Securities and Exchange Commission and Justice Department’s Antitrust Division Sign Historic Memorandum of Understanding

The Securities and Exchange Commission and the Department of Justice’s Antitrust Division have signed an interagency Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to foster cooperation and communication between the agencies with the aim of enhancing competition in the securities industry. Assistant Attorney General Makan Delrahim of the Antitrust Division announced the first-ever MOU between the Antitrust Division and the SEC, which was executed with SEC Chairman Jay Clayton, before a discussion on equity market structure hosted by MIT’s Golub Center for Finance and Policy this afternoon. “As competition is embedded in our securities laws, there are many policy areas where the missions of the SEC and DOJ’s Antitrust Division align, but where our respective areas of expertise differ,” said SEC Chairman Jay Clayton.