The Securities and Exchange Commission’s (“SEC”) Office of the Advocate for Small Business Capital Formation, in conjunction with the Division of Corporation Finance, will host an event titled “Rethinking the Rulebook: Modernizing the IPO Process & Access to Public Capital” on July 13, 2026, at 2:00 p.m. Eastern Time.
The discussion will focus on ways to support public companies in raising capital and maintaining their public status, modernizing the initial public offering (“IPO”) process, and improving access to the public markets. The event comes amid a broader SEC push to revitalize the U.S. IPO market. We previously detailed in our May 19, 2026 and May 26, 2026 posts the SEC’s recent proposed rulemakings that, if adopted, would represent the most significant modernization of the registered offering and public company reporting frameworks in more than 20 years. Chair Paul Atkins has made reinvigorating IPOs one of his highest priorities. This event reflects the continued emphasis on increasing small-company access to the public markets.
The New York Times DealBook on June 30 reports that approximately $169 billion of IPOs have been completed globally to date, which is up 246% year-on-year, and notes it is the second-best first-half performance since 2021. However, DealBook also points out that the actual number of IPOs fell year-on-year to 514 offerings, down for a fourth year in a row.
Registration for the event is not required. The event announcement is linked here.