On December 14, Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Roger Marshall (R-Kan.) introduced the Digital Asset Anti-Money Laundering Act of 2022 (the Act) that would extend anti-money laundering and countering of the financing of terrorism requirements to cryptocurrency and digital assets. The bill follows warnings from the Treasury Department, Department of Justice, and national security and
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) issued a decision denying Nexo Financial, LLC’s petition to modify a civil investigation demand (CID) originally served on the company on December 1, 2021. At that time, Nexo Financial and its affiliates advertised a range of products, including interest-accruing accounts and lines of credit. In its petition, Nexo Financial
On November 30, Senate Banking Committee Chairman Sherrod Brown (D-OH) sent a letter to Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen requesting that she coordinate with other financial regulators to further work on the recommendations from the Financial Stability Oversight Council Report on Digital Asset Financial Stability Risks and Regulation (FSOC report), which we previously discussed here.
On November 28, the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) announced a $362,158.70 settlement with Payward, Inc. d/b/a Kraken. The Delaware-incorporated virtual currency exchange allegedly processed 826 transactions amounting to approximately $1.7 million on behalf of individuals located in Iran. In addition to the fine, Kraken also has agreed to
On November 10, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) released a new complaint bulletin, highlighting consumer complaints it has received related to crypto-assets. The bulletin suggests that fraud, theft, hacks, and scams pose a significant problem in crypto-asset markets. Also, according to the bulletin, consumers reported issues with executing transactions and transferring assets between
Missouri recently modernized its money laundering statute to define cryptocurrency and to include cryptocurrency within its definition of “monetary instruments.” This is a significant step for Missouri as it eliminates what was once a safe harbor, by clarifying any underlying confusion and permitting state prosecutors to pursue previously elusive criminal activity.
Missouri amended its money
On October 3, the Financial Stability Oversight Council (FSOC) released its “Report on Digital Asset Financial Stability Risks and Regulation” (Report), concluding, among other things, that unregulated cryptocurrencies could pose a risk to the stability of the U.S. financial system. FSOC further recommended legislation empowering financial regulators to more vigorously oversee the industry
On August 19, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) issued cease and desist letters to five cryptocurrency companies, demanding they refrain from making allegedly false and misleading statements about deposit insurance.
“Based upon evidence collected by the FDIC, each of these companies made false representations — including on their websites and social media accounts —
On August 15, the Federal Reserve Board (Fed) issued final guidelines, outlining the tiered approach it will use when evaluating the growing requests from fintech firms and cryptocurrency companies for access to master accounts. The guidelines make clear that while requests from institutions with federal deposit insurance will be subject to a streamlined review, institutions
On June 20, the Louisiana Office for Financial Institutions (OFI) proposed a Rule on licensure, registration, and regulation of persons engaging, or planning to engage, in virtual currency business activity in Louisiana. The Rule follows the mandate set by Louisiana’s Virtual Currency Business Act (VCBA), effective August 1, 2020, requiring virtual currency businesses to hold