SEC’s Paul Atkins says turf wars between SEC and CFTC are ending as new coordination on definitions, oversight, and data sharing aims to deliver clearer, streamlined rules for market participants

The story refers to the SEC and CFTC’s new push to coordinate more closely on shared areas of market oversight, which SEC Chairman Paul Atkins described as the end of interagency “turf wars.” In March 2026, the two agencies announced a Memorandum of Understanding and a Joint Harmonization Initiative designed to improve coordination on product definitions, oversight, reporting, examinations, enforcement, and secure data sharing, while explicitly saying the arrangement does not change either agency’s statutory authority or create new rules. The key context is that U.S. securities and derivatives markets have long had overlapping jurisdiction, especially for dual-registered firms, swaps, security-based swaps, and crypto-related products. The new framework is meant to reduce duplicative compliance burdens and provide clearer regulatory boundaries for market participants, including firms registered as investment advisers and also as CPOs or CTAs; it also covers crypto assets and other emerging technologies as a priority area. This matters because it signals a more structured, operational relationship between the two agencies after years of fragmented oversight. The agencies say they will use senior-level coordination, periodic meetings, and requested data sharing to align interpretations and streamline regulation, which could make it easier for firms to navigate overlapping SEC-CFTC obligations while preserving each agency’s independent authority.

✨ AI-generated background, compiled from web sources — not editorial content.

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