Whistleblower Award Determination

Issuing agencies

Abstract

The Commodity Futures Trading Commission ("Commission" or "CFTC") is proposing for public comment to amend its rules implementing a section of the Commodity Exchange Act ("CEA"). The relevant section provides, among other things, that the Commission shall pay an award--under regulations prescribed by the Commission and subject to certain limitations--to eligible whistleblowers who voluntarily provide the Commission with original information about a violation of the CEA, or regulations thereunder, that leads to the successful enforcement of a covered judicial or administrative action, or a related action. The Commission expects the proposed substantive amendment, which is modeled on a similar provision in the Securities and Exchange Commission's ("SEC's") regulations, to increase the efficiency, transparency, and predictability of whistleblower claims processing, thereby protecting and enhancing the program's effectiveness in incentivizing whistleblowers to report. The Commission is also incorporating technical corrections to the whistleblower rules to update regulatory references to reflect the Whistleblower Office's ("WBO's") move in 2025, consistent with its adjudicatory functions, to the Office of the General Counsel.