FINRA to Host Blockchain Event in New York Next Month

FINRA, the self-regulatory organization for US brokers, is to host a blockchain event in New York next month.

Dubbed the Blockchain Symposium, the event will be held at the Park Central Hotel on 13th July, the organization announced this week. The lineup includes representatives from regulatory agencies including the US Securities and Exchange Commission and the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency.

FINRA's event announcement came in tandem with the launch of its new Innovation Outreach Initiative, which, according to a statement, will function as a kind of communication hub for members who are dealing with new financial technologies, including blockchain. According to its website, more than 600,000 brokers in the US are part of FINRA.

Specific elements of the effort include the creation of a Fintech Industry Committee, as well as the kick-off of regional roundtables for FINRA members to collaboratively discuss technological shifts.

"The Innovation Outreach Initiative will enable us to better track fintech developments across the rapidly changing industry environment in order to support innovation in the industry while maintaining investor protection and market integrity," Robert Cook, FINRA's president and CEO, said in a statement.

FINRA has previously highlighted how its mandate – and the rules by which its members adhere – could face change in the near future. Back in January, FINRA said in a report that many of its rules, as well as those advanced by regulators such as the SEC, "are potentially implicated by various DLT applications".

FINRA image via Andriy Blokhin/Shutterstock