The Council of the European Union (Council) has updated its EU Best Practices for the Effective Implementation of Restrictive Measures. Published on 3 July 2024, the new version clarifies the threshold for the ownership test...more
The Department of the Treasury’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) has proposed a rule (the Proposed Rule) to implement certain aspects of the Anti-Money Laundering Act of 2020 (the AML Act), which updated the...more
7/17/2024
/ AML/CFT ,
Anti-Money Laundering ,
Anti-Terrorism Financing ,
Bank Secrecy Act ,
Financial Institutions ,
Financial Regulatory Reform ,
FinCEN ,
Investment Management ,
Popular ,
Proposed Rules ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)
On April 24, 2024, President Joe Biden signed the 21st Century Peace Through Strength Act (Act) into law. The Act, which is part of a broader law providing supplemental aid to Israel, Taiwan and Ukraine, contains several...more
6/3/2024
/ Anti-Money Laundering ,
Biden Administration ,
CFIUS ,
Economic Sanctions ,
EU ,
International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) ,
International Trade ,
Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) ,
Russia ,
Statute of Limitations ,
TWEA ,
UK
The U.S. Treasury Department’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) has recently taken steps to expand the reach of the Bank Secrecy Act (BSA) and related customer identification regulations. These steps build on...more
5/30/2024
/ AML/CFT ,
Anti-Money Laundering ,
Bank Secrecy Act ,
Banking Sector ,
Beneficial Owner ,
CFIUS ,
Customer Identification Program (CIP) ,
Financial Institutions ,
FinCEN ,
Policies and Procedures ,
Proposed Rules ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)
On April 24, 2024, President Joe Biden signed into law a high-profile package of national security legislation (Public Law 118-50). While most press reports focused on the spending elements of the package (appropriating funds...more
5/3/2024
/ Asset Freeze ,
Asset Seizure ,
Economic Sanctions ,
Export Controls ,
International Trade ,
Investors ,
Joe Biden ,
Legislative Agendas ,
National Security ,
New Legislation ,
Russia ,
Ukraine
On March 21, 2024, the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) published a final rule amending the Export Administration Regulations (EAR) by imposing “end user” export control restrictions against...more
3/26/2024
/ Blocked Person ,
Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) ,
Economic Sanctions ,
Export Administration Regulations (EAR) ,
Export Controls ,
International Trade ,
National Security ,
New Rules ,
Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Regulatory Reform ,
SDN List
The Corporate Transparency Act and its implementing regulations (together CTA) came into effect on January 1, 2024, requiring entities within its scope to disclose information, including about their beneficial owners, to the...more
2/2/2024
/ Beneficial Owner ,
Business Entities ,
Business Ownership ,
Corporate Governance ,
Corporate Transparency Act ,
Filing Deadlines ,
Filing Requirements ,
FinCEN ,
New York ,
Popular ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Reporting Requirements
On October 17, 2023, the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) released two interim final rules to reinforce and expand controls on (a) advanced semiconductors and related computing items (the...more
10/27/2023
/ Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) ,
China ,
Deadlines ,
Entity List ,
Export Administration Regulations (EAR) ,
Export Controls ,
Exports ,
Final Rules ,
Inspections ,
Manufacturers ,
Semiconductors ,
Technology Sector ,
U.S. Commerce Department
The Proposed Rule Aims To Increase Transparency in CVC Mixing -
On October 19, 2023, the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) released a notice of proposed rulemaking (Proposal)...more
On October 18, 2023, following the signing of an electoral roadmap between Venezuela’s Unitary Platform and representatives of the Maduro regime, the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC)...more
In the U.S. Department of Justice’s (DOJ’s) latest effort to promote voluntary self-disclosure of corporate misconduct by companies, Deputy Attorney General (DAG) Lisa Monaco has announced guidance regarding a new safe harbor...more
10/5/2023
/ Acquisitions ,
Compliance ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Corporate Misconduct ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Ethics ,
Mergers ,
New Guidance ,
Safe Harbors ,
Self-Disclosure Requirements ,
Voluntary Disclosure
In a long-awaited decision involving the cryptocurrency “mixer” Tornado Cash, a U.S. district court on August 17, 2023, upheld the broad authority of the Department of the Treasury’s (Treasury’s) Office of Foreign Assets...more
On August 16, 2023, OFAC announced a $660,594 settlement with Construction Specialties Inc. (CS) for alleged violations of the Iranian Transactions and Sanctions Regulations (ITSR). OFAC found that CS’s wholly controlled...more
9/6/2023
/ Anti-Money Laundering ,
Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) ,
Corporate Governance ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Employees ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Export Controls ,
Exports ,
Money Laundering ,
Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) ,
Sanctions ,
U.S. Commerce Department ,
Whistleblowers
Over the past few weeks, the interagency Forced Labor Enforcement Task Force (FLETF) has signaled a shift in its strategy for enforcing the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA). On July 26, 2023, the FLETF issued its...more
8/23/2023
/ China ,
Enforcement ,
Entity List ,
Forced Labor ,
Importers ,
Imports ,
International Trade ,
Popular ,
Supply Chain ,
Trade Restrictions ,
Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA)
In a rule effective August 11, 2023, the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) expanded nuclear nonproliferation controls on China, as part of the U.S. government’s latest efforts to address...more
8/18/2023
/ Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) ,
China ,
Commerce Control List ,
End-Users ,
Export Controls ,
Exports ,
Final Rules ,
Licensing Rules ,
Military End Use ,
National Security ,
U.S. Commerce Department ,
US Trade Policies
On August 9, 2023, after more than a year of deliberations, the Biden administration finally released an executive order (the Order) directing the Department of the Treasury (Treasury) to create a new regulatory program to...more
8/11/2023
/ Advanced Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ANPRM) ,
Biden Administration ,
CFIUS ,
China ,
Cross-Border Transactions ,
Cybersecurity ,
Executive Orders ,
Foreign Direct Investment ,
Foreign Investment ,
National Security ,
Technology Sector
On July 26, 2023, the U.S. Department of Justice’s (DOJ’s) National Security Division (NSD), the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS), and the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign...more
8/1/2023
/ Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) ,
Compliance ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Economic Sanctions ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Export Controls ,
International Trade ,
National Security ,
Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) ,
Self-Disclosure Requirements ,
U.S. Commerce Department ,
U.S. Treasury ,
Voluntary Disclosure ,
Whistleblowers
Through a series of coordinated actions in May 2023, the United States launched a whole-of-government effort to expand and strengthen enforcement of its sanctions campaign against Russia as the conflict in Ukraine continues...more
6/6/2023
/ Anti-Money Laundering ,
Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) ,
CFIUS ,
Economic Sanctions ,
Export Controls ,
Financial Institutions ,
FinCEN ,
International Trade ,
National Security ,
Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) ,
Russia
DOJ Increases Resources To Investigate and Prosecute Sanctions Evasion and Export Control Violations -
On March 2, 2023, during a keynote speech at the American Bar Association’s annual White Collar Crime National...more
3/17/2023
/ Anti-Corruption ,
Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) ,
Compliance ,
Corporate Entities ,
Criminal Prosecution ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Economic Sanctions ,
EU ,
Export Controls ,
Exports ,
Financial Institutions ,
Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) ,
International Trade ,
Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) ,
Russia ,
Self-Disclosure Requirements ,
U.S. Commerce Department ,
U.S. Treasury ,
UK ,
Voluntary Disclosure
On February 24, 2023, the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) announced four new rules expanding restrictions on exports to Russia and Belarus. The revisions to the Export Administration...more
On January 17, 2023, U.S. law enforcement authorities in Miami arrested Anatoly Legkodymov, a Russian national and the founder and majority owner of Hong Kong-based virtual currency exchange Bitzlato Ltd., on charges of money...more
2/7/2023
/ Anti-Money Laundering ,
Bank Secrecy Act ,
Crypto Exchanges ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Enforcement Actions ,
EU ,
Financial Crimes ,
FinCEN ,
Law Enforcement ,
Money Laundering ,
NDAA ,
Patriot Act ,
Popular ,
Russia ,
U.S. Treasury ,
Virtual Currency ,
White Collar Crimes
In the past year, the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (the Board) Biden administration officials, and other U.S. banking regulators have repeatedly voiced growing concerns about certain cryptoasset...more
2/7/2023
/ Banking Regulators ,
Banking Sector ,
Banks ,
Biden Administration ,
Blockchain ,
Cryptoassets ,
Cryptocurrency ,
FDIC ,
Federal Reserve ,
Financial Institutions ,
Financial Services Industry ,
OCC ,
Risk Assessment
On January 3, 2023, the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (Federal Reserve), the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), and the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) issued a Joint Statement on...more
1/6/2023
/ Banks ,
Cryptoassets ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Enforcement ,
Federal Reserve ,
Financial Services Industry ,
Joint Statements ,
Non-Bank Lenders ,
OCC ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Risk Factors
The withdrawal of Western companies from Russia in the wake of the war in Ukraine has garnered a lot of attention. But the process does not take place overnight, and many foreign companies that have operated in Russia face...more
12/16/2022
/ Acquisitions ,
Best Practices ,
Economic Sanctions ,
EU ,
Exit Transactions ,
Export Controls ,
Foreign Investment ,
Investment ,
Jurisdiction ,
Russia ,
UK ,
Ukraine
The pandemic’s impact may be subsiding, but businesses are encountering new challenges across the globe, including the potential for an economic retrenchment, rising interest rates, shifting regulatory and litigation...more
12/14/2022
/ Acquisitions ,
Anti-Corruption ,
Antitrust Division ,
Banking Sector ,
Big Tech ,
Board of Directors ,
Bonds ,
Borrowers ,
Capital Markets ,
Capital Raising ,
China ,
Climate Change ,
Convertible Notes ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Corporate Governance ,
Corporate Restructuring ,
Creditors ,
Cross-Border ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Digital Assets ,
Due Diligence ,
Economic Sanctions ,
Enforcement ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
EU ,
Executive Compensation ,
Financial Services Industry ,
Forum Selection ,
Investigations ,
IRS ,
Lenders ,
Mergers ,
Money Laundering ,
Partnerships ,
Publicly-Traded Companies ,
Recessions ,
Repurchases ,
Russia ,
Securities ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Securities Litigation ,
Shareholders ,
Special Purpose Acquisition Companies (SPACs) ,
Taxation ,
Technology ,
UK ,
Vertical Mergers