Diversity and Inclusion in Regulated Entities
Increasingly, companies are pursuing diversity and inclusion because studies show it leads to better business performance and because it promotes equality of opportunity. We encourage financial services firms and organizations regulated by the SEC to use the Joint Standards for Assessing Diversity Policies and Practices Regulated by the Agencies to develop or strengthen programs for promoting diversity and inclusion in their organizations. The Joint Standards were established by federal financial regulatory agencies through an interagency policy statement, and reflect leading practices for advancing workforce diversity and inclusion and supplier diversity.
Self-Assessments of Diversity Policies and Practices
The Joint Standards envision regulated financial services entities would conduct voluntary self assessments of their diversity policies and practices annually, and provide information pertaining to their self-assessments to the OMWI Director of their primary federal financial regulator. The SEC will invite certain regulated entities to submit self-assessments of their diversity policies and practices (diversity self-assessments) to OMWI biennially.
Diversity self-assessments allow SEC to monitor trends in diversity-related policies and programs. The SEC may publish reports based on information collected from the diversity self-assessments, including leading practices, but only in a form that does not identify a particular regulated entity or disclose confidential business information.
Diversity Assessment Report Webinars
The SEC's Office of Minority and Women Inclusion (OMWI) hosts webinars on self-assessments of diversity policies and practices, as well as related topics.
March 2020 - Overview of the Diversity Assessment Report
May 2022 - Discussion with Chair Gensler about the importance of diversity and inclusion in the financial services industry
OMWI Director Pamela Gibbs discussed the business case for diversity self-assessments. Representatives from two SEC-regulated entities also shared their experiences with the completing and submitting diversity self-assessments.
June 2022 - Overview of the 2022 diversity self-assessment collection process
Fireside chat on DEI practices with the OMWI Director, Pamela Gibbs, and a Chief Diversity Officer from one of our regulated entities,
2024 - Diversity Self-Assessment Tool (DSAT) Lunch-and-Learn
Fireside chat with the OMWI Director, Nathaniel H. Benjamin, and the SEC Investment Management Director, Natasha Vij Greiner, an overview of the Diversity Self-Assessment Tool, and an overview of the 2022 Diversity Assessment Report.
Diversity Assessment Report Results
For information regarding the Diversity Assessment Reports collected in prior years, see below:
Tools
- Instructions for Completing the Diversity Assessment Report for Entities Regulated by the SEC
- Diversity Self-Assessment Tool
- Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) Joint Standards for Assessing Diversity Policies and Practices - Frequently Asked Questions
Last Reviewed or Updated: Aug. 26, 2024