Virtual Currency

NFA's Interpretive Notice 9073 establishes disclosure requirements for futures commission merchants (FCM), introducing brokers (IB), commodity pool operators (CPO) and commodity trading advisors (CTA) that engage in activities related to virtual currencies or virtual currency derivatives.

The Interpretive Notice requires FCM and IB Members to provide virtual currency derivative customers with the NFA Investor Advisory – Futures on Virtual Currencies Including Bitcoin and the CFTC Customer Advisory: Understand the Risks of Virtual Currency Trading at or before the time the customers trade a virtual currency derivative with or through the Members.

Additionally, FCM and IB Members engaging in any type of spot market virtual currency activity with a customer or counterparty are required to provide the standardized disclosure language below in the manner described in the Interpretive Notice.

[NAME OF NFA MEMBER] IS A MEMBER OF NFA AND IS SUBJECT TO NFA'S REGULATORY OVERSIGHT AND EXAMINATIONS. HOWEVER, YOU SHOULD BE AWARE THAT NFA DOES NOT HAVE REGULATORY OVERSIGHT AUTHORITY OVER UNDERLYING OR SPOT VIRTUAL CURRENCY PRODUCTS OR TRANSACTIONS OR VIRTUAL CURRENCY EXCHANGES, CUSTODIANS OR MARKETS.