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SEC Advises Companies to Disclose Crypto Market Exposure

On December 8, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) issued new guidance for publicly traded companies, advising them to disclose their exposure and risk in the cryptocurrency market to investors....more

SEC's Enforcement Results for FY 2022 Reflect Robust Enforcement and Record-Breaking Penalties

On November 15, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) announced its enforcement results for fiscal year 2022, which featured the following key metrics...more

SEC Scores Victory in Ongoing Effort to Classify Cryptocurrencies as Securities

A recent decision out of the District of New Hampshire underscores the risks proprietary cryptocurrency issuers face and provides ammunition to the SEC in its continued quest to classify cryptocurrencies as securities subject...more

Full Scale of Constitutionality of SEC's Adjudication System Underway

The Supreme Court’s decision to hear CPA Michelle Cochran’s appeal represents the latest challenge to the Security and Exchange Commission’s in-house adjudicatory structure and could set the stage for a larger ruling on the...more

SEC Modernizes Its Recordkeeping Requirements for Certain Registrants

On October 12, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) voted to adopt new electronic recordkeeping requirements for broker-dealers, security-based swap dealers (SBSDs), and major security-based swap participants (MSBSPs)...more

SEC Reiterates Auditor Responsibilities in Risk Assessment

Independent auditors have been placed on notice to tighten internal fraud investigations following an October 11 statement by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission’s (SEC) chief accountant, which can be found here. This...more

SEC Digs in on Loss Contingency Disclosure Requirements

On September 22, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filed charges against three former executives of a technology acquisition company (the Company) for making false and misleading statements to auditors, and...more

SEC Reaffirms 10b5-1 Plans Provide No Protection if Plans Not Established in Good Faith

On September 21, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) announced charges against Cheetah Mobile, Inc.’s CEO and former president for insider trading, even though the questionable trades occurred under a 10b5-1 trading...more

SEC Targets SPAC Conflicts of Interest

On September 6, investment advisory firm Perceptive Advisors LLC (Perceptive) agreed to a cease-and-desist order with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) for failing to disclose alleged conflicts of interest...more

It’s Not “Business as Usual” for DOJ’s Corporate Criminal Enforcement Efforts

On the heels of a speech delivered by Deputy Attorney General (DAG) Lisa Monaco to NYU Law School on September 15, the Department of Justice (DOJ) issued a memorandum and announced further revisions to its existing corporate...more

Plea Deal in First-Ever Cryptocurrency Insider Trading Case

In what the Manhattan federal prosecutors have touted as the first-ever guilty plea in an insider trading case involving cryptocurrency, the brother of a former Coinbase Global, Inc. (Coinbase) product manager pled guilty to...more

SEC Boosts Whistleblower Incentives After Two Record-Breaking Years

On August 26, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) quietly adopted two significant changes to the rules governing its whistleblower program, as proposed in February 2022. These reverse amendments to the same rules...more

SEC Cracks Down on Encrypted Messaging

While the phrase “clandestine messaging” evokes secret notes slipped under doors and written in code, its meaning in the world of securities regulation and enforcement is not nearly as romantic as the name suggests....more

Recent Decisions Cast Shadow Over SEC’s In-House Adjudication System

Two recent judicial developments create questions about the constitutionality of the SEC’s in-house judicial system. First, on May 16, the Supreme Court agreed to hear the case of Michelle Cochran, an accountant facing...more

SEC Expands Crypto Assets and Cyber Unit

On May 3, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) announced that it will greatly expand its cryptocurrency and cybersecurity unit by adding 20 positions. The additional positions will bring the unit’s total members to...more

Recent SEC Complaint Signals Increased Enforcement Risk for Companies on ESG Disclosures

A complaint recently filed by the SEC against Vale S.A., a Brazilian mining company with U.S.-traded American Depository Receipts (ADRs), signals an increased risk of enforcement actions targeting misrepresentations and...more

Not Your Keys, Not Your Coin: SEC Tells Crypto-Custody Providers to Report Platform Users’ Crypto Holdings as Balance Sheet...

On March 31, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) issued Staff Accounting Bulletin No. 121 (Bulletin), noting that a company safeguarding or exerting custody over cryptocurrency on behalf of its platform users must...more

Not Your Keys, Not Your Coin: SEC Tells Crypto-Custody Providers to Report Platform Users' Crypto Holdings as Balance Sheet...

On March 31, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) issued Staff Accounting Bulletin No. 121 (Bulletin), noting that a company safeguarding or exerting custody over cryptocurrency on behalf of its platform users must...more

World's Largest Cryptocurrency Exchange Wins Dismissal of Class-Action Lawsuit

On March 31, a New York federal court dismissed a proposed securities class-action lawsuit filed against Binance, the world's largest cryptocurrency exchange. The lawsuit, one of a host of similar actions brought against...more

John Coates Calls for SPAC Myth-Busting

In a recent interview with Law360 , Harvard Law Professor and former U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission official John Coates expressed the need for regulators to be more aggressive in disputing myths perpetuated by the...more

FINRA Issues Guidance Clarifying Liability for Chief Compliance Officers

On March 17, the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) issued a notice, clarifying when chief compliance officers (CCOs) will face liability as supervisors under FINRA Rule 3110. Under Rule 3110, member firms are...more

FinCEN Implores Vigilance From Financial Institutions in Anticipation of Attempted Russia Sanctions Evasion

Following the significant sanctions and other restrictions imposed by the United States and its global allies resulting from the Russian Federation's invasion of Ukraine, the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN)...more

Biden Signs Executive Order on Cryptocurrency

On March 9, President Biden signed an Executive Order (the Order) to establish the first comprehensive federal digital asset strategy for the U.S., which would promote digital asset innovation while balancing benefits and...more

FINRA Report Highlights New Topics and Emerging Risks for 2022

On February 9, FINRA published its 2022 Report on FINRA’s Examination and Risk Management Program (2022 Report), an authoritative resource for member firms to evaluate and, where necessary, enhance their compliance programs...more

SEC Settlement Shows Commission’s Willingness to Waive Penalties for Investigatory Targets Focusing on Corrective Action

On January 28, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC or Commission) issued a press release, announcing the settlement of various fraud charges against a private technology company in light of their “significant remedial...more

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