Chairman's Letter - February 2019
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Chairman's Letter - February 2019

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February in Chicago has begun in the deep freeze. Dangerous, record-setting temperatures meant kids missed school, and meetings were cancelled. The NIBA Board of Directors used the time to put the finishing touches on the NIBA Annual New York City Event. Our Annual NYC event is scheduled for April 10th. Four business sessions and a networking reception begin at 2pm (onsite registration open at 1:30pm) at the New York Athletic Club, the site of our meetings for the past five years. Registration is open. The NFA held its annual members meeting at its Chicago office on Feb. 5. I attended and took several questions from members to discuss with NFA staff. Read a summary of that meeting here. NFA will conduct two workshops later this month -- Feb. 25 in Chicago and Feb. 27 in New York. Cybersecurity, including the recent amendments, NFA updates and recent examination themes will be addressed at both workshops. The NYC meeting will also include a swap dealer regulatory session. Registration forms for both sessions can be found on the NFA website. MFA will hold a two and one-half day conference at The Biltmore in Santa Barbara, CA Feb. 27-March 1. Entitled “Examining the Hedge Fund Operation, Legal and Compliance Ecosystem,” this meeting will focus on changing industry standards and regulations specific to firms engaged in managed funds. Registration for the MFA event can be found on their website. CTA/CPO affirmation deadline is March 1. CTAs/CPOs claiming an exemption from registration under specific CFTC regulations must reaffirm eligibility for the exemption or register with the NFA. For help determining your status, contact the NFA or your lawyer/accountant. Worth Your Time: Blu Putnam, CME Managing Director and Chief Economic Officer has a terrific new post on the CME website focused on how the government stalemate could damage U.S. branding globally. On Feb. 13, ICE will webcast and subsequently post, Chairman Jeff Sprecher’s presentation at the Goldman Sachs Tech & Internet Conference. Best, Melinda Melinda Schramm, Founder & Chairman melinda@futuresrep.com

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