Part 5 of the Commissionâs regulations under the CEA establishes rules applicable to retail foreign exchange dealers (âRFEDsâ), futures commission merchants (âFCMsâ), introducing brokers (âIBsâ), commodity trading advisors (âCTAsâ), and commodity pool operators (âCPOsâ) engaged in the offer and sale of off-exchange forex contracts to retail customers.
The rules establish reporting and recordkeeping requirements that are necessary to implement the provisions of the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008 regarding off-exchange transactions in foreign currency with members of the public. The rules are intended to promote customer protection by providing safeguards against irresponsible or fraudulent business practices.
The numbers in these estimates have been adjusted to account for a revised number of registrants in each registration category. For example, there now are four RFEDs-- doubling the number from the 2017 renewal. Additionally, the number of forex firm FCMs has increased from seven to twelve, whereas the number of forex CPOs has decreased from 74 to 50. The Commission continues to believe that the 2017 estimates as to the hour burden per respondent, and related costs per hour, remain accurate. As a result, the primary changes in burden hours and associated costs result from changes in the number of registrants that are required to comply with the relevant regulatory requirements.
On behalf of this Federal agency, I certify that the collection of information encompassed by this request complies with 5 CFR 1320.9 and the related provisions of 5 CFR 1320.8(b)(3).
The following is a summary of the topics, regarding the proposed collection of information, that the certification covers:
(i) Why the information is being collected;
(ii) Use of information;
(iii) Burden estimate;
(iv) Nature of response (voluntary, required for a benefit, or mandatory);
(v) Nature and extent of confidentiality; and
(vi) Need to display currently valid OMB control number;
If you are unable to certify compliance with any of these provisions, identify the item by leaving the box unchecked and explain the reason in the Supporting Statement.