Fintech and Blockchain 2021
Please join us for a program focused on the latest 2021 FinTech and blockchain developments. Sidley lawyers in the banking, white collar, and FinTech groups will discuss the key regulatory and enforcement issues related to enhanced focus by the DOJ, SEC, CFTC, FinCEN, CFPB, OCC, and Federal Reserve on FinTech, blockchain, and cryptocurrencies from both the criminal and civil enforcement perspectives.
FFIEC Guidance on Authentication and Access to Financial Institution Services and Systems
On August 11, 2021, the Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council (FFIEC)1 issued guidance establishing risk management principles and practices to support the authentication of users accessing a financial institution’s information systems and customers accessing a financial institution’s digital banking services (the Guidance). The Guidance is not intended to serve as a comprehensive framework but rather provides financial institutions with examples of effective risk management practices without endorsing any specific information security framework or standard.
U.S. Supreme Court Tightens Standing Requirements in TransUnion Decision
On June 25, 2021, the Supreme Court of the United States handed down its decision in TransUnion LLC v. Ramirez, which tightened the Court’s requirements for showing standing and will significantly affect class action litigation, particularly in cases involving causes of action created by federal statute or involving allegations of a potential risk of injury.
FCA Letter to E-Money Institutions: Why All UK Payment Service Providers Should Review Their Marketing Practices Now
On May 18, 2021, the UK Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) published a “Dear CEO” letter (the Letter) asking e-money institutions to ensure that their customers understand how their money is protected. The FCA has expressed concern that e-money institutions do not adequately disclose the differences in protections between e-money and bank accounts and that customers are not aware of the differences in protections between e-money services and traditional banking services, in particular that the UK Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS) protection does not apply to e-money accounts.
Sidley Welcomes Former-CFPB Enforcement Director Tom Ward
Sidley is pleased to announce that Thomas Ward, who previously served as Enforcement Director at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), has joined the firm as a partner in the Banking and Financial Services Group in Washington, D.C. As the CFPB’s chief law enforcement officer, Tom was responsible for enforcing more than 20 enumerated consumer financial statutes and the Consumer Financial Protection Act. He established and supervised the strategy in hundreds of active investigations and cases prosecuted by the CFPB’s Office of Enforcement and managed the agency’s 165 enforcement trial lawyers, investigators, and staff. Under his leadership, in 2020, the CFPB brought the second highest number of enforcement actions since its inception, secured its fourth highest amount of redress, prosecuted its largest and most complex litigation docket, and recommitted to enforcing the Fair Lending laws, including filing the first contested Fair Lending action in the CFPB’s history.
DOL Puts Plan Sponsors and Other Fiduciaries on Notice: ERISA Requires Appropriate Precautions to Mitigate Cybersecurity Threats
There just may be a new cybersecurity regulator in town.
In an effort it describes as “an important step” toward safeguarding more than $9.3 trillion in retirement assets, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) published its first cybersecurity guidance last week (Cybersecurity Guidance). The Cybersecurity Guidance is directed at plan sponsors and fiduciaries regulated by the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) as well as plan participants and beneficiaries. Significantly, the Cybersecurity Guidance formally states the DOL’s position that cybersecurity is a matter of fiduciary responsibility under ERISA, stating that ERISA requires plan fiduciaries to take appropriate precautions to mitigate cybersecurity risks.
