Crowell was proud to serve as a sponsor of the recent New York University School of Law symposium on “Charting the Future of Litigation Finance.” The symposium brought together over 200 leading lawyers, academics, policymakers, and judges for an engaging discussion on the regulatory and policy issues surrounding this rapidly growing area of finance. Crowell partner Kevin Rubinstein spoke on “Nonattorneys Enter the Room: Financier Control and Law Firm Ownership.”

Continue Reading Crowell Sponsors NYU Law Litigation Finance Symposium

Crowell is proud to serve as a sponsor of and speaker at the American Conference Institute (ACI) 20th annual flagship conference on economic sanctions enforcement and compliance over April 29-30, 2026. Crowell partner and co-chair of the Financial Services group, Carlton Greene, spoke at the conference on “Latin America Under Scrutiny: Mitigating the Expanding Cross-Industry Risks Posed by Cartels and FTO Designation.”

The largest and most respected sanctions conference of its kind, the event represents the definitive gathering for sanctions and compliance professionals, bringing together regulators, industry leaders, and legal experts shaping the future of global sanctions policy.

What You Need to Know

  • Key takeaway #1: Threat actors are no longer just looking for software bugs; they are spending months building fake identities to “befriend” organizations and conduct corporate espionage.
  • Key takeaway #2: The Drift incident reflects a familiar Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) playbook with an in-person twist: identity deception, relationship-building, privileged access, and rapid monetization ― the same methods central to North Korea’s remote IT worker schemes.
  • Key takeaway #3: Where a small group of individuals can authorize consequential financial or administrative actions, social engineering and insider-enabled compromise present significant legal, compliance, and operational risk. High-risk approvals, access governance, and hiring controls should be treated as core security measures.

The recent $285 million theft from Drift Protocol serves as a high-stakes reminder that the human element remains one of the biggest cybersecurity gaps in any organization. This was not a “hack” in the traditional sense of breaking through a digital wallet. North Korean actors used sophisticated social engineering to exploit human trust ―  highlighting what looks like a “hacking” risk into valuable lessons learned for cybersecurity oversight.

Continue Reading Drift Protocol Exploit: Why “Social Trust” Is the Newest Cybersecurity Gap

Crowell was proud to serve as a sponsor of and speaker at the recent Association of Certified Sanctions Specialists (ACSS) annual U.S. conference on global sanctions and export controls. Crowell partners Anand Sithian and Caroline Brown spoke at the conference. Anand spoke on “The After-Action Review of Recent Sanctions and Export Controls Enforcement Actions,” and Caroline spoke on “The New War on Drugs: Cartels, and Transnational Criminal Organizations.”

The event brought together leading government officials and industry specialists for insight and practical guidance on today’s geopolitical, sanctions, and export controls landscape and the most pressing compliance challenges.

Continue Reading Crowell Sponsors ACSS Annual U.S. Conference on Global Sanctions and Export Controls

Crowell was pleased to host and sponsor Opus Connect’s recent NYC Private Debt Roundtable. The event drew a group of private debt leaders for engaging and thoughtful discussion around some of the key challenges private debt firms face today, and the emerging opportunities. The conversation covered everything from new technologies shaping the space to how firms are evolving their strategies in response to a changing environment.

Continue Reading Crowell Hosts NYC Private Debt Roundtable With Opus Connect

Crowell was proud to serve as a sponsor of the recent Drinks & Discussion hosted by the International Legal Finance Association (ILFA). The event on April 16 brought together over 150 leading practitioners, funders, and professionals from across the legal finance ecosystem at Grand Brasserie for networking and discussion on one of the most dynamic and rapidly evolving areas of finance.

Crowell has a leading Financial Services group, and is pleased to support the mission of ILFA through our sponsorship.

Continue Reading Crowell Sponsors ILFA Drinks & Discussion in New York

On April 14, 2026, the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) issued Venezuela General License 56, “Authorizing Commercial-Related Negotiations of Contingent Contracts with the Government of Venezuela” (GL 56), and Venezuela General License 57, “Authorizing Financial Services Transactions Involving Certain Venezuelan Banks and Government of Venezuela Individuals” (GL 57). OFAC also issued one Venezuela-related Frequently Asked Question (FAQ), FAQ 1248. 

These actions represent the latest steps in a continuing U.S. policy of progressively opening channels for commercial and financial engagement with Venezuela, extending the series of general licenses that OFAC has issued since early 2026 across the energy, petrochemical, minerals, and infrastructure sectors.

Continue Reading OFAC Expands Venezuela Sanctions Relief: New General Licenses 56 and 57, and Guidance on Reporting Obligations

Key Takeaways 

  • The U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) designated six individuals and entities tied to Cartel del Noreste (CDN)—one of Mexico’s most violent drug trafficking organizations—including two CDN-affiliated casinos used for money laundering and drug operations near the U.S.-Mexico border. 
  • OFAC’s actions are the latest examples of a broader national security strategy to use sanctions, AML authorities, criminal prosecutions, and other tools to counter cartels on the U.S.-Mexico border. These efforts have targeted in particular non-traditional financial institutions such as casinos, public-facing professionals, and disinformation actors. 
  • The State Department designated CDN as a foreign terrorist organization (FTO) on February 20, 2026, and today’s designations were issued under both Executive Order 14059 (narcotics trafficking) and Executive Order 13224 (terrorism), underscoring the U.S. government’s treatment of major cartels as hybrid criminal-terrorist threats.
Continue Reading OFAC Sanctions Cartel-Linked Casinos and Financial Enablers on the Southern Border 

On Jan. 14, New York state Sen. Zellnor Myrie proposed legislation in the New York State Senate that would amend New York law to make it a criminal offense to operate a virtual currency business in the state without the proper license.

By introducing the possibility of criminal penalties, S.B. 8901 — the Cryptocurrency Regulation Yields Protections, Trust and Oversight, or CRYPTO, Act — would mark a significant regulatory shift in how New York regulates virtual currency businesses.

For virtual currency businesses operating in New York and their counsel, the CRYPTO Act presents significant implications.

Crowell’s Carlton Greene, Anand Sithian, and Allison Fleming recently published an article in Law360 covering these developments, and proactive steps that market participants may wish to consider taking.

Click here to read the full article.

Overview

On March 12, 2026, the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) took formal steps toward establishing additional regulations for prediction markets. The agency issued an Advanced Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ANPRM) soliciting public input on potential new rules, and separately, released staff guidance outlining its views on how existing rules apply to prediction market platforms currently in operation. These developments signal a significant shift in the regulatory landscape for an industry that has grown rapidly over the past year.

Continue Reading CFTC Takes Additional Steps Toward Prediction Market Regulation: What You Need to Know