SEC Agenda for September 17 — Three Important Discussions to Watch

The SEC has announced the agenda and panelists for its September 17, 2026 roundtable on preparations for 24 hour trading in U.S. equity markets. The event will examine whether exchanges, brokers and market infrastructure are ready for substantially longer trading hours.

Today, the SEC announced the agenda and panelists for its Sept. 17, 2026, roundtable on preparations for 24-hour trading. 

View registration details and more information: https://t.co/CWr9euM58W

— U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (@SECGov) September 1, 2026

The discussion will run from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. ET at SEC headquarters in Washington, D.C. and will cover three main areas: market preparedness, operational resilience, and the potential impact of extended trading.

Key Takeaways

• The SEC's September 17 roundtable will examine preparations for 24 hour trading in U.S. equity markets, rather than announce an immediate move to 24/7 trading.
• Three panels will focus on market readiness, operational resilience, and the expected effects of longer trading hours on liquidity, capital formation and market participation.
• Major market participants including Robinhood, NYSE, BlackRock, Nasdaq, Citadel Securities and DTCC will take part in discussions about the infrastructure needed for near continuous trading.

SEC September 17 Roundtable: What Is on the Agenda?

The SEC announced the detailed agenda and panelists on September 1, following its July announcement that it would host a roundtable on moving towards 24 hour trading in U.S. equity markets. 

The September event is designed to examine practical preparations and the opportunities and challenges associated with longer trading hours.

The programme begins with opening remarks at 10:00 a.m. ET from the SEC Chairman and Commissioners, alongside Jamie Selway, Director of the SEC's Division of Trading and Markets. A data presentation from the Division's Office of Analytics and Research is scheduled for 10:30 a.m., with Dan Mathisson as presenter.

The first main panel starts at 11:00 a.m., followed by a lunch break at 12:15 p.m. Panel Two begins at 1:15 p.m., while Panel Three starts at 2:45 p.m. The programme is scheduled to finish at 4:00 p.m. ET.

The three discussions form a clear progression. The first asks whether market participants are ready. The second examines whether their systems can remain resilient as trading hours expand. The third considers what longer trading could mean for markets and what regulatory steps might follow.

Read Also: SEC Proposes New Regulations on Cryptocurrency

Panel One: Preparing for a 24 Hour Market

The first discussion, scheduled for 11:00 a.m., is titled "Preparedness for a 24-Hour Market."

According to the SEC, the panel will examine preparations for the launch of 24 hour trading, including exchange and broker dealer readiness, overnight surveillance, closing price processes, clearance and settlement changes, and investor protection practices. 

It will also consider what preparations have already been completed, what remains outstanding and what liquidity conditions could look like as markets move towards near continuous trading.

The panel brings together participants from several parts of the financial market. They include Matt Billings of Robinhood, Josh Burch of NYSE, Hubert De Jesus of BlackRock, JD Del Raso of Virtu Financial, Heidi Fischer of Cboe, Ron Hooey of BNY Pershing, Todd Lopez of UBS, Robert McNamee of FINRA and Jason Wallach of Bruce Markets.

This makes the first panel particularly relevant for understanding the practical side of longer trading hours. Extending market access is not simply a matter of keeping an exchange open for additional hours. 

Firms also need systems for monitoring trading activity, processing transactions, handling settlement and protecting investors outside traditional market hours.

The panel should therefore help clarify which parts of the market infrastructure are already prepared and where additional work may be required.

Panel Two: Can Markets Remain Resilient Around the Clock?

Panel Two begins at 1:15 p.m. and is titled "Resiliency in a 24-Hour Market."

Its focus shifts from preparation to operational resilience. The SEC says the discussion will cover systems readiness, Regulation SCI considerations, failover and capacity planning, market data continuity, shorter maintenance windows, cybersecurity and staffing models for overnight operations.

The panel includes Diwa Cody of Jane Street, Nat Evarts of State Street, Jiyoung Jung of Samsung, Todd Lard of Charles Schwab, Chuck Mack of Nasdaq, Steve Sosnick of Interactive Brokers, Brian Steele of DTCC, David Taylor of Exegy and Quito Zuba of MEMX.

For a market operating for substantially longer hours, resilience becomes a central issue. Trading systems need to remain available while firms still carry out maintenance, manage technical failures and respond to cybersecurity threats.

The SEC's reference to shortened maintenance windows is particularly relevant. A longer trading schedule could reduce the periods available for routine system maintenance, making capacity planning, testing and failover procedures more important.

The panel is therefore likely to focus on how market participants can maintain orderly markets when there are fewer extended periods in which systems can be taken offline.

Panel Three: What Could 24 Hour Trading Change?

The final main discussion begins at 2:45 p.m. under the title "Expected Impacts and Consideration of Next Steps."

This panel moves beyond technical preparation and examines what longer trading hours could mean for the wider market. 

The SEC says the discussion will address liquidity and capital formation, changes in market participation, potential effects on issuers and possible "Day 2" regulatory and market structure initiatives. 

It will also look towards future expansion to 24x7 trading and the infrastructure changes that could be required.

The panelists include Cromwell Coulson of OTC Markets Group, Dmitri Galinov of 24X, Will Geyer of Invesco, Michael Harrington of Citadel Securities, Naureen Hassan of DriveWealth, Brian Hyndman of Blue Ocean, Michael Masone of Citi, Ryan O'Sullivan of BNP Paribas and Tim Quast of ModernIR.

Liquidity is likely to be an important part of this discussion. Extending trading hours does not automatically mean that the same level of trading activity will exist throughout the day and night. Market participation, available liquidity and the behaviour of issuers and investors could all influence how an expanded schedule works in practice.

Capital formation is another important consideration. The SEC's agenda specifically asks participants to consider how expanded trading could affect issuers and broader market participation.

Does the September 17 SEC Event Mean Stocks Will Trade 24/7?

No. The September 17 event should not be described as confirmation that U.S. stocks are about to begin trading 24/7.

The SEC has described the initiative as moving towards 24 hour trading and the September roundtable is specifically focused on preparations, resilience, opportunities, challenges and potential next steps. 

The third panel will discuss possible future expansion towards 24x7 trading, which indicates that 24 hour trading and full 24x7 trading should not be treated as identical concepts.

The distinction matters because the roundtable is a forum for discussion rather than a final announcement of a new market schedule.

Readers should therefore treat statements about future implementation, liquidity effects or changes to market structure as potential outcomes unless the SEC formally confirms them.

Why the SEC Roundtable Matters

The significance of the September 17 agenda is that it addresses the transition to longer trading hours from three different angles.

First comes readiness. Exchanges, brokers and other market participants need to establish whether their systems, processes and investor protection measures can support substantially longer trading.

Second comes resilience. Markets need to remain operational even as maintenance windows become shorter and firms have to manage cybersecurity, system failures, market data and overnight staffing.

Finally comes impact. Once the infrastructure questions are considered, regulators and market participants need to assess how longer trading could affect liquidity, capital formation, investor participation and issuers.

The SEC's July announcement also framed the initiative around balancing round the clock trading with investor and customer protections.

For crypto readers, the development is relevant because digital asset markets already operate continuously. However, the September 17 roundtable itself concerns U.S. equity markets, so it should not be interpreted as a crypto trading policy announcement.

The event could nevertheless provide useful insight into how regulators and traditional financial institutions are approaching the operational challenges associated with markets that remain accessible for much longer periods.

Read Also: The Top 10 Crypto Tokens the SEC Claims Are Securities

Conclusion

The SEC's September 17 roundtable will examine what is required to move U.S. equity markets towards substantially longer trading hours. Its three discussions cover the practical preparation of market participants, the resilience of systems and infrastructure, and the potential effects on liquidity, capital formation and participation.

The event does not by itself confirm an immediate move to 24/7 stock trading. Its importance lies in the detailed questions the SEC and industry participants will address as regulators assess what a near continuous U.S. equity market would require.

FAQ

What is the SEC discussing on September 17, 2026?

The SEC will hold a roundtable on preparations for 24 hour trading in U.S. equity markets, covering market readiness, operational resilience and potential market impacts.

What are the three SEC panels on September 17?

The three panels are Preparedness for a 24-Hour Market, Resiliency in a 24-Hour Market, and Expected Impacts and Consideration of Next Steps.

Who will participate in the SEC September 17 roundtable?

Participants include representatives from Robinhood, NYSE, BlackRock, Nasdaq, Citadel Securities, DTCC, FINRA and several other financial market firms.

Does the SEC September 17 event confirm 24/7 stock trading?

No. The event is focused on preparations, resilience, expected impacts and potential next steps. The agenda separately discusses possible future expansion towards 24x7 trading.

When will the SEC September 17 roundtable take place?

The roundtable is scheduled for September 17, 2026, from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. ET at SEC headquarters in Washington, D.C. The SEC also plans to webcast the event.

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