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Virtual Currency › Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) › Anti-Money Laundering

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 -
White & Case LLP

The Shadow Financial System

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The concept of the shadow financial system rose to international prominence in the aftermath of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. In an interview with a Pakistani newspaper a month later, Osama bin Laden stated that Al Qaeda were...more

K2 Integrity

Implications of FinCEN’s Notice of Proposed Rulemaking on Virtual Currency Mixers

K2 Integrity on

On 17 January 2024, K2 Integrity hosted a webinar on FinCEN’s Notice of Proposed Rulemaking on virtual currency mixers and the implications of this first-of-its-kind 311 designation on the virtual currency industry. Elizabeth...more

Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP

CryptoLink - December 2023 Updates

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On the one hand, the year ended where it began. The legislation on stabelecoins and market structure that would provide a regulatory framework for digital assets has still not been enacted into law. And Securities and...more

Lowenstein Sandler LLP

Trade Matters - Lowenstein Sandler's Global Trade & National Security Newsletter - December 2023

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TRADE TIP OF THE MONTH: New Companies Have More Time To Report Ownership- The Treasury Department’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network issued a final rule in late November to delay the deadline for newly created...more

Sheppard Mullin Richter & Hampton LLP

Binance’s Paper Compliance Program Crumples Under OFAC Scrutiny in Largest OFAC Settlement in History

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On November 21, 2023, the U.S. Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) announced its largest settlement in history with the virtual currency exchange Binance. This almost-billion dollar settlement is a part of a larger...more

BakerHostetler

US Crypto Exchange Consents to $100M DFS Settlement for AML Compliance Failures

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On January 4, 2023, the New York State Department of Financial Services (“DFS”) announced that Coinbase, Inc., a major U.S. cryptocurrency exchange, will pay a $50 million penalty and invest an additional $50 million in its...more

Ballard Spahr LLP

NYDFS Releases Virtual Currency Guidance for Banking Organizations

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On December 15, 2022, the New York Department of Financial Services (“NYDFS”) published an Industry Letter detailing the Department’s guidance regarding banking organizations that wish to engage in virtual currency-related...more

Sheppard Mullin Richter & Hampton LLP

OFAC Continues Focus on Virtual Currency Industry with Announced Settlement with Payward, Inc.

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Yesterday, on November 28, 2022, the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) announced a $362,158.70 settlement agreement with Payward, Inc. (Kraken), an online virtual currency exchange, in connection with 826 apparent...more

Ballard Spahr LLP

Kraken Settlement Demonstrates Importance of Sanctions Monitoring for Transactions — Not Just When Onboarding Customers

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The Office of Foreign Assets Control (“OFAC”) announced (here and here) yesterday that virtual currency exchange Payward, Inc. – better known as Kraken – has agreed to pay $362,158.70 in order to settle its potential civil...more

Ballard Spahr LLP

OFAC and FinCEN Settle with Bittrex in Regulators’ First Parallel Virtual Currency Enforcement Actions

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The Office of Foreign Assets Control (“OFAC”) and the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (“FinCEN”) announced on October 11 simultaneous settlements with Bittrex, Inc. (“Bittrex”), a virtual currency exchange and hosted...more

Paul Hastings LLP

Top PHive Crypto Enforcement Notes: September Edition

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Greetings, and thank you for taking a look at our new monthly crypto enforcement newsletter. Our goal is to share five topics each month that we believe are of significance in the world of crypto enforcement—particularly as...more

Eversheds Sutherland (US) LLP

FinCEN warns financial institutions to be “vigilant” for Russia sanctions violations

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On March 7, 2022, the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) issued an alert calling on financial institutions to be “vigilant” in guarding against attempts to evade the recent imposition of expanded Russia sanctions....more

Harris Beach PLLC

Federal Financial Regulators Issue Warnings About Russian Sanction Evasion Attempts

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With the imposition of sweeping new sanctions on Russia and Belarus following the invasion of Ukraine, federal financial regulators are issuing warnings about efforts to evade these actions. On Monday, March 7, 2022, the...more

K2 Integrity

Global Markets May Face Risk of Virtual Currency Abuse as Russian Actors Seek to Circumvent Sanctions

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The United States, the United Kingdom, and European Union have led a broad international coalition imposing a sweeping and unprecedented range of economic and financial sanctions against Russia and Belarus in response to...more

Troutman Pepper

New York Issues Guidance on Virtual Currency Regulations and Announces Strengthening Blockchain Analytics in Response to Sanctions...

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On February 25, the New York State Department of Financial Services (NYDFS) issued Guidance to all individuals and entities subject to its regulation due to the rapidly evolving situation in Ukraine, following the Russian...more

McDermott Will & Emery

OFAC Reaffirms Focus on Virtual Currency with Sanctions Law Guidance

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On October 15, 2021, the US Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Asset Control (OFAC) announced updated guidance for virtual currency companies in meeting their obligations under US sanctions laws. On the same day,...more

Bracewell LLP

DOJ Trumpets New Multi-Faceted Cryptocurrency Task Force: What this Means for You

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In keeping with the United States government’s expanding scrutiny of cryptocurrency markets, the DOJ recently announced the creation of a National Cryptocurrency Enforcement Team (the “NCET”). The NCET endeavors to add a...more

K2 Integrity

Treasury Releases Guidance for the Virtual Currency Industry and Analysis on Ransomware Trends

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Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) released detailed sanctions compliance guidance for the virtual currency industry (the Guidance). The Guidance provides an overview of OFAC sanctions requirements and lists several best...more

WilmerHale

OFAC Imposes New Sanctions to Thwart Ransomware

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On September 21, 2021, the US Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (“OFAC”) levied its first sanctions against a Russian-operated virtual currency exchange involved in ransomware payments and published an...more

Holland & Knight LLP

FinCEN Announces National AML/CFT Policy Priorities

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The Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) on June 30, 2021, issued national priorities for anti-money laundering (AML) and countering the financing of terrorism (CFT) policy (the Priorities), as required by the...more

Snell & Wilmer

SEC Action Could Have Rippling Effects on Future of Cryptocurrency

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Many investors, traditional and progressive, are looking hard at cryptocurrency investments as a way to diversify their portfolios. However, there are still multiple known “unknowns” about this new market, including the...more

Jones Day

FinCEN Issues Guidance on Ransomware Attacks

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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

Polsinelli

An Ode to Joy- Congressional Research Service’s report on FinTech Innovation and Policy

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On April 28, 2020, the Congressional Research Service (CRS) published an in depth report related to Fintech, titled Fintech: Overview of Innovative Financial Technology and Selected Policy Issues....more

King & Spalding

Virtual Currency as a Threat to National Security?

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In the past, sanctioned jurisdictions like Venezuela have embraced virtual currency as a way to bypass channels that involve U.S. dollars, blunting the impact of U.S. economic sanctions policies aimed at isolating those...more

Orrick - On the Chain

Cryptocurrency and OFAC: Beware of the Sanctions Risks

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A recent federal criminal action shows the depth of the U.S. government’s concern about the use of cryptocurrency (or virtual currency) to violate economic sanctions laws and the lengths to which it will go to charge such...more

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