SEC Completes 18th Annual International Enforcement Institute

The Securities and Exchange Commission announced the completion of its 18th Annual International Enforcement Institute, held from Nov. 5 to Nov. 9 at SEC headquarters in Washington, D.C., with participants from 60 different countries. In all, 161 officials from foreign stock exchanges and other regulatory and law enforcement agencies attended the weeklong training program.

SEC Chairman Mary L. Schapiro said, "The commitment of securities regulators around the globe to protecting their investors and markets from those that would cause them harm has never been stronger. Through this program, the SEC staff teaches and learns enforcement best practices. We stand alongside our foreign law enforcement partners, ready to protect our capital markets from fraudsters, manipulators, and schemers, wherever they may lurk."

SEC Enforcement Division Director Rob Khuzami and former Enforcement Directors Linda Chatman Thomsen, William McLucas, and Gary G. Lynch, kicked off the event with a discussion of the experiences and challenges of their tenure. The Institute also featured presentations by dozens of SEC officials, two U.S. Attorney's Offices, and the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, on topics such as insider trading and other market abuses, market intelligence and surveillance, investigative techniques, anti-money laundering initiatives, and optimal remedies for violations.

"In a world of global financial markets, where securities fraud crosses borders as easily as capital, cross-border cooperation in investigations and enforcement is essential," said Ethiopis Tafara, Director of the SEC's Office of International Affairs. "The professional and personal relationships formed at these Institutes provide a strong foundation for us to address shared challenges and continue to learn from and assist our counterparts in what is truly a common mission."

The Institute is part of the SEC's Technical Assistance Program, whose annual International Institute for Securities Market Development took place in April. For more information on the Technical Assistance Program, contact Z. Scott Birdwell or Erin McCartney in the SEC's Office of International Affairs at 202-551-6690, or by email at OIA@SEC.gov.