The UAE has continued to implement significant legislative and structural reforms during 2024 in areas including financial crime compliance, whistleblowing, and virtual assets regulation. These improvements demonstrate the...more
Financial technology is already well established in Jersey, and firms are embedding technological solutions which enhance their products and services, increase efficiencies, and provide greater transparency. Originally...more
Ether ETFs Begin Public Trading, Generate $1.07B in Cumulative Volume - According to reports, on July 23, nine different spot ether (ETH) exchange-traded funds (ETFs) from eight different issuers began public trading on...more
FATF’s latest Targeted Update Report on Implementation of the FATF Standards on VAs and VASPs stresses that many jurisdictions continue to struggle with the fundamentals of virtual asset regulation, including undertaking risk...more
Approaches and developments - The Cayman Islands has long been a leading offshore jurisdiction for investment funds, as well as a significant global financial centre overall. It is therefore not surprising that, reflecting...more
SWIFT Publishes Blockchain Pilot Findings; Firms Announce USDC Integrations - According to a recent press release, the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication (Swift) recently published a report with...more
As part of a coordinated effort with the U.S. Secretary of State, Attorney General, Secretary of Commerce, Secretary of Homeland Security, Director of the Office of Management and Budget, Director of National Intelligence,...more
On 14 September 2022, K2 Integrity hosted a webinar on considerations in the digital assets space. K2 Integrity Board Member Christopher Brummer and AML/CFT experts Mariano Federici and Alex Levitov discussed the current...more
The Financial Action Task Force (“FATF”) recently issued an updated review of the implementation of its anti-money laundering (“AML”) and counter-terrorist financing (“CFT”) standards to financial activities involving Virtual...more
The States of Guernsey has approved the Lending, Credit and Finance (Bailiwick of Guernsey) Law, 2022 (the “LCFL”) which will regulate various virtual asset service providers (“VASPs”) and financial services businesses...more
On March 9, 2022, President Joseph Biden issued Executive Order 14067, which charged the Department of Justice (in consultation with the Departments of State, Treasury, and Homeland Security) to submit a report on how to...more
On October 28, 2021, the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), the international body that sets standards for anti-money laundering and countering the financing of terrorism (AML/CFT), released updated guidance addressing the...more
Fourth and Final Post in a Series on the FATF Plenary Outcomes - As we have previously blogged, the Financial Action Task Force (“FATF”) held its fourth Plenary on June 21-25, inviting delegates from around the world to...more
Recent news coverage has highlighted two potentially watershed moments in the FinTech revolution: the rise of Decentralized Finance (“DeFi”) that challenges both traditional FinTechs and legacy financial institutions alike,...more
Key developments of interest over the last month include: United Kingdom: The Payment Systems Regulator has published its interim report on its market review into the supply of card-acquiring services. ...more
The Financial Action Task Force (FATF) recently published a report titled Virtual Assets: Red Flag Indicators of Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing. The report discusses a number of red flag indicators of suspicious...more
The U.S. Department of the Treasury 2020 Strategy (National Strategy for Combating Terrorist and Other Illicit Financing released on February 6, 2020) describes ongoing significant AML/CFT threats. ...more
A Director of Enforcement at the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has set out some of the key challenges the regulator expects in its new role as AML/CTF (anti-money laundering/counter terrorist financing) supervisor for...more
Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin remarked before a hearing of the Senate Finance Committee three weeks ago that “significant new requirements at FinCEN” for cryptocurrencies would be introduced quickly, in response to...more
First in a Two-Post Series - The U.S. Department of Treasury (“Treasury”) has issued its 2020 National Strategy for Combating Terrorist and Other Illicit Financing (“2020 Strategy”)....more
U.S. Developments - U.S. Regulatory Developments - Bill Addressing Tax Treatment of Crypto Transactions Introduced to the House - On January 16, 2020, Congresswoman Suzan DelBene (WA) and Congressman David Schweikert...more
The Financial Action Task Force is seeking feedback from private sector stakeholders on its draft guidance on the use of digital identity systems in customer due diligence. The guidance will supplement Recommendation 10 of...more
BROKER-DEALER - Division of Trading and Markets and FINRA Staffs Issue Joint Statement on Broker-Dealer Custody of Digital Asset Securities - On July 8, in response to questions raised by market participants regarding...more
The FATF (FATF) is an inter-governmental body with 38 members that sets standards and promotes the implementation of legal, regulatory and operational measures for combating money laundering, terrorist financing and threats...more
What has happened? G20 member countries are looking at an October deadline for reviewing a global anti-money laundering (AML) standard on cryptocurrency....more