American Honda Finance Corporation (American Honda) has settled with the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) over potential civil liability for 13 violations of the Cuban Assets Control Regulations (CACR), which that...more
SHINING LIGHT INTO THE HEART OF DARKNESS:An Update on the Cuban Embargo - I. Executive Summary - Sixty years after the imposition of the Cuban Embargo, the orthodoxy and ideology that caused it to persist are no...more
U.S. embargoes and economic sanctions on countries such as Iran, Russia and Cuba were discussed at length by both candidates during the 2016 Presidential campaign, and President-Elect Trump has stated that he intended to...more
After the announcement of Fidel Castro’s death on November 26, 2016, President Barack Obama sent a message to the Cuban people highlighting his administration’s efforts to improve relations between the United States and Cuba....more
The opening of Cuba to greater commercial and financial activity offers many possibilities for U.S. financial institutions but, with those possibilities, comes a responsibility to meet the complex compliance challenges that...more
For the first time since 1978, a U.S. Cruise line sailed to and docked in Havana, Cuba. On May 2, 2016, Fathom, a Carnival Corporation brand, became the first U.S. cruise line to take advantage of regulatory changes...more
On April 21, 2016, the Department of Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) updated its FAQ document related to Cuba. This document contains answers to several questions regarding information about Cuba such as...more
Much has been written recently about the lifting of the US embargoes targeting Iran and Cuba. Despite recent liberalization in discrete areas (e.g., travel, family remittances, and internet based communications),...more
On January 25, the Obama Administration made concurrent announcements about its evolving posture on the Cuban sanctions. On that date, the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) released more changes to the Cuban Assets...more
Canadian exporters and importers should pay close attention to the ongoing changes in United States-Cuba relations. After more than five decades of animosity between the two countries, U.S. President Barack Obama and Cuban...more
On January 25, 2016, the US Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) and the US Commerce Department's Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) announced new changes to existing US sanctions on Cuba,...more
Cuba banned all private enterprise and foreign investment following Fidel Castro's 1959 revolution. For more than 50 years, the U.S. has imposed an almost total embargo on all trade with the largest Caribbean island nation. ...more
Regulatory Developments - NYDFS Announces Approval of First BitLicense Application from a Virtual Currency Firm: The New York State Department of Financial Services (NYDFS) announced Sept. 22 that it has approved...more
The United States has taken several recent steps towards normalizing its ties with Cuba and, just yesterday, the two countries re-opened embassies in each other’s capitals for the first time since 1961. Despite these...more
After President Obama's announcement that his Administration will pursue a policy aimed at improving U.S.-Cuba diplomatic relations and ultimately eliminating the economic embargo on Cuba, the U.S. Treasury and Commerce...more
As part of a broader, ongoing effort to forge closer relations with Cuba, the Obama administration has enacted a new set of regulations intended to facilitate certain forms of authorized travel to Cuba. The regulations, which...more
On January 16, 2015, the Office of Foreign Assets Control, U.S. Department of the Treasury (“OFAC”), and the Bureau of Industry and Security, U.S. Department of Commerce (“BIS”), each published regulations implementing the...more
On January 15, 2015, the Department of Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) amended the Cuban Assets Control Regulations to implement changes in U.S. policy toward Cuba announced by President Obama on December...more
Action Item: On January 16, 2015, the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control and the U.S. Department of Commerce amended the Cuban Assets Control Regulations and the Export Administration...more
On January 15, the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (“OFAC”) released important updates to the Cuban Assets Control Regulations (“CACR”). The U.S. Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry...more
New Rules Open Opportunities for Exports, Financial Services, and Travel- On January 16, 2014, the U.S. Treasury Department issued new sanctions regulations easing the 54-year old Cuban embargo. Coming in the wake of...more
On January 16, 2015, the U.S. Department of the Treasury (“Treasury”) amended the Cuban Assets Control Regulations, 31 C.F.R. Part 515 (“CACR”), and the U.S. Department of Commerce amended the Export Administration...more
The U.S. Department of the Treasury and the U.S. Department of Commerce have released new regulations that loosen restrictions on trade and travel with Cuba....more