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CFTC Approves Final Rule to Revise Swap Dealer Business Conduct and Swap Documentation Requirements

AI Analysis

Executive Summary

The CFTC approved a final rule on December 18, 2025, that codifies existing staff no-action positions and eliminates duplicative business conduct and documentation requirements for swap dealers and major swap participants. This rule resolves over a decade of regulatory uncertainty, reduces operational costs, and harmonizes CFTC requirements with SEC and Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board standards.

What Changed

The final rule introduces the following substantive amendments: Exceptions for Swaps Intended to be Cleared (ITBC Swaps) Swap dealers and major swap participants are exempted from certain External Business Conduct Standards and swap trading relationship documentation requirements when executing swaps that are intended by the parties to be cleared contemporaneously with execution. Such swaps are deemed void if rejected from clearing. Prime Broker Arrangement Exemptions Swaps executed pursuant to prime broker arrangements meeting specified qualifying conditions receive exemptions from certain business conduct and documentation requirements, including the pre-trade price disclosure requirement. Elimination of Pre-Trade Mid-Market Mark (PTMMM) Requirement The rule eliminates the requirement

What You Need To Do

  • *Immediate Actions (Pre-Implementation)
  • *Implementation Actions (Upon Effective Date)
  • trade disclosure systems to remove PTMMM generation and delivery requirements
  • based operations, review implications of superseded Staff Letter No
  • *Ongoing Compliance

Key Dates

April 4, 2025 - CFTC Staff Letter 25-09 issued, establishing no-action position on PTMMM requirement
September 12, 2025 - CFTC issued further amended exemptive order permitting JSCC to clear interest rate swaps
September 24, 2025 - CFTC issued Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (comment period opened)
October 24, 2025 - Comment period deadline (ISDA and SIFMA submitted comments on this date) DEADLINE
December 18, 2025 - CFTC approved final rule (subject to pre-publication technical corrections)
Effective Date - Not explicitly stated in search results; typically 60 days after Federal Register publication

Compliance Impact

Urgency: HIGH

Who is Affected

Swap DealersMajor Swap ParticipantsCounterpartiesSwap Entity counterpartiesPrime brokersClearing housesUK-based trading facilities01

Summary

No description available.

Relevant Firm Types

Broker DealerBank
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