The CFTC issued an advanced notice of proposed rulemaking seeking public comment on the regulation of prediction markets, the Federal Reserve approved Home BancShares' acquisition application, and the New York Fed announced its transition to FedTrade Plus for Treasury operations — driving 157 events tracked across all verticals on Wednesday.
CFTC Tackles Prediction Markets
The Commodity Futures Trading Commission published an advanced notice of proposed rulemaking relating to prediction markets, signaling that the agency is moving toward establishing a formal regulatory framework for event contracts. Prediction markets — which allow participants to trade contracts based on the outcome of future events — have grown rapidly, with platforms like Kalshi and Polymarket attracting significant trading volume.
The ANPRM is the earliest stage of the federal rulemaking process, indicating that the CFTC is gathering input before drafting specific rules. The outcome will determine how prediction market platforms are regulated, what types of event contracts are permissible, and what customer protection requirements apply. This is one of the most closely watched regulatory developments in the derivatives space, as it sits at the intersection of traditional futures regulation and emerging digital markets.
Fed Greenlights Home BancShares Deal
The Federal Reserve Board announced approval of Home BancShares' acquisition application. Home BancShares, the Conway, Arkansas-based bank holding company, operates Centennial Bank across the southern United States. Fed approval follows the standard review of competitive effects, financial condition, and community needs under the Bank Holding Company Act.
This marks the second bank holding company acquisition approval in two days, following Associated Banc-Corp on March 11. The pace of banking M&A approvals suggests that the Fed's review pipeline is moving efficiently through pending transactions — a positive signal for other deals awaiting regulatory clearance.
Fed Announces FedTrade Plus Migration
The New York Fed announced it will begin using FedTrade Plus for System Open Market Account Treasury outright and Treasury buyback operations. FedTrade Plus is the upgraded platform for conducting the Fed's open market operations, which are the primary mechanism through which the Federal Reserve implements monetary policy.
The migration to FedTrade Plus affects primary dealers — the approximately 25 financial institutions authorized to trade directly with the Fed. Primary dealers must ensure their trading systems are compatible with the new platform. The Fed also published its latest primary dealer statistics and issued statements regarding reference rate publication and operations scheduling for April 3.
22 Advisor Moves Continue Elevated Pace
Twenty-two advisors changed firm affiliations, maintaining the high-volume movement pattern that has characterized March. The month's cumulative advisor mobility now exceeds 150 individual moves, putting it on pace for one of the most active quarters for advisor transitions in recent history.
15 RIA Graduations Mark Strong Midweek
Fifteen advisory firms completed their SEC registration — tying for the second-highest single-day count this month. Two firms failed the 120-day process. The consistent flow of 10-15 daily graduations reflects robust demand for new advisory firm formation.
OCC: Three Closings, One Opening, Three Actions
The OCC processed three branch closings, one branch establishment, and three corporate actions. The branch closing-to-opening ratio of 3:1 continues the gradual contraction in bank branch footprint that has been a persistent industry trend.
Across the Wire
The day also saw 12 broker-dealer personnel changes, nine role changes, six executive departures and six new hires, four disclosure changes at the BD level, 14 RIA disclosure events, 19 FOCUS report filings with four amendments, and 13 SEC announcements. The DTCC issued one notice, and the FTC released one announcement. One broker-dealer status change and two DBA removals were processed.
All data sourced from CFTC, Federal Reserve, OCC, FINRA BrokerCheck, SEC EDGAR, and the Finleet Terminal as of March 12, 2026. Entity profiles are available at terminal.finleet.com.