For purposes of this part:

(a) Foreign board of trade. Foreign board of trade means any board of trade, exchange or market located outside the United States, its territories or possessions, whether incorporated or unincorporated.

(b) Foreign board of trade eligible to be registered. A foreign board of trade eligible to be registered means a foreign board of trade that satisfies the requirements for registration specified in § 48.7 and:

(1) Possesses the attributes of an established, organized exchange,

(2) Adheres to appropriate rules prohibiting abusive trading practices,

(3) Enforces appropriate rules to maintain market and financial integrity,

(4) Has been authorized by a regulatory process that examines customer and market protections, and

(5) Is subject to continued oversight by a regulator that has power to intervene in the market and the authority to share information with the Commission.

(c) Direct access. Direct access means an explicit grant of authority by a foreign board of trade to an identified member or other participant located in the United States to enter trades directly into the trade matching system of the foreign board of trade.

(d) Linked contract. Linked contract means a futures, option or swap contract that is made available for trading by direct access by a registered foreign board of trade that settles against any price (including the daily or final settlement price) of one or more contracts listed for trading on a registered entity as defined in section 1a(40) of the Act.

(e) Communications. Communications means any written or electronic documentation or correspondence issued by or on behalf of the Commission, the United States Department of Justice, or the National Futures Association.

(f) Material change. Material change means a material change in the information provided to the Commission in support of an application for registration under this part. Subsequent to registration, material change also includes a material change in the operations of the foreign board of trade or its clearing organization and, without limitation, a change in any of the following: The membership or participant criteria of the foreign board of trade or its clearing organization; the location of the management, personnel or operations of the foreign board of trade or its clearing organization; the structure, nature, or operation of the trading or clearing systems; the regulatory or self-regulatory regime applicable to the foreign board of trade, its clearing organization, or their respective members and other participants; the authorization, licensure, registration or recognition of the foreign board of trade or clearing organization; and the ability of the clearing organization to observe the Recommendations for Central Counterparties.

(g) Clearing organization. Clearing organization means the foreign board of trade, affiliate of the foreign board of trade or any third party clearing house, clearing association, clearing corporation or similar entity, facility or organization that, with respect to any agreement, contract or transaction executed on or through the foreign board of trade, would be:

(1) Defined as a derivatives clearing organization under section 1a(15) of the Act; or

(2) Defined as a central counterparty by the Recommendations for Central Counterparties.

(h) Existing no-action relief. Existing no-action relief means a no-action letter issued by a division of the Commission to the foreign board of trade in which the division informs the foreign board of trade that it will not recommend that the Commission institute enforcement action against the foreign board of trade if the foreign board of trade does not seek designation as either a designated contract market pursuant to section 5 of the Act or a derivatives transaction execution facility pursuant to section 5a of the Act in connection with the granting of direct access.

(i) Swap. Swap means a swap as defined in section 1a(47) of the Act and any Commission regulation further defining the term adopted thereunder.

(j) Recommendations for Central Counterparties. Recommendations for Central Counterparties means:

(1) The current Recommendations for Central Counterparties issued jointly by the Committee on Payment and Settlement Systems and the Technical Committee of the International Organization of Securities Commissions as updated, revised or otherwise amended; or

(2) Successor standards, principles and guidance for central counterparties or financial market infrastructures adopted jointly by the Technical Committee of the International Organization of Securities Commissions and the Committee on Payment and Settlement Systems.

(k) Affiliate. An affiliate of a registered foreign board of trade member or other participant means any person, as that term is defined in section 1a(38) of the Act, that:

(1) Owns 50% or more of the member or other participant;

(2) Is owned 50% or more by the member or other participant; or

(3) Is owned 50% or more by a third person that also owns 50% or more of the member or other participant.

(l) Member or other participant. Member or other participant means a member or other participant of a foreign board of trade that is registered under this part and any affiliate thereof that has been granted direct access by the foreign board of trade.