Registration, Authorization, and Initial Filing Services

The registration or application process can seem lengthy, overwhelming, and daunting. Whether you seek authorization for the first time or are an established regulated firm looking to move into a new line of business, we can help you avoid unnecessary complications and delays.

Our team will simplify the process by assisting with your initial application or filing, supporting the set-up and implementation of your compliance program, and providing ongoing support.

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Our solutions

We offer SEC, FINRA, CFTC and NFA, and state registration as well as FCA authorization support services. Or if you are launching a new investment management firm, or extending an existing venture, we also offer regulatory hosting through ACA Mirabella.

SEC Registration Support

SEC registration requires certain investment advisers to register with the SEC and to establish and maintain an adequate compliance program. Our team will assist your firm with the initial Form ADV filing, annual Form ADV amendments, and the set up and maintenance of an adequate and effective compliance program.

FINRA Registration Support

Broker-dealers are required to register with the FINRA and establish an adequate compliance program. We'll assist with the initial broker-dealer application filing, CRD training, and preparation of compliance and supervisory procedures. In addition, our team can assist existing broker-dealers with a Change in Membership (CMA) application with FINRA.

NFA Registration Support

If you're seeking CFTC registration and National Futures Association (NFA) membership our team includes former NFA examiners who can guide you through the relevant steps in the registration process and assist with the development and implementation of your commodity interest-related compliance program.

Our dedicated team can help you seek authorization and apply for your Part 4A Permission.

With experience of supporting hundreds of firms through the process, providing support before, during, and after the application, we can help you avoid unnecessary complications and delays.  

A London-based regional practice, providing RIAs and ERAs a unique offering of on-the-ground, comprehensive SEC compliance support. 

This specialist team has conducted more than 250 mock SEC examinations and compliance program reviews, and provided support to more than 100 financial services firms registered with a range of European regulators.

If you wish to submit a full FCA license or a third-country branch application, our Brexit team is on hand to help.

We will draft the FCA application package, prepare for meetings with the regulator where required, and respond to FCA due diligence requests. 

For firms wishing to launch a new venture, we offer regulatory hosting through ACA Mirabella.

This multi-award winning platform is the the industry’s preferred institutional-quality solution for regulatory incubation because of the strong oversight and controls the team brings to each organisation’s project. Mirabella enables firms to get up and running quickly by operating under its regulatory agency

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Who we've helped

With a client base of over 3,500 firms, our filing compliance solution services have successfully assisted thousands of firms through the registration and authorization process.

SEC Registrations for U.S. Firms

700+

SEC Registrations for Non-U.S. Based Firms

100+

FCA Authorizations

350+
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Why work with us?

Our team includes former SEC, FINRA, FCA, NFA, CFTC, OCC, and state regulators along with former along with former Chief Compliance Officers and senior compliance managers from prominent financial institutions. We offer a deep understanding of the regulatory landscape and the holistic use of technology to maximize efficiencies and provide true value. 

With ACA, you can feel confident knowing that your consultants have the relevant and current regulatory and in-house expertise to support you through every step of the process.

Latest insights

forest of trees from above

2019 Investment Management Compliance Testing Survey

ACA Compliance Group and the Investment Adviser Association invite you to participate in the 2019 Investment Management Compliance Testing Survey. The survey is open to compliance professionals at SEC-registered investment advisers. The survey will remain open through Friday, May 31.

Survey
  • Compliance
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ACA Compliance Group Launches Consulting Services for Mutual Fund Board of Directors

ACA Compliance Group (“ACA”) has expanded its consulting services to support mutual fund boards and senior management with enhanced governance of critical issues, board oversight, and business judgement.

Press Release
  • Compliance
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The FCA Business Plan 2019/20 and the Future of Financial Regulation in the UK

On 17 April, the FCA published its Business Plan for 2019/2020, setting out its key priorities and specific activities for the coming year. Read on for a summary of the areas of priority we believe will be of interest to firms in the wholesale arena, and a dissection of Mr Bailey’s vision.

Compliance Alert
  • Compliance
curved glass building looking up at a blue sky

Summary of FINRA Regulatory Actions 2018

The total dollar amount of fines in 2018 that the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority’s (“FINRA”) Enforcement Division ordered against its member firms increased slightly to $74 million from $68 million in 2017. While the total dollar amount increased nearly nine percent, the total number of fines decreased to 209 in 2018, compared to 318 in 2017. Both the number and dollar amount of fines assessed by FINRA have fallen significantly since 2014, as the charts below show. In 2014, FINRA fined broker-dealers a record amount of nearly $129 million dollars, roughly 10 percent greater than the total dollar amount assessed in 2017 and 2018 combined.

Compliance Alert
  • Compliance
curved glass building looking up at a blue sky

Regulatory Changes with Compliance Implications for Exchange-Traded Funds

Several new regulatory requirements and developments should be evaluated by certain ETF sponsors and advisers regarding changes to the stock-exchange listing standards and Regulation M. This article summarizes these developments and their potential compliance program implications.

Compliance Alert
  • Compliance
curved glass building looking up at a blue sky

Transaction reporting: The beginning of the end or the end of the beginning?

Numerous firms who have undertaken complex, expensive and burdensome projects to build their reporting frameworks have mistaken the light at the end of the implementation tunnel as the end of the MiFID II challenge. Some firms are looking the wrong way down the tunnel, and others might well be watching the FCA enforcement train leaving the station.

Compliance Alert
  • Compliance
  • Trade & Transaction

News

ACA Group Recognized as RegTech100 Company for Fifth Consecutive Year

ACA Group Recognized as RegTech100 Company for Fifth Consecutive Year

ACA Group Revolutionizes ESG Data Management with Enhanced ACA Vantage for ESG Platform

ACA Group introduces advanced features to its ACA Vantage for ESG platform, leveraging AI to help clients verify ESG data and streamline data management processes. This innovative solution empowers organizations to efficiently manage ESG requirements with greater accuracy and ease.

ACA Group Recognized at Pittsburgh Technology Council’s Tech 50 

ACA Group Recognized at Pittsburgh Technology Council’s Tech 50

Upcoming events

2025 ACA Conference

Join us in sunny Orlando, Florida for ACA's 2025 Conference, "Preparing Today, Protecting Tomorrow," where industry leaders and experts will converge to explore the evolving landscape of financial services.

Conference