Government Regulation and Public Sector Law

On 7 April 2026, The Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) issued its notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM or proposed rule) that would revise the requirements for anti-money laundering and countering the financing of terrorism (AML/CFT) compliance programs for financial institutions.

Regulators across jurisdictions are increasing scrutiny of financial institutions’ anti-money laundering controls, with enforcement efforts focusing not only on whether compliance frameworks exist, but on whether they function effectively in practice. Those themes emerged during WLG’s recent Compliance & Investigations Group discussion, where Isadora Fingermann and Karla Lini Maeji of TozziniFreire, Theresa Sauerwein of Taylor Wessing, and Suegene Ang of WongPartnership examined how AML enforcement is evolving in Brazil, Germany, Singapore, and beyond.

A federal court in Texas has vacated FinCEN's Residential Real Estate Reporting Rule, suspending enforcement and eliminating current reporting obligations for title companies and closing agents. FinCEN has issued updated guidance confirming no liability for non-filing during the vacatur period, though the agency has appealed the decision and the rule may be reinstated pending Fifth Circuit review.

Our Legislative & Public Policy team is pleased to provide the May 2026 edition of Capital Snapshot, which includes a monthly summary of the issues, events, and timelines driving federal policy and political decisions.

This comprehensive year-in-review examines procurement fraud trends, enforcement actions, and compliance developments throughout 2025. The analysis explores regulatory changes, investigative techniques, and emerging risks that organizations face in government contracting and procurement processes.

The Department of Justice Antitrust Division has intensified its prosecution of government contractors through its Procurement Collusion Strike Force, which has opened nearly 200 investigations since 2019. With a new whistleblower program generating a surge of leads and recent guilty pleas in bid-rigging schemes involving military contracts, contractors face heightened scrutiny and significant risks including jail time, debarment, and civil litigation.

The Food and Agriculture Organization's Development Law Service is hosting a webinar to explore the emerging legal concept of Rights of Nature and its intersection with critical areas including water resources, Indigenous Peoples' rights, biodiversity, and sustainable food systems. Legal experts will provide analytical insights through case studies and examine how this evolving framework connects to FAO's mandate for environmental protection and land tenure.

A controversial legislative effort to grant coral reefs and watersheds “legal personhood” in Hawaii has been voted down by the state legislature.

In late 2025, the EU postponed the application of the EU Regulation on Deforestation-Free Products (EUDR) for the second time.

US sanctions targeting Hizballah and its Lebanese allies mark an unprecedented escalation, including designations of mid-level military officers as Washington pushes for disarmament.

Bob Hall, the father of wheelchair racing and a two-time Boston Marathon winner, was the lead plaintiff in a groundbreaking lawsuit under the Americans with Disabilities Act that opened up the field of wheelchair racing.

The United States has historically treated child sexual abuse as aberrational, yet the greatest danger often comes from trusted figures in a child's daily life.