Senators Richard Blumenthal and Elizabeth Warren have formally requested explanations from SEC Chairman Paul Atkins regarding the resignation of enforcement director Margaret Ryan and the agency's recent crypto enforcement activities. Their inquiries seek records about communications with top SEC officials, details on enforcement decisionsand statistics on recent enforcement activity. The senators are also probing whether Ryan's departure was linked to interventions by senior SEC leadership in crypto cases and have asked for information about interactions with the Trump family and World Liberty Financial.

Heightened volatility from the Iran war is straining liquidity across global markets, with wider bid-ask spreads and reduced risk appetite making trading more costly and difficult. Market participants report declining depth in key assets including US Treasuries and European bonds, raising concerns about potential disorderly price swings if conditions worsen.

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The Derivatives Market Institute for Standards plans to finalize standards for Execution Source Code and Persistent Client Tracer ID this year, aiming to enhance transparency and consistency in derivatives trading. DMIST's 2025 annual report highlights last year's achievements, including protocols to prevent self-matching and position transfer standards. DMIST also plans to increase industry engagement through implementation guides and working groups.

European dividend futures traded on Eurex experienced a sharp increase in activity after the US-Israeli military intervention in Iran. The surge reflected heightened demand for hedging against potential dividend cuts, as well as speculative positioning amid recession fears. Daily turnover in these futures averaged €345 million from the beginning of 2026 up to February 27, then soared to €926 million following the onset of the conflict.

Euronext has launched a trading-at-settlement mechanism for agricultural commodity derivatives on its MATIF platform, aiming to boost liquidity. The mechanism allows market participants to trade at the anticipated daily settlement price or within four ticks of it. Trading volumes have increased for milling wheat and rapeseed futures, but has declined for corn futures.

G7 finance leaders said they are prepared to take all necessary measures to stabilize global energy markets as the war in Iran drives sharp increases in oil prices and raises economic risks. The group emphasized coordination, support for maintaining supply flows and avoiding export restrictions, while central banks reaffirmed their commitment to price stability amid rising inflation concerns.

In 2025, Meta Platforms began using short-term foreign currency forward contracts to manage its short-dated currency risk, according to its latest SEC 10-K filing. This marks a significant shift in Meta's approach, as the company had previously avoided foreign exchange hedging.

The Commodity Futures Trading Commission continues to assert its primary enforcement authority over prediction markets but is increasingly emphasizing that exchanges and registrants themselves, such as Kalshi, must serve as the first line of defense against market misconduct. The CFTC has signaled its expectations by publicly highlighting internal enforcement actions taken by Kalshi. This ""absolutely indicates that the CFTC is emphasizing the role of exchanges as the first line of defense in policing prediction and event contract markets," said former CFTC senior trial attorney Braden Perry.

Senior Democratic lawmakers, including Rep. Angie Craig and Sen. Elizabeth Warren, have urged the Commodity Futures Trading Commission and the Office of Government Ethics to issue guidelines to federal employees on insider trading on prediction markets. The push comes after incidents, such as a $400,000 bet on the capture of former Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, have raised concerns about government officials using nonpublic information for personal gain.

Kalshi secured a license to offer margin trading through an affiliate, aiming to attract institutional investors by improving capital efficiency on its prediction market platform. The company still requires regulatory approval from the Commodity Futures Trading Commission before launching non-fully collateralized trading products.