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
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
KEY TAKEAWAYS - The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has approved the first spot Bitcoin ETFs, also known as an exchange-traded product (ETP.) With the SEC now permitting spot Bitcoin ETFs, brokers must become...more
As might be expected, FINRA appears to be aligning itself with the SEC in its assertion of jurisdiction over investments that may not, at the end of the day, be deemed securities. ...more
Regulatory Developments - Agencies Issue Joint Proposal to Strengthen and Modernize CRA Regs - On May 5, the FDIC, the FRB and the OCC issued a joint Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPR) to “strengthen and modernize” the...more
Even those who are most suspicious of the rise of cryptocurrency will likely admit that the underlying blockchain technology and its potential uses are exciting. One use of this technology, decentralized finance, or DeFi, is...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
The Situation: On January 4, 2021, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency ("OCC") issued an Interpretive Letter permitting national banks and federal savings associations ("Banks") to participate in independent node...more
U.S. Developments - Legislation - Congress Members Introduce Stablecoin Legislation - On December 2, 2020, Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib (MI-13), Congressmen Jesús “Chuy” García (IL-04) and Chairman of Task Force on...more
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) Division of Trading and Markets recently issued a no action letter to FINRA that may help to streamline the settlement of digital asset securities transactions by...more
U.S. Crypto Trading Firms Make Acquisitions Targeted at “Prime Brokerage” Services - This week major U.S. cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase announced plans to acquire Tagomi, a U.S.-based prime brokerage platform focused on...more
Asset managers will need to consider how FinTech developments impact their business model in 2020, including developments related to digital asset securities, cryptocurrency-based ETFs and blockchain. In this Bottom Line...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
Token Taxonomy Framework Published, Blockchain Supply Chain Pilots Expand - This week, the members of the Token Taxonomy Initiative (TTI), an organization with members that include several major firms across a diverse set of...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
U.S. Developments - Enforcement and Litigation Developments - Craig Wright Faces Sanctions - Craig Wright, the self-proclaimed inventor of Bitcoin, has been tied up in litigation since February 2018 related to his...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 - Facebook Announces Formation of Calibra and Launch of Libra - On June 18, 2019, Facebook announced the launch of Libra, a new cryptocurrency designed to have a stable value and be widely accepted...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
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
The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has proposed a new rule and related amendments designed to streamline and enhance the regulatory framework for "fund of funds" arrangements....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
U.S. Developments - Federal Bank Regulators Issue Joint Statement on Collaborative BSA/AML Compliance - On October 3, 2018, a group of federal bank regulators and the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (“FinCEN”)...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