• The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) staff made official statements regarding when a token may or may no longer be a security
• The SEC continued to bring actions related to cryptocurrency offerings against...more
9/24/2018
/ Anti-Money Laundering ,
Banking Sector ,
Bitcoin ,
Broker-Dealer ,
CFTC ,
Commodities ,
Counter-Terrorist ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Customer Due Diligence (CDD) ,
Digital Currency ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Exchange-Traded Products ,
FATF ,
Financial Institutions ,
FinTech ,
Income Taxes ,
Initial Coin Offering (ICOs) ,
Investment Adviser ,
Investment Company Act of 1940 ,
IRS ,
Jurisdiction ,
Motion to Dismiss ,
National Futures Association ,
Popular ,
Reporting Requirements ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Securities Fraud ,
Token Sales ,
Trading Platforms ,
U.S. Treasury ,
Unregistered Securities ,
Virtual Currency ,
Websites
• On August 6, 2018, following President Trump’s decision to withdraw the United States from the JCPOA, the U.S. government announced the reimposition of sanctions on Iran’s automotive sector, its trade in gold and precious...more
8/17/2018
/ Blocking Statutes ,
Economic Sanctions ,
EU ,
Executive Orders ,
International Relations ,
Iran ,
Iran Sanctions ,
Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) ,
Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) ,
SDN List ,
Secondary Sanctions ,
Trade Relations ,
Trump Administration ,
Winding Down ,
Withdrawal
• On May 22, 2018, OFAC issued General License 15, authorizing U.S. persons to engage in specified transactions related to maintenance or wind-down of operations, contracts or other agreements involving GAZ Group or any...more
• On May 1, 2018, OFAC issued General License 13A authorizing the divestment or transfer of certain debt, equity or other holdings issued by EN+ Group, GAZ Group or United Company RUSAL PLC, as well as entities in which such...more
Today, OFAC issued General License 14, authorizing U.S. persons to engage in specified transactions related to maintenance or wind down of operations, contracts or other agreements involving RUSAL until October 23, 2018,...more
• On April 6, 2018, the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) placed seven prominent Russian businessmen, 12 companies, 17 senior Russian government officials, and a state-owned Russian...more
4/9/2018
/ Banking Sector ,
Blocked Person ,
CAATSA ,
Economic Sanctions ,
Executive Orders ,
Financial Institutions ,
General Licenses ,
Government Officials ,
Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) ,
Russia ,
SDN List ,
State-Owned Enterprises ,
Trump Administration ,
U.S. Treasury
On January 12, 2018, the U.S. administration took three actions relating to Iran -
• First, President Trump waived again the application of certain nuclear sanctions while making clear that the United States will refuse to...more
• The next significant Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA)-related deadline for the Trump administration is January 29, 2018, when it must submit reports to Congress on “oligarchs and parastatal...more
1/22/2018
/ Arctic Drilling ,
CAATSA ,
Defense Sector ,
Economic Sanctions ,
Energy Sector ,
Executive Orders ,
Foreign Financial Institutions (FFI) ,
National Security ,
New Guidance ,
Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) ,
Oil & Gas ,
Russia ,
Shale Gas ,
Trump Administration
• On November 9, 2017, the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), the U.S. Department of State, and the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) took coordinated...more
12/22/2017
/ Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) ,
Cuba ,
Cuban Assets Control Regulations (CACR) ,
Economic Sanctions ,
Export Administration Regulations (EAR) ,
Exports ,
Financial Transactions ,
National Security ,
Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) ,
Presidential Memorandum ,
Private Sector ,
Trump Administration ,
U.S. Commerce Department ,
U.S. Treasury ,
US Department of State
• Effective October 13, 2017, President Trump declined to provide certification that the JCPOA is in the United States’ national interest. Following this “decertification,” the U.S. Congress has 60 days in which to introduce...more
11/2/2017
/ Anti-Terrorism Financing ,
Decertify ,
Economic Sanctions ,
Executive Orders ,
Foreign Policy ,
Foreign Relations ,
Iran ,
Iran Nuclear Agreement Review Act of 2015 (INARA) ,
Iran Sanctions ,
Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) ,
Legislative Amendments ,
Members of Congress ,
Nuclear Weapons ,
Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) ,
Proposed Legislation ,
SDN List ,
Sunset Provisions ,
Trump Administration ,
U.S. Treasury
• On October 27, 2017, the U.S. State Department issued guidance identifying 39 entities related to the defense and intelligence sectors of the Government of the Russian Federation and issued related guidance on criteria to...more
10/31/2017
/ Defense Sector ,
Economic Sanctions ,
Export-Import Bank of the US ,
Exports ,
Extraterritoriality Rules ,
Financial Institutions ,
Foreign Exchanges ,
National Intelligence Agencies ,
New Guidance ,
Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) ,
Russia ,
Secretary of the Treasury ,
State-Owned Enterprises ,
Trump Administration ,
US State Departments
Based on certain State Department findings, effective October 12, 2017, long-standing U.S. sanctions on the Republic of Sudan administered by OFAC under the Sudan Sanctions Regulations will be terminated, and U.S. persons...more
10/13/2017
/ Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) ,
Commerce Control List ,
Commodities ,
Department of Defense (DOD) ,
Economic Sanctions ,
Executive Orders ,
Export Administration Regulations (EAR) ,
Exports ,
General Licenses ,
Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) ,
SDN List ,
Secretary of State ,
Sudan ,
Trade Restrictions ,
Trump Administration ,
TSRA
On September 29, 2017, OFAC modified Directives 1 and 2 of Executive Order 13662 to reduce the permissible maturity for new debt issued by Russian financial and energy entities designated under these directives, as well as...more
10/5/2017
/ Banking Sector ,
Cybersecurity ,
Debt ,
Economic Sanctions ,
Energy Sector ,
Executive Orders ,
Foreign Financial Institutions (FFI) ,
Foreign Relations ,
Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) ,
Presidential Directives ,
Russia ,
Trump Administration ,
Ukraine
On August 4, 2017, the Council of the European Union (the “Council”) made six new designations to the list of persons subject to restrictive measures in respect of actions undermining or threatening the territorial integrity,...more
8/21/2017
/ Annexation ,
Asset Freeze ,
Crimea ,
Economic Sanctions ,
Energy Sector ,
EU ,
Export Controls ,
Oil & Gas ,
Power Plants ,
Russia ,
Siemens ,
Trade Restrictions ,
Travel Ban ,
Ukraine
On August 2, 2017, President Trump signed into law the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act of 2017 (Pub. Law. No. 115-44, H.R. 3364) (the “Act”), which significantly expands economic sanctions against...more
8/9/2017
/ Anti-Corruption ,
Anti-Terrorism Financing ,
Arms Embargo ,
Congressional Override ,
Cyber Sanctions ,
Economic Sanctions ,
Executive Orders ,
Exports ,
Foreign Financial Institutions (FFI) ,
Foreign Relations ,
Iran Sanctions ,
Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) ,
North Korea ,
Oil & Gas ,
Pipelines ,
Privatization ,
Russia ,
SDN List ,
SSI List ,
State-Owned Enterprises ,
Syria ,
Trade Restrictions ,
Trump Administration
On June 16, 2017, the Trump administration issued a national security presidential memorandum entitled “Strengthening the Policy of the United States Towards Cuba” (the “Presidential Memorandum”). Related to this...more
6/21/2017
/ Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) ,
Business Licenses ,
Cuba ,
Department of Transportation (DOT) ,
Economic Sanctions ,
Financial Transactions ,
Internet ,
Obama Administration ,
Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) ,
Presidential Memorandum ,
Tourism ,
Travel Restrictions ,
Trump Administration
On February 2, 2017, the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) issued Cyber-related General License (GL) 1, a general license that authorizes certain transactions with Russia’s Federal...more
The results of the U.S. presidential election are historic and unanticipated, and they will have significant economic, political, legal and social implications. As we prepare for the Trump presidency, many uncertainties...more
11/17/2016
/ Antitrust Provisions ,
Critical Infrastructure Sectors ,
Cybersecurity ,
Energy Sector ,
Environmental Policies ,
Foreign Policy ,
Health Insurance ,
Immigration Enforcement ,
Tax Reform ,
Trade Policy ,
Trump Administration
Key Points -
- OFAC’s latest changes expand opportunities for U.S. persons to engage in medical research with Cuban nationals, authorize U.S. persons to obtain FDA approval of Cuba-origin pharmaceuticals, and market...more
If you read one thing…
- On October 7, 2016, President Obama issued an Executive Order that effectively eliminates sanctions against Myanmar (referred to as Burma by the White House) and removes the sanctions...more
On October 7, 2016, the U.S. Department of the Treasury, Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) published new guidance clarifying (a) circumstances under which non-U.S. financial institutions (FFIs) may engage in U.S. dollar...more
The U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) issued new Russia/Ukraine-related sanctions on Thursday, September 1, 2016. This action marks OFAC’s first major expansion of the Specially...more
CNG – Cuba Natural Gas -
With the recent shift in U.S. government policy regarding Cuba, is now the time for the energy industry, particularly liquefied natural gas (LNG) project developers, to consider Cuba?...more
In a keynote address at the London Anti-Corruption Summit, Prime Minister David Cameron raised the possibility of new U.K. legislation to make corporations liable for “failure to prevent” fraud or money-laundering offenses...more
On May 3, French fashion house Chanel hosted the first international fashion show in Cuba since the 1959 communist revolution. The Resort 2017 show was held open-air in Paseo del Prado, one of the city’s central streets. It...more