On April 1, 2021, the Department of the Treasury’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) issued an advance notice of proposed rulemaking (ANPRM) to solicit public comments on the implementation of the Corporate...more
On April 15, 2021, President Joe Biden issued Executive Order 14024, titled the “Executive Order on Blocking Property With Respect to Specified Harmful Foreign Activities of the Government of the Russian Federation,” which...more
This issue discusses a variety of legal, regulatory and enforcement developments in the digital asset space in the U.S. and Europe....more
4/19/2021
/ Bitcoin ,
Blockchain ,
CFTC ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Digital Assets ,
Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT) ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Ethereum ,
FinCEN ,
Initial Coin Offering (ICOs) ,
Investment Adviser ,
Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Smart Contracts ,
Virtual Currency
Rapidly growing interest in nonfungible tokens (NFTs) has been fueled by recent headlines of multimillion-dollar transactions, such as the $69 million sale of an NFT by digital artist Beeple — the third-highest price ever...more
In response to the February 1, 2021, military coup in Burma (Myanmar), on February 10, 2021, President Joe Biden issued Executive Order 14014 (EO 14014), “Executive Order on Blocking Property With Respect to the Situation in...more
On January 7, 2021, the original 15-day comment period ended for a proposed rule announced by the U.S. Department of the Treasury's Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) that would impose new reporting, recordkeeping...more
On January 1, 2021, the United States Congress overrode the president’s veto to enact the 2021 National Defense Authorization Act (the NDAA), which, aside from allocating the annual defense budget, includes the Anti-Money...more
On November 12, 2020, President Trump signed Executive Order 13959 prohibiting U.S. persons from engaging in any transaction in publicly traded securities in “Communist Chinese military companies” (CCMCs), effective January...more
11/18/2020
/ Biden Administration ,
China ,
Department of Defense (DOD) ,
Executive Orders ,
Foreign Relations ,
National Security ,
NDAA ,
Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) ,
Publicly-Traded Companies ,
Securities Transactions ,
Trump Administration
On October 27, 2020, the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) and the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (Federal Reserve, together with FinCEN, “the Agencies”)...more
11/11/2020
/ Bank Secrecy Act ,
FATF ,
Federal Reserve ,
Financial Institutions ,
FinCEN ,
Fund Transfers ,
Know Your Customers ,
Money Services Business ,
Money Transmitter ,
National Security ,
Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NOPR) ,
Public Comment ,
Recordkeeping Requirements ,
Travel Rule ,
Virtual Currency
On August 31, 2020, the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA), within the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), issued a memorandum to all executive departments and agencies on reforming regulatory enforcement...more
10/14/2020
/ Administrative Proceedings ,
Best Practices ,
Burden of Proof ,
CFTC ,
Civil Liability ,
Civil Monetary Penalty ,
Criminal Penalties ,
Criminal Prosecution ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Executive Orders ,
FinCEN ,
Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) ,
OMB ,
Publicly-Traded Companies ,
Regulatory Oversight ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Standard of Review
In the wake of China’s new national security law for Hong Kong that went into effect on June 30, 2020, the Trump administration has taken several steps to significantly pare back Hong Kong’s preferential status under U.S....more
7/20/2020
/ Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) ,
China ,
Economic Sanctions ,
Export Administration Regulations (EAR) ,
Export Controls ,
Foreign Financial Institutions (FFI) ,
Foreign Persons ,
Hong Kong ,
Hong Kong Autonomy Act (HKAA) ,
Human Rights ,
Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) ,
Preferential Trade Status ,
Revocation ,
Risk Assessment ,
Rollbacks ,
Trump Administration ,
U.S. Commerce Department ,
US Trade Policies
In the last 30 years, the U.S. Congress has enacted several laws enabling victims of terrorism to seek damages in U.S. federal courts. The central piece of legislation in this regard, the Antiterrorism Act of 1990 (ATA), has...more
5/27/2020
/ Aiding and Abetting ,
Antiterrorism Act ,
Damages ,
Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act of 1976 (FSIA) ,
Foreign Sovereigns ,
Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act (JASTA) ,
Opati v Republic of Sudan ,
Popular ,
Post-Judgment Enforcement Actions ,
Private Right of Action ,
Remedies ,
SCOTUS ,
State Sponsors of Terrorism ,
Terrorist Acts
The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act, or the CARES Act, which was signed into law on March 27, 2020, provided for the establishment and expansion of a range of economic assistance programs designed to help...more
5/15/2020
/ Banks ,
CARES Act ,
Congressional Oversight ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Criminal Investigations ,
Criminal Penalties ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Enforcement Actions ,
False Claims Act (FCA) ,
False Statements ,
Financial Regulatory Agencies ,
Financial Stimulus ,
Fraud ,
GAO ,
Government Investigations ,
Inspector General ,
Law Enforcement ,
Lenders ,
Loan Forgiveness ,
Pandemic Response Accountability Committee (PRAC) ,
Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) ,
Regulatory Oversight ,
Risk Management ,
SBA ,
SIGPR
Addressing the Evolving Risks -
Warren Buffett said that “only when the tide goes out do you discover who’s been swimming naked.” Buffett was not talking about compliance programs in a time of crisis, but his wisdom applies...more
5/2/2020
/ Anti-Corruption ,
Anti-Money Laundering ,
BSA/AML ,
Compliance ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Corporate Misconduct ,
Cybersecurity ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Economic Sanctions ,
Enforcement Actions ,
FFIEC ,
Financial Distress ,
Financial Fraud ,
FinCEN ,
Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) ,
Market Manipulation ,
Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) ,
Popular ,
Public Health Emergency ,
Publicly-Traded Companies ,
Risk Assessment ,
Risk Mitigation ,
Sanction Violations ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)
While enforcement agencies have yet to indicate that they intend to put their pens down in response to COVID-19, there is anecdotal evidence that some agencies have slowed their investigations as remote working impacts matter...more
3/31/2020
/ Anti-Corruption ,
Anti-Money Laundering ,
CFTC ,
Compliance ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Debt Market ,
Disruptive Trading Practices ,
Economic Sanctions ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Equity Markets ,
Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) ,
France ,
Market Abuse ,
Risk Management ,
Social Distancing ,
Tax Evasion ,
UK Bribery Act ,
White Collar Crimes
On March 27, 2020, Congress approved the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act) to provide financial assistance to individuals and businesses, which in aggregate greatly exceeds the financial package...more
3/31/2020
/ Airlines ,
Banks ,
Capital Markets ,
CARES Act ,
Commercial Tenants ,
Community Banks ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Economic Stimulus ,
Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) ,
Federal Food Drug and Cosmetic Act (FFDCA) ,
Federal Grants ,
Federal Loans ,
Federal Reserve ,
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ,
Forbearance Agreements ,
Foreclosure ,
Health Care Providers ,
Health Insurance ,
Landlords ,
Life Sciences ,
Medical Devices ,
Mergers ,
Mortgages ,
National Security ,
Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) ,
Payroll Taxes ,
Personal Protective Equipment ,
Pharmaceutical Industry ,
Prescription Drugs ,
Property Owners ,
Qualified Immunity ,
Relief Measures ,
Small Business ,
Small Business Loans ,
Supply Chain ,
Tax Credits ,
Tax Deductions ,
Tax Deferral ,
Tenants ,
Unemployment Insurance ,
Virus Testing
In light of Turkey’s military intervention in northeast Syria, President Donald Trump issued, on October 14, 2019, Executive Order 13894 (EO 13894), “Blocking Property and Suspending Entry of Certain Persons Contributing to...more
10/21/2019
/ Blocked Person ,
Economic Sanctions ,
Executive Orders ,
Foreign Financial Institutions (FFI) ,
General Licenses ,
Iran Sanctions ,
Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) ,
SDN List ,
Secondary Sanctions ,
Steel Industry ,
Syria ,
Tariffs ,
Trump Administration ,
Turkey
This issue of Skadden’s semiannual Cross-Border Investigations Update takes a close look at recent cases, regulatory activity and other key developments, including a review of the first year of GDPR enforcement, analysis of...more
10/3/2019
/ Anti-Money Laundering ,
Appeals ,
Blocking Statutes ,
Bribery ,
CFTC ,
China ,
CLOUD Act ,
Communication Restrictions ,
Compliance ,
Conspiracies ,
Cooperation Agreement ,
Crime (Overseas Production Orders) Act 2019 (the COPO Act) ,
Criminal Prosecution ,
Cross-Border Transactions ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Cybersecurity ,
Deferred Prosecution Agreements ,
Denial of Certiorari ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Deutsche Bank ,
Disclosure ,
Dodd-Frank ,
Economic Sanctions ,
Enforcement Actions ,
EU ,
EURIBOR ,
Exports ,
Extradition ,
Extraterritoriality Rules ,
Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) ,
Financial Records ,
Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) ,
Foreign Exchanges ,
France ,
Fraud ,
General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) ,
Government Investigations ,
Hackers ,
Hungary ,
Imports ,
India ,
Indictments ,
Information Sharing ,
Iran Sanctions ,
Israel ,
Lithuania ,
Money Laundering ,
Morrison v National Australia Bank ,
Multinationals ,
Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) ,
Opioid ,
Pharmaceutical Industry ,
Popular ,
Rate-Rigging ,
SCOTUS ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Serious Fraud Office (SFO) ,
Spoofing ,
Subpoenas ,
Swiss Supreme Court ,
Switzerland ,
Tax Crimes ,
Tax Evasion ,
Tax Treaty ,
Turkey ,
UK ,
United States ,
Venezuela ,
Wal-Mart
In April 2019, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced that the U.S. government would allow a private right of action, created by Title III of the Cuban Liberty and Democratic Solidarity (Libertad) Act of 1996 (also known as...more
5/10/2019
/ Blocking Statutes ,
Canada ,
Confiscated Property ,
Cuba ,
EU ,
Expropriation ,
FSCS ,
Helms-Burton Act ,
Personal Remittance Caps ,
Private Right of Action ,
Sanction Suspensions ,
Sanctions ,
Third-Party ,
Title III ,
Trafficking ,
Travel Restrictions ,
Treble Damages ,
Trump Administration ,
UK ,
US Department of State
In 2018, the United States continued to expand its sanctions programs and increase enforcement. While President Donald Trump’s decision to re-impose nuclear-related sanctions on Iran has perhaps drawn the most attention, key...more
1/23/2019
/ Blocked Entities ,
Blocked Person ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Cuba ,
Economic Sanctions ,
Executive Orders ,
Foreign Policy ,
General Licenses ,
Iran ,
Iran Sanctions ,
Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) ,
Nicaragua ,
Nuclear Power ,
Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) ,
Russia ,
Sanction Violations ,
SDN List ,
Secondary Sanctions ,
Trump Administration ,
Venezuela ,
Withdrawal
This issue of Skadden’s semiannual Cross-Border Investigations Update takes a close look at recent cases, regulatory activity and other key developments, including DOJ guidance on the use of corporate monitors in criminal...more
1/7/2019
/ Anti-Bribery ,
Anti-Corruption ,
Anti-Money Laundering ,
Appeals ,
Attorney-Client Privilege ,
Brazil ,
Bribery ,
BSA/AML ,
China ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Criminal Conspiracy ,
Criminal Convictions ,
Criminal Investigations ,
Cross-Border ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Cyber Attacks ,
Cybersecurity ,
Data Privacy ,
Data Protection Acts ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Enforcement Actions ,
EU ,
Exports ,
Extraterritoriality Rules ,
FATCA ,
Financial Crimes ,
Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) ,
Forex ,
France ,
Government Investigations ,
Guilty Pleas ,
Hackers ,
Imports ,
International Litigation ,
Iran ,
Legal Professional Privilege ,
Libor ,
Litigation Privilege ,
Market Manipulation ,
Money Laundering ,
Multi-Jurisdictional Litigation ,
Multinationals ,
NYDFS ,
Privileged Communication ,
Russia ,
Sanction Violations ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Securities Fraud ,
SFO ,
Spoofing ,
Tax Fraud ,
Traders ,
UK ,
Unexplained Wealth Orders (UWOs) ,
United Arab Emirates (UAE) ,
Yates Memorandum
On November 5, 2018, the United States reimposed all remaining nuclear-related sanctions against Iran that it had previously lifted in connection with its implementation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) in...more
11/13/2018
/ Cross-Border Transactions ,
Economic Sanctions ,
Executive Orders ,
Financial Institutions ,
Iran ,
Iran Sanctions ,
ITSR ,
Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) ,
Nuclear Power ,
Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) ,
Oil & Gas ,
SDN List ,
Secondary Sanctions ,
Trump Administration ,
Winding Down ,
Withdrawal
On November 1, 2018, President Donald Trump issued Executive Order 13850 (E.O. 13850), which broadly targets corrupt practices in Venezuela and builds on several recent rounds of U.S. sanctions against the Venezuelan...more
11/9/2018
/ Corruption ,
Defense Sector ,
Economic Sanctions ,
Energy Sector ,
Engineering ,
Executive Orders ,
Government Officials ,
Mining ,
Rare Earth Metals ,
State-Owned Enterprises ,
Trump Administration ,
Venezuela
On August 27, 2018, the U.S. Department of State implemented the first tranche of new sanctions on Russia under the Chemical and Biological Weapons Control and Warfare Elimination Act (the CBW Act). The enactment of these...more
9/10/2018
/ Arms Export Control Act ,
Aviation Industry ,
CBW Act ,
Chemical Warfare ,
Dual Use Goods ,
Economic Sanctions ,
End-Users ,
Exports ,
Foreign Assistance Programs ,
Licensing Rules ,
National Security ,
Russia ,
State Funding ,
State-Owned Enterprises ,
Subsidiaries ,
Technology ,
U.S. Commerce Department ,
US Department of State
This issue of Skadden’s semiannual Cross-Border Investigations Update takes a close look at recent cases, regulatory activity and other key developments, including the use of legal holds in cross-border investigations,...more
8/29/2018
/ China ,
Civil Monetary Penalty ,
Cooperation ,
Criminal Investigations ,
Cross-Border Transactions ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Cybersecurity ,
Data Breach ,
Data Protection ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Enforcement Actions ,
EU ,
Fee Reductions ,
General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) ,
Initial Coin Offering (ICOs) ,
Personal Liability ,
Popular ,
Privileged Communication ,
Serious Fraud Office (SFO) ,
Settlement ,
Trump Administration ,
UK