WisdomTree, Inc. 10-Q

ITEM 1A. RISK FACTORS In addition to the updated risk factor and other information set forth below and elsewhere in this Report, you should carefully consider the information set forth in Part 1, Item 1A. “Risk Factors” in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2023 and in subsequent reports filed with or furnished to the SEC. Legal and Regulatory Risks Compliance with extensive, complex and changing regulation imposes significant financial and strategic costs on our business, and non-compliance could result in fines and penalties. We are subject to extensive regulation of our business and operations. One of our U.S. subsidiaries, WTAM, is a registered investment adviser and is subject to oversight by the SEC pursuant to its regulatory authority under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, as amended. We also must comply with certain requirements under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, with respect to the WisdomTree U.S. listed ETFs for which WTAM acts as investment adviser. WTAM is also a member of the NFA and registered as a commodity pool operator for certain of our ETFs. As a commodity pool operator, we are subject to oversight by the NFA and the CFTC pursuant to regulatory authority under the Commodity Exchange Act. In addition, the content and use of our marketing and sales materials and the conduct of our sales force in the U.S. regarding our U.S. listed ETFs are subject to the regulatory authority of FINRA. The SEC also has recently adopted rule amendments that are designed to modernize sales and marketing materials and, as a result, could impact our marketing materials. We are also subject to foreign laws and regulatory authorities with respect to operational aspects of our products that invest in securities of issuers in foreign countries, in the marketing, offer and/or sales of our products in foreign jurisdictions and in our offering of investment products domiciled outside of the U.S., such as our ETPs issued by the ManJer Issuers, UCITS ETFs and ETPs issued by WMAI. Each of the regulatory bodies with jurisdiction over us has regulatory powers dealing with many aspects of our business, including the authority to grant, and, in specific circumstances to cancel, permissions to carry on particular businesses. Our ETPs’ failure to comply with applicable laws or regulations has in the past, and could in the future, result in fines, censure, suspensions of personnel or other sanctions, including revocation of our registration as an investment adviser. For example, on August 5, 2024, WTAM received a Wells Notice from the staff (the “Staff”) of the SEC advising WTAM that the Staff had made a preliminary determination to recommend that the SEC file an enforcement action against WTAM alleging violations of certain provisions of the U.S. federal securities laws relating to three exchange-traded series of WisdomTree Trust managed by WTAM that pursued ESG-focused strategies (collectively, the “Funds”). Without admitting or denying the SEC’s allegations, WTAM agreed to resolve the matter by consenting to the entry of an Order by the SEC, which was announced publicly on October 21, 2024, in which WTAM agreed to cease and desist from committing or causing any violations and any future violations of Sections 206(2) and 206(4) of the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, as amended, Rules 206(4)-7 and 206(4)-8 thereunder, and Section 34(b) of the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, and to pay a civil money penalty of $4.0 million. Even if a sanction imposed against us, our personnel or our ETPs is small in monetary amount, the adverse publicity arising from the imposition of sanctions against us, our personnel or our ETPs by regulators could harm our reputation and thus result in redemptions from our products and impede our ability to retain and attract investors in WisdomTree ETPs, all of which may reduce our revenues. We face the risk of significant intervention by regulatory authorities, including extended investigation activity, adoption of costly or restrictive new regulations and judicial or administrative proceedings that may result in substantial penalties. Among other things, we have been and could be fined or be prohibited from engaging in some of our business activities. The requirements imposed by our regulators are designed to ensure the integrity of the financial markets and to protect investors in WisdomTree ETPs and our advisory clients and are not designed to protect our stockholders. Consequently, these regulations often serve to limit our activities, including through WisdomTree ETP investor protection and market conduct requirements. The regulatory environment in which we operate also is subject to modifications and further regulation. Concerns have been raised at various times about ETFs’ possible contribution to market volatility as well as the disclosure requirements applicable to certain types of more complex ETFs. In addition, the SEC recently approved a broad set of rules regarding data reporting and fund liquidity, fund valuation and funds’ use of derivatives, which are imposing additional expense and require additional administrative services and requirements, among other matters, in seeking to comply with these rules. New laws or regulations, or changes in the enforcement of existing laws or regulations, applicable to us or investors in our products also may adversely affect our business, and our ability to function in this environment will depend on our ability to constantly monitor and react to these changes. Compliance with new laws and regulations may result in increased compliance costs and expenses. 56 Table of Contents Specific regulatory changes also may have a direct impact on our revenues. In addition to regulatory scrutiny and potential fines and sanctions, regulators continue to examine different aspects of the asset management industry. New regulations, revised regulatory or judicial interpretations, revised viewpoints, outcomes of lawsuits against other fund complexes or growth in our ETP assets and/or profitability related to the annual approval process for investment advisory agreements may result in the reduction of fees under these agreements, which would mean a reduction in our revenues or otherwise may lead to an increase in costs or expenses. Our operations outside the U.S. are subject to the laws and regulations of various non-U.S. jurisdictions and non-U.S. regulatory agencies and bodies. As we have expanded our international presence, a number of our subsidiaries and international operations have become subject to regulatory systems in various jurisdictions, comparable to those covering our operations in the U.S. Regulators in these non-U.S. jurisdictions may have broad authority with respect to the regulation of financial services including, among other things, the authority to grant or cancel required licenses or registrations.