2021 continued the trend of increased regulatory focus on privacy and cybersecurity for private investment funds in the U.S. and abroad. There are no signs of the trend leveling off any time soon. One of the topics that...more
A threshold question in many cryptocurrency inquiries is whether the digital assets qualify as securities under the federal securities laws. If so, then they are subject to a full suite of federal securities regulations....more
3/1/2022
/ Anti-Money Laundering ,
BSA/AML ,
CFTC ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Digital Assets ,
Financial Services Industry ,
Financial Transactions ,
Howey ,
Investment Contract ,
Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) ,
Regulatory Oversight ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Unregistered Securities
The SEC’s push to regulate the next generation of blockchain-based applications will likely give rise to disputes and enforcement actions, particularly in the developing decentralized finance (DeFi) space....more
Privacy and cybersecurity issues continue to garner significant attention in the U.S. and abroad. Private investment funds registered with the SEC and their portfolio companies will likely see increased regulatory scrutiny...more
8/30/2021
/ Cybersecurity ,
International Data Transfers ,
Popular ,
Portfolio Companies ,
Privacy Concerns ,
Private Investment Funds ,
Ransomware ,
Regulatory Oversight ,
Regulatory Standards ,
SEC Examination Priorities ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)
Ransomware is a Serious and Growing Problem -
In recent years, Ransomware has evolved from merely encrypting files/disabling networks in solicitation of ransom, to sophisticated attacks that often involve actual data...more
12/15/2020
/ Cyber Attacks ,
Cyber Crimes ,
Cybersecurity ,
Data Breach ,
Data Protection ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Hackers ,
Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) ,
Popular ,
Ransomware ,
Securities Act of 1933 ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Securities Exchange Act ,
Strict Liability
The SEC has been active in the private equity space recently after being relatively quiet for some time. A recent enforcement action serves as a reminder for fund sponsors that regulators are continuing to look at fund...more
The private fund industry is more in the public eye than ever before. Private capital and private markets have experienced massive growth over the last two decades, substantially outpacing the growth of public equity. We have...more
2/19/2020
/ Anti-Money Laundering ,
Capital Markets ,
CFTC ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Global Economy ,
Initial Public Offering (IPO) ,
Investment Banks ,
OCIE ,
Private Equity ,
Private Funds ,
SEC Examination Priorities ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Venture Capital
Under rule 206(4)-2 of the Advisers Act, otherwise known as the Custody Rule, it is a fraudulent practice for a registered investment adviser to have custody of client funds or securities, unless the adviser takes certain...more
12/12/2019
/ Auditor Independence ,
Compliance ,
Custody Rule ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Financial Statements ,
Form ADV ,
GAAP ,
Investment Adviser ,
Investment Advisers Act of 1940 ,
PCAOB ,
Regulation S-X ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Willful Violations
As a further indication of the SEC’s focus on the asset management industry, on November 1, 2019 the Commission formally established an Asset Management Advisory Committee. This follows the SEC’s recent announcement of its...more
The SEC, in conjunction with the Colorado Bar Association and Colorado Society of Certified Public Accountants, recently sponsored the 51st Annual Rocky Mountain Securities Conference featuring SEC officials and corporate...more
6/11/2019
/ Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) ,
Administrative Proceedings ,
Advisors Act ,
Appointments Clause ,
Corporate Fines ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Internal Investigations ,
Kokesh v SEC ,
Lucia v SEC ,
Professional Conferences ,
Restitution ,
SCOTUS ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Share Classes ,
Statute of Limitations
An increasingly sophisticated and active OCIE division, innovative market disruptors, a maturing credit cycle, and a philosophical change in how the private fund industry views and utilizes litigation are likely to lead to...more
2/21/2019
/ Cryptocurrency ,
Cybersecurity ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Fund Managers ,
Initial Coin Offering (ICOs) ,
Investment Adviser ,
Litigation Funding ,
OCIE ,
Regulatory Oversight ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Securities Exchange Act ,
Token Sales