The Justice Insiders Podcast - The Ever-Expanding Net: Corporate Compliance in an Era of Increasing Trade Sanctions and Restrictions
Understanding the Additional Risks When Making a Ransomware Payment
WorldSmart: The Extraordinary Sanctions Against Russia - What Happens Next?
BSA, OFAC, KYC, and CIP – What do they mean to me? [More with McGlinchey, Ep. 29]
Compliance Perspectives: Sanctions, Data and Vetting Third Parties
FINCast Ep. 19 - The DPRK Sanctions Program
Episode 118 -- Update on OFAC Enforcement and Lessons Learned
On 21 March 2025, the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) removed Tornado Cash, a virtual currency mixer, from its list of Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons (SDN List),...more
We find ourselves in the midst of a raucous debate among sanctions practitioners about the impact of the Fifth Circuit’s recent decision upholding a challenge against the sanctions the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC)...more
Digital Asset Companies Achieve Licenses, Launch Stablecoin Products - According to a recent press release, Anchorage Digital, a digital asset platform and infrastructure provider, announced that the New York State...more
On November 26, 2024, the US Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit ruled that “immutable” smart contracts are not “property” for purposes of regulation by the US Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control...more
On November 26, the U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals overturned sanctions imposed by the U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) against a decentralized cryptocurrency mixing service (a...more
New Crypto Products Announced by Financial Services Firms, Exchanges, DEXs - A major U.S. cryptocurrency exchange recently announced that it has integrated a major mobile payments application into its Onramp tool to enable...more
In a closely watched and complicated case, Van Loon et al. v. Dep’t of the Treasury et al., the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit ruled that the Office of Foreign Assets Control (“OFAC”) cannot sanction Tornado...more
On November 26, 2024, in a three-judge panel decision, Van Loon v. U.S. Department of the Treasury, the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit (Court) reversed a Texas district court and held that immutable...more
Crypto Firms Continue to Launch New Initiatives Across Markets - In a recent press release, digital asset infrastructure firm Fireblocks announced its acquisition of BlockFold, “a smart contract development and...more
In two prior posts, this blog tracked the ongoing intrigue of how the various branches of the United States government interact with blockchain and cryptocurrency organizations. We discussed the Wyoming law allowing...more
Federal District Court Enters Default Judgment Based on NFT Service of Process - A federal district court judge in Florida entered a $2.2 million default judgment against a defendant on whom the judge previously authorized...more
ETH Staking Data Published, USDC Cross-Chain Transfer Protocol Launches - New data reflects that the recent amount of staking withdrawals on Ethereum has been balanced by a roughly equal amount of deposits. According to...more
European Bank Launches Stablecoin; Financial Firms Expand Crypto Products - A subsidiary of a major European financial services firm recently launched EUR CoinVertible (EURCV), an Ethereum ERC20 stablecoin backed 1:1 by...more
Cryptocurrencies have been making the headlines for all the wrong reasons. Their values have plummeted leaving investors out of pocket. Exchanges, lenders, and other entities in the crypto ecosystem have gone bust. Numerous...more
White House Addresses Crypto Risks; Blockchain Firm Wins Air Force Contract - The White House issued a statement last week briefly outlining the Biden administration’s road map to mitigate the risks of cryptocurrencies,...more
Well, it was another quiet month in crypto . . . Not. We are still watching the tsunami play out in real time, as governments and the crypto market react to another seismic shift in the crypto landscape....more
The U.S. Treasury Department’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (“FinCEN”) and Office of Foreign Assets Control (“OFAC”) settled enforcement actions with Washington state-based Bittrex. In the two settlements, Bittrex...more
The U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (“OFAC”) on August 8, 2022, imposed sanctions against the popular decentralized virtual currency mixer Tornado Cash alleging that it has been used to launder...more
The Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) recently made the unprecedented move of sanctioning a smart contract — a decentralized digital currency mixer called “Tornado Cash” — along with certain cryptocurrency addresses...more
The US Treasury opens a Pandora’s box of legal issues as it targets a decentralized finance protocol used for both licit and illicit means. On August 8, 2022, the US Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets...more
On May 6, the US Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) designated a cryptocurrency mixer, Blender.io, as a Specially Designated National (SDN). That sanction follows a series of enforcements and...more
On April 28, 2022, the New York State Department of Financial Services (DFS) issued guidance on the use of blockchain analytics for virtual currency businesses licensed under 23 NYCRR part 200 (also known as a BitLicense) or...more
New Crypto Payment Products Launch, Report Cites Exchange Consolidation - This week, a major U.S. financial services firm announced its partnership with three leading cryptocurrency service providers in the Asia Pacific...more
The DOJ’s National Cryptocurrency Enforcement Team and Treasury’s OFAC are setting their sights on cryptocurrency use in cybercrimes. The US Department of Justice (DOJ) is sharpening its focus on combatting...more
Senators Inquire about CFPB’s Fintech Agenda - On July 27, 2021, Senator Sherrod Brown, the Chairman of the U.S. Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs, sent a letter to the Consumer Financial Protection...more