CFTC imposes $3.25M fine on ED&F Man Capital Markets

The Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) today simultaneously filed and settled charges against ED&F Man Capital Markets, Ltd, a London-based provisionally registered swap dealer, for failing to comply with certain swap dealer requirements to report accurate swaps data to a swaps data repository (SDR), failing to disclose a conflict of interest to swaps counterparties, failing to disclose mid-market marks to counterparties, and for related supervision failures.

The order imposes a $3.25 million civil monetary penalty on ED&F Man and orders it to cease and desist from further violations of the Commodity Exchange Act and CFTC regulations, as charged.

Specifically, the order finds that between February 2014 and July 2021, ED&F Man failed to report certain swaps data to an SDR accurately for hundreds of thousands of swaps. The order also finds that, from February 2014 through January 2018, ED&F Man failed to disclose to its U.S. swaps counterparties that proprietary traders, trading on behalf of an affiliate, had access to counterparties’ trade information.

Further, from February 2014 to April 2021, ED&F Man failed to disclose mid-market marks to some of its counterparties as required for numerous metals and FX swaps. The order also finds that ED&F Man failed to maintain an adequate supervisory system and to perform its supervisory obligations diligently with respect to swaps data reporting, conflict of interest disclosures, and providing mid-market marks.