The SEC’s Office of Compliance Inspections and Examinations (OCIE) has published its 2018 examination priorities. Not surprisingly, it will continue to focus on the protection of retail investors and ensuring that registrants are appropriately disclosing or resolving conflicts of interest. In addition, OCIE will pay particular attention to developments in cryptocurrencies and initial coin offerings (ICOs). OCIE also identified its oversight of FINRA and the MSRB as an area of focus, which should be of particular interest to broker-dealers and municipal securities dealers.

OCIE broke its priorities into five categories, each of which is summarized below.