With the SEC’s Spring 2025 agenda set and summer behind us, compliance leaders should focus on ensuring their programmes are ready for upcoming regulatory milestones. Autumn is a perfect opportunity to review strategy and fine-tune systems like Stand On The Right, positioning your team to meet future SEC expectations confidently and efficiently.
AML & KYC overhaul: Next steps before 2028
The finalised AML/KYC rule for investment advisers brings private funds under Bank Secrecy Act obligations. Notably, the implementation deadline has been postponed to 1st January 2028, giving firms crucial extra time to overhaul client onboarding, documentation, and verification processes.
What proactive teams can do now:
- Map out the journey to a compliant, auditable client onboarding – Stand On The Right’s tailored approval workflows and audit history make this seamless.
- Conduct periodic gap analyses using MI reporting and evidence attestation.
- Begin or refine integrations with external verification and monitoring services.
Custody rule modernisation: Crypto-specific requirements
April 2026 is the SEC’s target for proposed custody rule updates, with explicit focus on crypto assets, an area that remains fast-moving and complex. These amendments will touch everything from segregation controls and insurance policies to surprise examination protocols.
Checklist for compliance leads:
- Review custodial relationships and crypto framework readiness now.
- Use Stand On The Right to automate trade approvals, breach checks, and multi-layer operational risk scoring.
- Document incident management and implement regular action tracker reviews in advance of new requirements.
FDTA joint data standards: Prepare for year-end changes
The Financial Data Transparency Act (FDTA) requires financial firms to comply with new reporting standards based on unified technical data models and identifiers, with 1st January 2027 as the critical deadline for compliance. Agencies are finalising joint standards through 2025-2026, so affected entities should use late 2025 and all of 2026 for system upgrades, mapping, and testing.
Key recommendations:
- Coordinate with IT and reporting teams to align data taxonomies.
- Set up Stand On The Right’s custom reporting and annual attestation features for easy migration and audit.
- Confirm system readiness for identifiers (such as LEI and CUSIP). Centralise documentation and automate exception alerts.
Form N-PORT amendments: Extended compliance window
Recent SEC action means funds have more time to adjust to new monthly reporting obligations under Form N-PORT. The first key deadline for large funds is 17 November 2027 (with smaller fund groups following in May 2028).
How to stay prepared:
- Prepare to automate data collection, version control, and reporting workflow reviews.
- Stand On The Right enables standardised approval trails and digital archiving, eliminating bottlenecks as reporting frequency increases.
Crypto assets rulemaking: Anticipating April 2026
Crypto remains a centrepiece of the SEC’s rulemaking agenda: new rules for offerings, trading, and adviser responsibilities are expected by April 2026.
Action plan:
- Regularly review digital asset-related exposure using the product’s risk scorecard and compliance monitoring modules.
- Monitor policy developments and prepare for rapid workflow adaptation.
- Ensure policies for PA dealing, conflicts, and outside business are digitally recorded and scalable.
Your five-point autumn compliance playbook
- Audit key workflows: Onboarding, custody, reporting, and digital asset management.
- Automate now: Move away from manual compliance with tailored workflows, breach checks, and full audit histories.
- Document and archive: Prepare for increased frequency and depth of regulatory reporting.
- Look ahead to 2026–28: Plan upgrades and integrations ahead of deadlines, don’t wait for last-minute fire drills.
- Engage and educate: Keep staff involved and informed with annual training supported by system-generated insights and compliance data.
Why Stand On The Right?
As compliance deadlines approach, the difference between last-minute stress and confident readiness is the right technology. Stand On The Right gives compliance teams the monitoring, reporting, and risk management tools that let them always be a step ahead of SEC changes and easily prove compliance at every audit.
Ready to see how Stand On The Right can future-proof your compliance operations? Book a live demo and get your firm’s tools ready for the new regulatory era.