Debt Financing Trends (Video Content)

The U.S. Small Business Administration has set new annual fee rates for Small Business Investment Companies' debentures for fiscal year 2027, with standard debentures at 0.3000% and accrual debentures at 0.8710%. These fees apply to any SBIC receiving debenture commitments between October 1, 2026 and September 30, 2027, regardless of when the debentures are actually drawn.

Financial services firms, healthcare organizations, and businesses across industries are investing heavily in AI and data analytics, yet many struggle to translate these investments into measurable returns. The gap between AI ambition and execution often begins with governance, workforce readiness, and the ability to turn insights into actionable business outcomes.

FinCEN has renewed its Geographic Targeting Order for Minnesota, extending enhanced reporting requirements for financial institutions in Hennepin and Ramsey Counties through February 2027. The order mandates detailed recordkeeping for international fund transfers of $3,000 or more, with exemptions for certain lower-risk transactions. What are the compliance implications for banks and money services businesses operating in these jurisdictions?

The SEC's Division of Examinations has identified six critical areas where investment advisers commonly fall short in their annual compliance reviews, from timing failures to inadequate documentation and unimplemented corrective actions. Understanding these deficiencies is essential for advisers seeking to strengthen their compliance infrastructure and avoid examination risks.

The federal banking agencies have proposed new third-party risk management guidance that is more prescriptive than its emphasis on a “risk-based” approach might suggest. In addition to calling for risk-based oversight, the proposal identifies specific elements that banks should address in board-approved policies and throughout the life cycle of third-party relationships, including due diligence, contracting, ongoing monitoring, documentation, remediation, and termination.

Forget what you thought you knew about startup funding. According to Crunchbase, billion-dollar rounds have moved from anomaly to expectation. In the first half of 2026, 60% of global startup funding flowed to rounds of $1 billion or more — and in the U.S., that figure jumped to a staggering 73%.

The U.S. Senate's failed cloture vote on the Digital Asset Market Clarity Act has prompted a flurry of regulatory activity from federal agencies seeking to establish frameworks for cryptocurrency markets. In response, the SEC issued groundbreaking exemptions for tokenized securities trading, the CFTC extended relief to crypto wallet providers, and Congress advanced new tax legislation for digital assets.

The SEC has proposed the most comprehensive modernization of transfer agent rules since their original adoption in the 1970s, replacing paper-era requirements with technology-neutral standards covering cybersecurity, operational resilience, faster processing, and blockchain integration. The proposal would eliminate longstanding exemptions for mutual funds and small transfer agents while establishing new compliance governance requirements and restrictive legend controls that would reshape how transfer agents

The Senate's failure to achieve the 60-vote threshold on the Digital Asset Market Clarity Act leaves the timeline for comprehensive federal cryptocurrency regulation uncertain. Two key obstacles emerged: concerns over ethics provisions designed to prevent senior officials from profiting from digital ventures, and unresolved disputes over activity-based rewards and yield payments on stablecoins that banking groups warn could drain deposits from community banks.

Structured credit plays a vital role in private credit markets by pooling loans, receivables, and cash-flowing assets to create tailored investment opportunities across various risk-return profiles.

The FDA is seeking stakeholder input on a regulatory framework for generative AI-enabled medical devices, while advancing major user fee program reauthorizations that introduce domestic manufacturing incentives and strengthen collaboration with the SEC on disclosure requirements. Recent court decisions and new IVD authorizations are reshaping the landscape for drug compounding and diagnostic testing markets.

In our last post, we covered why building a trade secret management program matters more than blanket confidentiality designations. This post is about what a trade secret program makes possible when someone walks out the door, and why companies without one may be left with employment agreements that cannot do that job alone.

The California Legislature’s 2025–2026 session ended with workplace-related artificial intelligence or automated technology in its crosshairs. If Governor Newsom signs this suite of bills, California employers may face a number of new obligations relating to AI-driven surveillance tools, automated decision systems, and other emerging workplace technologies.

An Executive Order directs the Attorney General to prioritize enforcement of federal criminal laws against AI-enabled cyberattacks, particularly focusing on identification fraud and authentication violations. Legal experts analyze how Section 1028's broad definitions of identification documents and authentication features provide powerful prosecutorial tools against autonomous AI threats, while examining implications for public-private cybersecurity partnerships.

Explore the latest developments in sustainable energy and infrastructure, from project financing insights and critical minerals policy to AI-driven power demand and emerging opportunities across renewable energy. This comprehensive update examines how investors, developers, and policymakers are navigating the evolving landscape of energy infrastructure and climate technology.

New York has enacted a new law that will provide employees with new rights with respect to their personnel files, including notice of, and the opportunity to respond to, certain types of “negative information” placed in their personnel files. S3460, which is modeled in part after Massachusetts’ personnel records law, adds new Section 210-b to the New York Labor Law and will take effect on November 8, 2026.

FemTech's evolution into credible medical technology converges with the rural maternal health crisis, creating opportunities for companies that can navigate federal policy, reimbursement pathways, and infrastructure challenges.

Patent prosecutors often overlook manufacturing method claims due to enforcement challenges, but these patents can provide strategic advantages under 35 U.S.C. § 271(g). A growing split among district courts regarding downstream liability for sellers and users of products made by patented processes creates both uncertainty and opportunity for patent owners seeking to expand protection beyond traditional composition claims.

The Department of the Treasury and IRS have proposed regulations that would eliminate tax-exempt status for private schools maintaining race-based policies in admissions, scholarships, or programs—regardless of remedial or diversity objectives. The rule would affect approximately 18,000 tax-exempt schools, 750,000 students, and outstanding tax-exempt bonds, fundamentally reshaping how educational institutions approach diversity initiatives and donor-restricted scholarships.

Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey has issued Executive Order No. 658, establishing a comprehensive statewide framework for regulating large-scale data center development. The order requires developers of facilities with peak electricity demand exceeding 25 megawatts to meet new standards addressing community benefits, grid impacts, environmental concerns, and workforce considerations before receiving state permits.