Guidelines for Webinars Presented on IBKR’s Platform

Webinars published by Interactive Brokers LLC (“IBKR”) are subject to the regulations of the SEC, FINRA, NFA and other regulatory bodies. As such, please keep the following in mind:

1. The use of promissory, exaggerated, or actionable language is generally prohibited. Typically, this can be references to profits, making money, as well as instances where the viewer is told they should take a certain action (e.g., “buy this stock today, while you still can”).
2. The presentation cannot provide any recommendations or advice.
   • Do not “plug” any product or service, or otherwise push or solicit listeners to view or purchase any investment product or service.
3. Information that is fact based requires sources.
   • Use of a specific number or precise metric should be supported with a footnote or citation as to the source of the information.
   • Statements, graphs and/or images/calculations etc. should be source supported/identified.
4. Information that is opinion based needs to be clear to the viewer that it is the presenter’s opinion and not fact based.
5. Statements should be easy to read and understand.
6. When discussing a particular type of investment or service, discuss the risks as well as the benefits.
7. Margin related material requires the disclosure on the same page (not at the beginning/end).
   • Trading on margin is only for experienced investors with high risk tolerance. You may lose more than your initial investment.
8. Any holdings of products/investments held by the presenter or entity need to be disclosed.
9. Any specific graph or image that identifies a particular security or investment must include the disclosure:
   • Any trading symbols, entities or investment products displayed are for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to portray recommendations. Past performance is not necessarily indicative of future results.
10. Avoid including performance data on ETFs and Mutual Funds. In general, communications with the public related to mutual funds and ETFs that are presented on a webinar or other public forum may be subject to FINRA’s Rule 2210 and may require submission to FINRA for review and approval. If the webinar contains performance data related to mutual funds or ETFs, then the communication should also comply with SEC rules regarding the presentation of performance data.
11. The topics or items discussed in the webinar need to be related to pre-approved outlines/decks.
12. All materials are subject to review and editing by IBKR Compliance. Interactive Brokers reserves the right to amend the presentation you provide. All presentations must be expressly approved by a senior IBKR compliance staff member in order to be presented.
13. Presentations are capped at 30 content slides (not including intro/outro slides).

Participants who have requested to host webinars must adhere to the guidelines below:

1. The presentation can contain objective analysis, but nothing that can be construed as a recommendation or advice.
2. Any conclusions drawn from recent market events, or past trends about the market overall, cannot provide actionable information concerning any specific investment (company/product). However, use of the information to make a conclusion about general indicators (e.g., the economy, interest rates, demand etc.) is permitted.
3. The presentation can provide an analysis of the trading occurring in the market but cannot endorse a strategy or make a recommendation (i.e., it’s OK to say that an Index option volatility is low, but NOT OK to say that we expect volatility will be low so that customers should engage in premium selling).
4. Internal calculations/analyses are fine if the source(s) for those calculations are readily available to the public. If these are internal numbers and are not generally available, or the calculation is proprietary in nature, the presentation may be considered promotional.
5. Hypothetical examples may be used to explain/display math principles/other analyses. However, these examples cannot predict performance of an investment or a strategy. If the analysis is hypothetical, use of predictive images/graphs is permitted, however, you may not use predictive content for real situations that are actionable.
   • It is ok to discuss general economic or market trends. Hypothetical references to illustrate a method or concept are also permitted.
6. Comparisons are allowed but must be reasonably fair. That is, the benefits must be accompanied by warnings or the potential for downside risks. In other words, you cannot tout the benefits without also stating the risks.
7. The inclusion and presentation of specific cryptocurrencies offered by Interactive Brokers (IBKR) is permitted; however, no projections or forecasting of their performance is allowed. While discussing cryptocurrencies, it is important to present a balanced view that includes both the potential benefits and the inherent risks, along with a clear understanding of the role of IBKR in facilitating access to these digital assets. Furthermore, any information pertaining to IBKR and digital assets must clearly state that IBKR provides access to these assets exclusively through Paxos Trust Company and Zero Hash LLC. It is crucial to ensure that the audience understands that investing in cryptocurrencies carries significant risks and is suitable only for individuals with a high-risk tolerance and the financial capacity to absorb potential losses. 

1. The presentation cannot contain a “call to action” regarding investing in any investment product or any suggestion that a product, strategy, or entity has been recommended or endorsed by Interactive Brokers.
2. The presentation cannot promise or guarantee trading success or even suggest a strategy might be successful. You must generally avoid superlatives (adjectives) or statements that go beyond a simple factual description. Do not use words or phrases such as “cutting-edge,” “high-performance”, “amazing,” “unique,” etc.
3. The presentation should not contain any statements projecting returns or profits including:
   • Performance numbers/rate of return
   • Whether a particular investment or trading strategy has been successful or not
   • Any representations or warranties concerning the past or future performance of a financial instrument or trading strategy or the market as a whole
4. No comparisons between performance of specific products or strategies are allowed. Unless the information being provided is in the aggregate (sectors/industries etc.).
5. The presentation cannot state what the participant believes they do better than competitors.
6. The presentation cannot endorse or recommend an advisor or hedge fund or suggest one advisor or hedge fund is good or better than others.
7. “Cherry picking,” which is the use of limited time scales or overly simplified descriptions, is not allowed. This includes time frames of investments (if something has been in existence for 20yrs, showing the last 12mo is a bit misleading… in this case, show the last 10 yrs. If the investment/product has only been around 33mo…. then show all 33mo etc.).
8. The inclusion of specific ETFs or fund families is not permitted, except in some cases when being used to show benchmark performance. 
9. The presentation must avoid references to day trading, as IBKR does not promote day trading.

Interactive Brokers reserves the right to amend the presentation you provide or remove it from the firm‘s website.

Please note:
Presentations and any accompanying materials are required for review at least 5-business days in advance of a scheduled webinar. Updated charts may be sent one day prior by 12:00pm ET. 

The cut-off date for submitting titles and descriptions and scheduling a webinar for the following month is the 15^th of every month.

Please schedule and submit all webinars on Calendly: Submit Webinar Here

*Failure to adhere to these guidelines may result in edits to the webinar, delays in publishing due to additional compliance reviews, or a decision not to run the webinar.