John B. Reynolds

Subscribe to John B. Reynolds's Posts

Mr. Reynolds is a partner in Davis Polk’s Financial Institutions Group and the economic sanctions and national security practice. [Full Bio]

The Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (“OFAC”) has recently issued several new or amended Ukraine-/Russia-related General Licenses (“GLs”) and corresponding guidance related to the ongoing maintenance or wind down of certain activities involving GAZ Group and other blocked persons, and divestment of…
Continue Reading

On May 11, 2018, the customer due diligence rule, 31 C.F.R. § 1010.230 (the “CDD Rule”), issued by the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (“FinCEN“) became applicable two years after it was issued.  The CDD Rule added a new requirement for covered financial institutions to identify,…
Continue Reading

On May 8, 2018, President Trump announced that he was terminating the United States’ participation in the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (“JCPOA”) with Iran and issued a National Security Presidential Memorandum (“NSPM”) directing his administration to immediately begin the process of fully re-imposing sanctions that…
Continue Reading

On May 1, 2018, the Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (“OFAC”) issued two amended Ukraine/Russia related General Licenses (“GLs”): GL 12B, “Authorizing Certain Activities Necessary to Maintenance or Wind Down of Operations or Existing Contracts” and GL 13A, “Authorizing Certain…
Continue Reading

Citing the Russian government’s “range of malign activities around the globe,” on April 6, 2018, the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (“OFAC”) sanctioned seven Russian oligarchs and 12 companies they own or control, 17 senior Russian government officials, and a state-owned…
Continue Reading

The Trump Administration has officially banned U.S. transactions in Venezuela’s controversial “petro” digital currency.  On March 19, 2018, the Trump Administration issued a new Executive Order, “Taking Additional Steps to Address the Situation in Venezuela” (the “Digital Currency E.O”), which prohibits U.S. persons and others subject to…
Continue Reading

For the first time in 30 years, Congress may expand the jurisdiction of the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (“CFIUS”).  In testimony before the Senate Banking Committee on January 25, 2017, three Administration officials expressed support for the Foreign Investment Risk Review Modernization Act of …
Continue Reading

Following on last week’s hearing in which it heard testimony from private sector representatives, the Senate Banking Committee continued its consideration of possible reforms to the U.S. anti-money laundering (“AML”) and countering the financing of terrorism (“CFT”) framework with a January 17, 2018 hearing in which…
Continue Reading

Despite his long-held stance that it is one of the worst deals ever, today President Trump again executed the necessary waivers to continue the United States’ nuclear sanctions relief to Iran in compliance with the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (the “JCPOA”).  The President made clear in a statement,…
Continue Reading

In its first hearing of the year, the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs expressed support for potential reforms to the U.S. anti-money laundering (“AML”) and countering the financing of terrorism (“CTF”) framework.  The hearing focused on the relationships among financial institutions, regulators, and…
Continue Reading