The SIFMA Podcast

In this episode of The SIFMA Podcast, SIFMA President and CEO Kenneth E. Bentsen, Jr. reflects on the recent Member Briefing where he was joined by Scott Anderson, Ph.D., Chief US Economist and Managing Director at BMO and Co-Chair of the SIFMA Economist Roundtable. Together, they unpack key takeaways from SIFMA’s 2025 Mid-Year Economic Survey, conducted following the June FOMC meeting. 

In this episode of The SIFMA Podcast, SIFMA's President and CEO speaks with Lisa Bleier, Head of Wealth Management, Retirement, and State Government Relations at SIFMA, and Jennifer Spoeri, Executive Director of NAPSA. Together, they unpack key takeaways from the recent World Elder Abuse Awareness Day webinar and discuss the broader efforts by both organizations to protect senior investors from financial exploitation. 

In this episode of The SIFMA Podcast, SIFMA President and CEO Kenneth E. Bentsen, Jr., is joined by colleague Joe Corcoran, Managing Director and Associate General Counsel, to discuss SIFMA’s recommendations to the Securities and Exchange Commission on how to reform the Consolidated Audit Trail, or the CAT.

Together, they discuss:

• Background on CAT
• Why CAT is back in the Spotlight
• SIFMA’s key recommendations for reform

In the latest episode of The SIFMA Podcast, SIFMA President and CEO Kenneth E. Bentsen Jr. is joined by colleagues Peter Ryan and Charles DeSimone to unpack SIFMA's response to the SEC Crypto Task Force’s request for information on digital assets.

Together, they discuss:

• Key issues raised by Commissioner Hester Peirce’s statement
• SIFMA's policy recommendations on securities classification, custody, and tokenization - covering both sell- and buy-side perspectives
• The need for clarity, consistency, and technology-neutral rules
• How existing frameworks can adapt to support innovation without compromising investor protection
• And more.

In this episode of The SIFMA Podcast, we recap key moments from SIFMA’s 2025 Anti-Money Laundering & Financial Crimes Conference, held in Washington, DC. SIFMA President and CEO Kenneth E. Bentsen, Jr., is joined by Saima Ahmed, SIFMA's Executive Vice President and General Counsel, and Bernard Canepa, Managing Director and Associate General Counsel at SIFMA, to discuss insights from the conference's moderated keynote sessions. Highlights include conversations with:

• Dr. Michael Faulkender, Deputy Secretary at the U.S. Department of the Treasury
• Antonia Apps, Deputy Director of Enforcement at the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission
• U.S. Senator Mark Warner of Virginia.

Tune in for a timely and in-depth discussion on the future of financial crime compliance and regulatory priorities. 

In this episode of The SIFMA Podcast, we recap highlights from SIFMA’s 2025 Operations Conference & Exhibition, held in Orlando, Florida. SIFMA President and CEO Kenneth E. Bentsen, Jr., is joined by Chief Operating Officer Joseph Seidel and Stephen Byron, Managing Director and Head of Technology, Operations, and Business Continuity. Together, they unpack insights from two standout sessions:

• Redefining Efficiency and Client Strategy in a Changing Regulatory Landscape
• Executive Insights: Modernization, Market Trends, and the Future of Operations

Tune in for expert perspectives on the evolving operations landscape and what it means for the industry going forward.

In recognition of Financial Literacy Month, SIFMA President and CEO Kenneth E. Bentsen, Jr. hosts a discussion with Lisa Hunt, Managing Director and Head of International Services at Charles Schwab, and Melanie Mortimer, President of the SIFMA Foundation.

In this episode of The SIFMA Podcast, they explore the critical role of the financial services industry in advancing financial education, the work being done by Charles Schwab and the SIFMA Foundation in supporting financial education, and the impact of their programs on communities across the country.

In this episode of The SIFMA Podcast, SIFMA Chief Operating Officer Joseph Seidel is joined by Dr. Guowei Zhang, Managing Director at SIFMA, to unpack the critical role of leverage ratios in the U.S. Treasury market – and why exempting them from leverage ratio calculations may be key to strengthening market resilience.

Together, they explore:

• How current leverage ratio requirements, implemented in 2018, may limit banks’ capacity to intermediate in Treasury markets.
• SIFMA’s latest analysis quantifying the impact of U.S. Treasury holdings on bank leverage ratios.
• Evidence from the temporary exemption during the COVID-19 pandemic, and what it tells us about future policy considerations.

With over $28 trillion in outstanding Treasury securities and an average of $910 billion traded daily, the stakes are high. As volatility continues to challenge financial markets, this conversation shines a light on potential policy solutions that support both market stability and economic growth.

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In this episode of The SIFMA Podcast, SIFMA President and CEO Kenneth E. Bentsen, Jr. sits down with SIFMA General Counsel Saima Ahmed to unpack key takeaways from the 2025 SIFMA Compliance & Legal Annual Seminar.

They discuss top regulatory priorities, evolving compliance expectations, and what’s on the horizon. With exclusive conversations live from the Seminar floor, this episode brings you firsthand insights from:

• Mark Uyeda, Acting Chairman, U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)
• Robert Cook, President and CEO, Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA)

Tune in for expert perspectives on the future of regulation and what it means the capital markets and financial services industry in 2025.

In this episode of The SIFMA Podcast, SIFMA’s President and CEO, Kenneth E. Bentsen, Jr., sits down with Katie Kolchin, CFA to discuss the latest U.S. Equity Market Structure Compendium. This report summarizes market activity and themes in 2024, including: the AI boom, market concentration, higher-for-longer rates, earnings growth, and more.