Dear friend,
As we move into 2026, I want to thank you for standing with Better Markets in our 15-year fight for an economy that works for all Americans, a financial system that supports the real economy, and a stronger democracy where Washington policymakers prioritize the interests of Main Street Americans and not just corporate lobbyists. In 2025, we continued to punch far above our weight—holding Wall Street and government accountable, exposing and opposing dangerous deregulation, and fighting for policies that provide all Americans with economic security, opportunity, and prosperity.
From sounding the alarm on undercapitalized banks, unregulated prediction markets and rampant crypto crime to defending service members and vulnerable communities from financial predators, our work has never been more urgent. We testified before Congress (highlights here, here and here), published high-impact analysis (highlights here, here and here), and appeared in media outlets almost 900 times, providing balance to the key issues while countering propaganda and misinformation, and advancing data-driven policymaking. We launched the Better Markets Academic Advisory Board and convened the leading minds in financial and economic policy to bridge research and real-world impact, reinforcing our commitments to building an economy that works for all Americans as well as it works for the top 10%.
Looking ahead to 2026, we will double down on protecting hardworking Americans, their jobs, homes, small businesses, bank deposits, retirement accounts, investments and so much more. We’ll identify the real financial policy impacts of Trump’s next 365 days in office and expose what they are really doing and who they are really benefiting. We’ll play the long game, advancing policies that generate broad-based economic growth and wealth creation, not just those enriching the already rich. We’ll fight efforts to dismantle the safeguards and guardrails protecting Americans’ wallets and pocketbooks, and we’ll advocate for sensible rules on emerging technologies and innovation like AI. Throughout all of it, we’ll continue documenting and opposing the dangerous deregulation that threatens our economy in real time.
Preventing crises, crashes and bailouts while de-rigging the economy so it works for everyone—and ensuring that the financial system supports the real productive economy—is not and should not be partisan issues: they are core American values and keys to the American Dream. Working together, we can have smart safeguards today that will protect and promote a brighter, better, and more productive economy for all tomorrow. Join us in this fight. Visit bettermarkets.org, follow us on social media, and help spread the word.
Happy New Year!
Sincerely,
Dennis
Dennis M. Kelleher
Co-founder, President, and CEO
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The SEC used to be the investor’s advocate, protecting the everyday people who invest to save for things like a home, college, or retirement. Now, it’s acting against those retail investors by spending the last year demolishing investor protection. At this point, SEC might as well stand for “Shareholder Exploitation Commission.”
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Congress passed the Penny Stock Reform Act to protect everyday investors from scams and dishonest practices in the penny stock market, like pump-and-dump schemes. Our fact sheet explains how meme coins are now following the penny stock playbook, and why we need similar laws and rules to keep investors safe from these predatory practices.
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Benjamin Schiffrin, Director of Securities Policy, testified before the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Agriculture on the need for greater resources at the CFTC if it is to successfully advance both its core mission--ensuring fair, transparent, and stable derivatives markets while protecting investors from fraud and manipulation--and new prediction and crypto markets oversight responsibilities.
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The Financial Stability Oversight Council (FSOC) plays a crucial role in preventing future financial crises like the one that happened in 2008. But Treasury Secretary Bessent, who leads FSOC, has announced plans to effectively gut it and turn it into a tool for mindless deregulation. This will put the economy, financial system, and the American people at risk.
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Better Markets in the News
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| This administration is gutting the FSOC and turning it into a vehicle for recklessly pursuing a deregulatory agenda that will only result in the type of bubble growth that inevitably leads to more financial crashes and needless economic harm.
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Fighting for the Public Interest at the Rule Writing Agencies
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Each month our legal team outlines some of the top cases we're keeping an eye on, the Amicus "Friend of the Court" Briefs we have filed, and why everyone with a bank account, credit card, mortgage loan, or retirement loan should be interested in those cases.
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| Congress closed out the 1st session of the 119th Congress with a flurry of activity. They held a number of hearings covering banking regulation, AI, and oversight. Better Markets was on the Hill to testify on the importance of the CFTC and the need for a reauthorization of the agency.
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