Tagged: us department of treasury

April 11, 2021 @ 3:36 pm By JD Alois  |  

Several months ago, FinCEN submitted for publication in the Federal Register its Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) regarding certain transactions that involve virtual currency or digital assets. FinCEN or the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network is a bureau of the US Department of the Treasury that… Read More

March 30, 2021 @ 11:00 am By Ariel Glasner and Amit Roitman  |  

President Joe Biden’s young administration is poised to deliver heightened – and perhaps unprecedented – regulatory scrutiny of the exploding Fintech industry.  The groundwork for a more active regulatory regime has been set over the course of the past decade.  Prior administrations harnessed existing enforcement… Read More

March 12, 2021 @ 10:57 am By JD Alois  |  

While there is a good amount of discourse regarding the risk of digital assets and the ability for bad actors to use crypto to launder money or perhaps finance illicit activities FinCEN recently indicated their attention in a more tactile direction. Earlier this week, FinCEN… Read More

February 25, 2021 @ 10:14 pm By JD Alois  |  

The US Department of Treasury has issued a statement on the Financial Action Task Force’s (FATF) second plenary meeting during the German Presidency of the global regulatory agency. According to Treasury, FATF advanced its work on several issues, including finalizing a non-public report on terrorist… Read More

January 26, 2021 @ 8:00 pm By JD Alois  |  

FinCEN has submitted for publication in the Federal Register an Extension Notice, which will extend the comment period on its Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) regarding certain transactions involving virtual currency or digital assets. FinCEN, part of the US Department of Treasury, came under criticism… Read More

January 25, 2021 @ 10:45 pm By JD Alois  |  

Dr. Janet Yellen was unanimously voted out of committee the Senate Finance Committee on January 22nd and approved by the Senate today in a vote of 84 for the nomination and 15 against (and one not voting). In being approved, Yellen became the first female… Read More

January 22, 2021 @ 2:48 pm By JD Alois  |  

Earlier this week, Dr. Janet Yellen, former Chair of the US Federal Reserve and soon to be the Secretary of the Treasury, testified at a hearing before the Senate Finance Committee in regards to her nomination. In advance of the hearing, Dr. Yellen submitted an… Read More

January 5, 2021 @ 10:05 am By JD Alois  |  

FinCEN, part of the US Department of Treasury, is in the process of creating rules that will impact the digital asset ecosystem. FinCEN is seeking to address the illicit activity in the “convertible virtual currency” (CVC) sector and the “anticipated growth” of “legal tender digital… Read More

December 29, 2020 @ 10:36 pm By JD Alois  |  

As the most recent stimulus package dealing with COVID-driven economic damage became law, funds are being distributed across the country. Earlier this evening, the US Treasury Department and the Internal Revenue Service commenced delivering the second round of Economic Impact Payments to millions of Americans… Read More

December 13, 2020 @ 7:17 pm By JD Alois  |  

Russian hackers have apparently breached defenses at the US Department of Treasury monitoring emails for months, according to a report. Treasury was not alone, according to Reuters, the US Department of Commerce reportedly issued a statement on the breach to their systems: “We have asked… Read More

December 10, 2020 @ 11:52 am By JD Alois  |  

The US Department of Treasury has published the annual FSOC report. The Financial Stability Oversight Council convenes every year to review potential systemic risks to the financial services industry. FSOC members include the top financial services regulators including the SEC, the Fed, the OCC, etc…. Read More

December 10, 2020 @ 11:16 am By JD Alois  |  

The US Department of Treasury has posted the annual Financial Stability Oversight Council (FSOC) report and financial innovation is a prominent part of the document. FSOC was established by the Dodd-Frank Act and is charged with three primary purposes: To identify risks to the financial… Read More

October 20, 2020 @ 8:29 pm By JD Alois  |  

The Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) has targeted Larry Dean Harmon, of Akron, Ohio, the founder of Helix and Coin Ninja in a first enforcement action targeting a crypto mixer. In a release, FinCEN said Harmon and his operations were assessed a $60 million civil… Read More

July 1, 2020 @ 10:41 am By JD Alois  |  

The Financial Action Task Force (FATF) completed a meeting this week calling on members to “tackle new threats and vulnerabilities posed by criminals during the COVID-19 crisis.” The FATF is an international policy-making and standard-setting body, headquartered in Paris, dedicated to combating money laundering and… Read More

May 16, 2020 @ 5:50 pm By JD Alois  |  

FinCEN Director Kenneth A. Blanco delivered a speech at virtual Consensus this past week addressing several hot topics of the day – including the “Travel Rule”; the FATF requirement that virtual asset service providers (or VASPs – think crypto exchanges) maintain information on purchasers and… Read More

April 6, 2020 @ 9:58 am By JD Alois  |  

Last week in advance of the opening up of federal subsidized programs to backstop small businesses in the US crushed by the COVID-19 pandemic, Lendio CEO Brock Blake took to Twitter to criticize the lack of coordination between the US Department of Treasury and the… Read More

March 3, 2020 @ 10:36 am By JD Alois  |  

Yesterday, the U.S. Treasury Department held a meeting with cryptocurrency industry leaders to discuss regulatory and supervisory challenges facing the digital asset industry. Secretary Steven Mnuchin issued the following statement: “The U.S. welcomes responsible innovation, including new technologies that may improve the efficiency of the… Read More

February 11, 2020 @ 11:03 am By JD Alois  |  

This week the White House, via the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), released the proposed federal budget for 2021. According to the White House, the plan seeks to balance the budget within 15 years by proposing $4.6 trillion in deficit reduction. Debt, as a… Read More

August 21, 2019 @ 10:23 pm By Cali Haan  |  

The U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) and Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) have named several Chinese nationals, “as significant foreign narcotics traffickers pursuant to the Foreign Narcotics Kingpin Designation Act (Kingpin Act).” OFAC is also, “identifying Bitcoin addresses associated with these… Read More

July 16, 2019 @ 9:48 am By JD Alois  |  

US Secretary of Treasury Steven Mnuchin held a press conference yesterday in advance of Capitol Hill hearings this week addressing concerns surrounding Facebook’s stablecoin Lira. Mnuchin cautioned the audience that Facebook, and any other crypto creator, must adhere to the high standards of KYC and… Read More