Welcome to Wilson Sonsini’s Focus on Fintech newsletter. This quarterly newsletter provides ongoing analysis and commentary on regulatory developments impacting the fintech industry.
In this issue, our attorneys discuss...more
5/2/2025
/ Banking Sector ,
Consumer Protection Laws ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Financial Services Industry ,
FinTech ,
Popular ,
Proposed Rules ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Securities Regulation
On February 21, 2025, the White House released a memorandum titled, “America First Investment Policy” (the Memorandum). The Memorandum describes how this Administration plans to address U.S. national security risks stemming...more
3/6/2025
/ CFIUS ,
China ,
Executive Orders ,
Export Controls ,
Foreign Investment ,
Investment ,
National Security ,
Popular ,
Rulemaking Process ,
Technology Sector ,
U.S. Treasury
A Guide to the New Diligence Questions for “Outbound” U.S. Investment -
In late October 2024, the U.S. Treasury Department (Treasury) issued its final rules (the Outbound Rules) implementing President Biden’s Executive Order...more
On September 4, 2024, the U.S Department of the Treasury’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) published a final rule that expands the definition of “financial institution” to include Registered Investment Advisers...more
10/4/2024
/ AML/CFT ,
Anti-Money Laundering ,
Financial Adviser ,
Financial Crimes ,
Financial Institutions ,
FinCEN ,
Investment Adviser ,
Money Laundering ,
Popular ,
Registered Investment Advisors ,
Unregistered Brokers
Money services businesses (MSBs), a category which includes money transmitters (e.g., PayPal and other payment facilitators), as well as administrators and exchangers of convertible virtual currencies (e.g., Bitcoin...more
New Regulations Will Require Additional Diligence for a Broad Array of Transactions, Including Many Investments in U.S. and Global Businesses -
On June 21, 2024, the U.S. Treasury Department (Treasury) issued a Notice of...more
6/26/2024
/ Artificial Intelligence ,
Biden Administration ,
China ,
Executive Orders ,
Foreign Investment ,
National Security ,
Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NOPR) ,
Popular ,
Semiconductors ,
Technology Sector ,
U.S. Treasury
On August 24, 2023, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) filed a complaint against Space Exploration Technologies Corporation (SpaceX) for its alleged violations of the Immigration and Nationality Act’s (INA) prohibition on...more
In this latest issue of the firm’s Focus on Fintech newsletter, our attorneys discuss the dissolution of Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank and the increased scrutiny on banking activity, as well as a number of updates...more
On October 11, 2022, the U.S. Treasury's Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) and Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) announced settlements with Bittrex Inc. (Bittrex). The settlements arise from violations of...more
10/19/2022
/ Anti-Money Laundering ,
Crypto Exchanges ,
Cryptoassets ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Economic Sanctions ,
Financial Institutions ,
FinCEN ,
Money Laundering ,
Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) ,
Popular ,
Sanctions
The global NFT (non-fungible token) market now is worth dozens of billions of dollars annually. Innovators and early adopters, marketplaces, and sellers, are all eager to join this market but may have questions about how to...more
5/24/2022
/ Anti-Money Laundering ,
Blockchain ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Digital Assets ,
Economic Sanctions ,
Financial Institutions ,
Financial Markets ,
Money Laundering ,
Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) ,
Popular ,
Virtual Currency
On February 4, 2022, the United States Department of the Treasury (the Treasury) issued a report titled, "Study of the Facilitation of Money Laundering and Terror Finance Through the Trade in Works of Art." The report...more
Earlier this month, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) announced the creation of a National Cryptocurrency Enforcement Team (NCET) to "tackle complex investigations and prosecutions of criminal misuses of cryptocurrency,...more
Over the last 20 years, commerce, finance, and banking have become increasingly digital. Anti-money laundering (AML) regulators have found themselves catching up with the pace of technological innovation.1 As AML regulators...more
This past weekend saw a halt to the anticipated September 20 implementation of broad prohibitions published on September 18 by the U.S. Department of Commerce (Commerce) regarding TikTok and WeChat mobile applications. No...more
9/22/2020
/ Executive Orders ,
International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) ,
Mobile Apps ,
Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) ,
Online Platforms ,
Personal Data ,
Popular ,
Sanctions ,
Social Media ,
Software Developers ,
Surveillance ,
TikTok ,
Trump Administration ,
U.S. Commerce Department ,
WeChat
A Summary and a Business Decision-Maker's Chart for the Path Forward -
On January 13, 2020, the U.S. Department of the Treasury issued final rules fully implementing the new powers granted to the Committee on Foreign...more
1/17/2020
/ CFIUS ,
Critical Infrastructure Sectors ,
Cross-Border Transactions ,
Cybersecurity ,
Federal Pilot Programs ,
Foreign Investment ,
Inbound Investments ,
Mandatory Declarations ,
National Security ,
New Rules ,
Popular ,
U.S. Treasury
Venture Fundraising and Investment in Healthcare -
U.S. healthcare venture fundraising reached a record $9.6 billion in 2018, continuing a four-year upward trend. This was driven by excellent returns in the sector,...more
3/15/2019
/ Acquisitions ,
Alternative Investment Markets (AIM) ,
Biosimilars ,
CFIUS ,
Digital Health ,
Emerging Technology Companies ,
Investment ,
Investment Opportunities ,
Life Sciences ,
Medical Devices ,
Mergers ,
Pharmaceutical Industry ,
Popular ,
Telehealth ,
Venture Capital
Virtual currency businesses are under scrutiny by U.S. anti-money laundering (AML) regulators. Earlier this year, U.S Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin emphasized that virtual currencies are subject to AML regulations. He...more
4/4/2018
/ Anti-Money Laundering ,
Bank Secrecy Act ,
Bitcoin ,
Compliance ,
Enforcement ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Financial Institutions ,
FinCEN ,
Know Your Customers ,
Money Services Business ,
Money Transmitter ,
Popular ,
Virtual Currency