Anti-corruption

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DOJ Sets New Focus and Priorities in Digital Assets Enforcement

On April 7, 2025, U.S. Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche issued a memorandum titled “Ending Regulation by Prosecution” (the “Memorandum”), which set out clear and direct enforcement priorities for the U.S. Department of Justice (“DOJ”) relating to digital assets. The Memorandum clarifies that DOJ is not a digital assets regulator and that it will not … Continue Reading

UAE Enforcement Update: The FSRA and the DFSA Issue New AML-Related Fines

The UAE’s two financial free zones, established in the Emirates of Abu Dhabi and Dubai, possess their own civil and commercial legal frameworks, inclusive of court systems modeled closely on international standards and principles of common law and, importantly, autonomous financial services regulation.  In the Abu Dhabi Global Market (“ADGM”), which was established by UAE … Continue Reading

Announcing The Inspector General Podcast

We are pleased to announce a new, quarterly podcast series:  “The Inspector General.”  Hosted by former State Department and Homeland Security Department Inspector General and partner in our Government Investigations and White Collar practice, Clark Ervin, the podcast is intended especially for government contractors and grantees, who can be the subject of IG investigations and … Continue Reading

Global Focus on Anti-Corruption Increases

While the United States has announced a pause on Foreign Corrupt Practices Act enforcement, the rest of the world is increasing its focus on prosecuting corrupt activities. This is a reminder to companies with a global footprint, including those headquartered in the U.S. that may not have physical operations overseas, that foreign activities likely fall … Continue Reading

UK Sanctions Update: OFSI Releases Financial Services Threat Assessment – Part 2

Last month, the UK’s Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation’s (“OFSI”) published a Threat Assessment analyzing sanctions compliance involving UK financial services firms since February 2022, when Russia invaded Ukraine. In the first of our two-part article (available here), we summarized the six key areas of risk that OFSI identified in its Threat Assessment. In this … Continue Reading

UK Sanctions Update: OFSI Releases Financial Services Threat Assessment – Part 1

In February 2025, the UK’s Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation (“OFSI”) issued a report outlining its assessment of the sanctions-related threats posed to the UK by firms operating in the UK’s financial services sector.  As to be expected, the report focuses on the risks associated with transactions since February 24, 2022, when Russia invaded Ukraine … Continue Reading

UK Sanctions Update: New OFSI Reporting Requirements for High Value Dealers and Art Market Participants

Late in 2024, the UK’s Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation (“OFSI”), the agency within His Majesty’s Treasury that is charged with the implementation of financial sanctions in the UK, introduced new sanction measures aimed generally at augmenting the operation and enforcement of UK financial sanctions and targeted specifically at High Value Dealers (“HVDs”) and Art … Continue Reading

Time is of the Essence to Implement New ADGM Whistleblower Protection Regulations

In 2024, the Abu Dhabi Global Market (“ADGM”) further enhanced transparency, accountability, and market integrity within the financial freezone by introducing the Whistleblower Protection Regulations 2024 (the “Regulations”).  In brief, those Regulations require certain entities registered or licensed to operate or conduct any activity within the ADGM to implement arrangements for handling whistleblowing, including having … Continue Reading

Promising Results from Groundbreaking FinCrime Data Sharing Project Between Seven UK Banks and the National Crime Agency

In 2024, the National Crime Agency (the “NCA”), which is the UK’s lead agency against organized crime; human, weapon and drug trafficking; cybercrime; and economic crime, announced its “groundbreaking” data sharing partnership with seven UK banks, namely Barclays, Lloyds, Metro Bank, NatWest, Santander, Starling Bank, and TSB.[1] This new public-private partnership (“PPP”) was the largest … Continue Reading

France Issues Further CSRD Guidance on Compliance Reporting

Our colleagues Marion Seranne and Saeid Abedi recently covered the French Anti-Corruption Agency’s (“AFA”) newly published guidance addressing Corporate Reporting Sustainability Directive (“CSRD”) reporting for companies that do not meet the French Sapin II law thresholds.  In short, the agency stated that CSRD reporting standards trigger an obligation to implement an antibribery and corruption compliance program – a … Continue Reading

Fast-Growing UK Challenger Bank Fined £29m for Insufficient Sanctions and Financial Crime Controls

On September 27, 2024, the Financial Conduct Authority (“FCA”), which is a financial regulatory body in the UK that regulates firms providing financial services to consumers, fined a UK Challenger Bank (the “Bank”) £29 million due to significant failings in its financial sanctions compliance and anti-money laundering systems and controls. The FCA’s Summary of Reasons … Continue Reading

FinCEN Issues Investment Adviser and Real Estate Rules

On August 28, 2024, the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (“FinCEN”) issued two final rules to counter financial crime and safeguard national security: one broadening the definition of “financial institution” to include certain registered investment advisers (“RIAs”) and exempt reporting advisers (“ERAs”) under the Bank Secrecy Act (“BSA”), and one mandating … Continue Reading

Recent FARA Charges Against Legislators Raise Constitutional Questions

Tom Firestone recently blogged on how the recent prosecutions of Senator Robert Menendez and Representative Henry Cuellar under a previously never used statute, 18 USC 219, raise serious Constitutional issues.  18 USC 219 makes it a crime for members of Congress (and other government officials) to engage in activity that requires registration under the Foreign … Continue Reading

Millions of Reasons to be a Whistleblower Means Increased Need for Internal Reporting Incentives

Summer may be coming to an end, but whistleblower awards are far from over.  On August 23, 2024, the Securities Exchange Commission (“SEC”) announced payment of over $98 million total to two whistleblowers who provided the SEC with information that led to successful enforcement actions – the fifth largest since the program’s inception in 2011, … Continue Reading

Insider Dealing: Increasing Scope and Greater Focus from UK and US Enforcement – Are You up to Speed?

The UK and US enforcement agencies have been actively pursuing insider dealing (“insider trading”, in US parlance) since the COVID-19 pandemic ended. The UK and US have different securities enforcement regimes, but both have seen recent developments expanding the scope of conduct that can be prosecuted. For individuals and organizations trading across multiple jurisdictions, it … Continue Reading

OFAC Guidance on the Statute of Limitations Extension

The President’s signing of the 21st Century Peace through Strength Act (the “Act”)[1] on April 24, 2024 marked one of the most significant expansions of the sanctions enforcement authority of the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (“OFAC”). For many decades OFAC’s civil enforcement actions have been limited to five years … Continue Reading

Recent DFSA Enforcement Activity and Future Priorities

In this article, we summarize the trends that have emerged from enforcement actions published between 2022 and the present day by the Dubai Financial Services Authority (the “DFSA”).… Continue Reading

WEBINAR- The 2024 Revolution in Administrative Law: Chevron and Beyond

Join #TeamSPB’s Ben Glassman, Keith Bradley and Patricia Doersch for a timely webinar on the major decisions recently issued by SCOTUS.  The panel will cover each of the recent decisions (Loper Bright v. Raimondo, SEC v. Jarkesy, Ohio v. EPA, and Corner Post v. the Fed) and discuss the consequences, as well as the opportunities … Continue Reading

End of the Chevron Era: The Future of Agency Enforcement Shifts to Courts

With its second of two landmark decisions impacting the future of federal agency enforcement, SCOTUS struck down the Chevron decision last week.  In a 6-3 decision in Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo, the Court shifted enforcement power away from agencies and to the federal courts. The implications of the Chevron decision are both significant and … Continue Reading

The Chevron Reversal and Sanctions Litigation

With the recent SCOTUS decision overturning Chevron, lawyers involved in administrative litigation are considering how the decision will affect their matters.  Sanctions litigation is one area which will be impacted.  Now, when sanctions designations are challenged in court, the government will no longer be able to simply invoke Chevron deference and Specially Designated Nationals (“SDNs”) … Continue Reading

Webinar: The REPO Act – Political and Legal Impacts for International Businesses

Congress recently passed the Rebuilding Prosperity and Opportunity for Ukrainians (“REPO”) Act, bipartisan legislation authorizing the Administration to seize billions of dollars in Russian sovereign assets to fund Ukraine reconstruction and aid. The legislation raises issues that could have political and legal consequences – for companies and individuals. Join members of the firm’s Policy and … Continue Reading

DOJ Promises Whistleblower Rewards Pilot Program and Adds AI Risk to Its Evaluation of Corporation Compliance Programs

On March 7, 2024, US Deputy Attorney General, Lisa O. Monaco announced the development of a new “DOJ-run whistleblower rewards program” during her speech at the American Bar Association’s 39th National Institute on White Collar Crime.[1]  The announcement signals “a 90-day sprint to develop and implement a pilot program, with a formal start date later this … Continue Reading

The UAE Exits FATF’s Grey List

On February 23, 2024, the Financial Action Task Force (“FATF”) removed the United Arab Emirates (“UAE”) from its list of jurisdictions under increased monitoring (the “Grey List”).  As noted in our previous article (see here), FATF had intimated at its October 2023 Plenary that the UAE may be next off the Grey List as it … Continue Reading

The SDNY Whistleblower Pilot Program Within the Framework of Corporate Criminal Enforcement

The United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York recently announced a policy—called the “SDNY Whistleblower Pilot Program”—that seeks to encourage individuals to voluntarily disclose financial crimes in which they themselves participated. First unveiled in January 2024 and then revised this month, the policy sets forth the circumstances under which SDNY says … Continue Reading
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