Sky Blog
Debates on whether to simplify financial regulations are often framed as if complexity were a technical inconvenience –an unfortunate by-product of legislative over-exuberance that could be corrected by pruning rulebooks and consolidating texts. Yet the reality is not so simple. …
The federal securities laws establish the authority of the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC” or “Commission”) to set accounting, auditing, and auditor independence standards to be followed in the preparation and the audit of the financial statements of public companies. …
In November 2021, the Securities and Exchange Commission issued Staff Legal Bulletin 14L (“SLB 14L”), making it easier for shareholders to place environmental and social proposals on corporate ballots. The move was hailed by advocates for the environment as a …
Climate-related reporting continues to be a controversial topic. The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has withdrawn its defense of enhanced climate-related disclosures, the European Commission is debating how to scale back mandatory sustainability reporting requirements under its Omnibus revisions, …
Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen, and thank you for joining us. Let me first begin by thanking Commissioner Hester Peirce and the entire Crypto Task Force for organizing today’s [December 15] roundtable. I should also like to thank our distinguished …
On November 20, SEC Commissioner Mark Uyeda called for the opening of 401(k) retirement savings to private markets. He observed that diversification has grown increasingly difficult to achieve through public securities alone, and that private investments (in structures such as …
With new leadership under the Trump administration, the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) is charting a course that promises significant changes in the regulation of securities disclosures and capital markets. In this alert, we discuss several important trends and developments …
On December 11, President Trump signed an Executive Order titled “Protecting American Investors from Foreign‑Owned and Politically‑Motivated Proxy Advisors” (the “Order”). The Order focuses on the “enormous influence” of proxy advisory firms, particularly Institutional Shareholder Services, Inc. (“ISS”) …
Today [December 11] the Financial Stability Oversight Council (FSOC) received a briefing from Treasury staff on potential revisions to the Council’s interpretative guidance regarding nonbank financial company determinations. And I was especially encouraged to see revising the non-bank designation guidance …
Good morning and thank you Aaron [Klein]. It is a pleasure to be here this morning. While this isn’t a “farewell address,” I hope you will indulge me if I take the opportunity to reflect a little bit on what …
Any state that aspires to be a serious contender in the competition for corporate charters must have a specialized corporate law court. Delaware leads this competition in part because of its Court of Chancery, which has produced an exceptional body …
In October 2025, Bitcoin experienced its largest single-day crash since the COVID-19 pandemic, a 20% decline that economist Paul Krugman attributed not to economic fundamentals but to threats against Donald Trump’s political standing. 1 Krugman’s diagnosis was stark: Bitcoin had …
Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. Lynn, let me start by thanking you for your generous introduction and for hosting this event at the Exchange. My thanks as well to the market participants here today. And of course, I am grateful …
On November 12, 2025, SEC Chairman Paul Atkins delivered remarks (the November Remarks) revisiting his announcement of “ Project Crypto,” the Commission-wide initiative launched earlier this year to promote blockchain innovation in U.S. financial markets. Chairman Atkins laid …
U.S. Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy observed in the Citizens United decision that shareholders of publicly traded companies could employ the procedures of corporate democracy to ensure that shareholder value was not diverted to political causes and candidates that they …
As more corporate insiders are compensated with their firm’s stock, insider trading becomes more common. However, determining when insiders use private information to guide their trades remains a challenge. Regulators and market participants try to infer whether insiders “know something …
By Announcement today [November 17], the Division of Corporation Finance has apparently determined that, as a matter of “resource and timing considerations,” it will not respond to no-action requests for relief under Rule 14a-8. But, this Announcement is more of …
When I spoke recently about American leadership in the digital finance revolution, I described “Project Crypto” as our effort to match the energy of American innovators with a regulatory framework worthy of them. Today, I would like to outline the …
Policymakers and academics have extensively debated the extent and the nature of the revolving door phenomenon – the movement of workers between the government and the private sector. Proponents claim that the flow of former regulators to commercial firms fosters …
Democratic institutions depend on public confidence to function effectively. Citizens comply with tax laws when they trust the IRS, cooperate with police when they view law enforcement as legitimate, and engage constructively with regulators they perceive as fair and effective. …