According to a recent press release, the issuer of the USDC stablecoin has submitted an application to the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) to establish a national trust bank, First National Digital Currency...more
The evolving anti-money laundering (AML)/countering the financing of terrorism (CFT) environment in Mexico is being reshaped by a confluence of regulatory, geopolitical, and enforcement developments. On 14 May 2015, K2...more
Against the backdrop of reinforced European and international anti-money-laundering and countering the financing of terrorism (AML/CFT) requirements, the Administration de l’enregistrement, des domaines et de la TVA (AED) has...more
The Financial Action Task Force (FATF) has published a second consultation on payment transparency, and in particular proposed revisions to recommendation 16 (R.16). The revisions adapt the FATF Standards to the changes in...more
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
2024 was once again an active year for the Cayman Islands regulatory industry. In this edition of our Regulatory & Risk Advisory Outlook, our team has summarised the key changes and news during 2024 and taken a look at the...more
The UAE announced a new ‘National Strategy for Anti-Money Laundering, Countering the Financing of Terrorism and Proliferation Financing for 2024 – 2027’ (the National Strategy) in September 2024. This will affect not only UAE...more
FATF’s latest Targeted Update Report on Implementation of the FATF Standards on VAs and VASPs stresses that many jurisdictions continue to struggle with the fundamentals of virtual asset regulation, including undertaking risk...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
Welcome to the first instalment of 2024 of our Cayman Islands Regulatory & Risk Advisory Review. As we cover in this issue, there have been a number of updates in the first quarter of the year. Perhaps most notably is the...more
Crypto Product News: BTC/ETH ETNs, Custody, Insurance, Tokenized Treasuries - The London Stock Exchange (LSE) recently published a market notice addressing applications for Bitcoin and Ether exchange traded notes (ETNs),...more
Today we are very pleased to welcome, once again, guest blogger Dr. Kateryna Boguslavska of the Basel Institute on Governance (“Basel Institute”), who will discuss the Basel Institute’s release of the 12th annual Public...more
After sanctions and anti-money laundering regulations have rapidly and significantly expanded in the wake of Russia’s war against Ukraine, Germany is further racking up its efforts in fighting financial crime more...more
The Financial Action Task Force ("FATF") is the global standard-setter on anti-money laundering ("AML"), countering terrorist financing ("CFT") and counter proliferation financing. FATF's standards, also referred to as...more
SWIFT Publishes Blockchain Pilot Findings; Firms Announce USDC Integrations - According to a recent press release, the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication (Swift) recently published a report with...more
U.S. hedge funds, private equity funds, and venture capital funds (collectively, the Private Funds)2 and their U.S. general partners, sponsors, and managers (Advisers) are not directly subject to the Bank Secrecy Act of 1970...more
Crypto Firms Expand Offerings in Stablecoins, Private Key Management - The issuer of the Pax Dollar (USDP) stablecoin recently announced that USDP is now available to all Mexican customers of a major Latin American online...more
Product Integrations and Data Indicate Increased Interest in DeFi - MetaMask, a web3 Ethereum Network cryptocurrency wallet, recently announced a new integration with a major U.S. payments and fintech firm....more
On 24 February 2023, the FATF will announce its decision regarding the likely grey listing of South Africa – if this transpires, the consequences for the already embattled South African economy could be severe. South...more
On March 9, 2022, President Joseph Biden issued Executive Order 14067, which charged the Department of Justice (in consultation with the Departments of State, Treasury, and Homeland Security) to submit a report on how to...more
Traditional Financial Firms Expand Reach into Cryptocurrency Sphere - Early this week, a major investment bank announced that it plans to launch a digital asset custody platform later this year. This announcement follows...more
As cryptocurrency, decentralized finance (DeFi), and other uses of blockchain technology continue to proliferate, global regulators are grappling with how best to regulate their use. We have previously written about the...more
Regulatory Guidance Aims to Apply Banking Regulations to Stablecoin Issuers - On November 1, 2021, an interagency group consisting of the President’s Working Group on Financial Markets (PWG), the FDIC, and the Office of the...more
Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) released detailed sanctions compliance guidance for the virtual currency industry (the Guidance). The Guidance provides an overview of OFAC sanctions requirements and lists several best...more
The European Commission, on July 20, 2021, unveiled a landmark legislative proposal that would overhaul the European Union’s approach to anti-money laundering and combatting the financing of terrorism (“AML/CFT”), creating a...more