Which organization oversees the regulation of the U.S. securities industry?

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is the primary regulatory authority for the U.S. securities industry, serving to protect investors, maintain fair and efficient markets, and facilitate capital formation. Its main responsibilities include enforcing federal securities laws, regulating securities exchanges, overseeing the securities industry, and ensuring that public companies provide accurate and truthful information to the investing public.

The SEC's broad oversight helps ensure transparency and integrity in the markets, making it essential for promoting investor confidence and mitigating the risk of fraud in securities transactions. The other organizations mentioned, while playing important roles in their respective areas, do not have the overarching authority that the SEC has in regulating the entire securities industry. For example, FINRA primarily oversees broker-dealers and enforces rules for trading in the securities markets, whereas the CFTC regulates futures and options markets, and the NFA oversees the trading of futures and forex; none possess the comprehensive authority over the entire securities industry as the SEC does.