From city parades to NBA games, private and public institutions and organizations are weighing decisions on whether to cancel or postpone events due to the spread of the coronavirus, and FINRA is no different. The regulatory agency announced it would be cancelling or postponing all events through April 6. This includes the West Region Member Forum, which was to be held in San Francisco on March 26, and the Diversity Summit scheduled for April 1 in New York. FINRA said the summit would be postponed, likely until the fall.
“The health and well being of our employees and stakeholders is a top priority for FINRA,” according to a a statement on the agency’s website. “Based on guidance from public health agencies, FINRA will assess the feasibility of safely holding future events, including the FINRA Annual Conference, on a case-by-case basis.”
Additionally, FINRA asked anyone consider attending FINRA events to avoid doing so if they’d recently traveled to areas categorized by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control as high-risk (which currently includes China, Iran, Italy and South Korea) or had close contact with family or friends who’d returned from travel to those countries within the past two weeks.
FINRA also advised attendees of any events to use precautionary practices, including avoiding shaking hands, shielding coughs and sneezes with a tissue or sleeve and to stay home if you feel ill.
FINRA has not been the only financial services regulatory body affected by the coronavirus’ burgeoning spread. On Monday afternoon, the SEC learned that an employee was being tested for the virus, which has infected more than 1,000 Americans. Employees at the agency's Washington, D.C. headquarters were advised to work remotely until further notice.
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