In a historic first, the US Department of the Treasury’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network recently published orders prohibiting transactions with covered Mexico-based financial institutions. On June 30, 2025, the US...more
On June 25, 2025, the US Department of the Treasury’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) issued three orders (the “Orders”) pursuant to the Fentanyl Sanctions Act and the FEND Off Fentanyl Act, designating three...more
In a historic move that signals a new era in the fight against illicit opioid trafficking and money laundering, the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) has issued its first-ever...more
On June 25, 2025, the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (“FinCEN”) issued three orders designating CIBanco S.A., Intercam Banco S.A., and Vector Casa de Bolsa, S.A. de C.V. (collectively,...more
The U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) took a historic step in combating the fentanyl crisis on June 25, 2025, by exercising, for the first time, the expansive authorities granted...more
On his first day in office, President Donald Trump signed an executive order that initiates the process of designating certain drug cartels as foreign terrorist organizations. The executive order is primarily focused on...more
In the rapidly evolving financial landscape, governments worldwide are intensifying their focus on compliance in Know Your Customer (KYC) and Anti-Money Laundering (AML) efforts for financial institutions. Trade-Based Money...more
The Corporate Transparency Act (CTA) will affect most small, privately held businesses starting January 1, 2024. Does the CTA apply to you? What is the CTA? The CTA, a law enacted by Congress, will require certain business...more
On February 22, the U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) announced sanctions, pursuant to Executive Order 14059, against six Mexican nationals involved in the methamphetamine and fentanyl trade,...more
On February 8, the U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) announced sanctions, pursuant to Executive Order 13581, against an individual based in Honduras and another individual based in Nicaragua...more
Ankura's Nova O sits down with Mark McGrath, Ayana Murphy, and Elif Cinar to discuss the current anti-money laundering (AML) landscape in the latest Q&A with our Ankura experts. Learn more about responding to the increased...more
At the direction of the President, FinCEN is intensifying its regulation of banks and fintechs across the spectrum of the laws that it is charged with enforcing. This past June, the White House published the Memorandum on...more
The Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (“FinCEN”) has continued a spate of regulatory activity related to financial crimes compliance matters in the first year of the Biden Administration, recapped in its recent report...more
On October 8, 2020, Attorney General William Barr announced the release of a Cryptocurrency Enforcement Framework produced by the Department of Justice (DOJ) Cyber-Digital Task Force. The 83-page framework is intended to help...more
In the rainforests of Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua, the fires often start when drug traffickers try to clear large swaths of land. Due to the dry bush and lack of rainfall, the flames often spread out of control, but in...more
A recent audit conducted by the Department of Justice (“DOJ”)’s Office of Inspector General (the “OIG”) revealed that the Drug Enforcement Agency (“DEA”) acted outside the scope of its authority while transacting tens of...more
On 2/6/2020, the U.S. Department of the Treasury issued the 2020 National Strategy for Combating Terrorist and Other Illicit Financing (2020 Strategy). The purpose of the 2020 Strategy is to...more
On August 21, 2019, FinCEN issued an advisory (the “Advisory”) alerting financial institutions to various financial schemes and mechanisms employed by fentanyl and synthetic opioid traffickers to facilitate the illegal...more