Office address: 1700 K St NW, Washington, DC 20006
Website: finra.org
Year established: 2007 Company type: non-government organization
Employees: 4,200+
Expertise: securities regulation, broker-dealer supervision, market surveillance, enforcement and disciplinary actions, investor education, dispute resolution and arbitration, trade reporting transparency, cybersecurity and fraud detection
Parent company: N/A Key people: Robert Cook (CEO); Robert Colby (chief legal officer); Todd Diganci (CFO); Marcia Asquith (EVP); Ornella Bergeron, Denise Dombay, and Maureen Delaney (SVPs)
Financing status: N/A
The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) is a Washington-based self-regulatory body that supervises more than 3,200 broker-dealers. It enforces rules, monitors trading, and runs tools such as TRACE, BrokerCheck, and the consolidated audit trail. In 2024, it posted $99 million net income and unveiled a crypto education program.
FINRA was officially formed in 2007 through a strategic merger. The National Association of Securities Dealers (NASD) joined forces with the New York Stock Exchange's (NYSE) regulatory division to operate as one.
This created a unified, independent regulator for America's securities industry. The move modernized oversight for a changing market and strengthened investor protections nationwide.
FINRA's story actually began decades earlier, in an era of economic recovery. The NASD registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) in 1939. This registration formalized what traders had been doing informally for generations.
Congress had established the SEC in 1934 following the devastating market crash of 1929. Two years later, lawmakers passed the Maloney Act to regulate off-exchange securities trading more effectively.
The NASD spent 68 years evolving to match the changing securities landscape and technology. By the early 2000s, fragmented regulatory oversight became increasingly inefficient for a modern industry.
The 2007 merger created the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority by combining the NASD's institutional knowledge with the NYSE's regulatory expertise. This unified regulator now oversees all brokers and firms across US markets comprehensively.
As 2024 closed, the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority issued substantial penalties against three major firms. These companies faced settlements for sending inaccurate trade information and filing flawed Focus reports. Year-end enforcement actions let both regulators and firms resolve lingering compliance issues cleanly.companies faced settlements for sending inaccurate trade information and filing flawed Focus reports. Year-end enforcement actions let both regulators and firms resolve lingering compliance issues cleanly.
Into 2025, FINRA's Regulatory Oversight Report highlighted three major threats to the industry. Cybersecurity vulnerabilities from third-party technology providers topped concerns alongside AI compliance challenges. Investment fraud schemes also continue to shift as bad actors devise new ways to deceive clients.
FINRA regulates broker-dealers and investment firms in America by combining enforcement with educational resources to protect investors and maintain market integrity:
The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority also addresses emerging threats like cybersecurity risks and artificial intelligence compliance challenges. The organization remains focused on supporting a healthy, trustworthy securities market for all participants.
The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority reports that investor protection and market stability form the core of its mission. The regulator values its employees and delivers market-rate compensation with benefits such as:
The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority also says that it does not discriminate in hiring based on disability, veteran status, and other protected classifications under federal, state, and local law. It complies with 41 CFR regulations protecting disabled individuals and veterans.
Robert W. Cook is the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority's president and CEO, with prior experience directing the SEC's trading and markets division. Before FINRA, Cook was a partner at a law firm in Washington. His education includes a JD from Harvard Law School, a master's degree from the London School of Economics, and an undergraduate from Harvard.
The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority's leadership team includes the following key executives:
These executives manage the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority's daily operations while upholding the organization's core mission to protect investors.
FINRA launched a targeted probe into broker-dealers underwriting small foreign company IPOs to combat pump-and-dump schemes. The regulator required detailed supervisory procedures and due diligence records for offerings between January 2023 and September 2025. This enforcement action positions the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority as a proactive market protector against cross-border securities fraud.
The organization also penalized First Trust Portfolios, an ETF provider, in 2025 with a $10 million settlement for excessive gifts to broker-dealer representatives. The violations spanned from 2018 through February 2024 and included luxury courtside tickets and concert events. This enforcement action illustrates FINRA's commitment to preventing investor harm through strict non-cash compensation oversight.
The ripped-off investors allege Pershing looked the other way when it serving as custodian and clear agent for the fraudster.
The Massachusetts lawmaker expressed concern that digital-asset markets lack the same investor protections as the New York Stock Exchange and Nasdaq.
The potential action on one of the largest digital investment platforms sheds light on the increasing need for transparency among automated advice providers.
The Indianapolis-based firm, formerly David A. Noyes & Co., agrees to censure, a fine and restitution.
How can the financial advice industry know whether its attempts to hire more women, Blacks, Latinos and Asians are working if there is no accurate, unified measure of success or failure?
The same week that Finra levied a record $70 million penalty against the online trading app, Robinhood filed for an IPO Thursday, becoming one of the year's most high-profile listings.
Together, DACFP and InvestmentNews will be providing subscribers with content and educational opportunities to increase your knowledge about blockchain and digital assets, and access to the product and service providers in that ecosystem, so you can give investors the advice, products and services they need.
The new name, Digital Assets Council of Financial Professionals, reflects a broader charter to serve every company and all financial advisers, Edelman says.
Ransomware attacks in the U.S. increased 300% in 2020 and cost victims $350 million. Advisers make easy targets because they publicly release AUM and hold some of the most sensitive client data that directly connects to their finances.
The online trading platform will pay a $57 million fine and $12.6 million in restitution to settle a series of alleged failures, from tech outages to misleading information; it is the largest financial penalty ever ordered by Finra.
Finra also censured the firm in connection with privacy breaches that occurred during transfers of new clients.
The registration application known as Form U4 asks an applicant for a variety of information, from employment history to whether he or she has been convicted of or charged with a felony.
The self-regulator saw a sharp turnaround after taking a $45.9 million loss in 2019. The results were driven, in large part, by the revenue generated from increased trading activity.
In 2016, Finra launched a targeted examination of UIT sales, discounts and rollovers across the brokerage industry, and a number of firms have incurred penalties and fines in its aftermath.
The sum, received by The Leaders Group Inc., appears to be in the middle range of government loans received by privately held broker-dealers who obtained Covid-19 business relief.
