[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 75 (Wednesday, April 21, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 20772-20774]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-08149]


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SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

[Release No. 34-91582; File No. SR-FINRA-2021-007]


Self-Regulatory Organizations; Financial Industry Regulatory 
Authority, Inc.; Notice of Filing and Immediate Effectiveness of a 
Proposed Rule Change to Extend the Time to Announce the Implementation 
Schedule for FINRA's Corporate Bond New Issue Reference Data Service

April 15, 2021.
    Pursuant to Section 19(b)(1) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 
(``Act'') \1\ and Rule 19b-4 thereunder,\2\ notice is hereby given that 
on April 13, 2021, the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Inc. 
(``FINRA'') filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (``SEC'' 
or ``Commission'') the proposed rule change as described in Items I and 
II below, which Items have been prepared by FINRA. The Commission is 
publishing this notice to solicit comments on the proposed rule change 
from interested persons.
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    \1\ 15 U.S.C. 78s(b)(1).
    \2\ 17 CFR 240.19b-4.
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I. Self-Regulatory Organization's Statement of the Terms of Substance 
of the Proposed Rule Change

    FINRA is proposing to extend its time to announce the 
implementation schedule for FINRA's corporate bond

[[Page 20773]]

new issue reference data service. The proposed rule change would not 
make any changes to FINRA rules.
    The text of the proposed rule change is available on FINRA's 
website at http://www.finra.org, at the principal office of FINRA and 
at the Commission's Public Reference Room.

II. Self-Regulatory Organization's Statement of the Purpose of, and 
Statutory Basis for, the Proposed Rule Change

    In its filing with the Commission, FINRA included statements 
concerning the purpose of and basis for the proposed rule change and 
discussed any comments it received on the proposed rule change. The 
text of these statements may be examined at the places specified in 
Item IV below. FINRA has prepared summaries, set forth in sections A, 
B, and C below, of the most significant aspects of such statements.

A. Self-Regulatory Organization's Statement of the Purpose of, and 
Statutory Basis for, the Proposed Rule Change

1. Purpose
    On January 15, 2021, the Commission approved a proposed rule change 
for FINRA to establish a new issue reference data service for corporate 
bonds.\3\ When FINRA submitted that proposed rule change, it noted that 
it would announce the effective date for the new issue reference data 
service in a Regulatory Notice within 90 days of Commission approval, 
and that the effective date would be within 270 days of Commission 
approval.\4\ FINRA is now submitting this filing to extend its time to 
establish and announce the effective date. Once an effective date has 
been established, FINRA will issue a Regulatory Notice to announce an 
implementation schedule that provides market participants with 
sufficient time to prepare for implementation.
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    \3\ See Securities Exchange Act Release No. 90939 (January 15, 
2021), 86 FR 6922 (January 25, 2021) (Order Setting Aside Action by 
Delegated Authority and Approving File No. SR-FINRA-2019-008).
    \4\ See Securities Exchange Act Release No. 85488 (April 2, 
2019), 84 FR 13977 (April 8, 2019) (Notice of Filing of File No. SR-
FINRA-2019-008).
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    FINRA has filed the proposed rule change for immediate 
effectiveness and has requested that the SEC waive the requirement that 
the proposed rule change not become operative for 30 days after the 
date of the filing, so FINRA can implement the proposed rule change 
immediately.
    2. Statutory Basis
    FINRA believes that the proposed rule change is consistent with the 
provisions of Section 15A(b)(6) of the Act,\5\ which requires, among 
other things, that FINRA rules must be designed to prevent fraudulent 
and manipulative acts and practices, to promote just and equitable 
principles of trade, to foster cooperation and coordination with 
persons engaged in regulating, clearing, settling, processing 
information with respect to, and facilitating transactions in 
securities, to remove impediments to and perfect the mechanism of a 
free and open market, and, in general, to protect investors and the 
public interest. The Commission has determined that the corporate bond 
new issue reference data service is consistent with the Act, including 
Section 15A(b)(6), and FINRA believes that this proposed rule change 
will allow for additional time to establish and announce an 
implementation schedule for the corporate bond new issue reference 
service on the terms approved by the Commission.
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    \5\ 15 U.S.C. 78o-3(b)(6).
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B. Self-Regulatory Organization's Statement on Burden on Competition

    FINRA does not believe that the proposed rule change will result in 
any burden on competition that is not necessary or appropriate in 
furtherance of the purposes of the Act.

C. Self-Regulatory Organization's Statement on Comments on the Proposed 
Rule Change Received From Members, Participants, or Others

    Written comments were neither solicited nor received.

III. Date of Effectiveness of the Proposed Rule Change and Timing for 
Commission Action

    Because the foregoing proposed rule change does not: (i) 
Significantly affect the protection of investors or the public 
interest; (ii) impose any significant burden on competition; and (iii) 
become operative for 30 days from the date on which it was filed, or 
such shorter time as the Commission may designate, it has become 
effective pursuant to Section 19(b)(3)(A) of the Act \6\ and Rule 19b-
4(f)(6) thereunder.\7\
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    \6\ 15 U.S.C. 78s(b)(3)(A).
    \7\ 17 CFR 240.19b-4(f)(6). In addition, Rule 19b-4(f)(6) 
requires FINRA to give the Commission written notice of its intent 
to file the proposed rule change, along with a brief description and 
text of the proposed rule change, at least five business days prior 
to the date of filing of the proposed rule change, or such shorter 
time as designated by the Commission. FINRA has satisfied this 
requirement.
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    A proposed rule change filed under Rule 19b-4(f)(6) \8\ normally 
does not become operative for 30 days after the date of the filing. 
However, pursuant to Rule 19b-4(f)(6)(iii),\9\ the Commission may 
designate a shorter time if such action is consistent with the 
protection of investors and the public interest. FINRA has asked the 
Commission to waive the 30-day operative delay so that the proposal may 
become operative immediately upon filing. As discussed above, FINRA 
initially stated it would announce the effective date for the corporate 
bond new issue reference data service in a Regulatory Notice within 90 
days of Commission approval, and that the effective date would be 
within 270 days of Commission approval.\10\ FINRA requests waiver of 
the 30-day operative delay so that it is immediately clear that FINRA 
will extend its time to establish and announce the effective date for 
the corporate bond new issue reference service. For the foregoing 
reason, the Commission believes that waiver of the 30-day operative 
delay is consistent with the protection of investors and the public 
interest. Accordingly, the Commission waives the 30-day operative delay 
and designates the proposed rule change operative upon filing.\11\
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    \8\ 17 CFR 240.19b-4(f)(6).
    \9\ 17 CFR 240.19b-4(f)(6)(iii).
    \10\ See supra note 4 and accompanying text.
    \11\ For purposes only of waiving the 30-day operative delay, 
the Commission has also considered the proposed rule's impact on 
efficiency, competition, and capital formation. See 15 U.S.C. 
78c(f).
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    At any time within 60 days of the filing of the proposed rule 
change, the Commission summarily may temporarily suspend such rule 
change if it appears to the Commission that such action is necessary or 
appropriate in the public interest, for the protection of investors, or 
otherwise in furtherance of the purposes of the Act.

IV. Solicitation of Comments

    Interested persons are invited to submit written data, views and 
arguments concerning the foregoing, including whether the proposed rule 
change is consistent with the Act. Comments may be submitted by any of 
the following methods:
Electronic Comments
     Use the Commission's internet comment form (http://www.sec.gov/rules/sro.shtml); or
     Send an email to rule-comments@sec.gov. Please include 
File Number SR-FINRA-2021-007 on the subject line.
Paper Comments
     Send paper comments in triplicate to Secretary, Securities 
and Exchange Commission, 100 F Street NE, Washington, DC 20549-1090.


[[Page 20774]]


All submissions should refer to File Number SR-FINRA-2021-007. This 
file number should be included on the subject line if email is used. To 
help the Commission process and review your comments more efficiently, 
please use only one method. The Commission will post all comments on 
the Commission's internet website (http://www.sec.gov/rules/sro.shtml). 
Copies of the submission, all subsequent amendments, all written 
statements with respect to the proposed rule change that are filed with 
the Commission, and all written communications relating to the proposed 
rule change between the Commission and any person, other than those 
that may be withheld from the public in accordance with the provisions 
of 5 U.S.C. 552, will be available for website viewing and printing in 
the Commission's Public Reference Room, 100 F Street NE, Washington, DC 
20549, on official business days between the hours of 10:00 a.m. and 
3:00 p.m. Copies of such filing also will be available for inspection 
and copying at the principal office of FINRA. All comments received 
will be posted without change. Persons submitting comments are 
cautioned that we do not redact or edit personal identifying 
information from comment submissions. You should submit only 
information that you wish to make available publicly. All submissions 
should refer to File Number SR-FINRA-2021-007 and should be submitted 
on or before May 12, 2021.

    For the Commission, by the Division of Trading and Markets, 
pursuant to delegated authority.\12\
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    \12\ 17 CFR 200.30-3(a)(12).
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J. Matthew DeLesDernier,
Assistant Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2021-08149 Filed 4-20-21; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 8011-01-P


