What is the purpose of firewalls in securities firms?

• A. To separate clients from personal information
• B. To ensure financial transactions are completely transparent
• C. To isolate decision-makers from material insider information
• D. To prevent outside interference in trading operations

Answer: (C)

The purpose of firewalls in securities firms primarily focuses on establishing a separation between different areas of the firm, particularly isolating decision-makers from access to material insider information. This segregation helps to maintain the integrity of the markets and ensure that all investors have equal access to information. By keeping decision-makers separate from sensitive information that could affect trading, firewalls reduce the risk of insider trading and the misuse of privileged information.

This mechanism is critical in the financial industry, where the potential for conflicts of interest is high. By ensuring that certain groups within the firm, such as research analysts or corporate insiders, do not have direct access to material non-public information before it is released to the market, firewalls help uphold ethical standards and regulatory compliance.

Other options, while they may touch on related security measures within a firm, do not capture the essence of what firewalls specifically address.