have not yet been significant changes to existing policies, key nominations to date and early enforcement initiatives signal close scrutiny of corporate conduct …

Extraterritorial Reach of U.S. Crypto Regulation by the SEC

By Carol Goforth April 27, 2021 by renholding

In 2008, the world ushered in the blockchain era[1] with a whitepaper posted pseudonymously in an online discussion of cryptography under the name “Satoshi Nakamoto.”[2] That paper formed the foundation for Bitcoin, the first blockchain-hosted cryptoasset,[3] a …

Taming Unicorns

By Matthew Wansley April 15, 2021 by renholding

Until the last decade, most startups that grew to become valuable businesses chose to go public. Late-stage startups with reported valuations over $1 billion used to be so rare that venture capitalist Aileen Lee called them “unicorns.” When she coined …

O’Melveny & Myers Discusses the Legal Challenges of NFTs

By Heather J. Meeker, Laurel Loomis Rimon, Eric Sibbitt and Braddock Stevenson April 14, 2021 by Nisha Chandra

Non-Fungible Tokens, or NFTs, are big news these days. After an NFT for a piece of digital art by the artist Beeple (Mike Winkelmann) sold for $69 million in March 2021―making it the third-most expensive artwork by a living …

SEC Speaks on Accounting and Reporting Considerations for SPAC Warrants

By John Coates and Paul Munter April 13, 2021 by renholding

In a recent statement,[1] Acting Chief Accountant Paul Munter highlighted a number of important financial reporting considerations for SPACs.[2] Among other things, that statement highlighted challenges associated with the accounting for complex financial instruments that may be common

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