SEC goes ‘back to basics’ with capital markets focus – Willkie Farr & Gallagher partner Edward Best, with Troy Hooper

The SEC is somewhat unsurprisingly shifting “back to basics” under the Trump 2.0 administration, according to Edward Best, a partner at Willkie Farr & Gallagher on the corporate and financial services team and co-chair of the capital markets practice. During the Biden presidency, the agency focused on technical violations and retrieved billions of dollars in settlements, whereas the current leadership is focusing more on protecting investors and making capital markets more efficient, Best argues.

In this episode of Dealcast, Best joins Mergermarket’s co-head of Americas ECM Troy Hooper, to discuss how this shift in agenda is impacting capital markets. They discuss how the SEC is trying to simplify IPO processes and why it’s considering moving away from quarterly to semi-annual reporting for public companies.

The episode explores what kinds of deals are doing well, from follow-on offerings to IPOs. It looks at the shift away from startups to more established companies with well-founded financials. It also delves into the companies and industries that are perhaps less flashy, but are drawing increasing IPO interest, like construction companies, retail businesses, and widget-makers.

With questions addressed like, which companies could be listing this year, why the market has seen a resurgence of SPACs over the last twelve months, and how volatility is impacting investor decision making, this episode is not one to miss.