SEC approves FINRA plan scrapping $25K day-trader minimum.

The SEC has approved FINRA’s proposal to eliminate the $25,000 pattern day trader minimum, replacing it with risk-based intraday margin rules at brokerages.
Deep dive
On April14, the SEC signed off on a FINRA rule change that removes the long-standing $25,000 equity requirement tied to the “pattern day trader” designation, in place since2001. As reported by Yahoo Finance, CoinMarketCap Community, and AMBCrypto, traders at FINRA-member brokerages will instead have to maintain equity proportional to their real-time market exposure under updated Rule4210. The framework also explicitly covers zero-days-to-expiration (0DTE) options and allows firms to use either real-time monitoring or end-of-day exposure checks. Accounts that fail to cure margin deficits within five business days can face a90-day restriction on expanding short positions or debit balances. The changes become effective45 days after FINRA issues a Regulatory Notice, with an18‑month transition period.
Conclusion.
Watch for FINRA’s upcoming Regulatory Notice, how major retail brokerages implement real-time margin controls, and whether lower capital barriers meaningfully increase active day trading by smaller retail accounts.

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