§ 7b–1 — Designation Of Securities Exchanges And Associations As Contract Markets

(a) Any board of trade that is registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission as a national securities exchange, is a national securities association registered pursuant to section 78o–3(a) of title 15, or is an alternative trading system shall be a designated contract market in security futures products if— (1) such national securities exchange, national securities association, or alternative trading system lists or trades no other contracts of sale for future delivery, except for security futures products; (2) such national securities exchange, national securities association, or alternative trading system files written notice with the Commission in such form as the Commission, by rule, may prescribe containing such information as the Commission, by rule, may prescribe as necessary or appropriate in the public interest or for the protection of customers; and (3) the registration of such national securities exchange, national securities association, or alternative trading system is not suspended pursuant to an order by the Securities and Exchange Commission. (1) A national securities exchange, national securities association, or alternative trading system that is designated as a contract market pursuant to this section shall be exempt from the following provisions of this chapter and the rules thereunder: (A) Subsections (c), (e), and (g) of section 6c of this title. (B) Section 6j of this title. (C) Section 7 of this title. (D) Section 7a–2 of this title. (E) Section 10a of this title. (F) Section 12(d) of this title. (G) of this title. (H) Section 20 of this title. (2) An alternative trading system that is a designated contract market under this section shall be required to be a member of a futures association registered under section 21 of this title and shall be exempt from any provision of this chapter that would require such alternative trading system to— (A) set rules governing the conduct of subscribers other than the conduct of such subscribers’ trading on such alternative trading system; or (B) discipline subscribers other than by exclusion from trading. (3) To the extent that an alternative trading system is exempt from any provision of this chapter pursuant to paragraph (2) of this subsection, the futures association registered under section 21 of this title of which the alternative trading system is a member shall set rules governing the conduct of subscribers to the alternative trading system and discipline the subscribers. (A) Except as provided in subparagraph (B), but notwithstanding any other provision of this chapter, the Commission, by rule, regulation, or order, may conditionally or unconditionally exempt any designated contract market in security futures subject to the designation requirement of this section from any provision of this chapter or of any rule or regulation thereunder, to the extent such exemption is necessary or appropriate in the public interest and is consistent with the protection of investors. (B) The Commission shall, by rule or regulation, determine the procedures under which an exemptive order under this section is granted and may, in its sole discretion, decline to entertain any application for an order of exemption under this section. (C) An alternative trading system shall not be deemed to be an exchange for any purpose as a result of the designation of such alternative trading system as a contract market under this section.