Last month, we predicted that a renewed focus by the SEC on insider trading, MNPI and related internal controls would be one of the Top Ten Regulatory and Litigation Risks for Private Funds in 2022. Last week, the SEC’s...more
The SEC last month proposed rules under the Advisers Act indicating a dramatic shift in how the SEC intends to reduce conflicts of interest involving private fund managers and their investors. As we previously noted in the...more
5/3/2022
/ Anti-Fraud Provisions ,
Clawbacks ,
Conflicts of Interest ,
Fund Managers ,
Investment ,
Investment Adviser ,
Investment Advisers Act of 1940 ,
Investment Management ,
Investors ,
Private Funds ,
Proposed Rules ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Regulatory Reform ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Securities Regulation
Last month, the SEC proposed new rules under the Advisers Act that, if implemented, would be the most significant enhancement of disclosure obligations for private fund managers since the Dodd-Frank Act.Citing investor...more
Over the past few years, the SEC has brought fewer insider trading and Material Non-Public Information (MNPI)-related cases compared to historical numbers. We expect to see a reversal of that trend in 2022.
The SEC has...more
2021 continued the trend of increased regulatory focus on privacy and cybersecurity for private investment funds in the U.S. and abroad. There are no signs of the trend leveling off any time soon. One of the topics that...more
Sanctions continue to be a dynamic area of regulation and enforcement. In its first year, the Biden Administration has already undertaken a number of different sanctions initiatives. The three examples below highlight the...more
3/9/2022
/ Anti-Corruption ,
Asset Management ,
Asset Seizure ,
Biden Administration ,
Economic Sanctions ,
Enforcement Priorities ,
Financial Transactions ,
Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) ,
Foreign Policy ,
Foreign Relations ,
Global Magnitsky Act ,
Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) ,
Private Investment Funds ,
Russia ,
SDN List ,
Ukraine ,
Virtual Currency
A threshold question in many cryptocurrency inquiries is whether the digital assets qualify as securities under the federal securities laws. If so, then they are subject to a full suite of federal securities regulations....more
3/1/2022
/ Anti-Money Laundering ,
BSA/AML ,
CFTC ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Digital Assets ,
Financial Services Industry ,
Financial Transactions ,
Howey ,
Investment Contract ,
Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) ,
Regulatory Oversight ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Unregistered Securities
If 2021 was the year in which regulators and investors enthusiastically embraced environmental, social and governance (“ESG”) considerations, by creating new legal and regulatory frameworks, then 2022 will be the year for...more
2/25/2022
/ Business Plans ,
Business Strategies ,
Capital Investments ,
Climate Change ,
Corporate Governance ,
Corporate Social Responsibility ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
Investment ,
Private Funds ,
Publicly-Traded Companies ,
Sustainability
We reported last year that unprecedented SPAC deal volume signaled an increased risk for disputes given their unique structure, including risks associated with disclosure requirements, material non-public information,...more
The SEC’s push to regulate the next generation of blockchain-based applications will likely give rise to disputes and enforcement actions, particularly in the developing decentralized finance (DeFi) space....more
Last year, we wrote, “The regulatory and litigation risks for private funds are greater than at any time since the financial crisis in 2008.” That statement is even more true today....more
2/2/2022
/ Decentralized Finance (DeFi) ,
Digital Assets ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
Insider Trading ,
Investment Funds ,
Investment Management ,
Investment Portfolios ,
Private Equity ,
Private Funds ,
Risk Management ,
Special Purpose Acquisition Companies (SPACs)
The SEC prevailed on a motion to dismiss a closely watched lawsuit alleging that a company employee had engaged in insider trading based on news about a not-yet-public corporate acquisition when he purchased securities of a...more
For much of 2021, the SEC has been in transition. New Enforcement staff have been settling into their roles since April of 2021, when Gary Gensler was confirmed and sworn in as Chair of the SEC. Under former Chairman Jay...more
1/6/2022
/ Cryptocurrency ,
Disruptive Trading Practices ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Fund Managers ,
Hedge Funds ,
Investment Management ,
Private Equity ,
Private Funds ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Securities Violations ,
Special Purpose Acquisition Companies (SPACs)
The Biden administration's climate-change priorities and the Securities and Exchange Commission's increased emphasis on environmental, social, and corporate governance (ESG) have come into focus. The global impact of ESG...more
1/5/2022
/ Business Plans ,
Capital Investments ,
Corporate Governance ,
Corporate Social Responsibility ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
EU ,
Investment Management ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Securities Regulation ,
Sustainability
On November 18, 2021, the SEC’s Division of Enforcement announced its Enforcement Results for Fiscal Year 2021, and there are a few key takeaways for fund managers....more
On September 14, 2021, U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission Chair Gary Gensler testified before the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs. During his testimony, he stated that the SEC is exploring...more
With new types of digital assets and related business on the rise, federal authorities have been busy investigating. Recently, the SEC, FinCEN and the CFTC have imposed some notable settlements involving cryptocurrency...more
8/27/2021
/ Bank Secrecy Act ,
BitMEX ,
CFTC ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Decentralized Finance (DeFi) ,
Digital Assets ,
Enforcement Actions ,
FinCEN ,
Popular ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Securities Regulation ,
Securities Transactions ,
Securities Violations ,
Trading Platforms ,
Unregistered Securities ,
Virtual Currency
The SEC recently charged a former employee of a biopharmaceutical company with insider trading in advance of an acquisition but with a unique twist: Trading the securities of a company unrelated to the merger. ...more
8/25/2021
/ Acquisition Agreements ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Insider Trading ,
Misappropriation ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Securities Fraud ,
Securities Litigation ,
Securities Transactions ,
Securities Violations ,
Stock Options ,
Stock Prices
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) has brought an enforcement action against a special purpose acquisition company (“SPAC”) and its major participants, highlighting enhanced regulatory scrutiny of SPACs and...more
We anticipate a more assertive regulatory enforcement program under the Biden administration, particularly focused on fund managers’ conflicts of interest, advisers’ codes of ethics, and related policies and procedures...more
On March 3, 2021, the SEC’s Division of Examinations[1] announced its examination priorities for 2021. Noting the effects of the global COVID-19 pandemic, the Division of Examinations reported that during the agency’s 2020...more
3/18/2021
/ Broker-Dealer ,
Compliance ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
Investment Adviser ,
OCIE ,
Private Funds ,
Registered Investment Advisors ,
Registered Investment Companies (RICs) ,
Regulation Best Interest ,
SEC Examination Priorities ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)
From February 23 – March 18th Proskauer will host its second annual Private Credit Summit. This interactive virtual event will bring together leaders in the Private Credit industry, including lenders, private equity firms,...more
3/5/2021
/ Borrowers ,
Compensation ,
Contract Terms ,
Corporate Executives ,
Creditors ,
Deal Price ,
Debt ,
Debt Market ,
Debtors ,
Direct Lending ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Fund Managers ,
Fund Sponsors ,
Fundraisers ,
Investment Adviser ,
Investment Management ,
Investment Opportunities ,
Investors ,
Liability ,
Liquidity ,
Private Equity ,
Private Equity Firms ,
Private Lenders ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Restructuring ,
Webinars
Late last year, the SEC filed a litigated action in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York against Ripple Labs Inc. and two of its executive officers (collectively, “Ripple”), alleging that Ripple...more
2/23/2021
/ Bitcoin ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Digital Assets ,
Ether ,
Howey ,
Initial Coin Offering (ICOs) ,
Investment Contract ,
Investors ,
Securities Act of 1933 ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Token Sales
This yearly report provides a summary of some of the significant changes and developments that occurred in the past year in the hedge fund and private equity spaces, as well as certain recommended practices that investment...more
As President Biden continues to assemble his economic team, reports have emerged that President Biden will nominate Gary Gensler as the next Chair of the SEC. The nomination of Mr. Gensler would clearly signal a more...more