In April 2019, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced that the U.S. government would allow a private right of action, created by Title III of the Cuban Liberty and Democratic Solidarity (Libertad) Act of 1996 (also known as...more
5/10/2019
/ Blocking Statutes ,
Canada ,
Confiscated Property ,
Cuba ,
EU ,
Expropriation ,
FSCS ,
Helms-Burton Act ,
Personal Remittance Caps ,
Private Right of Action ,
Sanction Suspensions ,
Sanctions ,
Third-Party ,
Title III ,
Trafficking ,
Travel Restrictions ,
Treble Damages ,
Trump Administration ,
UK ,
US Department of State
In this issue, we examine the release of the much-anticipated Strategic Hub for Innovation and Financial Technology (FinHub) guidance for analyzing how U.S. federal securities laws apply to initial coin offerings, the...more
4/16/2019
/ Advertising ,
Blockchain ,
California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) ,
CNIL ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Default ,
Digital Assets ,
Discovery ,
Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT) ,
Division of Corporate Finance ,
Ethereum ,
EU ,
FinHub ,
France ,
Frozen Assets ,
General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) ,
Guilty Pleas ,
Initial Coin Offering (ICOs) ,
Investment Contract ,
Motion to Dismiss ,
No-Action Letters ,
NYDFS ,
Offerings ,
Payment Tokens ,
Personal Jurisdiction ,
Plea Agreements ,
Popular ,
Preliminary Injunctions ,
Profits ,
Public Comment ,
Putative Class Actions ,
Safe Harbors ,
Securities ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Securities Exchange Act ,
Securities Fraud ,
Securities Tokens ,
Securities Violations ,
Settlement ,
Smart Contracts ,
Unregistered Securities ,
Virtual Currency
On January 29-30, 2019, Skadden and Han Kun Law Offices co-hosted two seminars — first in New York, then in Washington, D.C. — titled “Enforcement Focus on China: What Companies Should Do to Be Prepared.” Topics included the...more
2/11/2019
/ Anti-Corruption ,
China ,
Civil Liability ,
Compliance ,
Criminal Prosecution ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Discovery ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Extradition ,
Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure ,
Foreign Corporations ,
Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) ,
Foreign Defendants ,
Foreign Policy ,
International Litigation ,
Multinationals ,
National Security ,
Trump Administration
In 2018, the United States continued to expand its sanctions programs and increase enforcement. While President Donald Trump’s decision to re-impose nuclear-related sanctions on Iran has perhaps drawn the most attention, key...more
1/23/2019
/ Blocked Entities ,
Blocked Person ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Cuba ,
Economic Sanctions ,
Executive Orders ,
Foreign Policy ,
General Licenses ,
Iran ,
Iran Sanctions ,
Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) ,
Nicaragua ,
Nuclear Power ,
Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) ,
Russia ,
Sanction Violations ,
SDN List ,
Secondary Sanctions ,
Trump Administration ,
Venezuela ,
Withdrawal
In 2018, the number of blockchain-enabled projects increased sharply as established companies sought to apply distributed ledger technology to their existing business models and startups developed new and disruptive models...more
1/18/2019
/ AML/CFT ,
Blockchain ,
CFTC ,
Commodity Exchange Act (CEA) ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Derivatives ,
Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT) ,
EU ,
FinCEN ,
FinHub ,
General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) ,
Initial Coin Offering (ICOs) ,
Popular ,
Proposed Legislation ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Token Sales ,
Unregistered Securities
This issue of Skadden’s semiannual Cross-Border Investigations Update takes a close look at recent cases, regulatory activity and other key developments, including DOJ guidance on the use of corporate monitors in criminal...more
1/7/2019
/ Anti-Bribery ,
Anti-Corruption ,
Anti-Money Laundering ,
Appeals ,
Attorney-Client Privilege ,
Brazil ,
Bribery ,
BSA/AML ,
China ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Criminal Conspiracy ,
Criminal Convictions ,
Criminal Investigations ,
Cross-Border ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Cyber Attacks ,
Cybersecurity ,
Data Privacy ,
Data Protection Acts ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Enforcement Actions ,
EU ,
Exports ,
Extraterritoriality Rules ,
FATCA ,
Financial Crimes ,
Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) ,
Forex ,
France ,
Government Investigations ,
Guilty Pleas ,
Hackers ,
Imports ,
International Litigation ,
Iran ,
Legal Professional Privilege ,
Libor ,
Litigation Privilege ,
Market Manipulation ,
Money Laundering ,
Multi-Jurisdictional Litigation ,
Multinationals ,
NYDFS ,
Privileged Communication ,
Russia ,
Sanction Violations ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Securities Fraud ,
SFO ,
Spoofing ,
Tax Fraud ,
Traders ,
UK ,
Unexplained Wealth Orders (UWOs) ,
United Arab Emirates (UAE) ,
Yates Memorandum
On November 5, 2018, the United States reimposed all remaining nuclear-related sanctions against Iran that it had previously lifted in connection with its implementation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) in...more
11/13/2018
/ Cross-Border Transactions ,
Economic Sanctions ,
Executive Orders ,
Financial Institutions ,
Iran ,
Iran Sanctions ,
ITSR ,
Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) ,
Nuclear Power ,
Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) ,
Oil & Gas ,
SDN List ,
Secondary Sanctions ,
Trump Administration ,
Winding Down ,
Withdrawal
On November 1, 2018, President Donald Trump issued Executive Order 13850 (E.O. 13850), which broadly targets corrupt practices in Venezuela and builds on several recent rounds of U.S. sanctions against the Venezuelan...more
11/9/2018
/ Corruption ,
Defense Sector ,
Economic Sanctions ,
Energy Sector ,
Engineering ,
Executive Orders ,
Government Officials ,
Mining ,
Rare Earth Metals ,
State-Owned Enterprises ,
Trump Administration ,
Venezuela
This is the second edition of The Distributed Ledger, a periodic publication covering the latest trends and developments in blockchain technology, digital assets and smart contracts. In this issue, we examine the SEC’s new...more
11/8/2018
/ Anti-Money Laundering ,
Blockchain ,
CFTC ,
CNIL ,
Commodity Exchange Act (CEA) ,
Cross-Border Transactions ,
Data Controller ,
Data Processors ,
Digital Assets ,
EU ,
FATF ,
FinHub ,
FinTech ,
Initial Coin Offering (ICOs) ,
International Data Transfers ,
Personally Identifiable Information ,
Popular ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Smart Contracts ,
Startups ,
Terrorist Financing Regulations ,
Virtual Currency
This is the inaugural issue of The Distributed Ledger, a periodic publication covering the latest trends and developments in blockchain technology, digital assets and smart contracts. In this edition, we examine a federal...more
10/16/2018
/ Anti-Fraud Provisions ,
Blockchain ,
CFTC ,
Commodities ,
Commodity Exchange Act (CEA) ,
Conflicts of Interest ,
Consumer Protection Laws ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Digital Assets ,
Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT) ,
Exclusive Jurisdiction ,
Fraud ,
Misappropriation ,
NYDFS ,
Popular ,
Research and Development ,
Smart Contracts ,
State Attorneys General ,
State Legislatures ,
Trade Market Abuse ,
Trading Platforms ,
Virtual Currency ,
Young Lawyers
On August 27, 2018, the U.S. Department of State implemented the first tranche of new sanctions on Russia under the Chemical and Biological Weapons Control and Warfare Elimination Act (the CBW Act). The enactment of these...more
9/10/2018
/ Arms Export Control Act ,
Aviation Industry ,
CBW Act ,
Chemical Warfare ,
Dual Use Goods ,
Economic Sanctions ,
End-Users ,
Exports ,
Foreign Assistance Programs ,
Licensing Rules ,
National Security ,
Russia ,
State Funding ,
State-Owned Enterprises ,
Subsidiaries ,
Technology ,
U.S. Commerce Department ,
US Department of State
This issue of Skadden’s semiannual Cross-Border Investigations Update takes a close look at recent cases, regulatory activity and other key developments, including the use of legal holds in cross-border investigations,...more
8/29/2018
/ China ,
Civil Monetary Penalty ,
Cooperation ,
Criminal Investigations ,
Cross-Border Transactions ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Cybersecurity ,
Data Breach ,
Data Protection ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Enforcement Actions ,
EU ,
Fee Reductions ,
General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) ,
Initial Coin Offering (ICOs) ,
Personal Liability ,
Popular ,
Privileged Communication ,
Serious Fraud Office (SFO) ,
Settlement ,
Trump Administration ,
UK
The U.S. government recently took several actions involving the Venezuela- and Russia-related sanctions. On May 21, 2018, following the re-election of President Nicolás Maduro, President Donald Trump issued an executive order...more
Effective May 11, 2018, covered financial institutions are required to comply with the customer due diligence rule (the Rule) that the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) finalized in May 2016. The Rule mandates the...more
5/16/2018
/ Banks ,
Beneficial Owner ,
Compliance ,
Covered Financial Institutions ,
Customer Due Diligence (CDD) ,
Customer Identification Program (CIP) ,
Financial Institutions ,
FinCEN ,
Legal Entities ,
Loans ,
Suspicious Activity Reports (SARs) ,
Trusts ,
Verification Requirements
On May 8, 2018, President Donald Trump announced that the United States was withdrawing from its participation in the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), the agreement the P5+1 (the United States, China, France,...more
5/15/2018
/ Economic Sanctions ,
EU ,
General Licenses ,
Iran Sanctions ,
Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) ,
New Guidance ,
Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) ,
Oil & Gas ,
Presidential Memorandum ,
Rescission ,
SDN List ,
Secondary Sanctions ,
Trump Administration ,
Winding Down
On May 1, 2018, the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) issued General Licenses 12B and 13A authorizing additional transactions and activities involving certain persons subject to the...more
On April 23, 2018, the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) issued Ukraine- and Russia-related General Licenses 12A and 14, and additional guidance to further minimize immediate...more
On April 6, 2018, the Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) announced sanctions against seven Russian oligarchs, 12 companies owned or controlled by these oligarchs, 17 senior Russian government...more
4/13/2018
/ Blocked Person ,
CAATSA ,
Economic Sanctions ,
Executive Orders ,
General Licenses ,
Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) ,
Reporting Requirements ,
Russia ,
SDN List ,
Secondary Sanctions ,
Trump Administration ,
U.S. Treasury ,
Ukraine
In 2017, the increased adoption of blockchain technology in various industries was partially obscured by the dramatic fluctuations in the price of bitcoins and the prevalence of so-called initial coin offerings (ICOs) to...more
2/1/2018
/ Anti-Money Laundering ,
Bank Secrecy Act ,
Bitcoin ,
BitLicense ,
Blockchain ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Department of Financial Services ,
FinCEN ,
Initial Coin Offering (ICOs) ,
NYDFS ,
Popular ,
Securities ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Smart Contracts ,
Virtual Currency
On November 8, 2017, the U.S. Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), the U.S. Department of Commerce's Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS), and the U.S. Department of State announced...more
11/30/2017
/ Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) ,
Business Travel ,
Cuba ,
Cuba Restricted List ,
Cuban Assets Control Regulations (CACR) ,
Export Administration Regulations (EAR) ,
Exports ,
General Licenses ,
Obama Administration ,
Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) ,
Travel Restrictions ,
Trump Administration
In recent weeks, the U.S. government has taken a number of significant steps to implement sanctions on Russia under the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA), which President Donald Trump signed into...more
11/9/2017
/ Banking Sector ,
CAATSA ,
Economic Sanctions ,
Energy Exploration ,
Energy Sector ,
Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) ,
Offshore Drilling ,
Pipelines ,
Russia ,
SDN List ,
Section 232 ,
Trump Administration ,
Ukraine ,
US State Departments
Pursuant to the Iran Nuclear Agreement Review Act of 2015 (INARA), the president is required to make certifications every 90 days that Iran is complying with its obligations under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action...more
10/24/2017
/ Decertify ,
Economic Sanctions ,
Foreign Policy ,
Iran Nuclear Agreement Review Act of 2015 (INARA) ,
Iran Sanctions ,
Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) ,
Nuclear Weapons ,
Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) ,
P5+1 Nations ,
Proposed Legislation ,
Trump Administration
On October 6, 2017, President Donald Trump and the U.S. Department of State announced the revocation of economic sanctions on Sudan, following the temporary lifting of sanctions on January 17, 2017. The announcement concluded...more
On September 21, 2017, President Donald Trump issued Executive Order (E.O.) 13810, which broadly expanded U.S. sanctions against North Korea. E.O. 13810 targets, among others, individuals and entities that are part of certain...more
On August 25, 2017, the U.S. government dramatically increased sanctions on the government of Venezuela. Unlike the Venezuela-related sanctions already in effect, which are list-based and to date have targeted only specific...more
8/31/2017
/ Blocked Person ,
Bonds ,
Capital Markets ,
Citgo ,
Debt-Equity ,
Dividends ,
Economic Sanctions ,
Executive Orders ,
General Licenses ,
Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) ,
SDN List ,
Securities Transactions ,
State-Owned Enterprises ,
Trump Administration ,
Venezuela