For U.S. businesses, sanctions compliance has never been more challenging or more important. The U.S. has responded to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine with a broad range of sanctions targeting the Russian government, its officials, oligarchs and Russia’s financial and energy industries, among others. Indeed, since the invasion of Ukraine, the agency that administers sanctions, the
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BIS Continues Enforcement Policy Ramp-Up
On January 16, 2024, the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security (“BIS”) issued new guidance to incentivize voluntary self-disclosure (“VSD”) of possible violations of the Export Administration Regulations (“EAR”). This new guidance—which was announced in conjunction with a speech by BIS’s top enforcement official indicating the EAR enforcement is an increasingly important priority…
Disruptive Technology Strike Force Continues Focus on Trade Secret Theft, Export Control Enforcement
During a summit celebrating its one-year anniversary, the Disruptive Technology Strike Force provided updates on its efforts to prevent authoritarian regimes and hostile nation-states from acquiring critical technologies.
Read on for details about a new expansion of the effort, recent prosecutions and the group’s continued focus on cases involving theft of trade secrets and export…
Bank Secrecy Act’s Anti-Money Laundering and Counter Terrorism Financing Requirements to Apply to Investment Advisers
The Bank Secrecy Act (“BSA”) establishes program, recordkeeping, and reporting requirements for certain financial institutions to combat and detect money laundering, terrorist financing, and other illicit activities. On February 13, 2024, FinCEN proposed new rules which expand the scope of the BSA to include certain investment advisers, which currently are not subject to any federal…
FinCEN Issues Access Rule Compliance Guide for Beneficial Ownership Information
Rule Regarding Access to Beneficial Ownership Information Takes Effect
On February 21, 2024, FinCEN published a Small Entity Compliance Guide to aid in compliance with the Corporate Transparency Act’s (“CTA”) Beneficial Ownership Information (“BOI”) Access and Safeguards Rule (“Access Rule”). The Compliance Guide is called the Small Entity Compliance Guide only because federal law requires…
G7+ Coalition Issues Alert on Russian Oil Price Cap Evasion Methods and How to Report Violations
On February 1, 2024, the G7+ Coalition (consisting of the G7, the European Union, and Australia) published an Oil Price Cap (OPC) Compliance and Enforcement Alert (the “Alert”), identifying notable OPC evasion methods and recommending various methods to reduce the risk of evasion and its negative impacts. The OPC was enacted in December 2022 in…
Corporate Transparency Act: Three Updates for January 2024
RELATED UPDATE: Deputy Attorney General Monaco Announces New DOJ Whistleblower Program (March 8, 2024)
As of January 1, 2024, the Corporate Transparency Act (“CTA”) has gone into effect. Companies that may be Reporting Companies of Beneficial Ownership Information (“BOI”) should be aware of three key aspects of the CTA.
- One, entities formed on or after
…
Beneficial Ownership Reporting Requirements under the Corporate Transparency Act
Corporate Transparency Act Beneficial Ownership Reporting Requirements to Take Effect
In 2021, the Corporate Transparency Act (“CTA”) was enacted as part of the Anti-Money Laundering Act of 2020, requiring certain business entities (“Reporting Companies”) to report beneficial ownership information (“BOI”) to the U.S. Department of Treasury’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (“FinCEN”). FinCEN issued the final…
Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act Becomes Law: What Companies Need to Know
On 26 October 2023, the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act received royal assent. The new law is designed to fight corruption, money laundering and fraud, and has major implications for businesses, including:
…
DOJ Announces Safe Harbor Policy for Mergers and Acquisitions
In the U.S. Department of Justice’s continuing efforts to incentivize voluntary disclosure of corporate misconduct, Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco announced the Criminal Division’s latest corporate self-disclosure policy this week, aimed at mergers and acquisitions specifically (remarks Here). Pursuant to DOJ’s new Mergers and Acquisitions Safe Harbor Policy (the “Policy”), acquiring companies that promptly…