Despite a 50% increase in whistleblower tips over fiscal year (FY) 2022, the number of whistleblowers who received awards from the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) decreased significantly in FY 2023. This trend...more
On November 14, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) published its enforcement results for fiscal year 2023, which concluded on September 30. These results provide insight into the SEC's priorities and enforcement...more
As reported in more detail on our Regulatory Oversight blog, the Securities and Exchange Commission’s Division of Examinations recently released its 2024 Examination Priorities report. The report underscores the SEC’s intent...more
10/31/2023
/ Anti-Money Laundering ,
Bank Secrecy Act ,
Broker-Dealer ,
BSA/AML ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Customer Identification Program (CIP) ,
Digital Assets ,
Emerging Technologies ,
Financial Institutions ,
SEC Examination Priorities ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Suspicious Activity Reports (SARs)
The Securities and Exchange Commission’s Division of Examinations has outlined its 2024 Examination Priorities, with a significant focus on cryptocurrency, emerging technology, and Anti-Money Laundering (AML) laws. This has...more
10/31/2023
/ Anti-Money Laundering ,
Broker-Dealer ,
BSA/AML ,
Consumer Privacy Rights ,
Customer Identification Program (CIP) ,
Financial Institutions ,
Financial Services Industry ,
Investment Adviser ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
SEC Examination Priorities ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Suspicious Activity Reports (SARs)
On October 16, the Securities and Exchange Commission’s Division of Examinations (the Division) released its 2024 Examination Priorities report. The report highlights that future examinations will focus on “risk areas...more
10/31/2023
/ Anti-Money Laundering ,
Bank Secrecy Act ,
Beneficial Owner ,
Broker-Dealer ,
BSA/AML ,
Cryptoassets ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Emerging Technology Companies ,
Financial Institutions ,
Investment Adviser ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
SEC Examination Priorities ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Technology
On October 19, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) dismissed its claims against Ripple Labs, Inc. (Ripple) executives Bradley Garlinghouse and Christian Larsen for allegedly aiding and abetting Ripple’s violations of...more
10/23/2023
/ Cryptoassets ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Cybersecurity ,
Digital Assets ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Interlocutory Appeals ,
Popular ,
Ripple ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Securities Violations ,
Summary Judgment ,
Trading Platforms
On October 4, U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California Martin Estrada announced the formation of a new task force, the Corporate and Securities Fraud Strike Force....more
10/13/2023
/ Bank Secrecy Act ,
California ,
Financial Markets ,
Financial Services Industry ,
Insider Trading ,
Money Laundering ,
Securities Fraud ,
Securities Regulation ,
Securities Transactions ,
Securities Violations ,
State and Local Government ,
Tax Evasion ,
Trading Platforms
The U.S. Supreme Court agreed to hear a case this term involving the circuit split over the types of disclosures that private plaintiffs can enforce under Section 10(b) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Section 10(b)...more
10/6/2023
/ Certiorari ,
Class Action ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Macquarie Infrastructure Corp v Moab Partners LP ,
Regulation S-K ,
Rule 10(b) ,
SCOTUS ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Securities Exchange Act of 1934 ,
Securities Regulation ,
Securities Violations
On September 8, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) announced that it settled charges against Monolith Resources LLC, a privately held technology and energy company headquartered in Nebraska. The SEC’s...more
On September 6, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) issued a risk alert, which detailed the factors the division considers in its risk-based approach for selecting SEC-registered investment advisers (advisers) to...more
Many publicly reporting companies often respond to lawsuits by characterizing them as “without merit” in their securities filings. If the company does not prevail in such litigation, can it still be held responsible for...more
8/17/2023
/ Class Action ,
Misappropriation ,
Misleading Statements ,
Publicly-Traded Companies ,
Scienter ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Securities Fraud ,
Securities Regulation ,
Securities Violations ,
Smaller Reporting Companies ,
Trademarks
On August 9, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) sent a letter to U.S. District Judge Analisa Torres requesting leave to file an interlocutory appeal in SEC v. Ripple Labs, Inc. as to the two adverse liability...more
8/17/2023
/ Appellate Courts ,
Cryptoassets ,
Digital Currency ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Financial Institutions ,
Financial Services Industry ,
Howey ,
Interlocutory Appeals ,
Leave to Appeal ,
Ripple ,
SCOTUS ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Securities Transactions ,
Token Sales ,
Trading Platforms
In a long-awaited decision in SEC v. Ripple Labs, Inc., U.S. District Judge Analisa Torres of the Southern District of New York held that Ripple Labs, Inc.’s (Ripple) XRP token is not, in and of itself, a security requiring...more
On June 30, the U.S. Supreme Court granted certiorari in SEC v. Jarkesy, et al. and agreed to hear the case that could potentially end the use of administrative courts and administrative law judges (ALJ) in administrative...more
In recent years, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has had its eye on the special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) market — warning investors against putting money into SPACs, expressing skepticism about...more
In a unanimous decision, the U.S. Supreme Court held in Slack Technologies v. Pirani, No. 22-200, 2023 WL 3742580, 598 U.S. __ ( June 1, 2023) that a claim under Section 11 of the Securities Act of 1933 is not viable unless a...more
On April 26, the SEC’s Division of Examinations (EXAMS) issued a risk alert on the importance of broker-dealers and investment advisers (collectively, “firms”) establishing and following written policies and procedures aimed...more
On April 14, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) reopened the comment period for a January 2022 proposal that would subject cryptocurrency exchanges and decentralized finance (DeFi) platforms to the Securities...more
On April 14, the Supreme Court unanimously held that federal district courts have jurisdiction to review constitutional challenges to the structures of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and Securities and Exchange Commission...more
In March 2023, the Department of Justice (DOJ) Criminal Division updated its Evaluation of Corporate Compliance Programs (ECCP) guidance to address the use of personal devices and third-party messaging applications by...more
On March 14, DXC Technology Company (DXC) settled charges alleged by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) for $8 million. The SEC claimed that DXC made misleading disclosures and lacked adequate disclosure controls...more
On February 3, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) announced that video game developer Activision Blizzard, Inc. (Activision) agreed to pay $35 million to settle accusations that it violated whistleblower...more
On January 6, a federal judge for the Western District of New York denied a cannabis and tobacco engineering company’s attempt to dismiss claims that it concealed a U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) investigation...more
On January 9, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) announced that it had reached a settlement with McDonald’s and its former CEO, Stephen Easterbrook, for charges stemming from McDonald’s 2019 termination of...more
On January 10, FINRA published its “2023 Report on FINRA’s Examination and Risk Management Program” (Report) — FINRA’s third annual compendium of guidance, covering key topics and emerging risks for member firms to consider...more