SAFE – FinTech and Blockchain Law Watch

Cannabis Banking in the US – The Latest on the SAFE Act

Apr 06 2021

By: Brenden R. Chainey, Daniel S. Cohen, Daniel F. C. Crowley, Scott J. Gelbman, Barry M. Hartman, Kathleen L. Nicholas

In September 2019, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the “Secure and Fair Enforcement (SAFE) Banking Act of 2019”, the first stand-alone cannabis legislation to be approved by the House of Representatives. Earlier this month, revised versions of the bill were introduced in the House and Senate “to reform federal cannabis laws and reduce the public safety risk in communities across the country.”

First Cannabis-related Business SARs Penalty Against a Depository Institution

Mar 23 2021

By: Daniel Cohen, Judie Rinearson, Jeremy McLaughlin

On 21 February 2021, the National Credit Union Administration (NCUA) became the first prudential regulator to issue an administrative order against a depository institution primarily on the basis of noncompliance with the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network’s (FinCEN) “BSA Expectations Regarding Marijuana-related Businesses” (FIN-2014-GOO1) (MRB Guidance). NCUA and Live Life Federal Credit Union entered into a stipulation and a consent to a cease and desist order in which the credit union, without admitting any wrongdoing, agreed to “implement an automated system to effectively monitor and identify all transaction for suspicious activity…includ[ing] functions to support [its] compliance with FinCEN requirements for Marijuana-Related Businesses (“MRB”).”

Tag:SAFE