Public Company Advisory: SEC Snapshots Third Quarter 2026

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The members of Maynard Nexsen’s Public Company Advisory Practice counsel public companies and companies aiming to become public on the full range of matters shaping their governance and operation in the public markets. As a continued service to our clients, we provide a quarterly summary of important developments affecting public companies. Top trending items for the third quarter of 2026 are listed below (in chronological order and with embedded links to the source materials):

• The SEC issued its Spring 2026 Reg Flex Agenda (July 3, 2026)
• The European Commission adopted revised European Sustainability Reporting Standards (ESRS) and a voluntary reporting standard for smaller companies (July 3, 2026)
• ISS published an article on shareholder proposals from the 2026 proxy season (July 6, 2026)
• EY published a study on the use of sub-certifications for corporate governance (July 7, 2026)
• Nasdaq proposed changes to its rules on trading halts (July 8, 2026)
• The SEC Division of Corporation Finance issued nine new Corporation Finance Interpretations (CFIs), primarily relating to beneficial ownership reporting, proxy solicitation and tender offers (July 9, 2026)
• The SEC amended its rules that delegate authority to its staff (July 15, 2026)
• The SEC proposed Regulation E-Delivery, a new rule that would expand the ability of issuers, broker-dealers, and others to use electronic delivery to satisfy information delivery requirements (July 21, 2026) (see Maynard client alert)
• The SEC Division of Corporation Finance issued a new CFI on verifying accredited investor status in Rule 506(c) offerings of tokenized securities (July 21, 2026)
• The SEC approved a Nasdaq rule change to include a new Market Value of Listed Securities continued listing requirement of at least $5 million (stayed pending full SEC review – see below) (July 22, 2026)
• Nasdaq posted FAQs on its 23/5 Trading Information Hub relating to the implications of its upcoming extended trading hours (July 22, 2026)
• Nasdaq posted Corporate FAQs relating to its corporate action mandatory regulatory halt rules in light of forthcoming 23/5 trading (July 23, 2026)
• The SEC approved changes to FINRA rules to simplify the calculation of underwriting compensation (July 24, 2026)
• Glass Lewis published a post-2026 proxy season summary of shareholder proposals and company exclusions (July 28, 2026)
• The SEC stayed the effectiveness of Nasdaq’s minimum market value rule that it had approved on July 22, 2026 (July 29, 2026)
• The SEC announced it established a new Financial Reporting and Accounting Unit within the Division of Enforcement (August 5, 2026)
• Kyle Hauptman was sworn in as a member of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB) (August 10, 2026)
• The NYSE proposed changes to its rules on trading halts (August 11, 2026)
• The NYSE proposed rule amendments to extend the transition period in which a listed company must establish an internal audit function from one year to five years after the initial listing date (August 13, 2026)
• The SEC Division of Corporation Finance issued a statement that it has determined to discontinue responding to all Rule 14a-8 no-action requests (August 14, 2026)
• The Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (“FinCEN”) issued a final rule that permanently removes the requirement for U.S. companies and U.S. persons to report beneficial ownership information to FinCEN under the Corporate Transparency Act (August 14, 2026)
• The SEC proposed new rules to regulate crypto assets (August 18, 2026)
• The SEC issued a fee rate advisory lowering the filing fees for registration statements (August 21, 2026)
• FW Cook published a study on director compensation (August 31, 2026)
• The SEC proposed amendments to the rules governing transfer agents (September 1, 2026)
• The California Air Resources Board (CARB) released guidance for the first year of reporting under SB 253 (September 1, 2026) (see Maynard client alert)
• The SEC Division of Corporation Finance issued new CFIs on Regulation 13D-G (September 2, 2026)
• The SEC Division of Corporation Finance issued new CFIs on Form S-1 and filing fees (September 4, 2026)
• The SEC issued a statement extending the accommodations available for issuers that submit draft registration statements for nonpublic review to issuers of asset-backed securities (September 8, 2026)
• DFIN published its annual guide for effective proxies (September 8, 2026) (free registration required)
• The PCAOB adopted amendments to its firm quality control standard (September 9, 2026)
• The SEC adopted an updated Edgar Filer Manual (September 14, 2026)
• The SEC proposed rule amendments to rescind Rule 14a-8 and amend Rule 14a-4 (September 16, 2026) (see Maynard client alert)
• The SEC proposed rule amendments to reform the proxy solicitation process (September 16, 2026) (see Maynard client alert)
• The SEC issued an order granting temporary, conditional exemptive relief to facilitate trading of tokenized National Market System (NMS) stock (September 17, 2026) (see Maynard client alert)
• The SEC hosted a roundtable on preparation for 24-hour trading (September 17, 2026)
• The Center for Audit Quality published its fifth edition of the Audit Committee Practices Report (September 22, 2026)
• The SEC Division of Economic and Risk Analysis published updated statistics on the U.S. capital markets (September 23, 2026)
• The SEC Division of Corporation Finance issued new CFIs and withdrew outdated CFIs on the Securities Act Rules, Securities Act Forms, Exchange Act Rules, Exchange Act Forms, and Interactive Data (September 23, 2026)
• The SEC Division of Corporation Finance published FAQs on the application of the federal securities laws to certain types of crypto assets (September 25, 2026)
• The SEC Division of Corporation Finance Office of Mergers & Acquisitions issued a no-action letter to Goldman Sachs Group addressing a retail voting program (September 25, 2026)
• Spencer Stuart published its annual study of board composition and governance practices (September 26, 2026)
• The SEC Division of Corporation Finance Office of Mergers & Acquisitions issued a no-action letter to Tesla, Inc. addressing its proposed voluntary retail voting program, which can be relied upon by all public companies seeking to operate the same program (September 29, 2026)
• The SEC announced, in connection with proposed rulemaking relating to investment advisers and funds, that it was considering potential additional professional designations that would qualify an individual as an accredited investor under Regulation D (September 30, 2026)
• The PCAOB updated its standard-setting, research, and rulemaking agendas (September 30, 2026)

For additional information about any of the above developments, or to discuss any questions that you may have, please contact a member of Maynard Nexsen’s Public Company Advisory Group.

This Client Alert is for information purposes only and should not be construed as legal advice. The information in this Client Alert is not intended to create and does not create an attorney-client relationship.