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A recent SEC conditional no-action position (the “No-Action Statement”) has further opened the regulatory door to trading of digital asset securities (“DAS”), by allowing certain limited purpose DAS-only broker-dealers to maintain custody of these securities on behalf of customers.  Efforts to meet the SEC staff’s prior guidance that broker-dealers generally…
Continue Reading SEC Takes No-Action Position on Custody of Digital Asset Securities by Special Purpose Broker-Dealers

The Anti-Money Laundering Act of 2020 implements the most extensive revisions to anti-money laundering law since the USA PATRIOT Act of 2001. The changes will affect both traditional financial institutions and FinTechs, including a new beneficial ownership provision that requires shell companies to submit ownership information to a non-public FinCEN…
Continue Reading The Anti-Money Laundering Act of 2020 – Key Takeaways

The FDIC has issued a final rule to formalize longstanding expectations it has had for the parent company of a new industrial loan company (ILC).  The FDIC adopted the proposed rule issued in March 2020 with few changes.  The final rule requires a new ILC to enter into a written…
Continue Reading FDIC Issues Final Rule on Supervision of ILC Holding Companies

The Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) and the Federal Reserve Board (together the Agencies) last week proposed amendments (the Proposed Rules) to the Travel Rule regulations and related Recordkeeping Rules under the Bank Secrecy Act (together the Rules).[1]

Lowering the threshold for cross-border transfers…
Continue Reading FinCEN and the Federal Reserve Board Propose Travel Rule Amendments to Lower the Threshold for Cross-Border Transfers and to Explicitly Cover Convertible Virtual Currencies and Digital Money

The OCC has issued an interpretive letter confirming that national banks may take deposits that serve as reserves for fiat currency-pegged stablecoins.  The letter continues the series of actions taken or announced by Acting Comptroller Brian Brooks to clarify how traditional banking regulations apply to fintech activities—particularly when those activities…
Continue Reading OCC Confirms that National Banks May Take Deposits that Serve as Reserves for Fiat-Pegged Stablecoins

Our memo delivers key takeaways on the Federal Reserve’s recent announcement about its research into central bank digital currency, along with some useful resources. We also place the Federal Reserve’s recent announcement, in a speech by Governor Lael Brainard, in the overall international context.

Please read our client memorandum for…
Continue Reading The Federal Reserve And Central Bank Digital Currencies

As Acting Comptroller Brian Brooks promised in his Statement on Becoming Acting Comptroller, the OCC proposed a rule on July 20, 2020, setting forth standards for determining the true lender of a loan made in the context of a partnership between a national bank or federal savings association (…
Continue Reading The OCC Proposes Two Standards for the True Lender Question

On April 20, 2020, the UK Chancellor, Rishi Sunak announced a new £500 million scheme (delivered by the UK Government in partnership with the British Business Bank) to provide convertible loans (alongside private third party matched investors) as bridge funding to innovative companies facing financial difficulties due to the coronavirus…
Continue Reading UK Announces £500 Million Convertible Loan Scheme for UK Start-ups Hit By Coronavirus (COVID-19)

The FDIC proposed a rule to formalize certain longstanding expectations it has for approving applications by new industrial loan companies (ILCs) that would be subsidiaries of a parent company that would not be subject to consolidated supervision by the Federal Reserve. The proposal would require a written agreement…
Continue Reading Client Memorandum: FDIC Proposes Supervision of ILC Holding Companies