From regulators sharpening their focus to markets reshaping the trading day, this week brought developments that compliance teams, in-house counsel, and market participants will want on their radar. Here are five stories worth your attention:

• SEC sets its 2027 exam agenda. The Division of Examinations will zero in on advisers’ fiduciary duties, conflicts, fees, and private fund oversight, along with Reg BI, AML controls, cybersecurity, and how firms govern their use of AI. Read more.
• FINRA overhauls outside activities rules. New Rule 3290, effective October 25, 2027, replaces Rules 3270 and 3280 with a single, narrower framework focused on investment-related activities, and changes how work at unaffiliated investment advisers is treated. Read more.
• AI’s cost savings fall short. Gartner finds 77% of board members expect AI to cut costs, yet only 3% of organizations are beating their savings goals through productivity gains alone, suggesting AI’s real value may lie in innovation and growth. Read more.
• Private equity’s $300 billion debt wall. The Wall Street Journal reports that roughly $300 billion in risky loans owed by PE-backed companies, about a third tied to software, comes due in 2028 and 2029, pointing to tougher refinancing terms or restructurings ahead. Read more.
• NYSE stretches the options trading day. Eligible NYSE American Options, including SPY, IWM, GLD, and several big tech names, can now trade from 7:30 to 9:25 a.m. ET and from 4:00 to 4:15 p.m. ET. Read more.

But wait, there’s more. This week’s full roundup also covers the CFTC and NBA’s new pact to protect integrity in prediction markets, NFA’s shorter retesting wait times for futures and forex exams, and ESMA’s push to simplify EU Taxonomy reporting. Read the full update from FiSolve here.