February: second and shortest month of the year in the Julian and Gregorian calendars In Old English, February was referred to both as “Solmounath” – a month of mud and Kale-mounath – a month of cabbage! Mud and cabbage or not, February is a good month to set your reminders for several upcoming notable events Remember — attendance at NIBA in-person symposiums and webinars is free for members. So, mark the following dates now:             April 19 – NIBA Forum, New York Athletic Club, NYC. Sessions include (i) marketing, (ii) short, critical answers to three…...

The tax changes will benefit IBs, CPOs and CTAs since most are organized as corporations or pass thru entities (LLCs , LPs and S-Corps) .  The following will give you a summary of some of the main tax changes that will be effective in 2018.  If you can defer income to 2018 from 2017 it could be tax beneficial to you. The new tax law under the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act includes many changes to the current law and will impact virtually every individual and business on a level not seen in many years. At the business level, the…...

January – the first month of the year in the Julian and Gregorian calendars. January (in Latin Ianuarius) is named after the Latin word for door – ianua, because January is the door to the year and an opening to new beginnings. According to ancient Roman farmer’s almanacs, the month is most often thought of as being named for Janus, the god of beginnings and transitions in Roman mythology. This year NIBA will present three in-person membership events. 2017‘s New York program was standing room only. Registration is already open on the website for this year — April 19th, at…...

Not Completely Out-with-the-Old: Definitely In-with-the-New The NIBA has had a good year. New members, four great in-person events, over 20 newsletters, and a terrific year-end Advisory Group Meeting. Our partnership with member FCMs, member Service Providers, DePaul University and the CME Group has grown and flourished. NIBA’s voice and input on all types of industry issues including significant regulation, has been strengthened as we were included by the NFA and CFTC in roundtables and on advisory committees. In 2017, Association membership has been free for all registered IBs and CTAs. A firm only has to claim its listing on the…...

Additional reporting requirements for IBs that solicit or accept orders in virtual currency products A number of CFTC-regulated trading venues have launched or announced plans to offer derivatives on virtual currency products, including bitcoin. Given the volatility in the underlying virtual currency products, NFA is requiring each IB to immediately notify NFA if it solicits or accepts any orders in virtual currency derivatives. Until further notice, this obligation will apply on a continuous basis—any IB that does not currently offer virtual currency derivatives must notify NFA if it begins soliciting or accepting orders in these products. Effective immediately, an IB…...

“Elections belong to the people…” Abraham Lincoln, 1809-1865 Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States from 1861 until he was assassinated in 1865, and stated the above during the Lincoln-Douglas debates of 1858 when he was a candidate for U.S. Senate. The NFA has announced candidates for various positions on its board of directors. The nomination for the Guaranteed Introducing Broker (GIB) position is Scott Stewart, CEO  of Stewart-Peterson Group in West Bend, WI.  Scott served as the Chairman of the NFA IB Advisory Committee for several years, and is a past president of the NIBA. Scott…...

This year the NIBA has rolled out a number of exciting new changes including our 25th Anniversary “free” membership offer.  The NIBAs newsletter continues to be a consistent and reliable source of industry information published twice monthly and covering topics related to education, compliance and innovation.  Beginning in December the newsletter will only be accessible to registered members of the NIBA.  You will notice the new format in your inbox this month.  If you have not done so already be sure to claim your free membership which includes full access to the newsletter content....

Report by Erik Norland, Senior Economist at CME Group This paper examines why bitcoin is so volatile; its supply and demand drivers, and how the cryptocurrency compares to commodities. What is most striking about the economics of bitcoin is the certainty of its supply and the vagaries of demand. The rate at which bitcoin is mined has been highly predictable and unlike almost any other asset – currencies or commodities – its ultimate supply is a known quantity, fixed well in advance. There will never be more than 21 million bitcoins. This feature makes supply almost perfectly inelastic. No matter…...