With effect from 1 April 2025, the licensing regime under the VASP Act will be implemented, requiring those providing virtual asset custody services or operating virtual asset trading platforms to obtain a licence under the...more
Amendments to the Cayman Islands Proceeds of Crime Act came into effect on 2 January 2025 and include revisions to the suspicious activity report (SAR) process to the Financial Reporting Authority (FRA).
In addition to a...more
1/14/2025
/ Anti-Money Laundering ,
Cayman Islands ,
Compliance ,
Financial Crimes ,
Financial Regulatory Reform ,
Financial Reporting ,
Fraud ,
Money Laundering ,
New Amendments ,
Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 (POCA) ,
Reporting Requirements ,
SAR
What are the latest regulatory developments concerning the FinTech sector?
The Law Commission’s supplemental report on digital assets as personal property (report), the Property (Digital Assets etc) Bill and the recent...more
11/22/2024
/ Anti-Money Laundering ,
Collateral ,
Crypto Exchanges ,
Cryptoassets ,
Custody ,
Digital Assets ,
FinTech ,
Fraud ,
Insolvency ,
Money Laundering ,
Trusts
How does the beneficial ownership reporting regime developments impact those within the fund governance function?
Introduction -
As noted in our recent advisory, the Cayman Islands' beneficial ownership reporting...more
10/16/2024
/ AML/CFT ,
Anti-Money Laundering ,
Beneficial Owner ,
Cayman Islands ,
Compliance ,
FACTA ,
Fund Managers ,
Governance Standards ,
Investors ,
Mutual Funds ,
Private Funds ,
Reporting Requirements
The government of the British Virgin Islands (“BVI”) and the BVI Financial Services Commission (“FSC”) – the principal financial services regulator – have progressed important initiatives in recent years that demonstrate the...more
9/25/2024
/ AML/CFT ,
Anti-Money Laundering ,
Beneficial Owner ,
Blockchain ,
British Virgin Islands ,
Compliance ,
Data Protection ,
Decentralized Finance (DeFi) ,
Digital Assets ,
Economic Sanctions ,
Electronic Fund Transfer Act ,
FinTech ,
FSMA ,
Insurance Industry ,
Investment ,
Licenses ,
Misleading Statements ,
SIBA
Associating the Cayman Islands with money laundering has been a staple of film and television, from "The Firm" in the 1990s to, more recently, "Better Call Saul."
However, scriptwriters may need to find another location...more
Following the removal of the Cayman Islands from the Financial Action Task Force's list of "jurisdictions under increased monitoring" in October 2023, on 12 December 2023, the European Commission adopted the Commission...more
Following industry consultation, on 30 August 2023 the Cayman Islands Monetary Authority ("CIMA") issued updated Guidance Notes on the Prevention and Detection of Money Laundering, Terrorist Financing and Proliferation...more
9/15/2023
/ AML/CFT ,
Anti-Fraud Provisions ,
Anti-Money Laundering ,
Cayman Islands ,
CIMA ,
Cybersecurity ,
Due Diligence ,
Financial Services Industry ,
Guidance Update ,
Money Laundering ,
Policies and Procedures ,
Recordkeeping Requirements ,
Risk Assessment ,
Selfies ,
Videoconference
Walkers' regulatory partners Lucy Frew and Ian Mason consider the learning points for financial services providers (FSPs) from recent enforcement actions by Cayman regulatory bodies.
While financial services and related...more
8/7/2023
/ AML/CFT ,
Anti-Money Laundering ,
Banks ,
Beneficial Owner ,
Cayman Islands ,
CIMA ,
Due Diligence ,
Employee Training ,
Enforcement Actions ,
FATCA ,
Financial Regulatory Agencies ,
Financial Services Industry ,
FinTech ,
Insurance Industry ,
Internal Reporting ,
Investment Funds ,
Recordkeeping Requirements ,
Securities
Following the conclusion of the most recent plenary of the Financial Action Task Force ("FATF") on 23 June 2023, the FATF has announced that it has made the initial determination that the Cayman Islands has substantively...more
The BVI Virtual Asset Service Providers Act (VASP Act) came into force on 1 February, providing clarity and certainty on the regulatory landscape for virtual asset services (VASPs) operating in or from within the BVI. ...more
2/20/2023
/ AML/CFT ,
Anti-Money Laundering ,
British Virgin Islands ,
BVI Business Companies ,
Crypto Exchanges ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Digital Assets ,
Enforcement Actions ,
New Legislation ,
Recordkeeping Requirements ,
Terrorism Funding
As widely expected, the British Virgin Islands ("BVI") is shortly bringing into force new legislation to implement the Financial Action Task Force's standards on virtual assets and virtual asset service providers (known as...more