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Notice I-14-34

December 3, 2014

Guidance on the annual affirmation requirement for those entities that are currently operating under an exemption or exclusion from CPO or CTA registration

The CFTC requires any person that claims an exemption or exclusion from CPO registration under CFTC Regulation 4.5, 4.13(a)(1), 4.13(a)(2), 4.13(a)(3), 4.13(a)(5), or an exemption from CTA registration under 4.14(a)(8), to annually affirm the applicable notice of exemption or exclusion within 60 days of the calendar year end, which is March 2, 2015, for this affirmation cycle. Failure to affirm any of the above exemptions or exclusions by March 2, 2015 will be deemed as a request to withdraw the exemption or exclusion and, therefore, result in the automatic withdrawal of the exemption or exclusion on March 2, 2015.

How to complete the affirmation process

Starting Dec. 3, 2014, any person or entity that claims an exemption or exclusion under CFTC Regulation 4.5, 4.13(a)(1), 4.13(a)(2), 4.13(a)(3), 4.13(a)(5) or 4.14(a)(8) will be able to complete the affirmation process by accessing NFA's Exemption System.

Once logged into the system, you will be directed to the Exemption Index, which lists all Firm Level (at the top) and Pool Level (at the bottom) exemptions on file with NFA. Exemptions requiring affirmation will be identified with an icon in the "Affirm" column. After clicking the icon, a pop-up box will appear requesting affirmation that the exemption continues to be effective. By clicking "OK," the current date will replace the "Affirm" icon and effectively complete the affirmation requirement for the given exemption for the year. The same process must be completed for each and every exemption on file that requires affirmation.

Failure to affirm an active exemption or exclusion from CPO or CTA registration will result in the exemption/exclusion being withdrawn after the 60-day period has ended. For registered CPOs or CTAs, withdrawal of the exemption/exclusion will result in the firm being subject to Part 4 Requirements for that pool regardless of whether the firm otherwise remains eligible for the exemption/exclusion. For non-registrants, the withdrawal of the exemption may subject you to an enforcement action by the CFTC.

Frequently Asked Questions for Exemptions

How often will I need to affirm my exemptions?

You will need to affirm each applicable exemption on an annual basis, within 60 days after December 31. NFA will provide an annual email reminder of the affirmation process. The email reminder will be sent to the email contact on file in NFA's Exemption System. To ensure that your firm receives NFA's annual reminder, you must provide a current email address in NFA's Exemption System. If the contact information changes during the year, firms are urged to promptly update this information.

What if NFA records reflect an exemption for a pool that is no longer active?

A registered CPO can update NFA's records with the applicable information. The CPO must first withdraw the exemption by accessing NFA's Exemption System. At the time you withdraw the exemption, you will be directed to the Annual Questionnaire to delete or cease the pool.

An unregistered entity must notify NFA with specific information about the pool by sending written notification to Exemptions@nfa.futures.org. The written notification should include the full name of the entity and the pool along with any identifying NFA ID number.

If I can no longer qualify for an exemption or exclusion from CPO or CTA registration, what should I do?

If you do not affirm the applicable exemption or exclusion within the 60-day period, it will be automatically withdrawn. As a result, in order to continue to operate the pool, you may be required to be registered as a CPO and/or CTA and be an NFA Member. You can apply for registration and NFA membership in NFA's Online Registration System [hyperlink updated 2/18/2022], which is available on NFA's website. For assistance in the process, NFA has a number of video tutorials available. [hyperlink updated 2/18/2022]

How will the firms with which I do business know that I have completed the affirmation process?

Once an entity affirms the applicable exemptions, NFA's BASIC system will reflect the affirmation date for each exemption held. Further, BASIC also will reflect a withdrawal date if the exemption is not affirmed in the required 60-day period.

If I currently conduct business with an exempt CPO or CTA, how do I ensure that these entities have properly affirmed their exemptions in order to satisfy my Bylaw 1101 requirements?

NFA's BASIC system will reflect whether an exemption held by a particular CPO or CTA has been successfully affirmed by including an affirmation date. A withdrawal date will be reflected for any exemption that was not affirmed for a given CPO or CTA. NFA also has provided Members with access to a spreadsheet that includes a list of all entities that have exemptions on file with NFA that must be affirmed on an annual basis. This spreadsheet can be found in the Member's Annual Questionnaire. Once logged in, you will see a link to a spreadsheet that is updated nightly. The spreadsheet will include all entities with an exemption(s) that requires affirmation, as well as the affirmation date, if applicable. If the spreadsheet does not reflect an affirmation date in the current affirmation period, the exemption has not been affirmed.

If I file a new exemption during the affirmation period (Dec. 3, 2014 - March 2, 2015), will I also need to affirm that exemption for 2014?

Any exemptions filed during the affirmation period will not need to be affirmed until the calendar year ending 2015.

Any questions regarding these processes should be directed to:

Michael Mason, Manager, Compliance (mmason@nfa.futures.org or 312-781-1447) or Kristen Harkins, Manager, Compliance (kharkins@nfa.futures.org or 212-513-6016).

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