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)
Viewed as involving fewer regulatory hurdles than an IPO, SPACs became the most popular way to take a company public in 2020, and deal volume continued to rise in 2021. This increase in popularity brings increased attention...more
As litigation claims against portfolio companies have increased, so have accompanying claims asserted directly against funds (and their sponsors). Plaintiffs’ reasoning for including funds as defendants is no mystery: funds...more
Another source of litigation risk for fund sponsors are claims brought by portfolio company employees. Sponsors should be aware of these risks, particularly when the portfolio company is in distress or is considering a sale...more
Private funds frequently negotiate for special rights when making an investment in a portfolio company, such as the right to appoint one or more board directors, voting rights, and liquidation preferences. Fund sponsors often...more
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
Over the last few years, we have seen an uptick in litigation claims against sponsors and funds arising out of their interests in portfolio companies. A fund sponsor’s participation on a portfolio company board, in...more
Many portfolio companies continue to confront business disruptions as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Even prior to the pandemic, we were seeing an uptick in litigation claims against sponsors and funds arising out of...more
8/25/2020
/ Business Interruption ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Corporate Financing ,
Corporate Governance ,
Fiduciary Duty ,
Fund Sponsors ,
Insolvency ,
Liquidity ,
Portfolio Companies ,
Private Equity ,
Private Equity Firms
We at The Capital Commitment blog have previously discussed several steps for fund managers and others to weather the storm brought by COVID-19. One of those steps is assessing the likelihood of a carried interest return...more
The private fund industry is more in the public eye than ever before. Private capital and private markets have experienced massive growth over the last two decades, substantially outpacing the growth of public equity. We have...more
2/19/2020
/ Anti-Money Laundering ,
Capital Markets ,
CFTC ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Global Economy ,
Initial Public Offering (IPO) ,
Investment Banks ,
OCIE ,
Private Equity ,
Private Funds ,
SEC Examination Priorities ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Venture Capital
The Third Circuit recently issued an important decision for private fund advisors who serve on corporate boards. In a precedential decision on a matter of first impression, the Third Circuit distinguished the role of...more
Today, we are launching a proprietary database tracking all SEC enforcement actions involving private equity advisers. The database contains key information from the actions, including summaries of key issues, settlement...more
7/23/2019
/ Broker-Dealer ,
Compliance ,
Conflicts of Interest ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Disgorgement ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Investment Adviser ,
Investment Funds ,
Popular ,
Private Equity ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)
An increasingly sophisticated and active OCIE division, innovative market disruptors, a maturing credit cycle, and a philosophical change in how the private fund industry views and utilizes litigation are likely to lead to...more
2/21/2019
/ Cryptocurrency ,
Cybersecurity ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Fund Managers ,
Initial Coin Offering (ICOs) ,
Investment Adviser ,
Litigation Funding ,
OCIE ,
Regulatory Oversight ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Securities Exchange Act ,
Token Sales
In our recently released 2018 Annual Review and 2019 Outlook for Hedge Funds, Private Equity Funds and Other Private Funds, we note that innovative market disruptors, a maturing credit cycle, and a philosophical change in how...more
With the public equity markets at an all-time high and private equity fund raising setting new records, it might seem counter-intuitive to forecast litigation and regulatory risks. The opposite is true. Disputes typically...more
2/13/2018
/ Broker-Dealer ,
Commodity Exchange Act (CEA) ,
Cryptocurrency ,
CTFC ,
Cybersecurity ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Initial Coin Offering (ICOs) ,
Initial Public Offering (IPO) ,
Investment Adviser ,
Investment Advisers Act of 1940 ,
Litigation Fees & Costs ,
Popular ,
Private Equity Funds ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Unicorns
For private fund managers, the valuation of privately-held securities has been subject to heightened regulatory scrutiny. As the IPO on-ramp for private “unicorn” investments has lengthened, fund managers may hold illiquid...more
6/21/2017
/ Fund Managers ,
Initial Public Offering (IPO) ,
IRS ,
Portfolio Managers ,
Private Equity ,
Private Funds ,
Privately Held Corporations ,
Section 409A ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Unicorns ,
Valuation