17 C.F.R. § 5.1

Definitions

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(a) Affiliated person of a futures commission merchant means a person described in section 2(c)(2)(B)(i)(II)(cc)(BB) of the Act;

(b) Aggregate retail forex assets means an amount of liquid assets held in accordance with § 5.8 of this part;

(c) Associated person of an affiliated person of a futures commission merchant means any natural person associated with an affiliated person of a futures commission merchant as a partner, officer or employee (or any natural person occupying a similar status or performing similar functions), in any capacity which involves:

(1) The solicitation or acceptance of retail forex customers' orders (other than in a clerical capacity); or

(2) The supervision of any person or persons so engaged;

(d)(1) Commodity pool operator, for purposes of this part, means any person who operates or solicits funds, securities, or property for a pooled investment vehicle that is not an eligible contract participant as defined in section 1a(18) of the Act, and that engages in retail forex transactions;

(2) Associated person of a commodity pool operator, for purposes of this part, means any natural person associated with a commodity pool operator as defined in paragraph (d)(1) of this section as a partner, officer, employee, consultant or agent (or any natural person occupying a similar status or performing similar functions), in any capacity which involves:

(i) The solicitation of funds, securities, or property for a participation in a pooled investment vehicle; or

(ii) The supervision of any person or persons so engaged;

(e)(1) Commodity trading advisor, for purposes of this part, means any person who exercises discretionary trading authority or obtains written authorization to exercise discretionary trading authority over any account for or on behalf of any person that is not an eligible contract participant as defined in section 1a(18) of the Act, in connection with retail forex transactions;

(2) Associated person of a commodity trading advisor, for purposes of this part, means any natural person associated with a commodity trading advisor as defined in paragraph (e)(1) of this section as a partner, officer, employee, consultant or agent (or any natural person occupying a similar status or performing similar functions), in any capacity which involves:

(i) The solicitation of a client's or prospective client's discretionary account; or

(ii) The supervision of any person or persons so engaged;

(f)(1) Introducing broker, for purposes of this part, means any person who solicits or accepts orders from a customer that is not an eligible contract participant as defined in section 1a(18) of the Act, in connection with retail forex transactions;

(2) Associated person of an introducing broker, for purposes of this part, means any natural person associated with an introducing broker as defined in paragraph (g)(1) of this section as a partner, officer, employee, or agent (or any natural person occupying a similar status or performing similar functions), in any capacity which involves:

(i) The solicitation or acceptance of retail forex customers' orders (other than in a clerical capacity); or

(ii) The supervision of any person or persons so engaged;

(g) Primarily or substantially means, when used to describe the extent of a futures commission merchant's engagement in the activities described in section 1a(28)(A)(i)(I)(aa)(AA) of the Act and section 1a(28)(A)(i)(II) of the Act insofar as that section references the activities described in section 1a(28)(A)(i)(I)(aa)(AA), that:

(1) Such activities account for more than fifty percent of the futures commission merchant's gross revenues, computed in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, on an annual basis;

(2) The futures commission merchant receives gross revenues, computed in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, from such activities in excess of $500,000 in any twelve month period; or

(3) The futures commission merchant is a clearing member of a registered derivatives clearing organization.

(h)(1) Retail foreign exchange dealer means any person that is, or that offers to be, the counterparty to a retail forex transaction, except for a person described in item (aa), (bb), (cc)(AA) or (dd) of section 2(c)(2)(B)(i)(II) of the Act;

(2) Associated person of a retail foreign exchange dealer means any natural person associated with a retail foreign exchange dealer as defined in paragraph (i)(1) of this section as a partner, officer or employee (or any natural person occupying a similar status or performing similar functions), in any capacity which involves:

(i) The solicitation or acceptance of retail forex customers' orders (other than in a clerical capacity); or

(ii) The supervision of any person or persons so engaged;

(i) Retail forex account means the account of a person who is not an eligible contract participant as defined in section 1a(18) of the Act, established with a retail foreign exchange dealer or a futures commission merchant, in which account retail forex transactions (including options on contracts for the purchase or sale of foreign currency) with such retail foreign exchange dealer or futures commission merchant as counterparty are undertaken, or which account is established in order to enter into such transactions.

(j) Retail forex account agreement means the contractual agreement between a futures commission merchant or retail foreign exchange dealer and any person who is not an eligible contract participant as defined in section 1a(18) of the Act, which agreement contains the terms governing the person's retail forex account with such futures commission merchant or retail foreign exchange dealer.

(k) Retail forex customer means a person, other than an eligible contract participant as defined in section 1a(18) of the Act, acting on its own behalf and trading in any account, agreement, contract or transaction described in section 2(c)(2)(B) or 2(c)(2)(C) of the Act.

(l) Retail forex obligation means the net credit balance at a retail foreign exchange dealer or futures commission merchant that would be obtained by combining all money, securities and property deposited by a retail forex customer into a retail forex account or accounts, adjusted for the realized and unrealized net profit or loss, if any, accruing on the open trades, contracts or transactions in the retail forex account or accounts, without including any retail forex customers' accounts that contain negative net liquidating balances.

(m) Retail forex transaction means any account, agreement, contract or transaction described in section 2(c)(2)(B) or 2(c)(2)(C) of the Act. A retail forex transaction does not include an account, agreement, contract or transaction in foreign currency that is a contract of sale of a commodity for future delivery (or an option thereon) that is executed, traded on or otherwise subject to the rules of a contract market designated pursuant to section 5(a) of the Act.

[75 FR 55432, Sept. 10, 2010, as amended at 77 FR 66332, Nov. 2, 2012]
Notes of Decisions
Cited in 10 cases (6 in the last 5 years), 2012–2024 · leading case: U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Comm'n v. Allied Markets LLC, 371 F. Supp. 3d 1035 (M.D. Fla. 2019).
U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Comm'n v. Allied Markets LLC, 371 F. Supp. 3d 1035 (M.D. Fla. 2019). · cites it 2× “" 17 C.F.R. § 5.1 (d)(2). Allied acted as a CPO by soliciting, accepting, and receiving from its *1051 customers funds which were to be used to trade Forex, and Defendants, the founders and sole managing members of Allied, who admitted to soliciting and accepting such funds,…”
Commodity Futures Trading Comm'n v. GIGFX, LLC, 844 F. Supp. 2d 58 (D.C. Cir. 2012). · cites it 2× “17 C.F.R. § 5.1 (m). This transaction occurs between a retail customer and an eligible counter-party.”
Commodity Futures Trading Comm'n v. Fin. Tree (E.D. Cal. 2022). · cites it 5× “1(d)(1), 17 C.F.R. § 5.1 (d)(1) (2021), and subject to certain 2 exceptions not relevant here, any person who operates or solicits funds, securities, or property for 3 a pooled investment vehicle and engages in retail forex transactions is defined as a retail forex 4 CPO.”
Commodity Futures Trading Comm'n v. Bryant (W.D.N.C. 2024). · cites it 3× “” 17 C.F.R. § 5.1 (e)(1). A retail forex CTA must register with the CFTC.”
Commodity Futures Trading Comm'n v. Oasis Int'l Grp., Ltd. (M.D. Fla. 2023). · cites it 2× “” 17 C.F.R. § 5.1 (m). This definition excludes such transactions “that [are] contract[s] of sale of a commodity for future delivery .”
Commodity Futures Trading Comm'n v. Winston Reed Investments L.L.C. (W.D.N.C. 2021). · cites it 2× “For forex, a CPO is defined in 17 C.F.R. § 5.1 (d)(1) (2019), as “any person who operates or solicits funds, securities, or property for a pooled investment vehicle that is not an ECP as defined in section 1a(18) of the Act, and that engages in retail forex transactions.”
Commodity Futures Trading Comm'n v. Gigfx, L.L.C. (D.D.C. 2012). · cites it 2× “17 C.F.R. § 5.1 (m). This transaction occurs between a retail customer and an eligible counterparty.”
Commodity Futures Trading Comm'n v. Venture Capital Investments LTD (D. Colo. 2020). “3 (a)(2)(i) makes it unlawful for any Commodity Pool Operator engaged in retail foreign-exchange transactions defined in 17 C.F.R. § 5.1 (d)(1), to act as a Commodity Pool Operator without being registered.”
Commodity Futures Trading Comm'n v. Worldwidemarkets, Ltd. (D.N.J. 2022). “” 17 C.F.R. § 5.1 (h)(1). companies” and (2) was “aware of all aspects of the companies’ financial dealings.”
Commodity Futures Trading Comm'n v. Ramos (N.D. Tex. 2021). “29 17 C.F.R. § 5.1 (d)(1). There are exceptions to this regulation in circumstances not relevant to this case.”
— 17 C.F.R. § 5.1(d)(1) — 1 case
U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Comm'n v. Allied Markets LLC, 371 F. Supp. 3d 1035 (M.D. Fla. 2019). “" 17 C.F.R. § 5.1 (d)(2). Allied acted as a CPO by soliciting, accepting, and receiving from its *1051 customers funds which were to be used to trade Forex, and Defendants, the founders and sole managing members of Allied, who admitted to soliciting and accepting such funds,…”
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