On May 19, 2026, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) proposed amendments in a “Registered Offering Reform” package (the Proposal) that would make it significantly easier for public companies to raise capital through registered offerings of securities. Notably, among other changes, the Proposal would exempt all registered public offerings, including those for non-exchange traded products sold through private wealth channels such as real estate investment trusts (REITs) and business development companies (BDCs), from state blue-sky registration and qualification requirements. This preemption of state blue-sky registration requirements, if adopted as proposed, would likely alleviate the regulatory burden imposed on non-traded REITs and BDCs that elect to conduct registered public offerings of their shares significantly and expand the scope of retail investors who participate in such offerings due to the lack of separate state blue-sky suitability requirements with respect to such investors. The Proposal also seeks to modify a number of other registered offering-related items, including with respect to the eligibility of certain issuers, like registered closed-end funds and BDCs, to rely on shelf registration statements, as described more in another recent Cleary Gottlieb publication.
Continue Reading SEC Proposes Registered Offering Reform: Blue-Sky Preemption a Key Win for Non-Exchange Traded REITs and BDCsJohn Mahon
Contact:Read more about John Mahon
SEC Exam Priorities 2026 Priorities Largely Consistent: Will Approach to Deficiencies and Enforcement Referrals Change?
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) Division of Examinations (the “Division”) released its 2026 examination priorities on November 17, 2025 (the “2026 Priorities”). As expected from the new leadership, the 2026 Priorities signal less (but still present) focus on private fund advisers and more focus on retail advisers and emerging technologies such as AI and algorithmic advice. Overall, the extremely high overlap in priorities from prior years is notable, leading our main takeaway from the 2026 Priorities to be whether and how the Division Staff will emphasize public messages such as Risk Alerts and Exam Observations compared to private actions like detailed deficiencies and numerous referrals to the Enforcement Division.
Continue Reading SEC Exam Priorities 2026 Priorities Largely Consistent: Will Approach to Deficiencies and Enforcement Referrals Change?