Financial technology (fintech) has revolutionized the financial industry. Need proof? Just ask yourself: when was the last time you went to a bank to deposit a check? From digital banking and mobile trading apps to Venmo, cryptocurrencies and blockchain, fintech has changed the way we manage our money and investments and the ways in which financial services companies reach and interact with their customers. So how are financial industry regulators keeping up with the newest developments and predicting their impact on the financial industry and possible regulation? For FINRA, the answer is the Innovation Outreach Initiative. In this episode, Haime Workie and Kavita Jain join us to talk about the initiative itself and share their insights on the fintech innovations that are driving market activity around the world. Resources mentioned in this episode: Fintech @ FINRA Know Before You Share: Be Mindful of Data Aggregation Risks Initial Coin Offerings: Know Before You Invest Report on Digital Investment Advice Report on Distributed Ledger Technology FINRA Unscripted Episode 10: Introducing ERI Find us:  X / YouTube /LinkedIn / Facebook /  E-mail

What are the principles that guide FINRA’s decision making when it comes to taking Enforcement action? That’s the question that’s been on the mind of FINRA’s head of Enforcement, Susan Schroeder, since she took on the role in mid-2017. One of the first things Schroeder did in her new role was to get right down to basics and define what an effective Enforcement action looks like – to identify clearly her team’s common goals. She wanted to ensure everyone in the group was asking the same questions and considering the same factors in the same way on every case, every day. In this episode, Susan rejoins us to discuss how getting back to basics has helped her build a more effective Enforcement team. Resources mentioned in this episode: FINRA360 Sanction Guidelines SIFMA AML Speech Find us:  X / YouTube /LinkedIn / Facebook /  E-mail

Every day, FINRA processes roughly 60 billion market events. This includes stock orders, modifications, cancellations and trades from the moment orders are placed, as they move through the markets and are executed. And FINRA not only processes a massive amount of data each day, but also must analyze it to uncover misconduct. How does FINRA surveille this enormous volume of data to find instances of abusive activity? With exceedingly sophisticated technology and highly adept analysts in FINRA’s Market Regulation and Transparency Services group. Today we sit down with Tom Gira the head of the department and a 25-year veteran of FINRA. Tom explains how FINRA’s use of technology, specifically the cloud and machine learning, has improved FINRA’s quality of regulation, furthering the organization’s mission of market integrity and investor protection. Resources mentioned in this episode: Options Clearing Corporation FINRA Market Regulation FINRA Ad Hoc Committees 12: How the Cloud Has Revolutionized FINRA Technology Find us:  X / YouTube /LinkedIn / Facebook /  E-mail

When you think of financial regulation, you don’t typically think of innovation, but in fact, FINRA was an early adopter of the cloud for critical business functions. Today, FINRA has more than 30 petabytes of data in the cloud—or about 60 million years’ worth of MP3 music. With the cloud, FINRA has been able to build a massive data lake that allows its regulatory staff to conduct business more efficiently and more effectively than ever. In this episode, FINRA’s Chief Information Officer Steve Randich joins us to discuss all this and more. Plus, we learn why Steve turned down a promising career in the dishwashing industry to end up working in technology. Resources mentioned in this episode: FINRA Technology Moving Your Production System to the Cloud? 6 Things You Need to Know How the Cloud Is Changing Financial Regulation AWS Case Study *Note: * Steve misspoke when describing the size of a petabyte. One petabyte would be equal to about 2,000 years' worth of music files, so 30 petabytes would be equal to about 60,000 years' worth of files. Find us:  X / YouTube /LinkedIn / Facebook /  E-mail

FINRA operates the largest securities dispute resolution forum in the United States, with disputes resolved through arbitration and mediation. But for those unfamiliar with arbitration or mediation, it can be a confusing process. What is FINRA arbitration? How might you end up with a case in arbitration or mediation? What’s the difference between the two? What does the process look like? In this episode, FINRA’s Head of Dispute Resolution, Rick Berry, answers these questions and more. For more about FINRA arbitration, visit our website. Find us:  X / YouTube /LinkedIn / Facebook /  E-mail

FINRA can’t predict the future, but like a weatherman, it can make predictions based on circumstances that exist today. Tasked with that job of figuring out what is ahead is FINRA’s Office of Emerging Regulatory Issues (ERI). ERI works to predict what storms may be brewing in the securities market, what areas of the market they are likely to impact and the likely consequences of those “storms.” This allows FINRA to ensure its resources are deployed where they are needed most. In this episode, ERI’s Haime Workie and Kavita Jain join us to talk about the role of ERI at FINRA. From volatility to tax reform, we’ll hear what they think about the market’s forecast. Plus, Haime and Kavita share what products or technologies they love and what keeps them up at night. Resources mentioned in this episode: FinTech Investor Alerts Find us:  X / YouTube /LinkedIn / Facebook /  E-mail

Consistency and foreseeability: that’s what any regulator strives for. But when FINRA CEO Robert Cook asked around, he heard that wasn’t always the case—particularly when it came to two different enforcement teams. Last July, FINRA responded by announcing it would bring together these two teams into One Enforcement under the leadership of Susan Schroeder, FINRA’s Executive Vice President and Head of enforcement. In this episode, Susan shares what she is doing to bring these two teams together, tells us why the integration is so important and details her greatest challenges so far. Resources mentioned in this episode: FINRA360 Find us:  X / YouTube /LinkedIn / Facebook /  E-mail

8: The Senior Helpline: Addressing the Unique Needs of Senior Investors “Can we make a difference? Can this actually work?” Those are the questions FINRA’s Yvette Panetta and her team asked themselves when they launched the Securities Helpline for Seniors. Three years later, the answer to both questions is clearly yes. Since April 2015, FINRA’s Senior Helpline has helped nearly 13,000 senior investors with everything from simple questions, such as “how do I find out more information about my broker,” to serious concerns, including potential broker misconduct and allegations of fraud. Yvette Panetta, Brooke Hickman and Robert Mascio share how they helped develop the Senior Helpline into more than just another call center, but rather into a valuable resource for senior investors and FINRA member firms alike. Resources mentioned in this episode: 844-57-HELPS (844-574-3577) Monday – Friday 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. Eastern Time Find us:  X / YouTube /LinkedIn / Facebook /  E-mail

7: One FINRA: A Commitment to Diversity and Inclusion Do you show your true self at work? Or do you censor your emotions and self-expression to align with your work’s established environment? If you censor yourself, you’re not alone. Now imagine an organization where you could bring your “100 percent authentic self” to work. FINRA’s Audria Lee explains that if diversity is being invited to the party; inclusion is being invited to dance. FINRA strives to achieve both because both are essential to an organization’s long-term success. Diverse and inclusive work environments see greater employee satisfaction, engagement and creativity, as well as greater overall company productivity and success. Guests Audria Lee and Denise Fields are leaders advancing workplace equality at FINRA and serve as an example for the greater financial services industry. Hear them discuss FINRA’s Diversity and Inclusion programs, initiatives, successes and challenges, and share strategic steps and actionable tips employers can take to improve diversity and inclusion in their own workplace. Find us:  X / YouTube /LinkedIn / Facebook /  E-mail

Our tech-connected world faces threats against our data and technology. Both people and businesses must be vigilant to avoid a breach. In this FINRA Unscripted episode, hear from John Brady, FINRA's vice president for cybersecurity, as he talks to FINRA's Mike Rote about what his team does to combat threats and tips you can use in your life to be cyber secure. Watch: Listen: Find us:  X / YouTube /LinkedIn / Facebook /  E-mail

5: A Touch Point for Politicians and Other Regulators: FINRA’s Office of Government Affairs It is 2018. America is facing a wave of new government appointments and upcoming elections at all levels of the government. And with new leaders, come new priorities. Effective government relations are essential to FINRA’s success. So, how does FINRA navigate the changing environment? According to FINRA’s Senior Vice President of Government Affairs, Greg Dean, by building and maintaining genuine relationships and by telling FINRA’s story. In this episode of FINRA Unscripted, Dean shares how FINRA has achieved success in the government affairs space. Resources mentioned in this episode: OATS Senior Helpline Find us:  X / YouTube /LinkedIn / Facebook /  E-mail

4: Investing Smarter Do you have student loan payments every month? If you do, you’re not alone. Almost 70 percent of US grads leave college with student debt. And many are entering the job market in debt and entirely unprepared to manage their own finances. This is exactly what happened to our guest today, Gerri Walsh. It wasn’t until Gerri’s law school graduation day that she learned how much she had incurred in student loans, and it was more than she ever imagined. So today, Gerri works to make sure what happened to her, doesn’t happen to anyone else. Gerri is the head of FINRA’s investor education efforts and the FINRA Foundation is here today to help make us all smarter investors. Resources mentioned in this episode: FINRA Foundation Investor Resources Find us:  X / YouTube /LinkedIn / Facebook /  E-mail

3: FINRA360: Building a Stronger FINRA How can FINRA become a better, more effective regulator? That’s the question President and CEO Robert Cook is looking to answer. In 2017, Cook introduced FINRA360, a multi-year initiative to process and act upon feedback about how FINRA could do better. Cook has solicited feedback at every turn – internally, from FINRA member firms, from investors and investor advocates and other stakeholders. In this episode, Cook highlights some of the major accomplishments under FINRA360 to date and previews what is yet to come. Resources mentioned in this episode: FINRA360 Special Notice on Engagement Examination Findings Report Budget Summary and Financial Guiding Principles Find us:  X / YouTube /LinkedIn / Facebook /  E-mail

2: Building A More Transparent Organization Long before transparency was a buzzword, it was central to FINRA’s mission. Transparent markets and educated investors ensure our markets remain strong and public trust in our markets remain high. But FINRA is a self-regulatory organization (SRO), which means that transparency is also essential to FINRA’s model. In 2017, FINRA published a special notice requesting comment on potential enhancements to its engagement programs. One year later, FINRA has taken major steps to improve its standing as a transparent SRO in the financial industry. In this episode, FINRA’s Marcia Asquith, Executive Vice President for Board and External Relations, highlights some of the actions FINRA has taken to improve transparency not only in the markets, but also in its organization and engagement. Resources mentioned in this episode: FINRA360 Special Notice on Engagement Examination Findings Report Budget Summary and Financial Guiding Principles Find us:  X / YouTube /LinkedIn / Facebook /  E-mail