Virtual Currency Regulations: Key Insights for the Payments Industry — Payments Pros – The Payments Law Podcast
Navigating New Compliance Challenges: The Impact of the Money Transmitter Modernization Act on Payroll Processing - Payments Pros – The Payments Law Podcast
In March, we wrote about the Department of Treasury’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) issuing a Geographic Targeting Order (GTO) aimed to combat Mexican-based drug cartels. The GTO signals Treasury’s efforts to...more
On March 11, 2025, the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) issued a Geographic Targeting Order (GTO) specifically aimed at combatting Mexico-based cartels and other criminals along the southwest border of the United...more
Brinks Global Services USA (“BGS USA”), a global leader in secure logistics, found itself at the center of a significant regulatory investigation due to its failure to meet anti-money laundering (“AML”) obligations....more
As the world now knows, Binance Holdings Limited, doing business as Binance.com (“Binance” or the “Company”), has entered into a plea agreement with the U.S. Department of Justice (“DOJ”)....more
The incoming Biden team will need to quickly address significant digital asset issues, including a major enforcement action and a significant proposed FinCEN rule initiated in the final days of the outgoing administration. ...more
In a lesson to everyone that the use of foolish monikers will come back to haunt you, Kais Mohammad, 36, a.k.a. “Superman29,” has met his Kryptonite - the U.S. Department of Justice. ...more
FinCEN defines a Money Service Business (MSB) as any person DOING BUSINESS, whether or not on a regular basis or as an organized business concern, in one or more of the following capacities...more
The Situation: The Financial Crimes Enforcement Network ("FinCEN") released interpretive guidance concerning the application of the Bank Secrecy Act ("BSA") and the anti-money laundering ("AML") regulations to certain...more
A few days before thousands of blockchain industry participants poured into New York for “Blockchain Week,” the Department of the Treasury’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) issued guidance on virtual currencies...more
Last week we reported that FinCEN had issued new guidance addressing cryptocurrency and other convertible virtual currency. The need for compliance was reinforced this week. In a speech by Sigal Mandelker, Under Secretary for...more
Last week, the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) backed up its strong public statements about enforcing the anti-money laundering (AML) laws with respect to cryptocurrency by bringing an enforcement action against...more
Last week, the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) announced its first-ever civil penalty against a cryptocurrency exchanger for willful violations of the Bank Secrecy Act (BSA). According to the FinCEN Assessment...more
On April 18, 2019, the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (“FinCEN”) announced its first enforcement action against a peer-to-peer virtual currency exchanger....more
• On October 11, 2018, FinCEN released an advisory to help U.S. financial institutions better detect potentially illicit transactions related to Iran. • The advisory describes how Iran attempts to access the international...more
Virtual currencies like Bitcoin and Ethereum have spawned many types of businesses that need banking services. Many banks "de-risk" -- do not provide banking services -- to these businesses. Many virtual currency...more
Earlier this month, the District Court for the Central District of California imposed a prison sentence of one year and a day, with three years of supervised release, on defendant Theresa Lynn Tetley, who had pleaded guilty...more
Smaller banks and money services businesses should expand their AML compliance to mitigate human trafficking corporate liability. Aside from the Bank Secrecy Act, federal law creates corporate liability for financial...more
Virtual currency businesses are under scrutiny by U.S. anti-money laundering (AML) regulators. Earlier this year, U.S Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin emphasized that virtual currencies are subject to AML regulations. He...more
As we previously have blogged, the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (“FinCEN”) became one of the first regulators to wade into the regulation of cryptocurrency when it released interpretive guidance in March 2013 stating...more
On Wednesday, July 27, 2017, the U.S. Treasury’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) announced a $110 million fine levied against BTC-e, a digital currency exchange, for BTC-e’s alleged refusal to abide by...more
On July 26, FinCEN, in coordination with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of California (“NDCA USAO”), assessed a $110,003,314 civil money penalty against BTC-e a/k/a Canton Business Corporation (“BTC-e”)...more
On February 27, 2017, FinCEN announced a $7 million civil monetary penalty against Merchants for willful violations of the BSA. Additionally, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC), Merchants’ federal functional...more
In recent months, US federal and state regulators have continued to focus on Bitcoin and the adoption of a regulatory framework for it and other "virtual currencies," as well as the enforcement of existing securities laws to...more
In this issue: - In preliminarily denying two exemption requests, the SEC takes a stand for market transparency in ETFs and upholds the arbitrage mechanism that allows market prices to closely track NAVs. -...more