Coordinated $80 Million AML Enforcement Action Highlights Breakdown Between Policy and Practice

Regulators continue to focus on AML programs that exist on paper but fail in practice, particularly in higher-risk trading environments such as microcap and over-the-counter markets.

On March 6, 2026, Financial Crimes Enforcement Network, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, and Financial Industry Regulatory Authority brought coordinated enforcement actions against Canaccord Genuity LLC arising from significant anti-money laundering failures tied to its over-the-counter trading business.

The coordinated resolutions resulted in a $80 million total monetary settlement, including amounts payable to the SEC and FINRA. FinCEN also required additional remedial undertakings, including independent consultant review work.

To help you make sense of what this means for you and your clients, read the full article from our friends at SEC3 here.

Updates on SEC, CFTC, FINRA, FCA and more from FiSolve

FiSolve‘s April 23rd weekly financial and regulatory news updates:

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Updates on SEC,FINRA, DOL and more from FiSolve

FiSolve‘s April 17th weekly financial and regulatory news updates:

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Updates on SEC, OCC, FinCEN and more from FiSolve

FiSolve‘s April 10th weekly financial and regulatory news updates:

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SEC Speaks 2026: Focus on Materiality and Investor Harm

At the SEC Speaks conference held March 19–20, 2026, SEC leadership outlined evolving priorities for rulemaking and enforcement. A central theme was a return to traditional financial materiality, with Commissioners emphasizing that disclosures should focus on information that meaningfully impacts investor decision-making, rather than broader policy-driven topics .

Chair Paul Atkins also introduced the SEC’s ACT framework, which is intended to modernize rules, clarify regulatory boundaries, and streamline existing requirements.

For RIAs, this signals a more disciplined regulatory environment with a sharper focus on financial integrity and investor harm. While there may be less emphasis on purely technical violations, firms should not view this as reduced risk. Where investor harm is identified, the SEC is likely to pursue cases aggressively.

To help you make sense of what this means for you and your clients, read the full article from our friends at SEC3 here.