Background -
CFIUS is an interagency committee, principally comprising nine members and chaired by the Secretary of the Treasury, which has broad powers to review foreign investments in and acquisitions of U.S. businesses...more
Russia continues to introduce restrictive and other measures following the imposition of sanctions by the USA, EU, UK and other countries on Russia....more
3/14/2022
/ Counter Sanctions ,
Debt ,
Economic Sanctions ,
Financial Transactions ,
Foreign Corporations ,
Foreign Persons ,
Foreign Policy ,
Foreign Relations ,
Information Technology ,
International Trade ,
Russia ,
Ukraine
In response to the economic sanctions and export controls imposed on Russia by the US, EU, UK and other major economies, Russia imposed measures and countermeasures....more
Background As noted in our prior update, the United States, European Union and United Kingdom imposed a number of sanctions in connection with Russia’s recognition of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions of Ukraine. ...more
2/28/2022
/ Asset Freeze ,
Biden Administration ,
Economic Sanctions ,
EU ,
Export Controls ,
Financial Transactions ,
Foreign Policy ,
Foreign Relations ,
Foreign Trade Regulations ,
General Licenses ,
Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) ,
Russia ,
UK ,
Ukraine ,
Vladimir Putin
Russia's Actions -
On February 21, 2022, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed two executive orders recognizing the DNR/LNR Regions as “sovereign and independent states.”...more
2/23/2022
/ Biden Administration ,
Blocked Person ,
Critical Infrastructure Sectors ,
Economic Sanctions ,
Enforcement Priorities ,
Export Controls ,
Financial Transactions ,
Foreign Policy ,
Foreign Relations ,
Foreign Trade Regulations ,
General Licenses ,
Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) ,
Russia ,
SDN List ,
Ukraine ,
Vladimir Putin
On February 15, 2022, the U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (“OFAC”) published an initial set of regulations to implement sanctions targeting investments in Chinese Military-Industrial Complex...more
As concerns continue to build between Russia and the West over the situation in Ukraine, the United States, the European Union, and the United Kingdom are preparing measures that could be utilized if diplomacy is...more
The United States, Russia, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (“NATO”) and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (“OSCE”) held a series of talks this week aimed at de-escalating the situation at the...more
1/14/2022
/ CAATSA ,
Economic Sanctions ,
Financial Services Industry ,
Financial Transactions ,
Foreign Policy ,
International Relations ,
Legislative Agendas ,
NATO ,
Proposed Legislation ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Russia ,
SDN List ,
Sovereign Debt ,
SWIFT ,
Ukraine ,
US Trade Policies
Key Takeaways -
Historically, the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (“CFIUS” or the “Committee”) did not provide country-wide exemptions from applicable regulations governing national security reviews...more
In recent weeks, the U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (“OFAC”) has issued guidance regarding both virtual currency and ransomware, demonstrating the agency’s enforcement priorities and compliance...more
On June 3, 2021, President Biden issued an Executive Order to modify sanctions initially imposed by former President Trump regarding investments in Chinese companies with alleged ties to the Chinese military. The new...more
On April 15, 2021, the United States imposed new sanctions expanding restrictions on the purchase of certain Russian sovereign debt and other financing instruments and adding numerous Russian entities and individuals to the...more
Executive Summary - On March 2, 2021, the Biden Administration, in a coordinated announcement by the U.S. Departments of Treasury, State, and Commerce, tightened export restrictions against Russia and imposed sanctions and...more
3/4/2021
/ Biden Administration ,
Chemical Weapons ,
EU ,
Export Controls ,
Exports ,
Global Human Rights Sanctions Regime ,
Human Rights ,
Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) ,
Russia ,
Sanctions ,
UK
On December 28, 2020, the US Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (“OFAC”) released guidance on the implementation of sanctions targeting securities of Communist Chinese military companies (“CCMCs”) imposed...more
President Trump issued an Executive Order on November 12, 2020 that will prohibit U.S. persons from investing in publicly traded securities of certain companies determined to be affiliated with China’s military. Executive...more
11/16/2020
/ Biden Administration ,
China ,
Executive Orders ,
Foreign Policy ,
Foreign Relations ,
National Security ,
Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) ,
Prohibited Transactions ,
Publicly-Traded Companies ,
Securities Transactions ,
Trump Administration
The U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of Industry and Security (“BIS”) on October 5, 2020, published a final rule implementing new export controls on six categories of emerging technology. In doing so, the U.S. government...more
President Trump signed into law the Foreign Investment Risk Review Modernization Act of 2018 (“FIRRMA”) on August 13, 2018. FIRRMA made several substantial changes to the CFIUS process and expanded the scope of the...more
9/22/2020
/ Amended Regulation ,
CFIUS ,
Covered Transactions ,
Critical Infrastructure Sectors ,
Cross-Border Transactions ,
Exports ,
Final Rules ,
FIRRMA ,
Foreign Acquisitions ,
Foreign Investment ,
Mandatory Declarations ,
NAICS ,
Non-US Entities ,
Technology Sector ,
Trump Administration
The Department of Commerce, Bureau of Industry and Security (“BIS”), published an advance notice of proposed rulemaking (“the Notice”), on August 27, 2020, announcing the initiation of its review of foundational technologies...more
9/5/2020
/ Advanced Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ANPRM) ,
Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) ,
Commodities ,
ECCNs ,
Export Control Reform Act (ECRA) ,
Export Controls ,
Exports ,
Popular ,
Proposed Amendments ,
Request For Information ,
Software ,
Technology Sector ,
U.S. Commerce Department
Key Takeaways -
- On July 31, 2020, the U.S. Treasury Department, as chair of the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (“CFIUS” or the “Committee”), published its Annual Report to Congress on all notices...more
8/7/2020
/ Annual Reports ,
CFIUS ,
China ,
Congressional Reports ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Corporate Counsel ,
FIRRMA ,
Foreign Acquisitions ,
Foreign Investment ,
Global Dealmaking ,
Japan ,
National Security ,
National Security Review Proceedings
Key Takeaways -
On July 28, 2020, the U.S. Treasury Department, as chair of the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (“CFIUS” or the “Committee”), released the final rule to establish filing fees for CFIUS...more
The U.S.-China trade war continues to escalate, most recently fueled by U.S. concerns over China’s assertion of increasing authority over Hong Kong. The U.S. and Chinese governments have exchanged jabs through the use of...more
7/17/2020
/ CFIUS ,
China ,
Criminal Prosecution ,
Economic Sanctions ,
Exceptions ,
Export Administration Regulations (EAR) ,
Export Controls ,
Exports ,
Free Speech ,
Free Trade Agreements ,
Freedom of the Press ,
Hong Kong ,
Hong Kong Autonomy Act (HKAA) ,
Human Rights ,
Open General Export Licences (OGELs) ,
Popular ,
Revocation ,
Right to Peaceful Assembly ,
SDN List ,
Section 301 ,
Tariffs ,
Technology Sector ,
Trade Act of 1974 ,
Trade Policy ,
Trade Wars ,
Travel Ban ,
Trump Administration ,
United States
Environmental, social, and governance (“ESG”) issues have always played a role in trade agreement negotiations. Now, climate change initiatives as well as racial and ethnic diversity movements such as the Black Lives Matter...more
7/16/2020
/ Black Lives Matter ,
Board of Directors ,
Carbon Emissions ,
Carbon Taxes ,
Clean Energy ,
Climate Change ,
Diversity ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
EU ,
Human Rights ,
International Labor Laws ,
NAFTA ,
Sustainability ,
Trade Agreements ,
Trade Negotiations ,
UK ,
United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) ,
Worker Representation
Background -
The U.S. Government, through the Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (“OFAC”), has imposed comprehensive sanctions against Syria since 2011. ...more
Key Takeaways
- On May 19, 2020, the U.S. Treasury Department, as chair of the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (“CFIUS” or the “Committee”), published its Annual Report to Congress on all notices filed...more
President Trump signed into law the Foreign Investment Risk Review Modernization Act of 2018 (“FIRRMA”) on August 13, 2018, which made several substantial changes to the CFIUS process and expanded the scope of the Committee’s...more
5/28/2020
/ CFIUS ,
Critical Infrastructure Sectors ,
Export Administration Regulations (EAR) ,
FIRRMA ,
Foreign Acquisitions ,
Foreign Investment ,
ITAR ,
Mandatory Declarations ,
NAICS ,
Proposed Rules ,
Public Comment ,
Substantial Interest Test ,
Technology Sector ,
Trump Administration