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Larry Dean Harmon, the founder and operator of Helix, a darknet-based cryptocurrency “mixer” or “tumbler,” recently admitted that Helix partnered with darknet marketplaces to provide bitcoin money laundering services for darknet market customers.

The Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (“FinCEN”) recently hit the founder and primary operator of both Helix and Coin Ninja with a $60 million civil monetary penalty.

On October 8, 2020, the Attorney General’s Cyber-Digital Task Force (“the Task Force”) issued its Cryptocurrency Enforcement Framework (the “Report”), which offers background on virtual assets, enforcement milestones, and plans for increasing scrutiny into the use of cryptocurrency, following the Task Force’s inception in 2018.

Recently, BuzzFeed News and the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (“ICIJ”) reported on a 16-months’ long investigation into a trove of explosive documents apparently leaked from the U.S. Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (“FinCEN”).

The Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (“FinCEN”) is asking for feedback on potential regulatory amendments aimed at ensuring that anti-money laundering (“AML”) programs are “effective and reasonably designed.”

In a significant move toward more transparency, the Treasury Department’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (“FinCEN”) released new guidance (the “Guidance”) on August 18, 2020, setting forth its enforcement approach and detailing the factors that FinCEN will consider when evaluating matters involving potential violations of the Bank Secrecy Act (“BSA”).

When a bank files a suspicious activity report (“SAR”), that bank has immunity from civil lawsuits.

A few weeks ago we wrote about the skepticism Libra, Facebook’s proposed cryptocurrency, faced from U.S. regulators. Since then, Libra’s unpopularity has spread across the Atlantic.

On May 6, 2019, the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) issued Regulatory Notice 19-18 to help broker-dealers recognize and report potential fraud and money laundering.

On March 4, 2019, a British customs agency raided 50 real estate agencies and announced the largest fine ever imposed in the U.K. for money laundering violations in the real estate market.

Late last month, federal prosecutors announced the first criminal prosecution against a U.S. broker-dealer under the Bank Secrecy Act (“BSA”).

On December 3, 2018, a group of U.S. banking regulators issued a joint statement encouraging banks to use innovative approaches to enhance their Bank Secrecy Act and anti-money laundering (BSA/AML)…