While the total number of filings declined in comparison to recent years, CFIUS's latest Annual Report to Congress highlights an uptick in penalties and an increased use of enforcement tools relating to national...more
On July 8, 2024, the U.S. Department of the Treasury ("Treasury") issued a proposed rule to expand the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States' ("CFIUS") jurisdiction over certain categories of foreign investment...more
In recent years, the world has witnessed heightened sensitivity surrounding foreign investments, leading to increased regulatory scrutiny of foreign direct investments ("FDI") on the basis of national security concerns. The...more
In a coordinated announcement, federal agencies stress the benefits of voluntarily disclosing potential trade violations while emphasizing increased enforcement....more
8/22/2023
/ Anti-Money Laundering ,
Bank Secrecy Act ,
Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) ,
CFIUS ,
Economic Sanctions ,
Export Controls ,
FinCEN ,
Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) ,
National Security ,
Non-Prosecution Agreements ,
Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) ,
U.S. Commerce Department ,
U.S. Treasury ,
Voluntary Disclosure ,
Whistleblowers ,
White Collar Crimes
The Biden administration has issued a long-anticipated executive order targeting U.S. outbound investment in certain Chinese industries; however, significant steps remain before these measures are fully implemented....more
8/22/2023
/ Advanced Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ANPRM) ,
Biden Administration ,
China ,
Comment Period ,
Executive Orders ,
Final Rules ,
Foreign Investment ,
National Security ,
Outbound Transactions ,
Popular ,
U.S. Treasury
On June 16, the U.S. Department of Commerce published a final rule, effective July 17, 2023, on Securing the Information and Communications Technology and Services ("ICTS") Supply Chain, signaling potential new actions on...more
In Short -
The Situation: The U.S. Department of Commerce ("Commerce") recently published a proposed rule to implement the Creating Helpful Incentives to Produce Semiconductors ("CHIPS") Act, a domestic manufacturing...more
The Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States ("CFIUS") has released its first-ever enforcement and penalty guidelines—putting industry on notice and inviting self-disclosures....more
On September 15, 2022, President Biden issued an EO "elaborating and expanding" upon the factors CFIUS must consider as part of its national security review process. Although the EO does not change the formal CFIUS process or...more
In Short -
The Situation: In early August 2022, the Department of the Treasury's Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States ("CFIUS" or "the Committee") released its new annual report. ...more
The Situation: As part of a series of recent executive actions regarding the People's Republic of China ("PRC"), President Biden issued a new executive order on June 3, 2021—Executive Order 14032—that refines novel sanctions...more
6/30/2021
/ Biden Administration ,
China ,
Defense Sector ,
Executive Orders ,
Foreign Policy ,
Foreign Relations ,
Investment ,
National Security ,
Prohibited Transactions ,
Securities Transactions ,
Supply Chain
President Biden's Executive Orders on China underscore the need for experienced counsel in U.S.-China transactions as the two countries' relations continue to impact the regulatory landscape. On June 9, 2021, President Biden...more
6/30/2021
/ Biden Administration ,
Blocking Statutes ,
China ,
Executive Orders ,
Foreign Adversaries ,
Foreign Policy ,
Foreign Relations ,
Mobile Apps ,
National Security ,
Software ,
Supply Chain ,
TikTok ,
Trade Retaliation ,
US Trade Policies
President Biden's Executive Order calls for an extensive reassessment and revamping of the federal government's cybersecurity defenses and incident response capabilities, establishing benchmarks that may inform standards...more
The Situation: Later this month, transactions in the information and communication technology and services ("ICTS") sector that involve designated "foreign adversaries" will be subject to review by the U.S. Department of...more
The Development: China's Ministry of Commerce ("MOFCOM") released Rules on Counteracting Unjustified Extra-Territorial Application of Foreign Laws and Other Measures ("Rules") on January 9, 2021. Effective immediately, the...more
On November 12, 2020, President Trump issued an Executive Order titled "Addressing the Threat from Securities Investments that Finance Communist Chinese Military Companies," which will prohibit U.S. persons from participating...more
The Situation: In an October 1, 2020, Advisory, the U.S. Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control ("OFAC") warned that companies that make or facilitate ransomware payments to threat actors who are...more
The Situation: The U.S. Department of the Treasury ("Treasury Department") recently issued proposed regulations that will alter and in some cases expand the scope of critical technology foreign investments subject to...more
6/23/2020
/ CFIUS ,
Critical Infrastructure Sectors ,
Export Administration Regulations (EAR) ,
Export Controls ,
FIRRMA ,
Foreign Investment ,
ITAR ,
National Security ,
New Rules ,
Proposed Regulation ,
U.S. Treasury
The Situation: The Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States ("CFIUS," or the "Committee") recently published draft regulations implementing the Foreign Investment Risk Review Modernization Act ("FIRRMA"), which...more
10/31/2019
/ Biotechnology ,
CFIUS ,
Cross-Border Transactions ,
Data Collection ,
Draft Guidance ,
Export Administration Regulations (EAR) ,
Export Controls ,
FIRRMA ,
Foreign Investment ,
ITAR ,
Life Sciences ,
National Security ,
Personal Data ,
Real Estate Transactions
The Situation: The U.S. government imposed initial sanctions on Russia under the Chemical and Biological Weapons Control and Warfare Elimination Act of 1991. The sanctions relate to the March 2018 attempted assassination of...more
On May 11, 2018, the U.S. Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs ("Committee") released a "discussion draft" of the Committee's amendment to the Foreign Investment Risk Review Modernization Act of 2017...more
The Situation: On Tuesday, May 8, 2018, President Trump announced that the United States has withdrawn from the Iran Nuclear Deal and will fully reimpose its suspended sanctions targeting Iran.
The Result: All currently...more
5/14/2018
/ Economic Sanctions ,
Exporters ,
Foreign Financial Institutions (FFI) ,
Foreign Policy ,
General Licenses ,
Iran ,
Iran Sanctions ,
Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) ,
National Security ,
Nuclear Weapons ,
Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) ,
SDN List ,
Trump Administration ,
TSRA
The Situation: The Trump Administration has imposed sanctions against a number of high-profile Russian individuals and entities by adding them to the Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons ("SDN") List.
The...more
4/12/2018
/ Blocked Person ,
CAATSA ,
Economic Sanctions ,
Executive Orders ,
Financial Institutions ,
General Licenses ,
Government Officials ,
National Security ,
Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) ,
Russia ,
SDN List ,
State-Owned Enterprises ,
Trump Administration ,
U.S. Treasury
While 2017 was an evolutionary year for the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States ("CFIUS"), 2018 portends to be a revolutionary year. A number of factors, including a new President, growing concerns over...more
Congress recently introduced two pieces of legislation that could significantly change foreign direct investment review in the United States. The Foreign Investment Risk Review Modernization Act of 2017 ("FIRRMA") seeks to...more