FinCEN, a bureau of the Department of the Treasury, has proposed amendments to the definitions of “broker or dealer in securities” and “broker-dealer” under the regulations implementing the Bank Secrecy Act. This rulemaking would amend those definitions explicitly to include funding portals that are involved in the offering or selling of crowdfunding securities pursuant to section 4(a)(6) of the Securities Act of 1933. The consequence of those amendments would be that funding portals would be required to implement policies and procedures reasonably designed to achieve compliance with the Bank Secrecy Act requirements currently applicable to brokers or dealers in securities. The proposal to specifically require funding portals to comply with the Bank Secrecy Act regulations is intended to help prevent money laundering, terrorist financing, and other financial crimes.

It may be necessary, but it is a further complication to the already unwieldy crowdfunding structure under the JOBS Act.