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Virtual Currency › Money Services Business › Today's Popular Updates

Virtual Currency (aka Digital Currency or Digital Money) is a type of currency or medium of exchange that is not issued by any government nor guaranteed by a government currency. Despite lacking legal tender... more +
Virtual Currency (aka Digital Currency or Digital Money) is a type of currency or medium of exchange that is not issued by any government nor guaranteed by a government currency. Despite lacking legal tender status, Virtual Currency is still traded and exchanged in some environments, typically online environments or communities. Bitcoin is the most well-known form of Virtual Currency.    less -
Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati

Pending Changes to Anti-Money Laundering Program Requirements for MSBs and Other Financial Institutions

Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati on

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

Morrison & Foerster LLP

FinCEN Targets Convertible Virtual Currency Mixing to Combat Terrorist Financing and Other Illegal Transactions

Morrison & Foerster LLP on

Convertible virtual currency (CVC) mixing is in the crosshairs of U.S. national security policy. On October 19, 2023, the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (“FinCEN”) of the U.S. Department of the Treasury (“Treasury”)...more

The Volkov Law Group

OFAC Focuses on Cybercrime by Sanctioning the Hydra Darknet Market and GARANTEX Cryptocurrency Exchange

The Volkov Law Group on

Continuing with both its crackdown on cybercriminals and illicit digital marketplaces, along with its continued economic pressure on the Russian Federation, OFAC has sanctioned two entities that fit both criteria.  On April...more

Torres Trade Law, PLLC

FinCEN Crypto & Ransomware Guidance: Will 2022 Bring More Changes?

Torres Trade Law, PLLC on

The Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (“FinCEN”) of the U.S. Department of the Treasury (“Treasury”) has made clear that businesses engaging in certain activities involving virtual currencies are subject to registration,...more

Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP

Biden Administration Faces Last-Ditch Efforts by the Trump Administration to Curb the Digital Assets Industry

Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP on

The incoming Biden team will need to quickly address significant digital asset issues, including a major enforcement action and a significant proposed FinCEN rule initiated in the final days of the outgoing administration. ...more

Morgan Lewis

FinCEN Proposes Crypto Reporting and Recordkeeping Requirements

Morgan Lewis on

Recently proposed regulations could present significant compliance burdens for the banks and money service businesses that engage in cryptocurrency transactions with unhosted wallets or wallets held in jurisdictions specified...more

Latham & Watkins LLP

FinCEN Looks to Rein In Cryptocurrency Transactions

Latham & Watkins LLP on

A new proposal would subject financial institutions and exchanges to onerous recordkeeping and reporting requirements for certain digital currency transactions. In a surprise release in the waning days of the Trump...more

Rothwell, Figg, Ernst & Manbeck, P.C.

FinCEN’s Proposed Rulemaking for Cryptocurrency – The Balance of National Security vs. Privacy

Rothwell, Figg, Ernst & Manbeck, P.C. on

Just before the Christmas holidays, the Department of the Treasury’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) issued proposed rulemaking entitled “Requirements for Certain Transactions Involving Convertible Virtual...more

K2 Integrity

Proposed Rules for Transactions with Unhosted Virtual Currency Wallets

K2 Integrity on

On 18 December, the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) at the U.S. Department of the Treasury announced highly anticipated and controversial new proposed requirements designed to mitigate illicit finance risks...more

Ballard Spahr LLP

FinCEN Proposes New Rule for “Unhosted” Virtual Currency Wallets

Ballard Spahr LLP on

On December 18, the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (“FinCEN”) issued a proposal to impose on banks and money service businesses (“affected institutions”) a new set of rules for digital currency transactions involving...more

Foodman CPAs & Advisors

Financial Institutions to Remain Vigilant of Ransomware Attacks as they are Facilitators of Ransomware Payments

Foodman CPAs & Advisors on

On October 1, 2020, the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) issued an advisory to alert Financial Institutions (FI) relating to “predominant trends, typologies, and potential indicators of ransomware and associated...more

Foley & Lardner LLP

FinCEN Takes Action Against Bitcoin Mixer for Violating the Bank Secrecy Act

Foley & Lardner LLP on

On October 19, 2020, The Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) announced its first action against a bitcoin mixer: a $60 million civil penalty against Larry Dean Harmon. Harmon was the founder and operator of Helix...more

Jones Day

FinCEN Issues Guidance on Ransomware Attacks

Jones Day on

The prevalence, sophistication, and severity of ransomware attacks have increased anti-money laundering risks faced by financial institutions both as targets of ransomware attacks and as potential intermediaries in...more

Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP

DOJ Demonstrates its Ability to Track Illegal Foreign Funds Laundered Through Crypto; Financial Institutions Must Keep Up

Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP on

The Department of Justice (DOJ) announced last week and earlier this month civil forfeiture actions brought by the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia to seize stolen or laundered virtual currency...more

Hogan Lovells

U.S. man charged with operating darknet-based bitcoin 'mixer' that laundered $300 million

Hogan Lovells on

The U.S. Department of Justice (DoJ) has indicted a man from Ohio for running Helix, a darknet-based cryptocurrency laundering service that is alleged to have laundered bitcoins worth $300 million....more

Orrick - On the Chain

IRS Hints at Form 8938 Requirements for Reporting Crypto Assets Held at a Foreign Exchange

Orrick - On the Chain on

With the emergence of digital assets, the question has arisen whether digital assets held in “wallets” in foreign exchanges need to be reported on Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Form 8938, Statement of Specified Foreign...more

Perkins Coie

Blockchain Week in Review - October 2019

Perkins Coie on

U.S. Developments - U.S. Federal Regulatory Developments - CFTC, FinCEN, and SEC Leaders Release a Join Statement on Digital Assets - On October 11, 2019, the heads of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (“CFTC”),...more

Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati

Virtual Currency Guidance + Enforcement Actions = AML Regulators Are Watching

Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati on

A few days before thousands of blockchain industry participants poured into New York for “Blockchain Week,” the Department of the Treasury’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) issued guidance on virtual currencies...more

Robinson & Cole LLP

Data Privacy + Cybersecurity Insider - May 2019 #4

Robinson & Cole LLP on

The North American Securities Administrators Association (NASAA) this week approved an information security model rule package aimed at improving the cybersecurity posture of the 17,543 state-registered advisers. ...more

Robinson+Cole Data Privacy + Security Insider

New FinCEN Cryptocurrency Guidance Clarifies Applicability of Anti-Money Laundering Regulations to Virtual Currency Business...

Robinson+Cole Data Privacy + Security Insider on

The Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) is the U.S. Treasury Department bureau charged with monitoring financial transactions in order to combat domestic and international money laundering, terrorist financing and...more

Carlton Fields

State Regulations on Virtual Currency and Blockchain Technologies - (Updated)

Carlton Fields on

There exists no uniformity with respect to how businesses that deal in virtual currencies (also known as "cryptocurrencies") such as Bitcoin are treated among the states. For these proprietors, often the first question asked...more

Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP

FinCEN Releases Advisory for Banks, MSBs on Potentially Illicit Transactions with Iran

Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP on

• On October 11, 2018, FinCEN released an advisory to help U.S. financial institutions better detect potentially illicit transactions related to Iran. • The advisory describes how Iran attempts to access the international...more

Ward and Smith, P.A.

Should You Bank a Virtual Currency Business?

Ward and Smith, P.A. on

Virtual currencies like Bitcoin and Ethereum have spawned many types of businesses that need banking services. Many banks "de-risk" -- do not provide banking services -- to these businesses. Many virtual currency...more

Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati

Anti-Money Laundering Obligations for Virtual Currency Companies

Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati on

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

Goodwin

FinTech Flash: So You Want to Put a Bitcoin ATM in a Coffee Shop?

Goodwin on

This writer received three cold emails in two weeks asking for legal help around operating a Bitcoin ATM (BTM). Each groundbreaker asked: “What are the legal requirements for an operator putting a BTM in, say, a coffee shop?”...more

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