SEC Enforcement FY2025 Results Signal Shift in Priorities in Direct Critique of Prior Administration
On April 7, 2026, the SEC Division of Enforcement published its annual enforcement results for the 2025 fiscal year (October 2024 through September 2025). The Division reported 456 total enforcement actions, the lowest number in at least 20 years, including 303 “stand-alone” actions; 69 “follow-on” administrative proceedings arising from other civil, criminal, or administrative events; and 84 actions against delinquent filers. The SEC also reported approximately $17.9 billion in monetary relief.
FinCEN Postpones Effective Date of Anti-Money-Laundering Rule for Investment Advisers and Exempt Reporting Advisers
On July 21, 2025, the U.S. Department of the Treasury Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) announced that it intends to postpone the effective date of the final rule requiring anti-money-laundering (AML) programs for certain investment advisers (the IA AML Rule). The rule, previously scheduled to take effect on January 1, 2026, will now be delayed until January 1, 2028.
A Roadmap to Engagement With the U.S. SEC’s New Crypto Task Force
On February 4, 2025, in the first official statement (the Statement) from the Securities and Exchange Commission’s (SEC) newly established Crypto Task Force (Task Force), SEC Commissioner Hester Peirce provided a glimpse into the priorities and guidelines concerning “the crypto road trip” ahead for all industry participants in the crypto/digital assets space. (more…)
US SEC Division of Exams Announces 2025 Examination Priorities
On October 21, 2024, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC or Commission) Division of Examinations (Division) published its annual examination priorities (Priorities) outlining areas of perceived risk and topics that the Division plans to focus on in the new fiscal year. The Priorities were published just weeks before the U.S. presidential elections, and, while the SEC’s examination program does not change significantly with changes in administration, new leadership will undoubtedly announce their own priorities for the Commission. (more…)
