Private Funds Would Have To Disclose Crypto Under SEC, CFTC Proposal

Regulators are considering requiring private funds with at least $500 million to disclose crypto holdings, leveraged positions, among other things

article-image

SEC Chair Gary Gensler | Blockworks exclusive art by axel rangel

share

key takeaways

  • Regulators are keen to know more about how private funds operate
  • SEC Commissioner Hester Peirce opposes the amendment, saying it is unnecessarily probative

In an effort to better monitor what US regulators perceive as systemic risks, the SEC is moving to get more insight into the dealings of private funds open to accredited investors. 

The SEC Wednesday proposed an amendment to Form PF, the confidential form via which registered investment advisers are required to disclose specific information about their security holdings. 

The Commodity and Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), meanwhile, is considering proposing the same amendments, which would require funds with at least $500 million in assets under management to disclose exposure to cryptoassets. The updates also would mandate large funds to report investment concentration, as well as leverage and related trading financing.

The motion would not, however, make the additional reporting public record. Form PF is not published publicly.

The proposed rules “are designed to enhance the Financial Stability Oversight Council’s (FSOC) ability to assess systemic risk as well as to bolster the SEC’s regulatory oversight of private fund advisers and its investor protection efforts in light of the growth of the private fund industry,” the SEC said in a statement.

Form PF, rolled out in 2011, previously required firms overseeing $1.5 billion or more to report aggregate holdings, geographic distribution of their investments, lending information and monthly portfolio turnover. Asset managers with $500 million or more have to disclose specific exposures, related liquidity and associated risk. 

“In the decade since the SEC and CFTC jointly adopted Form PF, regulators have gained vital insight with respect to private funds,” SEC Chair Gary Gensler said in the statement. “Since then, though, the private fund industry has grown in gross asset value by nearly 150% and evolved in terms of its business practices, complexity, and investment strategies.”

SEC Commissioner Hester Peirce said the proposed amendments are not what she had in mind, claiming the new rules “would expand Form PF by adding questions of the nice to know, rather than need to know variety,” according to a statement released after the proposal announcement. 

The amendment proposal was published on the SEC’s website Wednesday, where the public has 60 days to weigh in.


Start your day with top crypto insights from David Canellis and Katherine Ross. Subscribe to the Empire newsletter.

Explore the growing intersection between crypto, macroeconomics, policy and finance with Ben Strack, Casey Wagner and Felix Jauvin. Subscribe to the Forward Guidance newsletter.

Get alpha directly in your inbox with the 0xResearch newsletter — market highlights, charts, degen trade ideas, governance updates, and more.

The Lightspeed newsletter is all things Solana, in your inbox, every day. Subscribe to daily Solana news from Jack Kubinec and Jeff Albus.

Tags

Upcoming Events

Javits Center North | 445 11th Ave

Tues - Thurs, March 18 - 20, 2025

Blockworks’ Digital Asset Summit (DAS) will feature conversations between the builders, allocators, and legislators who will shape the trajectory of the digital asset ecosystem in the US and abroad.

recent research

Research Report Templates (1).jpg

Research

With $13B in tokenized assets, strong institutional partnerships, and a clear first-mover advantage in the RWA space. The platform's methodical approach to regulatory compliance, coupled with its hybrid public-private architecture, positions it uniquely to capture significant market share in the emerging tokenization landscape. While current fee generation primarily stems from metadata transactions, the planned launch of Figure Markets, major exchange listings, and comprehensive market-making initiatives in 2025 could serve as powerful catalysts for growth.

article-image

Perena is built on the premise that as stablecoins proliferate, liquidity could fragment, and stablecoins aren’t useful if they aren’t liquid

article-image

From hackathons to trading tools and DAO governance, AI agents are redefining how we build and innovate

article-image

CME’s large bitcoin contracts are so big that investors are turning to micro bitcoin contracts

article-image

The third-largest stablecoin is going multichain for the first time in its seven-year history

article-image

Nano Labs’ news release notes confidence in bitcoin being “a reliable store of value amidst its rising global adoption”

article-image

Several big companies report third quarter earnings this week, likely moving markets