FiSolve Weekly News Digest: February 13, 2026

Here is what we are reading in the news this week...

SEC Chairman Testifies Before the

U.S. House Financial Services Committee

In his testimony before the U.S. House Financial Services Committee, Chairman Paul Atkins emphasized a strategic recommitment to the SEC’s core mission of protecting investors, maintaining fair, orderly, and efficient markets, and facilitating capital formation.  To this end, 2026 priorities are focused on streamlining regulatory burdens, modernizing disclosure, reinforcing investor protection, and ensuring clear regulatory frameworks.  Chairman Atkins discussed rationalizing and simplifying disclosures so that public company reporting highlights material information rather than voluminous filings that deter capital formation and increase costs, outlined initiatives to re-anchor disclosure obligations in materiality, depoliticizing shareholder meetings, and providing litigation alternatives to reduce frivolous actions.  The Chairman stressed the importance of working with Congress on the CLARITY Act and enhancing coordinated oversight for digital assets (e.g., token taxonomy and exemptions as part of Project Crypto) while returning enforcement to first principles of rooting out fraud and investor harm across traditional and digital markets.  Read more here.

SEC Enforcement Director Outlines Division’s Priorities

As the SEC Chairman testified before the U.S. House Financial Services Committee, SEC Enforcement Director Margaret “Meg” Ryan  delivered remarks to the Los Angeles County Bar Association emphasizing a return to fundamental securities-law enforcement with a focus on quality over volume, aligning with Chairman Paul Atkins’s directive to “return to the basics” and ensure fair, timely case resolutions that protect investors and support fair, orderly, and efficient markets.  She reiterated that the Division will judiciously allocate limited resources to high-impact matters, prioritizing fraud-related misconduct (particularly schemes harming retail investors).  The Division also will continue to pursue traditional integrity-threatening violations such as accounting fraud, insider trading, wash trading, and market manipulation.  Additionally, Director Ryan highlighted the importance of enforcement of compliance obligations (e.g., reporting, books and records, internal controls, fiduciary duties), recognizing that while not all compliance failures rise to fraud, some warrant thoughtful remedies and resolutions that reinforce compliance and market confidence.  Read more here.

Nearly 70% of Employees Believe

Their Skills Are Not Properly Utilized

A new national survey from Resume Now reveals that 69% of employees feel underutilized at work, suggesting serious implications for engagement, career growth, and retention.  According to Resume Now's Untapped Talent Report, 72% also expect to look for a new job if they continue to feel consistently underutilized.  As many companies and departments often feel stretched, the study suggests (among other things) there may be opportunities for firms to reconsider roles and whether individuals can contribute outside their specific job function.  Read more here.

FINRA Suspends Representative for 9 Months,

Citing Expense Policy Violations

In a settlement announced this week, FINRA found an investment banking representative of a large financial services firm violated the firm’s expense policy over a 12-month period.  Specifically, the firm’s expense policy allowed employees to order overtime meals to the firm’s work locations and charge them to the firm when they: (1) worked in their assigned firm office for four hours beyond the normal workday on weekdays, or worked on weekends or firm holidays; and (2) consumed the meal on site at their assigned firm office.  FINRA found the representative charged approximately $6,000 in overtime meal expenses for more than 175 meals.  Some of the meals were delivered to a non-firm office address by circumventing controls in the firm’s meal-ordering application, and other meals delivered were delivered to a firm office location on days when she did not work at any firm location to create the appearance that she was complying with firm policy.  The representative was also terminated from her position by the firm for the violations, with the Form U-5 filing triggering FINRA’s investigation.  Read more here.

CFTC Staff Reissues Letter 25-40

Updating Payment Stablecoin Definition

The Commodity Futures Trading Commission’s Market Participants Division reissued Staff Letter 25-40 with a revised definition of “payment stablecoin” to explicitly include stablecoins issued by national trust banks within the scope of its no-action position for certain futures commission merchant collateral practices.  This clarifies that the original letter’s intent was not to exclude such chartered institutions; this revision aims to ensure that regulated entities can accept eligible stablecoin collateral without uncertainty about issuer eligibility, reinforcing the evolving U.S. framework for stablecoin integration into derivatives markets under recent policy developments like the GENIUS Act and related collateral innovation efforts.  Read more here.

NFA Orders Firm to Withdraw from and

Not Reapply for NFA membership

Based on violations relating to improper use of hypothetical performance and other violations relating to the use of promotional material, the National Futures Association (NFA) accepted a settlement offer from a Michigan based NFA member to withdraw its NFA registration and agreement not to reapply for membership.  The firm’s principal agreed to a similar agreement.  Read more here.

FCA Brings Criminal Action to Stop Global Crypto Firm

for Illegally Promoting Crypto Asset Services

to UK Consumers

The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has begun legal proceedings against a global crypto exchange for illegally promoting cryptoasset services to UK consumers.  The FCA had previously warned the firm about its improper activities, however, the firm has continued to publish financial promotions in breach of applicable rules on its website and on social media platforms, including TikTok, X, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.  In bringing the action, the FCA announced firms providing crypto products to UK consumers need to comply with rules which protect consumers from unfair and misleading marketing.  Advertising cryptoassets on social media or websites without complying with these rules is a criminal offense.  Read more here.

📣 WEBINAR ANNOUCEMENT 📣

COMPLIANCE ANONYMOUS

FiSolve's next Compliance Anonymous session is set for 12 PM ET on February 25. This confidential forum brings together legal, compliance, and operations professionals to openly discuss real-world challenges without attribution or judgment.  Participation is free, but to ensure meaningful engagement, seating is limited. Reserve your spot here. 

💡FiSolve's Negotiation Tip of the Week💡

Time Constraints

Consider use of time constraints as a strategic variable rather than a source of pressure.  Deadlines, such as quarter-end reporting, regulatory filings, deal financing windows, investment committee meetings, often drive behavior more than price or terms, so clarify early whose clock matters most and why it matters.  If the counterparty faces a hard external deadline, avoid conceding value simply because they create urgency; instead, trade speed for consideration (e.g., tighter timelines in exchange for improved economics, information access, or risk protections).  Conversely, if you are the one under time pressure, narrow the issues, sequence decisions, and secure interim agreements to preserve momentum without overcommitting on key issues.  Professionals who manage the clock deliberately, rather than reacting to it, retain leverage and improve outcomes.

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