Nominee account

A nominee account is held in one person's name for another's benefit. Nominee structures are ordinary in custody arrangements and become a problem when used to conceal control or coordinate trading.

manipulation techniques · updated 2026-10-16

Where does nominee account come up?

This term is used in the following manipulation techniques, each explained in full on its own page.

• Free riding and parking — Free riding and parking covers placing securities in a nominee's name while keeping the real economic interest, in order to disguise ownership, evade position limits or defeat resale restrictions.
• Wash trading — Wash trading is buying and selling the same asset with no change in beneficial ownership and no market risk, so that a trade prints publicly and creates a false impression of activity or price.

Enforcement actions involving these techniques

See also

• Parking — Parking is placing securities in a nominee's name while retaining the real economic interest, in order to disguise ownership, evad…
• Beneficial ownership — Beneficial ownership is the real economic interest in a security, regardless of whose name it is held in. It determines disclosure…

Terms that refer here

Beneficial ownership · Parking · Position limit

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