Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN)

Rule Changes

Led financial enforcement actions against Huione

Cambodia extradited Li Xiong, former chairman of Huione Group, to China on April 2, making him the second senior figure removed. Blockchain analytics firm Elliptic calls it the largest illicit online marketplace ever documented and traced more than $89 billion in cryptocurrency flowing through its platforms. The platforms allegedly laundered proceeds from romance scams, cyber heists, and North Korean state-sponsored theft.

Updated May 30

Rule Changes

Implementing and enforcing new reporting requirements

For decades, anyone with enough cash and a shell company could buy a house in America without telling the federal government who they were. That changed on March 1, 2026, when a new rule from the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) took effect. It requires closing agents to report the true owners behind any legal entity or trust purchasing residential property without traditional bank financing. The rule applies nationwide, to every price point, closing a gap the Treasury Department has called one of the most significant vulnerabilities in the country's anti-money laundering defenses.

Updated May 30

Rule Changes

Enforcing revised rule against foreign companies only

Congress passed the Corporate Transparency Act in 2021 to crack down on shell companies used for money laundering and terrorist financing, requiring 33 million U.S. businesses to report their true owners to FinCEN. Courts in Alabama and Texas declared it likely unconstitutional.

Updated May 19

Rule Changes

Reviewing investment adviser AML rule during two-year delay

FinCEN just delayed anti-money laundering rules for investment advisers by two years, pushing compliance from January 2026 to January 2028. It's the fourth time since 2002 that federal regulators have tried—and struggled—to close what transparency advocates call a $125 trillion loophole. Sanctioned Russian oligarchs, corrupt foreign officials, and fraudsters exploit it to access U.S. markets.

Updated May 19

Rule Changes

Pushing banks to spot cartel-linked oil and money laundering patterns

Treasury sanctioned the Cartel de Santa Rosa de Lima (CSRL) and its jailed leader José Antonio Yépez Ortiz ("El Marro") on December 17, 2025. Washington's campaign against huachicol money then shifted toward the infrastructure that makes stolen hydrocarbons tradable: shipping, routing, and due diligence.

Updated May 15