On Jan. 1, 2021, the U.S. Senate overwhelmingly voted (81-13) to override President Trump’s veto of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021,1 passing into law legislation that includes – the Anti-Money Laundering Act of 2020 (AML Act).2

The AML Act substantially changes and modernizes the BSA and related AML laws and regulations. However, because many of the new statutory provisions will require rulemakings, reports, analyses, and other measures, the impact of the AML Act remains to be seen and may only be slowly realized over the next few years. Nonetheless, financial institutions should seek to prepare their stakeholders, including boards of directors, foreign affiliates, and BSA/AML compliance personnel, by informing them of these changes and how they may impact their day-to-day operations.

Read the full GT Alert which provides an overview of the important themes and significant provisions of the AML Act.

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Photo of Greenberg Traurig Greenberg Traurig

Carl A. Fornaris is Co-Chair of the firm’s Financial Regulatory and Compliance Practice. With 27 years of legal experience, Carl advises a broad range of financial services firms – banks and their holding companies, money services businesses, investment advisers, securities broker dealers, gaming

Carl A. Fornaris is Co-Chair of the firm’s Financial Regulatory and Compliance Practice. With 27 years of legal experience, Carl advises a broad range of financial services firms – banks and their holding companies, money services businesses, investment advisers, securities broker dealers, gaming firms, Fintechs, cryptocurrency firms and other institutions – on all aspects of their business. These include formation and licensing, capital-raising transactions, acquisitions and divestitures, USA PATRIOT Act/BSA/AML compliance and OFAC sanctions programs, cryptocurrency regulation, mobile money and FinTech, federal and state agency enforcement proceedings, Dodd-Frank Act compliance and COVID-19/CARES Act economic stimulus program advice (ranging from Small Business Administration PPP loans to Federal Reserve Main Street program loans). Throughout his career, Carl has counseled clients in their dealings with the Federal Reserve, OCC, FDIC, FinCEN, SEC, FINRA, Florida Office of Financial Regulation, New York Department of Financial Services and other state supervisory authorities.

Carl is also active representing lenders and credit parties in financing transactions, particularly credits to non-U.S. loan parties, asset-based credits, acquisition financing and stand-by letters of credit.

Carl is a past General Counsel of the Florida International Bankers Association and sits on its Board of Directors. Previously, he served as Head of Legal and Compliance for the Latin America region of Barclays Bank PLC, with responsibility for managing legal and compliance matters throughout the region. Carl is an adjunct professor in the Business Law Department of the University of Miami Business School.

Photo of Kyle R. Freeny Kyle R. Freeny

Kyle R. Freeny, a skilled trial attorney and former federal prosecutor for the Special Counsel’s Office and the Department of Justice’s Money Laundering and Asset Recovery Section (MLARS), draws on more than a dozen years of high-profile experience in the federal government to

Kyle R. Freeny, a skilled trial attorney and former federal prosecutor for the Special Counsel’s Office and the Department of Justice’s Money Laundering and Asset Recovery Section (MLARS), draws on more than a dozen years of high-profile experience in the federal government to help clients navigate sensitive government and internal investigations, criminal and civil enforcement matters, and related complex litigation. She has particular experience in matters involving complex financial crime, cross-border investigations, anti-money laundering, anti-corruption, economic sanctions, asset forfeiture, and affirmative challenges to federal agency action.

While at the Department of Justice, Kyle also played a key role in major international money laundering and corruption matters, including important matters involving the Bank Secrecy Act (BSA) and Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA). Kyle also has considerable experience handling sensitive and complex cross-border issues in transnational financial cases, and she was responsible for the largest civil asset forfeiture recovery in DOJ history.

Kyle uses this deep experience in federal law enforcement to counsel clients facing scrutiny from DOJ, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN), and other law enforcement and financial regulatory agencies. Kyle conducts internal investigations on a range of issues and advises clients on a wide array of anti-money laundering, anti-corruption, and other compliance issues.

Kyle also helps clients develop and litigate challenges to federal regulations, policies, and agency decisions across a range of industries, drawing on her years of prior experience at DOJ representing a cross-section of federal agencies —from the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) to the Department of Energy to the Department of State and various intelligence agencies—in high-profile litigation. She has appeared before federal trial courts across the country.

Photo of Marina Olman-Pal Marina Olman-Pal

Marina Olman-Pal, Co-Chair of the firm’s Financial, Regulatory & Compliance Practice, advises foreign and U.S. financial institutions on a broad range of regulatory matters including licensing, acquisitions, divestitures, compliance with Bank Secrecy Act (BSA)/anti-money laundering (AML) laws and regulations, and compliance with Office…

Marina Olman-Pal, Co-Chair of the firm’s Financial, Regulatory & Compliance Practice, advises foreign and U.S. financial institutions on a broad range of regulatory matters including licensing, acquisitions, divestitures, compliance with Bank Secrecy Act (BSA)/anti-money laundering (AML) laws and regulations, and compliance with Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) sanctions programs. Marina counsels a wide range of companies in the financial services sector including, domestic and foreign banks, gaming companies, money services businesses including money transmitters, cryptocurrency businesses, Fintech companies and digital payment companies. Throughout her career, Marina has represented clients before U.S. regulators such as the Federal Reserve, OCC, FDIC, FinCEN, OFAC, the Florida Office of Financial Regulation and other state supervisory authorities. Marina also regularly develops anti-money laundering programs for a wide range of financial services businesses and non-financial services businesses including, U.S. and foreign companies active in industries such as real estate, hospitality, automotive and artificial intelligence, among many others.