On July 31, 2025, SEC Chairman Paul Atkins delivered a major policy address at the America First Policy Institute in Washington, D.C., unveiling “Project Crypto”—a Commission-wide initiative to modernize securities regulation...more
The US House of Representatives has passed stablecoin legislation as part of “Crypto Week” on Capitol Hill. S. 1582, the Guiding and Establishing National Innovation for U.S. Stablecoins Act (GENIUS or the Act), passed the US...more
This week’s consideration of H.R. 3633, the Digital Asset Market Clarity Act of 2025 (CLARITY or the Act) in the U.S. House of Representatives is a pivotal moment for the development of US digital asset regulation. ...more
Following the fall of Syria’s Assad regime, the United States and key allies have recently announced sanctions relief with the stated goal of stabilizing Syria under its newly installed leaders. ...more
Over the first 100 days and beyond, the Trump Administration has deployed national security authorities in novel ways. Perhaps most notably, President Trump has asserted authority under the International Emergency Economic...more
5/14/2025
/ Administrative Procedure Act ,
Arbitrary and Capricious ,
Constitutional Challenges ,
Economic Sanctions ,
Executive Orders ,
Government Agencies ,
International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) ,
National Security ,
Nonprofits ,
Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) ,
Tariffs ,
Trump Administration ,
US Trade Policies
On January 20, 2025, President Donald J. Trump signed Executive Order 14157, “Designating Cartels and Other Organizations as Foreign Terrorist Organizations and Specially Designated Global Terrorists” (EO 14157)....more
4/23/2025
/ Anti-Money Laundering ,
Cartels ,
Civil Liability ,
Corporate Liability ,
Criminal Investigations ,
Criminal Prosecution ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Economic Sanctions ,
Executive Orders ,
International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) ,
Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) ,
Sanctions ,
SDN List ,
Significant Transnational Criminal Organization ,
Terrorist Organizations
On January 23, 2025, President Donald Trump signed an executive order laying out his new administration’s vision on digital assets (the Order). The Order reflects Trump’s oft-repeated commitment to make the United States the...more
On January 10, 2025, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB or Bureau) issued a proposed interpretive rule that would expand the Bureau’s consumer protection authority under the Electronic Fund Transfer Act (EFTA) and...more
1/30/2025
/ Comment Period ,
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Digital Assets ,
Digital Currency ,
Electronic Fund Transfer Act ,
Financial Institutions ,
FinTech ,
Interpretive Rule ,
Proposed Rules ,
Regulation E ,
Stablecoins
After a relatively quiet period, UK sanctions updates have picked up pace in recent weeks. We have seen the announcement of an enhanced partnership between US and UK sanctions agencies, updates to reporting requirements, the...more
12/3/2024
/ Asset Freeze ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Economic Sanctions ,
Memorandum of Understanding ,
Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation (OFSI) ,
Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) ,
Oil & Gas ,
Reporting Requirements ,
Russia ,
UK ,
Ukraine
The recent bank regulatory Joint Statement and request for information (RFI) on third-party deposit relationships and bank-fintech partnerships emphasize afresh regulators’ long-standing concern with financial institutions’...more
8/6/2024
/ Banking Regulators ,
Banking Sector ,
Depository Institutions ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Financial Institutions ,
FinTech ,
Joint Policy Statements ,
Request For Information ,
Risk Management ,
Supervision ,
Third-Party Relationships
On June 28, 2024, the US Department of the Treasury’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network announced long-anticipated proposed rules on anti-money laundering and countering the financing of terrorism program effectiveness;...more
7/25/2024
/ AML/CFT ,
Anti-Money Laundering ,
Anti-Terrorism Financing ,
Compliance ,
FDIC ,
Federal Reserve ,
Financial Institutions ,
Financial Regulatory Agencies ,
FinCEN ,
NCUA ,
NPRM ,
OCC ,
Proposed Rules ,
Suspicious Activity Reports (SARs)
In conjunction with the Group of Seven (G7) leaders meeting in Italy earlier this month, key jurisdictions issued the latest in a series of coordinated economic restrictions on Russia in light of its invasion of Ukraine in...more
7/1/2024
/ Belarus Sanctions ,
Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) ,
Economic Sanctions ,
EU ,
Export Controls ,
Financial Transactions ,
Foreign Financial Institutions (FFI) ,
Foreign Trade Regulations ,
G7 ,
General Licenses ,
Military Conflict ,
Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) ,
Russia ,
SDN List ,
Technology ,
UK ,
Ukraine
On May 28, 2024, the US Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) announced amendments to 31 C.F.R. Part 515, the Cuban Assets Control Regulations (CACR), expanding access to certain financial and...more
On June 6, 2024, the US Department of the Treasury (Treasury) issued a request for information (RFI) on the “uses, opportunities and risks of artificial intelligence (AI) in the financial services sector.” The RFI seeks...more
On April 24, 2024, President Biden signed into law H.R. 815, an emergency appropriations package billed as authorizing $95 billion in foreign aid to Ukraine and Israel (the Act). While the Ukraine and Israel aid provisions...more
4/30/2024
/ Appropriations Bill ,
Biden Administration ,
China ,
Economic Sanctions ,
EU ,
Export Controls ,
Exports ,
Federal Budget ,
FinCEN ,
Foreign Financial Institutions (FFI) ,
Israel ,
Russia ,
TikTok ,
UK ,
Ukraine
On February 15, 2024, the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s (Treasury) Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) issued a long-anticipated Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) to impose comprehensive anti-money laundering...more
3/22/2024
/ AML/CFT ,
Anti-Money Laundering ,
Bank Secrecy Act ,
BSA/AML ,
Financial Institutions ,
FinCEN ,
Investment Adviser ,
Popular ,
Proposed Regulation ,
Reporting Requirements ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)
On March 6, 2024, the U.S. Departments of the Treasury, Commerce, and Justice jointly issued a Tri-Seal Compliance Note titled “Obligations of Foreign-Based Persons to Comply with U.S. Sanctions and Export Control Laws”...more
On January 8, 2024, the Digital Assets and Blockchain Technology Subcommittee (the Subcommittee) of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission’s (CFTC or the Commission) Technology Advisory Committee (TAC) presented a 79-page...more
On October 13, Governor Gavin Newsom signed into law a comprehensive licensing regime for digital asset companies operating in California. Until this point, California had refrained from taking a definitive position on...more
11/13/2023
/ Best Execution ,
Capital Requirements ,
Department of Financial Protection and Innovation (DFPI) ,
Digital Assets ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Exemptions ,
Financial Services Industry ,
Governor Newsom ,
Licensing Rules ,
Money Transmission Act ,
New Legislation ,
Stablecoins ,
Surety Bonds
On Sept. 18, the New York State Department of Financial Services issued proposed guidance for companies holding virtual currency business licenses and limited-purpose trust companies — collectively referred to as virtual...more
Although the Corporate Transparency Act’s (“CTA”) new beneficial ownership rule goes into effect on January 1, 2024, recent polling suggests that many businesses remain either unaware of these upcoming reporting obligations...more
Companies faced with the decision of whether to voluntarily self-report sanctions breaches to law enforcement or sanctions enforcement agencies in the UK and the US can take some measure of comfort from recent comments made...more
10/16/2023
/ Compliance ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Economic Sanctions ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Export Controls ,
Good Faith ,
Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation (OFSI) ,
Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) ,
Sanction Violations ,
Self-Reporting ,
Serious Fraud Office (SFO) ,
U.S. Commerce Department ,
U.S. Treasury ,
UK ,
Voluntary Disclosure
On September 18, the New York State Department of Financial Services (the DFS or the “Department”) issued proposed guidance for BitLicensees and limited-purpose trust companies (collectively, VCEs) seeking to list virtual...more
On May 5, New York Attorney General Letitia James announced a landmark legislative proposal—titled the Crypto Regulation, Protection, Transparency and Oversight (CRPTO) Act (hereinafter, the Proposal)—to tighten regulations...more
On May 19, in response to Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine, the United States, in coordination with allies and partners, announced new sanctions restrictions and export controls targeting Russia’s evasion networks,...more
6/5/2023
/ Asset Freeze ,
Avoidance ,
Banking Sector ,
Biden Administration ,
Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) ,
Economic Sanctions ,
Energy Sector ,
EU ,
Executive Orders ,
Export Controls ,
General Licenses ,
Military Conflict ,
Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) ,
Russia ,
SDN List ,
UK ,
Ukraine