Compliance Tip of the Day: COSO Objective 5 – Monitoring Activities
PODCAST: Williams Mullen's Raising Capital 101: A Securities Podcast - What Laws Affect Securities Offerings?
Payment for Order Flow (PFOF) and Gamification: Your Questions Answered
Summer Enforcement Action Review; Raising Money in a Pandemic - Investment Management Roundtable Discussion
Investment Management and Private Funds Roundtable – June 2020
Videocast: Asset management regulation in 2020 videocast series – FinTech initiatives
Videocast: Asset management regulation in 2020 videocast series – Fiduciary investment advice: The patchwork emerges
Videocast: Asset management regulation in 2020 videocast series – SEC enforcement
Videocast: Asset management regulation in 2020 videocast series – Complying with new SEC rules for broker-dealers
Investment Management Roundtable Discussion – Regulatory and Enforcement Update
Regulation Best Interest Videocast Series: Establishing An Investment Platform Post-Regulation BI
Investment Management Update - Focus on Data Privacy and Cybersecurity
Each month, we publish a roundup of the most important SEC enforcement developments for busy in-house lawyers and compliance professionals. This month, we examine the following matters: • An SEC complaint alleging a Georgia...more
Over the last few years, broker dealers and financial advisors have filed a flurry of legal actions seeking both: (1) to strip the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) of its power to adjudicate customer and...more
On May 14, 2025, Deputy Enforcement Director Antonia Apps told those gathered at an anti‑money laundering conference in Washington, D.C. to expect a more measured approach from SEC Enforcement. That may include, she...more
According to recent reports, two U.S. multinational financial technology companies have integrated Ethereum Name Service (ENS), a decentralized naming system built on the Ethereum blockchain, into their payment platforms....more
...SEC Adopts Amendments to Fund Names Rule - On September 20, 2023, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) adopted amendments to Rule 35d-1 under the Investment Company Act of 1940 (the Fund Names Rule) as well...more
A panel of the D.C. Circuit recently relied on Lucia and Cochran to enjoin a FINRA regulatory enforcement action pending appeal of an Appointments Clause challenge....more
The Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”)’s Regulation Best Interest (“Reg BI”) imposes a heightened best interest standard on broker-dealers when recommending securities transactions or investment strategies. ...more
In June, FINRA reminded broker-dealers of their best execution obligations which are derived from common law agency principles and fiduciary obligations. The best execution obligation is incorporated in applicable MSRB rules...more
“Decentralization” is a concept that has consistently vexed the entire blockchain-enabled ecosystem in the U.S., including its counsel and regulators, wherein a lack of clarity on the exact definition of decentralization has...more
In a recent decision by a FINRA Office of Hearing Officers Panel, FINRA barred a registered individual who failed to produce his personal IRS tax transcripts, which were not in his immediate possession but rather maintained...more
In This Issue. The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) released a new guide to help financial technology companies and others partner with banks; the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) announced that it...more
It was a year filled with tantalizing tidbits and many loose ends. 2019 marked the 10th year since blockchain technology was released into the wild by its still unknown inventor, Satoshi Nakamoto, who mined the first bitcoin...more
The day after Christmas, FINRA issued a press release announcing that five big firms – Citigroup, J.P. Morgan Chase, LPL, Morgan Stanley and Merrill Lynch – had each entered into a settlement, collectively agreeing to pay a...more
Goldman Sachs is reportedly in negotiations with federal prosecutors to resolve claims about its role in the Malaysian 1MDB scandal for upwards of $2 billion. A settlement—which “could include a guilty plea from Goldman’s...more
Smart Contracts Deployed by Icelandic Retailer, Blockchain for Sneakers and DHS - A press release issued this week announced the successful completion of an automated invoice payment using the Ethereum blockchain. ...more
Blockchain Capital Markets Platforms Achieve and File for Regulatory Approvals - The Intercontinental Exchange recently received approval from the New York State Department of Financial Services for its emerging bitcoin...more
U.S. Developments - New York Attorney General Announces Filing in Connection with Tether, Bitfinex Investigation - On April 25, 2019, New York Attorney General Letitia James announced that her office obtained a court...more
REGULATORY UPDATES - Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (“FINRA”) Releases Its 2019 Priorities - On January 22, 2019, FINRA released its Annual Risk Monitoring and Examination Priorities Letter, which highlighted the...more
A former broker at a national brokerage firm was recently sanctioned by FINRA after accepting instructions to transfer assets out of a client account. The problem? The instructions were actually sent by an imposter who had...more
U.S. and International Governments Address Smart Ports, Smart Cities, and Cryptocurrencies - According to reports, in an Oct. 3 meeting, representatives of U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) claimed that the agency is...more
In a flurry of enforcement activity in the digital asset space, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA), a self-regulatory organization for broker-dealers,...more
Stablecoins Launch in US as New Data Cites Drop in ICO Funding - On Monday, Sept. 10, 2018, the New York Department of Financial Services (DFS) announced that it has authorized both Paxos Trust Company LLC and Gemini Trust...more
U.S. Customs Pilots Blockchain for Supply Chain as Private Sector Pilots Continue - On Tuesday, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agency announced that it would begin testing a blockchain solution to verify...more
Capital Markets Firsts for Blockchain Include Bonds, Security Tokens, Exchange Traded Notes - According to an Aug. 10, 2018, press release, the World Bank and an Australian multinational bank are partnering to issue what is...more
• The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) released, on Feb. 21, 2018, updated guidance regarding public company cybersecurity disclosures. The guidance updates the Commission's 2011 non-binding guidance and...more