[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 18 (Thursday, January 27, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Pages 4319-4321]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-01561]


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SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

[Release No. 34-94023; File No. SR-C2-2022-002]


Self-Regulatory Organizations; Cboe C2 Exchange, Inc.; Notice of 
Filing and Immediate Effectiveness of a Proposed Rule Change To Amend 
Its Fees Schedule With Respect to Its FINRA Non-Member Processing 
Registration Fee

January 21, 2022.
    Pursuant to Section 19(b)(1) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 
(the ``Act''),\1\ and Rule 19b-4 thereunder,\2\ notice is hereby given 
that on January 11, 2022 Cboe C2 Exchange, Inc. (the ``Exchange'' or 
``C2'') filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the 
``Commission'') the proposed rule change as described in Items I, II, 
and III below, which Items have been prepared by the Exchange. The 
Commission is publishing this notice to solicit comments on the 
proposed rule change from interested persons.
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    \1\ 15 U.S.C. 78s(b)(1).
    \2\ 17 CFR 240.19b-4.
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I. Self-Regulatory Organization's Statement of the Terms of Substance 
of the Proposed Rule Change

    Cboe C2 Exchange, Inc. (the ``Exchange'' or ``C2'') proposes to 
amend its Fees Schedule with respect to its FINRA Non-Member Processing 
registration fee. The text of the proposed rule change is provided in 
Exhibit 5.
    The text of the proposed rule change is also available on the 
Exchange's website (http://markets.cboe.com/us/options/regulation/rule_filings/ctwo/), at the Exchange's Office of the Secretary, and at 
the Commission's Public Reference Room.

II. Self-Regulatory Organization's Statement of the Purpose of, and 
Statutory Basis for, the Proposed Rule Change

    In its filing with the Commission, the Exchange included statements 
concerning the purpose of and basis for the proposed rule change and 
discussed any comments it received on the proposed rule change. The 
text of these statements may be examined at the places specified in 
Item IV below. The Exchange has prepared summaries, set forth in 
sections A, B, and C below, of the most significant aspects of such 
statements.

A. Self-Regulatory Organization's Statement of the Purpose of, and 
Statutory Basis for, the Proposed Rule Change

1. Purpose
    The Exchange proposes to amend the FINRA Non-Member Processing fee 
to reflect adjustments to the FINRA registration fees. The applicable 
fee is collected and retained by FINRA via Web CRD \3\ for the 
registration of employees of Exchange TPH organizations that are not 
FINRA members (``Non-FINRA members''). The Exchange is merely listing 
these fees on its Fees Schedule and does not collect or retain this 
fee.
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    \3\ FINRA operates Web CRD, the central licensing and 
registration system for the U.S. securities industry. FINRA uses Web 
CRD to maintain the qualification, employment, and disciplinary 
histories of registered associated persons of broker-dealers.
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    Today, under the Regulatory Fees section of the Fees Schedule are 
various fees collected and retained by FINRA via the Web CRD 
registration system,

[[Page 4320]]

including certain general registration fees, fingerprint processing 
fees, and continuing education fees. Specifically, under the general 
registration fees is the FINRA Non-Member Processing Fee of $100 for 
all initial, transfer, relicense, or dual registration Form U-4 
filings. Now, the Exchange proposes to increase the $100 fee to $125 
for such filings. The proposed amendment is made in accordance with a 
recent FINRA rule change to adjust its fees.\4\
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    \4\ See Securities Exchange Act Release No. 90176 (October 14, 
2020), 85 FR 66592 (October 20, 2020) (SR-FINRA-2020-032) (Notice of 
Filing and Immediate Effectiveness of a Proposed Rule Change To 
Adjust FINRA Fees To Provide Sustainable Funding for FINRA's 
Regulatory Mission).
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2. Statutory Basis
    The Exchange believes the proposed rule change is consistent with 
the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the ``Act'') and the rules and 
regulations thereunder applicable to the Exchange and, in particular, 
the requirements of Section 6(b) of the Act.\5\ Specifically, the 
Exchange believes the proposed rule change is consistent with the 
Section 6(b)(5) \6\ requirements that the rules of an exchange be 
designed to prevent fraudulent and manipulative acts and practices, to 
promote just and equitable principles of trade, to foster cooperation 
and coordination with persons engaged in regulating, clearing, 
settling, processing information with respect to, and facilitating 
transactions in securities, to remove impediments to and perfect the 
mechanism of a free and open market and a national market system, and, 
in general, to protect investors and the public interest. Additionally, 
the Exchange believes the proposed rule change is consistent with the 
Section 6(b)(5) \7\ requirement that the rules of an exchange not be 
designed to permit unfair discrimination between customers, issuers, 
brokers, or dealers.
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    \5\ 15 U.S.C. 78f(b).
    \6\ 15 U.S.C. 78f(b)(5).
    \7\ Id.
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    The Exchange believes it is reasonable to increase the $100 fee for 
each initial Form U-4 filed for the registration of a representative or 
principal to $125 in accordance with an adjustment to FINRA's fees.\8\ 
The proposed fees are identical to those adopted by FINRA for use of 
Web CRD for disclosure and the registration of FINRA members and their 
associated persons. These costs are borne by FINRA when a Non-FINRA 
member uses Web CRD.
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    \8\ Supra note 4.
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    The Exchange believes that its proposal to increase the $100 fee 
for each initial Form U-4 filed for the registration of a 
representative or principal to $125 is equitable and not unfairly 
discriminatory as the amendment will reflect the current fee that will 
be assessed by FINRA to all members who require Form U-4 filings. 
Further, the proposal is also equitable and not unfairly discriminatory 
because the Exchange will not be collecting or retaining these fees, 
therefore, the Exchange will not be in a position to apply them in an 
inequitable or unfairly discriminatory manner.

B. Self-Regulatory Organization's Statement on Burden on Competition

    The Exchange does not believe that the proposed rule change will 
impose any burden on competition that is not necessary or appropriate 
in furtherance of the purposes of the Act. The Exchange believes that 
its proposal to increase the $100 fee for each initial Form U-4 filed 
for the registration of a representative or principal to $125 does not 
impose an undue burden on competition as the amendment will reflect the 
current fee that will be assessed by FINRA to all members who require 
Form U-4 filings. Further, the proposal does not impose an undue burden 
on competition because the Exchange will not be collecting or retaining 
these fees, therefore, the Exchange will not be in a position to apply 
them in an inequitable or unfairly discriminatory manner.

C. Self-Regulatory Organization's Statement on Comments on the Proposed 
Rule Change Received From Members, Participants, or Others

    The Exchange neither solicited nor received comments on the 
proposed rule change.

III. Date of Effectiveness of the Proposed Rule Change and Timing for 
Commission Action

    The foregoing rule change has become effective pursuant to Section 
19(b)(3)(A) of the Act \9\ and paragraph (f) of Rule 19b-4 \10\ 
thereunder. At any time within 60 days of the filing of the proposed 
rule change, the Commission summarily may temporarily suspend such rule 
change if it appears to the Commission that such action is necessary or 
appropriate in the public interest, for the protection of investors, or 
otherwise in furtherance of the purposes of the Act. If the Commission 
takes such action, the Commission will institute proceedings to 
determine whether the proposed rule change should be approved or 
disapproved.
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    \9\ 15 U.S.C. 78s(b)(3)(A).
    \10\ 17 CFR 240.19b-4(f).
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IV. Solicitation of Comments

    Interested persons are invited to submit written data, views, and 
arguments concerning the foregoing, including whether the proposed rule 
change is consistent with the Act. Comments may be submitted by any of 
the following methods:

Electronic Comments

     Use the Commission's internet comment form (http://www.sec.gov/rules/sro.shtml); or
     Send an email to [email protected]. Please include 
File Number SR-C2-2022-002 on the subject line.

Paper Comments

     Send paper comments in triplicate to Secretary, Securities 
and Exchange Commission, 100 F Street NE, Washington, DC 20549-1090.

All submissions should refer to File Number SR-C2-2022-002. This file 
number should be included on the subject line if email is used. To help 
the Commission process and review your comments more efficiently, 
please use only one method. The Commission will post all comments on 
the Commission's internet website (http://www.sec.gov/rules/sro.shtml). 
Copies of the submission, all subsequent amendments, all written 
statements with respect to the proposed rule change that are filed with 
the Commission, and all written communications relating to the proposed 
rule change between the Commission and any person, other than those 
that may be withheld from the public in accordance with the provisions 
of 5 U.S.C. 552, will be available for website viewing and printing in 
the Commission's Public Reference Room, 100 F Street NE, Washington, DC 
20549 on official business days between the hours of 10:00 a.m. and 
3:00 p.m. Copies of the filing also will be available for inspection 
and copying at the principal office of the Exchange. All comments 
received will be posted without change; the Commission does not edit 
personal identifying information from submissions. You should submit 
only information that you wish to make available publicly. All 
submissions should refer to File Number SR-C2-2022-002 and should be 
submitted on or before February 17, 2022.


[[Page 4321]]


    For the Commission, by the Division of Trading and Markets, 
pursuant to delegated authority.\11\
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    \11\ 17 CFR 200.30-3(a)(12).
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J. Matthew DeLesDernier,
Assistant Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2022-01561 Filed 1-26-22; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 8011-01-P