The Americas

Congress passed the USA Patriot Act on 26 October 2001 as a response to the September 11 terror attacks. The Patriot Act gave law enforcement agencies across the United States a range of new investigative powers. In addition to more […]

Canada’s AML regulations require banks and financial institutions to check whether their clients are a Politically Exposed Person in Canada (or elsewhere) in order to build accurate risk profiles and comply with legislation. PEP screening is required by regulatory authorities […]

The CFATF works to implement counter-measures against money laundering and terrorism financing across the Caribbean. What is the Caribbean Financial Action Task Force? The Caribbean Financial Action Task Force (CFATF) is an intergovernmental organization of 24 territories in and around […]

The Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Centre (FINTRAC) is Canada’s financial intelligence unit (FIU) and the country’s anti-money laundering and countering the financing of terrorism (AML/CFT) regulator.  FINTRAC was established in October 2000 under the Proceeds of Crime (Money Laundering) […]

What Is The United States Department Of Justice? The United States Department of Justice is the federal government agency responsible for enforcing laws and administering justice across the United States. The DOJ’s purpose is to protect the public from foreign […]

What is The OCC – Office of The Comptroller of the Currency? An independent bureau of the US Treasury, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) is a regulatory organization which oversees the federal banking system of the […]

What is the NYSDFS? The New York State Department of Financial Services (NYSDFS) is the governmental body responsible for regulating all financial services and products in the state of New York. As a state-level regulatory office, the NYSDFS has a […]

What is the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)? The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is an independent government agency responsible for regulating the securities industry in the United States. In this capacity, it pursues a three-part mission: to protect […]

What Is FINRA (Financial Industry Regulatory Authority)? What is FINRA? The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) is a non-governmental, not-for-profit organization which acts as a self-regulatory body for brokers and dealers in the USA. The largest governing body of its […]

Is cryptocurrency legal in Latin America? Cryptocurrencies: Laws vary by country Cryptocurrency exchanges: Regulation, laws vary by country Latin America cryptocurrency regulations run the legislative spectrum. Those countries with harsher regulations include Bolivia which has comprehensively banned cryptocurrencies and exchanges, […]

Is Cryptocurrency Legal in Canada? Cryptocurrencies: Not legal tender Cryptocurrency exchanges: Legal, required to register with FinTRAC after June 1, 2020 In Canada cryptocurrency is not legal tender but can be used to buy goods and services online or in […]

Cryptocurrencies and virtual assets (VAs) continue to go from strength to strength in the US. Fuelled in part by the announcement of a US strategic crypto reserve, activity and innovation are strong in the sector, building on a longer-term trend […]