[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 109 (Thursday, June 6, 2019)]
[Notices]
[Page 26462]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-11871]


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SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

[Release No. 34-86005; File No. 013-00117]


Initial Form ATS-N Filing; Notice of Extension of Commission 
Review Period

June 3, 2019.
    On February 11, 2019, MS POOL ATS-4 filed an initial Form ATS-N 
(``Form ATS-N'') with the Securities and Exchange Commission 
(``Commission''). Pursuant to Rule 304 under the Securities and 
Exchange Act of 1934 (``Act''), the Commission may, after notice and an 
opportunity for hearing, declare an initial Form ATS-N ineffective no 
later than 120 days from the date of filing with the Commission, or, if 
applicable, the extended review period. June 11, 2019 is 120 calendar 
days from the date of filing. Pursuant to Rule 304(a)(1)(iv)(B), the 
Commission may extend the initial Form ATS-N review period for up to an 
additional 120 calendar days if the initial Form ATS-N is unusually 
lengthy or raises novel or complex issues that require additional time 
for review.
    MS POOL ATS-4 was operating pursuant to an initial operation report 
on Form ATS on file with the Commission as of January 7, 2019.\1\ MS 
POOL ATS-4 filed an initial Form ATS-N on February 11, 2019. During the 
initial 120 calendar day review period, the Commission staff has been 
reviewing the disclosures on MS POOL ATS-4's initial Form ATS-N. In 
addition, the staff has been engaged in ongoing discussions with MS 
POOL ATS-4 about its disclosures and manner of operations, as well as 
the requirements of Form ATS-N, to facilitate complete and 
comprehensible disclosures that reflect the complexities of those 
operations.
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    \1\ An NMS Stock ATS (as defined in Rule 300(k) of Regulation 
ATS) that was operating pursuant to an initial operation report on 
Form ATS on file with the Commission as of January 7, 2019 is a 
``Legacy NMS Stock ATS.'' 17 CFR 242.301(b)(2)(viii).
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    Form ATS-N requires NMS Stock ATSs to file with the Commission, and 
disclose to the public for the first time, certain information, 
including descriptions by the NMS Stock ATSs of their fees, the trading 
activities by their broker-dealer operators and their affiliates in the 
NMS Stock ATSs, their use of market data, their written standards for 
granting access to trading on the NMS Stock ATSs, and their written 
safeguards and procedures for protecting their subscribers' 
confidential trading information required by revised Rule 301(b)(10) of 
Regulation ATS. The initial Form ATS-N disclosures and discussions with 
Commission staff have revealed complexities about the operations of 
Legacy NMS Stock ATSs including, among other things, matching 
functionalities, means of order entry, order interaction and execution 
procedures, conditional order processes, segmentation of orders, and 
counterparty selection protocols. The Commission staff needs additional 
time to review novel and complex issues such as these, which Commission 
staff has discussed with MS POOL ATS-4. Extending the initial Form ATS-
N Commission review period for an additional 120 calendar days will 
provide Commission staff an opportunity to continue its review of the 
initial Form ATS-N disclosures and discussions with MS POOL ATS-4.
    In the conversations between MS POOL ATS-4 and Commission staff 
about the initial Form ATS-N disclosures and the ATS operations, 
Commission staff and MS POOL ATS-4 have discussed a potential amendment 
to update MS POOL ATS-4's disclosures regarding the complexities of its 
operations. Extending the review period will enable the NMS Stock ATS 
to amend its disclosures, if appropriate, and allow Commission staff to 
conduct a thorough review of amendments to the initial disclosures 
provided on the initial Form ATS-N.
    For the reasons given above, the Commission is extending the review 
period of the initial Form ATS-N submitted by MS POOL ATS-4. 
Accordingly, pursuant to Rule 304(a)(1)(iv)(B), October 9, 2019 is the 
date by which the Commission may declare the initial Form ATS-N 
submitted by MS POOL ATS-4 ineffective.

    By the Commission.
Eduardo A. Aleman,
Deputy Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2019-11871 Filed 6-5-19; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 8011-01-P


