The Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) has proposed a new rule under 17 CFR Part 165 that changes how whistleblower awards are calculated. For cases where the total award pool is $5 million or less, the agency introduces a rebuttable presumption that the whistleblower will receive the statutory maximum of 30% of collected monetary sanctions.
This change aims to simplify the process, as previous regulations required a fact-specific analysis for every claim to determine an award between 10% and 30% for sanctions exceeding $1 million. The CFTC estimates that approximately 82% of all historical whistleblower awards fall into this smaller-claim category.
The proposed framework is modeled after the SEC’s Rule 21F-6(c) to harmonize practices between the two agencies. CFTC Chairman Michael S. Selig described the reform as a measure to improve efficiency and demonstrate institutional support for those reporting violations.
The CFTC’s whistleblower program, established by the 2010 Dodd-Frank Act, has been active since 2011. Since its first payout in 2014, the commission has distributed over $430 million in awards, which corresponds to more than $3.7 billion in monetary sanctions.
Recent activity includes an award of over $8 million to five whistleblowers on June 1, 2026. Raagnee Beri was appointed to lead the whistleblower office in April 2026. The proposed rule was published on June 11, 2026, and the comment period closed on July 15, 2026.
