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Nasdaq Announces End-Of-Month Open Short Interest Positions In Nasdaq Stocks As Of Settlement Date November 28, 2025
At the end of the settlement date of November 28, 2025, short interest in 3,453 Nasdaq Global MarketSM securities totaled 14,879,370,342 shares compared with 14,632,128,542 shares in 3,414 Global Market issues reported for the prior settlement date of November 14, 2025. The November short interest represents 2.22 days compared with 2.16 days for the prior reporting period.
Short interest in 1,698 securities on The Nasdaq Capital MarketSM totaled 3,311,934,829 shares at the end of the settlement date of November 28, 2025, compared with 3,326,683,612 shares in 1,697 securities for the previous reporting period. This represents a 1.00 day average daily volume; the previous reporting period’s figure was 1.00.
In summary, short interest in all 5,151 Nasdaq® securities totaled 18,191,305,171 shares at the November 28, 2025 settlement date, compared with 5,111 issues and 17,958,812,154 shares at the end of the previous reporting period. This is 1.82 days average daily volume, compared with an average of 1.75 days for the prior reporting period.
The open short interest positions reported for each Nasdaq security reflect the total number of shares sold short by all broker/dealers regardless of their exchange affiliations. A short sale is generally understood to mean the sale of a security that the seller does not own or any sale that is consummated by the delivery of a security borrowed by or for the account of the seller.
For more information on Nasdaq Short interest positions, including publication dates, visit http://www.nasdaq.com/quotes/short-interest.aspx or http://www.nasdaqtrader.com/asp/short_interest.asp.
Office Of The Comptroller Of The US Currency Confirms Bank Authority To Engage In Riskless Principal Crypto-Asset Transactions
The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) today confirmed permissible bank activities related to riskless principal transactions in crypto-assets.
The OCC published Interpretive Letter 1188 confirming that a national bank may engage in riskless principal crypto-asset transactions as part of the business of banking. Such transactions involve a bank acting as principal in a crypto-asset transaction with one customer while simultaneously entering into an offsetting transaction with another customer. The bank serves as an intermediary and does not hold the crypto-assets in inventory, instead acting in a capacity equivalent to that of a broker acting as agent.
As with any activity, a national bank must conduct these activities in a safe and sound manner and in compliance with applicable law.
Related Link
Interpretive Letter 1188 (PDF)
FINRA Publishes 2026 Regulatory Oversight Report To Empower Member Firm Compliance - Report Highlights Trends In Generative AI, Small Cap And Cyber-Enabled Fraud, Among Other Topics
FINRA published today the 2026 FINRA Regulatory Oversight Report, a vital resource that draws insights from FINRA’s regulatory operations programs that member firms can use to help enhance their resiliency and strengthen their compliance programs.
In response to feedback from member firms about how valuable the report is for their annual compliance planning and in support of a key FINRA Forward initiative—empowering member firm compliance—the report is being published earlier than usual. FINRA Forward is a series of initiatives to improve FINRA’s effectiveness and efficiency in pursuing its mission of protecting investors and safeguarding market integrity. Member firms have said they use the report to identify the findings and effective practices that are applicable to their businesses, incorporate the reports’ topics in their risk assessment processes, perform a gap analysis of their compliance programs, and for training, among other uses, which are detailed in the report.
“Our 2026 FINRA Regulatory Oversight Report captures important findings and translates them into practical guidance our member firms can act on immediately. We are not just identifying risks, we are equipping our member firms with the intelligence and resources needed to mitigate risks effectively. By sharing these insights, FINRA is engaging with members to help strengthen their defenses. Ultimately, this report is essential because member firm compliance protects investors and safeguards the integrity of our markets,” said Greg Ruppert, Executive Vice President and Chief Regulatory Operations Officer at FINRA.
“Whether it's about the evolving threat of cyberattacks including those powered by bad actors exploiting artificial intelligence, the increase in manipulation tactics that exploit market participants, or the need to protect senior investors from potential fraud and other threats, this report delivers useful, real-world insights from our regulatory oversight work. Our goal is simple: help firms build stronger compliance programs and more resilient operations so that investors can participate in markets with greater confidence,” Ruppert added.
Among the topics covered in the report are generative artificial intelligence (GenAI), cybersecurity and cyber-enabled fraud; manipulative trading in small-cap, exchange-listed equities; and third-party risk landscape. For each topic area covered, the report identifies the relevant rule(s); summarizes noteworthy findings from recent oversight activities involving firms; outlines firms’ effective practices that FINRA observed through its oversight activities; and provides additional resources that may be helpful to firms in reviewing their supervisory procedures and controls and fulfilling their compliance obligations.
GenAI
Through FINRA’s survey of firms and engagement with other regulators, FINRA has noted that:
firms have started to implement GenAI solutions with a focus on efficiency gains, particularly with respect to internal processes and information retrieval; and
the top GenAI use case among FINRA member firms is “Summarization and Information Extraction,” which refers to condensing large volumes of text and extracting specific entities, relationships or key information from unstructured documents.
The report notes that AI agents—systems or programs that are capable of autonomously performing and completing tasks on behalf of a user—can enhance GenAI capabilities by providing users with additional opportunities for task automation and the ability to interact with a wider range of data and systems faster and at a potentially lower cost than more traditional process automation.
However, the report details notable risks and challenges that could result in adverse impacts to investors, firms or the markets, which include:
Autonomy: AI agents acting autonomously without human validation and approval
Scope and authority: Agents may act beyond the user’s actual or intended scope and authority
Auditability and transparency: Complicated, multi-step agent reasoning tasks can make outcomes difficult to trace or explain, complicating auditability
Data sensitivity: Agents operating on sensitive data may unintentionally store, explore, disclose, or misuse sensitive or proprietary information
Domain knowledge: General-purpose AI agents may lack the necessary domain knowledge to effectively and consistently carry out a complex and industry-specific tasks
Rewards and reinforcement: Misaligned or poorly designed reward functions could result in the agent optimizing decisions that could negatively impact investors, firms, or markets
Unique risks of GenAI: Bias, hallucinations, privacy, etc., also remain present and applicable for GenAI agents and their outputs
Cybersecurity and Cyber-Enabled Fraud
FINRA has observed a variety of sophisticated cybersecurity threats targeting member firms and their customers, including:
Ransomware and extortion events
Data breaches
Phishing, smishingor quishing
New account fraud
Account takeovers
Account impersonations
Imposter sites
Manipulative Trading—Increase in Small-Cap Fraud Involving Exchange-Listed Equities
FINRA has observed the following trends in manipulative pump-and-dump schemes involving small-cap exchange-listed equities:
They are occurring less frequently at the time of the small-cap issuers’ initial public offerings (IPOs), and more frequently months after these IPOs.
Suspected nominee accounts continue to be utilized to invest in small-cap IPOs to aid in bringing companies public.
In advance of the pump-and-dump scheme, nominee accounts may “funnel,” or sell their shares in a coordinated manner to one or more foreign omnibus accounts, which result in the omnibus account(s) holding a significant portion of the public float.
Well after the issuer’s IPO, the issuer may sell a large amount of shares in a privately placed secondary offering to select foreign investors—lacking adequate public disclosure—leading to these investors holding a large amount of the issuer’s public float.
The use of account takeover fraud to purchase shares of small cap companies that are the subject of pump-and-dump schemes.
A continued increase in the use of text messaging and social media-based scams to attract victims to purchase shares of small-cap issuers subject to pump-and-dump schemes.
The victims’ purchases occur in conjunction with—and likely cause—price increases in the targeted securities through the use of coordinated limit orders.
In October, FINRA initiated a targeted examination of firm practices regarding public and private offerings of small-cap exchange-listed issuers with business operations in foreign jurisdictions.
Third-Party Risk Landscape
FINRA has observed an increase in the reporting of cyberattacks and outages at firms’ third-party vendors. Given the financial industry’s reliance on third-party vendors to support key systems and covered functions, an attempted cyberattack or an outage at a third-party provider could potentially impact a large number of member firms. FINRA continues to monitor third-party provider risks in the interests of member firms.
The report outlines effective practices, such as conducting initial and ongoing due diligence on third-party vendors supporting mission-critical systems, maintaining an inventory of firm data types accessed or stored by the firm’s vendors, and monitoring third-party vendor services for vulnerabilities or data breaches, among other practices.
FINRA Unscripted Podcast Episode About the 2026 FINRA Regulatory Oversight Report
A FINRA Unscripted podcast episode about the 2026 FINRA Regulatory Oversight Report—featuring Ornella Bergeron, Senior Vice President, Risk Monitoring, and Acting Head of Member Supervision, Bill St. Louis Executive Vice President and Head of Enforcement, and Feral Talib, Executive Vice President and Head of Market Oversight and guest hosted by Bryan Smith, Senior Vice President and Acting Head of Strategic Intelligence—is available on FINRA’s website (a transcript is provided). In addition, the subjects covered in the report will be featured in other FINRA-related compliance and education resources throughout the year, including at the 2026 FINRA Annual Conference taking place May 12-14 in Washington, D.C.
Here is a full list of topics covered in the 2026 FINRA Regulatory Oversight Report:
Financial Crimes Prevention
Cybersecurity and Cyber-Enabled Fraud
Anti-Money Laundering, Fraud and Sanctions
Manipulative Trading
GenAI: Continuing and Emerging Trends
Firm Operations
Third-Party Risk Landscape
Outside Business Activities and Private Securities Transactions
Books and Records
Senior Investors and Trusted Contact Persons
Member Firms’ Nexus to Crypto
Communications and Sales
Communications with the Public
Reg BI and Form CRS
Private Placements
Annuities Securities Products
Market Integrity
Consolidated Audit Trail
Customer Order Handling: Best Execution and Order Routing Disclosures
Fixed Income—Fair Pricing
Market Access Rule
Extended Hours Trading
Financial Management
Net Capital
Liquidity Risk Management
Protection of Customer Assets
NYSE Group Consolidated Short Interest Report
NYSE today reported short interest as of the close of business on the settlement date of November 28, 2025.
SETTLEMENT DATE
EXCHANGE
TOTAL CURRENTSHORT INTEREST
TOTAL PREVIOUSSHORT INTEREST(Revised)
NUMBER ofSECURITIES with aSHORT POSITION
NUMBER of SECURITIESwith a POSITION >=5,000 SHARES
11/28/2025
NYSE
16,304,706,833
15,965,725,933
2,883
2,544
11/28/2025
NYSE ARCA
2,169,387,274
2,195,232,534
2,496
1,693
11/28/2025
NYSE AMERICAN
776,609,642
792,768,249
298
251
11/28/2025
NYSE GROUP
19,250,703,749
18,953,726,716
5,677
4,488
*NYSE Group includes NYSE, NYSE American and NYSE Arca
Reports will be archived here.
CFTC Obtains Over $2M Restitution For Victims Of Precious Metals, Foreign Currency Pool Fraud
The Commodity Futures Trading Commission announced today the U.S. District Court for the District of Oregon entered a consent order against Robert L. Adams and SimTradePro Incorporated, both of Oregon, for fraud involving multiple commodity pools.
The order requires the defendants to pay $2,072,986 in restitution to defrauded victims. It also permanently bans them from trading and registering with the CFTC and prohibits further violations of the Commodity Exchange Act and CFTC regulations, as charged.
The consent order resolves a CFTC enforcement action filed Sept. 30, 2024 [See CFTC Press Release No. 8993-24].
According to the court’s findings, Adams and SimTradePro fraudulently solicited and accepted more than $2.3 million from at least 100 customers, many of whom were planning for retirement, to trade leveraged foreign currency exchange and leveraged gold and silver contracts in the defendants’ commodity pools. The defendants misrepresented the amount of fees charged, falsely claiming to only be paid if their customers made money, and hid trading losses. The court also found that SimTradePro unlawfully acted as a commodity pool operator and commodity trading advisor.
In a related criminal action involving the same misconduct, Adams was sentenced Aug. 12 to 2.5 years in prison and ordered to pay restitution. United States v. Adams (No. 6:23-cr-00211-MC D. Or.).
The CFTC cautions that orders requiring repayment of funds to victims may not always result in the recovery of any money because the wrongdoers may not have sufficient funds or assets. The CFTC will continue to fight vigorously for the protection of customers and to ensure the wrongdoers are held accountable.
The CFTC thanks the United Kingdom Financial Conduct Authority for its assistance. The Division of Enforcement also appreciates the support of the Oregon Division of Financial Regulation, the Australian Securities and Investments Commission, and the Central Bank of Ireland.
CFTC Division of Enforcement staff responsible for this action are Harry E. Wedewer, Mary Lutz, Patrick Marquardt, Chris Giglio, Lenel Hickson, and Chuck Marvine.
RELATED LINKS
Consent Order: Robert L. Adams, et al.
2026 Commitments Of Traders Release Schedule Now Available
The 2026 Commitments of Traders Release Schedule is now available.
Additional information on Commitments of Traders (COT) | CFTC.gov
Historical Viewable
Historical Compressed
COT Release Schedule
CFTC Public Reporting Environment (PRE)
PRE User Guide
PRE Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
CFTC Commitments Of Traders Reports Update: Report Data For 11/04/2025
Special Announcement: The processing and publication of Commitments of Traders data were interrupted from October 1 – November 12 due to a lapse in federal appropriations. Following a return to normal operations, the CFTC has resumed publication of the Commitments of Traders reports in chronological order. A revised release schedule depicts the intended COT Report publication dates for the data associated with the original publication date.
The reports for the week of November 04, 2025 are now available. Report data is also available in the CFTC Public Reporting Environment (PRE), which allows users to search, filter, customize and download report data.
Additional information on Commitments of Traders (COT) | CFTC.gov
Historical Viewable
Historical Compressed
Revised 2025 Release Schedule
CFTC Public Reporting Environment (PRE)
PRE User Guide
PRE Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
CFTC To Accelerate Publication Of Backlogged COT Data
The Commodity Futures Trading Commission is accelerating the publication of Commitments of Traders reports that were interrupted during the lapse in federal appropriation. The revised timeline will eliminate the report backlog by Dec. 29, 2025. The CFTC previously projected data to be current by January 23, 2026.
The reports will continue to be published in chronological order at an increased frequency while maintaining data integrity. This process is consistent with prior post-shutdown publishing.
The revised publication schedule is below and will be updated as necessary. Check CFTC.gov for the most up-to-date information.
COT Report Date
Original Publish Date
New Publish Date
09/30/2025
10/03/2025
11/19/2025+
10/07/2025
10/10/2025
11/21/2025
10/14/2025
10/17/2025
11/25/2025
10/21/2025
10/24/2025
12/02/2025
10/28/2025
10/31/2025
12/05/2025
11/04/2025
11/07/2025
12/09/2025
11/10/2025
11/14/2025
12/10/2025
11/18/2025
11/21/2025
12/12/2025
11/25/2025
12/01/2025
12/15/2025
12/02/2025
12/05/2025
12/17/2025
12/09/2025
12/12/2025
12/19/2025
12/16/2025
12/19/2025
12/23/2025
12/23/2025
12/29/2025
12/29/2025++
+First catch-up publication on Wednesday
++COT publication returns to normal schedule
Puro.earth Expands Digital Infrastructure With Launch Of Puro dMRV Connect API
Integration with MyPuro 2.0 enables transparent, automated data flows to accelerate certification and strengthen trust in carbon removal
Puro dMRV Connect enhances certification efficiency and supports industry-wide digital monitoring and verification
Puro.earth, the leading carbon-crediting platform for durable carbon dioxide removal (CDR), today announced the launch of Puro dMRV Connect. This new digital integration connects digital monitoring, reporting, and verification (dMRV) platforms directly into Puro’s certification platform, MyPuro 2.0.
This innovation marks a further step in Puro.earth’s digital roadmap, strengthening the company’s role in building a reliable, transparent, investment-grade foundation for the carbon removal market.
With close to 1.3million CORCs issued today, Puro.earth is the largest standard in the durable CDR sector. By providing a digital means to integrate with dMRV, Puro.earth is helping strengthen data quality and trust while enabling suppliers to scale more efficiently.
“Puro dMRV Connect links external platforms to MyPuro 2.0, enabling transparent, automated data flows that make certification faster and more reliable,” said Jan-Willem Bode, President of Puro.earth. “It’s a crucial step toward a more connected, digital ecosystem where data integrity and operational efficiency go hand in hand. dMRV is the future of monitoring and verification in carbon markets – as the largest standard in durable CDR, we are helping to make this future a reality.”
Streamlining Digital MRV with Seamless Integration
The new API allows dMRV providers to send audit data, documentation, and evidence directly to Puro.earth through secure, automated channels. By reducing manual uploads and repetitive exchanges, Puro dMRV Connect improves data accuracy and shortens time to issuance for CO₂ Removal Certificates (CORCs) and future credit types issued under the Puro.earth certification platform.
These efficiencies help suppliers increase issuance predictability while giving buyers more consistent and transparent datasets.
In this first release, the API supports dual data submission and data retrieval via MyPuro 2.0, allowing dMRV providers to access relevant audit package information and exchange data with Puro more efficiently.
The API is available for Puro.earth-ecosystem dMRV partners and suppliers with built-in dMRV solutions. This first release has been shaped through collaboration with these partners, whose feedback informed the requirements and will continue guiding future iterations.
To support integration, Puro.earth is providing detailed API documentation and access to a dedicated test environment, so partners can begin onboarding immediately.
Laying the Foundation for the Future of Digital Certification
The launch of Puro dMRV Connect establishes the next phase of Puro.earth’s digital certification infrastructure, following the release of MyPuro 2.0. Together, these innovations form the backbone of Puro’s pathway toward a digital ecosystem where verified, automated data flows underpin a faster, more transparent, and scalable carbon removal market.
“Our goal is to strengthen the infrastructure that underpins trust in carbon removal,” added Bode. “With Puro dMRV Connect, we’re combining rigor, real-time data, and reliability to support suppliers, buyers, and investors as the market grows.”
Continuous improvements and expanded capabilities are planned as part of Puro’s broader innovation roadmap, including a high-frequency issuance model for Puro.earth suppliers.
TMX Group Equity Financing Statistics – November 2025
TMX Group today announced its financing activity on Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX) and TSX Venture Exchange (TSXV) for November 2025.
TSX welcomed 15 new issuers in November 2025, compared with 51 in the previous month and 14 in November 2024. The new listings were 13 exchange traded products, one mining company and one industrial products & services company. Total financings raised in November 2025 decreased 9% compared to the previous month, but were up 428% compared to November 2024. The total number of financings in November 2025 was 43, compared with 84 in the previous month and 33 in November 2024.
For additional data relating to the number of transactions billed for TSX, please click on the following link: https://www.tmx.com/resource/en/440.
There were three new issuers on TSXV in November 2025, compared with six in the previous month and three in November 2024. The new listings were two mining companies and one Capital Pool company. Total financings raised in November 2025 increased 48% compared to the previous month, and were up 297% compared to November 2024. There were 153 financings in November 2025, compared with 133 in the previous month and 106 in November 2024.
TMX Group consolidated trading statistics for November 2025 can be viewed at www.tmx.com.
Related Document:TMX Group Equity Financing Statistics – November 2025
UK Financial Conduct Authority Simplifies Insurance Rules And Plans Further Reviews Of Requirements
The FCA has confirmed changes to simplify its rules and lower costs for insurers, while maintaining appropriate levels of protection for smaller commercial customers.
The final rules aim to give more flexibility and responsibility to insurance firms, such as determining the frequency of their product reviews and how much continual professional development (CPD) staff should undertake.
The FCA will make further changes to its insurance rules and cut unnecessary requirements next year, including reviewing the international application of its rules and the Consumer Duty.
Separately, the FCA has also published proposals that will benefit insurers and other firms, including a raft of technical changes to streamline its rules and reduce complexity following the introduction of the Consumer Duty. This includes proposals to:
remove 3 further insurance data returns
review eligibility and disclosure rules for packaged bank accounts (PBA)
streamline and simplify rules on collective investment client assets
remove Handbook references no longer needed now the Consumer Duty is in force.
The FCA has also set out wider plans to better support smaller financial firms by creating sector guides to help them apply outcomes-based regulation, starting with consumer credit firms next year. The pilot will inform the FCA’s longer-term approach to supporting smaller firms.
Graeme Reynolds, director of competition and interim director of insurance at the FCA, said:
'We’re simplifying and removing rules for insurers and brokers, reducing regulatory costs and helping them focus on delivering better outcomes.
'Our focus on smarter regulation is not once and done, and by using the Consumer Duty we’ll continue to look at rules we may no longer need. We want firms to keep engaging with us on further simplifications for the insurance sector, so we can support growth and innovation.'
Background
Read PS25/21: Simplifying insurance rules.
Read CP25/37 on Technical Handbook updates (Consumer Duty Requirements Review).
On 23 September Which? submitted a super complaint to the FCA about poor consumer outcomes in the home and travel insurance markets. The FCA has 90 days to respond to Which? setting out how it will deal with the issues raised and any action it will take.
The FCA enables a fair and thriving financial services market for the good of consumers and the economy. Find out more about the FCA.
50+ Cryptocurrencies On BISON: 16 New Coins Now Available
BISON continues its growth momentum and adds sixteen new coins to its portfolio. The crypto trading platform backed by Boerse Stuttgart Group has expanded its offering twice already this year. BISON now supports 56 coins, all available for fully regulated, fee-free trading and MiCAR-compliant custody.
BISON, the crypto trading platform for retail investors of Boerse Stuttgart Group, now offers users sixteen new cryptocurrencies in its fully regulated environment. With this expansion, BISON customers can easily trade and securely hold popular coins such as Sui (SUI), Cronos (CRO), and Cosmos (ATOM).
“By expanding our offering, we’re responding to the growing interest in altcoins for portfolio diversification,” comments Dr. Ulli Spankowski, CEO and Co-Founder of BISON. “We are giving our customers even broader access to the crypto market within the regulated, secure framework of Boerse Stuttgart Group.”
CoinShares Fund Flows: Short-Bitcoin Products Recorded Significant Outflows, Hinting At Easing Negative Sentiment
Digital asset ETPs saw US$716m in weekly inflows, lifting total AuM to US$180bn, though still well below the US$264bn all-time high.
Inflows were broad-based, led by the US (US$483m), Germany (US$96.9m) and Canada (US$80.7m).
Bitcoin attracted US$352m while XRP (US$245m) and Chainlink (US$52.8m, a record inflow representing 54% of AuM) also saw strong demand; short-Bitcoin products recorded significant outflows, hinting at easing negative sentiment.
The full research features in CoinShares’ weekly newsletter, which can also be found here.
ClearToken Launches CT Settle, A Game-Changer For Institutional Digital Asset Trading
FCA-approved CT Settle will enable 24/7 instant settlement, cut credit risk, and free up vital working capital for financial institutions trading digital assets
Represents another step in ClearToken’s mission to bridge today’s crypto markets with tomorrow’s universal settlement layer for all asset classes
ClearToken today launched CT Settle, a new, multi-currency service designed to modernise how global financial institutions settle trades across the digital asset market. CT Settle acts as a neutral, supervised and regulated platform that standardises the trade completion process, making it safer and dramatically more efficient.
ClearToken’s CT Settle completed its first complete settlement cycle, settling netted cryptoasset and fiat currency transactions between regulated institutional exchange, LMAX Digital and Flow Traders. The settlement transactions were conducted using Zodia Custody and Bank Frick as sole digital custody and banking partners, respectively, together with technology powered by Nasdaq Eqlipse Clearing.
The challenge CT Settle solves
ClearToken’s CT Settle offers market participants a netting process that significantly reduces the amount of capital participants must hold in reserve, freeing up working capital across fragmented venues for other trading activities. CT Settle works on a Delivery-versus-Payment (DvP) model, a tried-and-tested method in traditional finance settlement, meaning that digital assets and the fiat currency change hands at exactly the same time.
Safer trading, simplified operations
By centralising the trade completion process onto a single, regulated platform, CT Settle addresses the biggest pain points for institutional clients: trading risk and operational and capital efficiencies. CT Settle brings trust, transparency, and operational rigour to the evolving digital asset ecosystem.
Reduced credit risk - The simultaneous exchange of asset and fiat currency removes the risk of one party failing to deliver their side of the trade (credit risk).
Streamlined reconciliation - Applying a single, published rule set simplifies record-keeping and lowers the operational burden for institutions dealing with multiple trading venues and custody solutions.
24/7 global availability - Supporting cryptoassets, stablecoins, and traditional fiat currencies, the service operates around the clock, matching the nature of the digital asset markets.
“The launch of CT Settle is a major milestone in building trusted, regulated market infrastructure that enables traditional institutions to participate in the digital asset market safely and efficiently,” said Benjamin Santos-Stephens, founder and chief executive officer of ClearToken, “CT Settle reduces failed trades, simplifies settlement, reduces capital requirements, and helps institutions operate with predictable cash movements. As a UK FCA-regulated platform, CT Settle gives our clients the confidence to enter this space, knowing credit, operational, and regulatory risks are managed.”
Building the ecosystem
ClearToken is already working with market makers, buy-side organisations and trading venues as initial users of CT Settle, with pathways open for additional institutions to join. The service is built to be a 'horizontal' piece of market infrastructure, meaning it connects smoothly between different trade sources, custodians, and banks. This ensures participants avoid the hassle of dealing with venue-specific settlement rules and duplicated instructions.
Partner Perspectives
Julian Sawyer, CEO of Zodia Custody: “We believe in a compliant market infrastructure that enables consistent results for clients across all venues. As the sole custodian, we provide CT Settle with the right custody offerings through Zodia Custody’s Solutions, our white-label digital asset custody service that empowers global institutions to navigate the digital asset future and reap the benefits of decentralized finance.”
Michael Lie, Global Head of Digital Assets, Flow Traders: “Net settlement across clear timing windows improves capital efficiency and reduces operational overheads. For a liquidity provider, that structure is essential to deploying capital at scale. CT Settle provides the infrastructure that allows institutional liquidity to grow, and that is why this partnership fits so naturally with how we run our business across markets.”
Chris Knight, Managing Director, LMAX Digital: “As a leading regulated exchange dedicated to supporting institutions with their digital asset trading strategies, we welcome familiar market structure that is secure, trusted and robust. CT Settle brings this to digital assets by reducing credit risk and reconciliation burdens, unlocking vital capital efficiencies for institutional clients. This advancement is another step forward in helping the digital asset market to mature further, ensuring meaningful institutional participation.”
Building the future of digital post-trade
ClearToken’s vision is to bring trust, transparency, and operational rigour to an evolving digital asset ecosystem, enable the unification of traditional finance with digital assets, release the possibilities of tokenisation and empower institutional adoption and drive sustainable market growth.
The company is majority owned by market participants and delivers CT Settle as the foundation for a fully regulated, ‘always-on’ post-trade ecosystem for digital assets. The roadmap includes:
Global reach: Ensuring that ClearToken’s services can be access by all market participants.
Broader connectivity: Adding more venues, custodians, banks, and market participants.
Wider asset support: Including a greater range of currencies and tokens.
Risk mutualisation: The future launch of a Central Counterparty (CCP) service.
Tokenised Securities: The future establishment of a Digital Securities Depository (DSD) to provide settlement finality for real world assets.
ClearToken’s working groups
To join over 60 market participant firms in ClearToken’s working groups to directly influence the future of regulated digital asset clearing and settlement, helping to refine key workflows and shape requirements for future initiatives, please email sales@cleartoken.io.
Cell And Gene Therapy Investments Shift As Budgets Tighten And Big Pharma Recalibrates Towards Strategic Acquisitions, Says GlobalData
The cell and gene therapy (CGT) sector is undergoing a transition as companies navigate a more selective and strategy-driven funding landscape, according to an analysis by the Pharma Strategic Intelligence team at GlobalData, a leading data and analytics company.
While venture capital (VC) investment in CGTs has declined in recent years after a peak during the COVID-19 pandemic, mirroring broader industry trends, CGT-focused deals within the biotech ecosystem have remained relevant.
GlobalData’s Strategic Intelligence report, “Cell and Gene Therapy Investment Trends,” reveals that approximately 50% of CGT VC activity is focused at the Series B-stage, when companies usually shift from platform validation to clinical execution.
CGT capital deployment remains highly concentrated among a small group of major investors, including RA Capital, ARCH Venture Partners, Alexandria Ventures, OrbiMed, and Fidelity International Strategic Ventures, each of which has committed more than $3.5 billion across cumulative deals.
Big pharmaceutical companies including Johnson & Johnson, AstraZeneca, Novartis, Bristol Myers Squibb, Roche, Eli Lilly and others are actively embedding CGT technologies into their pipelines through acquisition deals.
Irena Maragkou, Senior Healthcare Researcher at GlobalData, says: “Such acquisitions are becoming increasingly modality-driven and focused on platforms, scalable manufacturing systems, and specialized capabilities that can support portfolio-wide CGT expansion efforts. However, big pharma continues to demonstrate willingness to pay a premium for some late-stage or clinically validated assets when they align with long-term strategic objectives and portfolios.”
While oncology-focused CGT deals remain heavily skewed toward early R&D and gene-modified cell therapies, the merger and acquisition (M&A) activity centered on non-oncology CGT assets has become more mature and diversified.
Maragkou concludes: “As therapeutic CGT approvals increase, and the CGT market is expected to grow at a rate of 34.2% by 2031, companies must simultaneously prepare for sector-specific challenges such as regulatory complexity and manufacturing scalability. Therefore, biotech companies need to be strategic in investing in differentiated technologies and build execution capabilities to deliver clinical and commercial impact.”
Tehran Securities Exchange Bulletin - November 2025
Click here to download Tehran Securities Exchange's monthly bulletin.
London Stock Exchange Group plc ("LSEG") Transaction In Own Shares
LSEG announces it has purchased the following number of its ordinary shares of 679/86 pence each from Citigroup Global Markets Limited ("Citi") on the London Stock Exchange as part of its share buyback programme, as announced on 04 November 2025.
Date of purchase:
08 December 2025
Aggregate number of ordinary shares purchased:
288,000
Lowest price paid per share:
8,428.00p
Highest price paid per share:
8,658.00p
Average price paid per share:
8,538.95p
LSEG intends to cancel all of the purchased shares.
Following the cancellation of the repurchased shares, LSEG has 512,438,937 ordinary shares of 679/86 pence each in issue (excluding treasury shares) and holds 24,051,599 of its ordinary shares of 679/86 pence each in treasury. Therefore, the total voting rights in the Company will be 512,438,937. This figure for the total number of voting rights may be used by shareholders (and others with notification obligations) as the denominator for the calculation by which they will determine if they are required to notify their interest in, or a change to their interest in, the Company under the FCA's Disclosure Guidance and Transparency Rules.
In accordance with Article 5(1)(b) of Regulation (EU) No 596/2014 (the Market Abuse Regulation) (as such legislation forms part of retained EU law as defined in the European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018, as implemented, retained, amended, extended, re-enacted or otherwise given effect in the United Kingdom from 1 January 2021 and as amended or supplemented in the United Kingdom thereafter), a full breakdown of the individual purchases by Citi on behalf of the Company as part of the buyback programme can be found at:
http://www.rns-pdf.londonstockexchange.com/rns/7306K_1-2025-12-8.pdf
This announcement does not constitute, or form part of, an offer or any solicitation of an offer for securities in any jurisdiction.
Schedule of Purchases
Shares purchased: 288,000 (ISIN: GB00B0SWJX34)
Date of purchases: 08 December 2025
Investment firm: Citi
Aggregate information:
Venue
Volume-weighted average price
Aggregated volume
Lowest price per share
Highest price per share
Turquoise
8,477.08
4,000
8,462.00
8,492.00
London Stock Exchange
8,539.82
284,000
8,428.00
8,658.00
The Dubai Financial Services Authority Restricts Former SVS Securities PLC Chief Executive, Mr Kulvir Virk From Operating In Or From The DIFC
The Dubai Financial Services Authority (DFSA), the independent regulator of the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC), has imposed a restriction on Mr Kulvir Virk, the former chief executive of the UK fund manager SVS Securities PLC (SVS), preventing him from performing any function in connection with Financial Services in or from the DIFC.
In June 2024, the UK Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) fined Mr Virk and prohibited him from performing any function in relation to regulated activities. The FCA found that Mr Virk had failed to act with integrity and failed to exercise due skill, care and diligence in connection with his role at SVS and considered Mr Virk not to be a fit and proper person, posing a risk to consumers and the integrity of the financial system.
In November 2024, it was brought to the DFSA’s attention that Mr Virk had been involved in the management of a DFSA Authorised Firm. Accordingly, to maintain the integrity and reputation of the DIFC and ensure the confidence of participants in the market, the DFSA decided to restrict Mr Virk from performing any function in connection with Financial Services in or from the DIFC.
Alan Linning, Head of Enforcement of the DFSA, commented: “The DFSA’s role as the regulator of financial services in the DIFC includes ensuring that there are high standards of integrity and fair dealing. We will continue to take action to ensure that those carrying out regulated functions in our market are appropriate and that these high standards are maintained.”
Looking ahead, the DFSA remains committed to developing, administering, and enforcing world-class regulation of financial services within the DIFC. As part of its strategy and ongoing mission, the DFSA will continue to implement stringent enforcement measures and provide clear regulatory guidance to ensure that all entities operating within the DIFC adhere to the highest standards of regulation and ethical conduct.
The restriction came into effect immediately. A copy of the DFSA’s Decision Notice for Mr Virk can be found in the Enforcement Decision Notices section of the DFSA website.
Acting CFTC Chairman Pham Announces Launch Of Digital Assets Pilot Program For Tokenized Collateral In Derivatives Markets - CFTC Issues New Guidance To Provide Regulatory Clarity, Eliminates Outdated Requirements That Hurt Innovation
Commodity Futures Trading Commission Acting Chairman Caroline D. Pham today announced the launch of a digital assets pilot program for certain digital assets, including BTC, ETH, and USDC, to be used as collateral in derivatives markets; guidance on tokenized collateral; and withdrawal of outdated requirements given the enactment of the GENIUS Act. Today’s announcement marks a significant milestone in the expanded adoption of digital assets in regulated markets with appropriate guardrails, and follows the tokenized collateral initiative Acting Chairman Pham launched in September as a part of the CFTC’s Crypto Sprint to implement recommendations in the President’s Working Group on Digital Asset Markets report.
“Under my leadership this year, the CFTC has led the way forward into America’s Golden Age of Innovation and Crypto. This imperative has never been more important given recent customer losses on non-U.S. crypto exchanges. Americans deserve safe U.S. markets as an alternative to offshore platforms, and that’s why last week I announced that spot crypto can now be traded on CFTC registered exchanges,” said Acting Chairman Pham. “Today, I am launching a U.S. digital assets pilot program for tokenized collateral, including bitcoin and ether, in our derivatives markets that establishes clear guardrails to protect customer assets and provides enhanced CFTC monitoring and reporting. The CFTC is also providing regulatory clarity through tokenized collateral guidance for real world assets like U.S. Treasuries, and withdrawing CFTC requirements that are now outdated under the GENIUS Act. As I’ve said before, embracing responsible innovation ensures that U.S. markets are the world leader, and drives progress that will unleash U.S. economic growth because market participants can safely put their dollars to work smarter and go further.”
"The CFTC's decision confirms what the crypto industry has long known: That stablecoins and digital assets can make payments faster, cheaper, and reduce risk,” said Paul Grewal, Coinbase Chief Legal Officer. “We applaud Acting Chair Caroline Pham and the CFTC for swiftly recognizing that tokenized innovation is the future of finance, and thank Acting Chair Caroline Pham for her leadership and vision. This major unlock is precisely what the Administration and Congress intended the GENIUS Act to enable—and will allow digital innovation to transform and improve traditional areas of finance. We encourage other regulators to quickly follow suit."
"Circle applauds Acting Chairman Pham's breakthrough leadership for derivatives markets and responsible innovation," said Heath Tarbert, President of Circle. "Deploying prudentially supervised payment stablecoins across CFTC-regulated markets protects customers, reduces settlement frictions, supports 24/7 risk reduction, and advances U.S. dollar leadership through global regulatory interoperability. Enabling near-real-time margin settlement will also mitigate settlement-failure and liquidity-squeeze risks across evenings, weekends, and holidays. Acting Chairman Pham and the Commission have set a course for the future in which the United States will continue to have the safest, deepest, and most trusted global derivatives markets."
“Today marks an important milestone in the history of the crypto industry—we have been given regulatory certainty for the future,” said Kris Marszalek, Co-Founder and CEO of Crypto.com. “The CFTC guidance on tokenized collateral is the latest example of Acting Chairman Pham delivering on the promise of President Trump to make the United States the ‘crypto capital of the world.’ Acting Chairman Pham should be commended for these leadership efforts. For years, we have been able to offer tokenized collateral in markets other than the United States. It has only been because of the leadership of Acting Chairman Pham and the CFTC's exclusive jurisdiction over our CFTC-regulated clearinghouse that we will now be able to use tokenized collateral to support our CFTC-regulated crypto and predictions market products, as well as our margined derivatives. This means 24/7 trading is a reality in the United States. We are fully open for business and are excited for this new chapter.”
"The CFTC's actions mark a pivotal moment for integrating digital assets into regulated derivatives markets. By recognizing tokenized digital assets—including stablecoins—as eligible margin, the CFTC is providing the regulatory clarity needed to move the industry forward,” said Jack McDonald, SVP of Stablecoins at Ripple. “This step will unlock greater capital efficiency and solidify U.S. leadership in financial innovation. At Ripple, we look forward to continuing to partner with the CFTC and the industry to ensure the safe and responsible scaling of digital assets."
Digital Assets Pilot Program and Guidance for Tokenized CollateralThe CFTC’s Market Participants Division, Division of Market Oversight, and Division of Clearing and Risk issued new guidance today on the use of tokenized assets as collateral in the trading of futures and swaps. The guidance highlights that CFTC regulations are technology-neutral, and encourages the analysis of tokenized assets on an individual basis in accordance with the CFTC’s existing regulatory framework and firms’ policies and procedures. The guidance applies to tokenized real world assets, including U.S. Treasury securities and money market funds. Topics include eligible tokenized assets; legal enforceability; segregation, custody and control arrangements; haircuts and valuation; and operational risks.
MPD also issued a no-action position with respect to certain requirements applicable to Futures Commission Merchants (FCMs) that accept non-securities digital assets, including payment stablecoins, as customer margin collateral or hold certain proprietary payment stablecoins in segregated customer accounts. The no-action position provides market participants with regulatory clarity regarding the application of the segregation and capital requirements to FCMs that accept these digital assets as margin collateral, while highlighting the importance of FCMs’ maintaining robust risk management practices. By setting up a framework for registered FCMs to accept and take into account the value of non-securities digital asset customer margin collateral and deposit payment stablecoins as residual interest, the no-action letter establishes a pilot program that fosters responsible financial innovation while providing an opportunity for CFTC staff to closely monitor developments associated with non-securities digital asset collateral.
As set forth in the conditions of the letter, during the first three months from the commencement of an FCM’s reliance on the no-action position, the digital assets that an FCM could accept as margin collateral will be limited to bitcoin, ether, and USDC. In addition, during this initial period, an FCM relying on the no-action letter will be required to provide weekly reporting of the total amount of digital assets held in customer accounts, listing each asset type separately for each of the three customer account classes, and promptly notify CFTC staff of any significant issue affecting the use of digital assets as customer margin collateral. The frequent reporting and notice requirements will provide an opportunity for CFTC staff to assess the proper application of FCM regulatory requirements without unnecessarily limiting the ability of FCMs to accept digital assets as collateral and deposit proprietary payment stablecoins as residual interest in customer accounts.
Finally, MPD withdrew CFTC Staff Advisory No. 20-34, Accepting Virtual Currencies from Customers into Segregation, effective immediately. That advisory, which was issued by MPD’s predecessor division, placed certain restrictions on an FCM’s ability to accept virtual currencies as customer collateral. The substantial developments with respect to digital assets and the use of tokenized collateral in the derivatives markets that occurred in the intervening years since its issuance, including the enactment of the GENIUS Act, have rendered the advisory outdated and no longer relevant.
These actions are based on significant stakeholder input and public comments, feedback from a CFTC Crypto CEO Forum, and recommendations from the Digital Asset Markets Subcommittee of the Global Markets Advisory Committee, which Acting Chairman Pham sponsors.
RELATED LINKS
CFTC Staff Letter No. 25-39 (Guidance)
CFTC Staff Letter No. 25-40
CFTC Staff Letter No. 25-41
Whistleblower Protections Threatened In Landmark Supreme Court Case - Slaughter v. Trump To Determine Whistleblower Protections Nationwide
Today, the U.S. Supreme Court is hearing arguments in the case of Slaughter v. Trump. At issue is the President’s authority to fire, at-will and for political reasons, any appointee within the government, including members of Senate-confirmed Commissions, where the underlying statute limits the President’s authority.
Although today’s argument concerns the ability to fire members of the Federal Trade Commission, it will set precedent for numerous other independent Commissions, including those that decide whistleblower cases.
According to Stephen M. Kohn, the Chairman of the Board of the National Whistleblower Center (NWC), and co-author of the amicus brief filed by the NWC, “this case could have a radically devastating impact on whistleblowers.”
“The entire framework of protecting federal employee whistleblowers is at stake in this case,” Kohn added.
Whistleblower cases are decided by a Congressionally mandated independent Board, similar to the requirements of the FTC. Known as the Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB), it is required to have three members, two from the President’s political party and one member from the opposition party.
Members can only be terminated from the Board “for cause.” Because whistleblowers are often critical of a sitting President, this limit was required by Congress to ensure that whistleblower cases could be heard by an independent agency, without direct pressure from the White House.
However, asserting his executive authority to terminate federal appointees, President Trump fired the only Democratic member of the Board, causing the MSPB to lose its quorum. The result: All federal employee whistleblower cases are now in limbo.
Kohn explained: “The MSPB is only one of numerous boards that whistleblowers rely on for independent and non-partisan decision-making. For example, the Securities and Commodities Exchange Commission decides all whistleblower award cases under Dodd-Frank and their members currently have similar protections as those being at issue in Slaughter. Stripping these protections is bad policy, bad law, and constitutionally indefensible,” Kohn added.
The NWC’s Brief cited a landmark speech by James Madison, a highly respected member of the Convention that drafted the U.S. Constitution and the First Congress. The NWC explained that Madison firmly believed that Congress was the proper authority to place limits on Presidential appointees.
The Brief also quoted from the highly influential Constitutional scholar, former Supreme Court Justice Joseph Story, who warned in his 1839 Commentaries on the Constitution, of the dangerous implications of granting the President “unlimited power to remove” members of the executive branch:
“Indeed, it is utterly impossible not to feel, that, if this unlimited power of removal does exist, it may be made, in the hands of a bold and designing man, of high ambition, and feeble principles, an instrument of the worst oppression, and most vindictive vengeance.”
U.S. Supreme Court Justice Joseph Story, Commentaries on the Constitution (1833)
The NWC’s Brief is linked here.
The briefs filed in the Slaughter case, and prior court decisions, are linked here.
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