The VASP Act defines “Virtual Assets” as digital representations of value that can be digitally traded or transferred and can be used for payment or investment purposes. Digital representations of fiat currencies (which is...more
The UAE has continued to implement significant legislative and structural reforms during 2024 in areas including financial crime compliance, whistleblowing, and virtual assets regulation. These improvements demonstrate the...more
What is the Travel Rule? The virtual asset “Travel Rule”, formally known as the “Financial Action Task Force (FATF) Recommendation 16”, requires Virtual Asset Service Providers (VASPs) to share and hold specific customer...more
Carey Olsen has contributed to The Legal 500 Country Comparative Guide 2024 for Blockchain. The aim of this guide is to provide its readers with a pragmatic overview of the law and practice of blockchain law across a variety...more
In recent years, the global economy has witnessed the popularity and adoption of cryptocurrencies, with Dubai emerging as a notable player in this digital financial landscape. As the market for virtual assets continues to...more
Welcome to the second instalment of 2024 of the Regulatory & Risk Advisory Review. In this edition we cover several Cayman Islands regulatory updates including updates to the Beneficial Ownership Transparency Act, the...more
On 07 June 2023, K2 Integrity hosted a webinar on the state of cryptocurrency and digital assets in a rapidly evolving regulatory landscape. A discussion was held with Bryan Stirewalt, senior managing director at K2...more
As part of a coordinated effort with the U.S. Secretary of State, Attorney General, Secretary of Commerce, Secretary of Homeland Security, Director of the Office of Management and Budget, Director of National Intelligence,...more
The Financial Action Task Force (“FATF”) recently issued an updated review of the implementation of its anti-money laundering (“AML”) and counter-terrorist financing (“CFT”) standards to financial activities involving Virtual...more
The States of Guernsey has approved the Lending, Credit and Finance (Bailiwick of Guernsey) Law, 2022 (the “LCFL”) which will regulate various virtual asset service providers (“VASPs”) and financial services businesses...more
The extension of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) ‘Travel Rule’ to ‘Virtual Asset Service Providers’ (VAPSs) is emblematic of the continued and growing push to bring crypto businesses into the mainstream of financial...more
Fourth and Final Post in a Series on the FATF Plenary Outcomes - As we have previously blogged, the Financial Action Task Force (“FATF”) held its fourth Plenary on June 21-25, inviting delegates from around the world to...more
On March 19, 2021, the Financial Action Task Force (“FATF”), an intergovernmental body tasked with setting international standards aimed at preventing money laundering and terrorist financing (“FATF Standards”), released its...more
The Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing (Amendment) (EU Exit) Regulations 2020 - The Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing (Amendment) (EU Exit) Regulations 2020 (SI 2020/991) have been published, together with an...more
The U.S. Department of the Treasury 2020 Strategy (National Strategy for Combating Terrorist and Other Illicit Financing released on February 6, 2020) describes ongoing significant AML/CFT threats. ...more
A Director of Enforcement at the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has set out some of the key challenges the regulator expects in its new role as AML/CTF (anti-money laundering/counter terrorist financing) supervisor for...more
Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin remarked before a hearing of the Senate Finance Committee three weeks ago that “significant new requirements at FinCEN” for cryptocurrencies would be introduced quickly, in response to...more
First in a Two-Post Series - The U.S. Department of Treasury (“Treasury”) has issued its 2020 National Strategy for Combating Terrorist and Other Illicit Financing (“2020 Strategy”)....more
The Abu Dhabi Global Market’s Guidance clarifies and expands FSRA expectations for OCAB Framework license holders. In June 2018, the Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM) Financial Services Regulatory Authority (FSRA) unveiled a...more
The Financial Action Task Force has published the outcomes of its third and last Plenary meeting under the U.S. Presidency in Orlando on June 19-21, 2019. The FATF considered key issues such as strategic initiatives, mutual...more
U.S. Developments - Regulatory Developments - SEC Chair’s Recent Comments on Digital Assets - Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) Chairman Jay Clayton touched on digital asset issues during two recent...more
The Financial Action Task Force has published the outcomes from its Plenary meeting that took place in Paris on February 20-22, 2019. The FATF considered key issues such as the operations and streamlining of the FATF, major...more
This is the second edition of The Distributed Ledger, a periodic publication covering the latest trends and developments in blockchain technology, digital assets and smart contracts. In this issue, we examine the SEC’s new...more