FINRA Unscripted

The threats facing the securities industry are evolving fast—and no single firm or regulator has the full picture alone. That's the idea behind FINRA's Financial Intelligence Fusion Center, or FIFC, launched earlier this year as part of the FINRA Forward initiative to strengthen cybersecurity and fraud prevention across the industry. The FIFC is a bi-directional intelligence sharing hub where FINRA and member firms collaborate to protect investors, members, and the integrity of our capital markets.

On this episode, David Ring, Senior Director, Strategic & Threat Intelligence, and Kerri Provenza, Senior Director, Member Firm Experience, discuss why the center was created, what's happened since launch, and how members are already benefiting from timely, actionable intelligence tailored to the broker-dealer landscape. They also share early successes, lessons learned, and what's ahead, including how the FIFC is evolving based on direct feedback from member firms.

Resources mentioned in this episode:

Financial Intelligence Fusion Center

FIFC: How To Get Started

FINRA Forward

FINRA Forward: A Year of Progress

Ep. 180: Building Cybersecurity Resilience Through FINRA Forward

Blog Post: FINRA Forward’s Rule Modernization—An Update

Blog Post: Vendors, Intelligence Sharing and FINRA’s Mission

Blog Post: FINRA Forward Initiatives to Support Members, Markets and the Investors They Serve

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As a self-regulatory organization, FINRA doesn't operate in a vacuum. Our effectiveness depends on understanding what is happening in the industry, hearing directly from our members, and translating that feedback into meaningful action. This engagement is a two-way street, and members might not realize just how many opportunities exist to make their voices heard.

On this episode, Kayte Toczylowski, Senior Vice President, Member Firm Experience, discusses the many channels available for members to engage with FINRA, from formal advisory committees to regional representation to CEO roundtables. Learn how member feedback directly shapes our rulemaking process, drives internal improvements, and informs the work we do.

Resources mentioned in this episode:

FINRA 2026 Involvement and Election Process Overview

FINRA Advisory Committees

FINRA Indication of Interest Form

Webinar: How to Respond to FINRA Requests for Comment

Ep. 185: How FINRA Is Streamlining Data Requests

Ep. 187: How FINRA Is Enhancing Member Firm Examinations

FINRA Forward: A Year of Progress

FINRA Forward

FINRA Quarterly Regulatory Policy Agenda

Blog Post: FINRA Forward’s Rule Modernization—An Update

Blog Post: Vendors, Intelligence Sharing and FINRA’s Mission

Blog Post: FINRA Forward Initiatives to Support Members, Markets and the Investors They Serve

Blog Post: A Progress Update on Rule Modernization

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On this episode, tune in to a conversation from FINRA’s 2026 Annual Conference, where FINRA Board Chair Scott Curtis and FINRA President and CEO Robert Cook discussed the partnership between board governance and executive leadership, and the strategic priorities shaping FINRA's direction.

Resources mentioned in this episode:

Ep. 185: How FINRA Is Streamlining Data Requests

Ep. 187: How FINRA Is Enhancing Member Firm Examinations

FINRA Forward: A Year of Progress

FINRA Forward

FINRA Quarterly Regulatory Policy Agenda

Blog Post: FINRA Forward’s Rule Modernization—An Update

Blog Post: Vendors, Intelligence Sharing and FINRA’s Mission

Blog Post: FINRA Forward Initiatives to Support Members, Markets and the Investors They Serve

Blog Post: A Progress Update on Rule Modernization

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Subscribe to our show on Apple Podcasts, Google Play and by RSS.

Examinations are a cornerstone of FINRA's regulatory oversight, but how we conduct them is evolving. As part of FINRA Forward, we're making our approach more risk-informed, more efficient, and more transparent.

On this episode, J. Koutros, Senior Vice President of Member Supervision, Operations, Procedures, and Standards, Jim Reese, Senior Vice President of Examinations, and John Martino, Vice President of Examinations explore the changes reshaping FINRA's examination program: streamlined first firm exams for lower-risk firms, extended exam cycles where warranted, more targeted data requests, and advance notice about exam timing. The guests also look ahead to new technology, enhanced transparency around preliminary findings, and the ongoing feedback that drives FINRA’s continuous improvement.

Resources mentioned in this episode:

FINRA Examination and Risk Monitoring Programs

Ep. 185: How FINRA is Streamlining Data Requests

FINRA Forward: A Year of Progress

FINRA Forward

FINRA Quarterly Regulatory Policy Agenda

Blog Post: FINRA Forward’s Rule Modernization—An Update

Blog Post: Vendors, Intelligence Sharing and FINRA’s Mission

Blog Post: FINRA Forward Initiatives to Support Members, Markets and the Investors They Serve

Blog Post: A Progress Update on Rule Modernization

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Subscribe to our show on Apple Podcasts, Google Play and by RSS.

Every time you check a stock price on your phone or watch a ticker scroll across a screen, you are seeing the result of a complex reporting system most investors never think about. Behind that number is a vast infrastructure capturing and consolidating trades from exchanges and over-the-counter markets in milliseconds—and that system is undergoing major enhancements.

On this episode, Chris Stone, FINRA Vice President, Transparency Services, takes us inside the systems that make market transparency possible. Stone explains how FINRA recently extended trade reporting hours to 4 a.m. ET, why the industry is preparing for 23-hour, 5-day-a-week trading by December 2026, and how FINRA’s recently implemented fractional share reporting is eliminating what researchers called "phantom volume."

Resources mentioned in this episode:

Trade Reporting Facility (TRF)

Reg. Notice 25-15: FINRA Adopts Amendments to Extend the Trade Reporting Facilities Operating Hours

Trade Reporting Notice 1/14/26: Upcoming Trade Reporting Enhancements for Fractional Share Transactions

FINRA Forward

Blog Post: FINRA Forward’s Rule Modernization—An Update

Blog Post: Vendors, Intelligence Sharing and FINRA’s Mission

Blog Post: FINRA Forward Initiatives to Support Members, Markets and the Investors They Serve

Blog Post: A Progress Update on Rule Modernization

Find us: LinkedIn / X / YouTube / Facebook / Instagram / E-mail

Subscribe to our show on Apple Podcasts, Google Play and by RSS.