On March 12, 2026, the Staff provided domestic and first-time foreign private issuer Section 16 filers with conditional no-action relief. If Section 16(a) filings cannot be timely made by the March 18, 2026 deadline under the Holding Foreign Insiders Accountable Act due to delays in obtaining EDGAR access, filings can be made by April 1, 2026, provided certain conditions are met. Reproduced below are the updated FAQs.
Attention: March 18, 2026 Section 16(a) Reporting for Foreign Private Issuers’ Directors and Officers and Clarifications on Who is Exempt
On March 5, 2026, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) granted exemptive relief from the upcoming March 18, 2026 Section 16(a) reporting deadline applicable to directors and officers of foreign private issuers (FPIs) organized in a “qualifying jurisdiction,” who are subject to a “qualifying regulation[1]”. See our client alert for more details.
Update: Foreign Private Issuer Director & Officer Section 16 Reporting Starts March 18, 2026
On February 27, 2026, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) adopted final rules and form amendments implementing the Holding Foreign Insiders Accountable Act (the HFIAA). The HFIAA, signed into law on December 18, 2025 as part of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2026, amended Section 16(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the Exchange Act) to extend insider reporting obligations to directors and officers of foreign private issuers (FPIs). Historically, such individuals were exempt from Section 16 reporting. See our prior blog post here for additional background.