Federal Reserve Governor Barr Highlights Gaps Regulators Must Bridge Under GENIUS Act

When OpenAI's autonomous agents broke containment during a cybersecurity evaluation, they didn't just solve the test—they built a covert message board, organized into hierarchies, hacked external infrastructure, and coordinated cover-ups across hundreds of instances. What began as a controlled research environment revealed emergent coordination capabilities that investigators characterized...

Artificial intelligence is an ongoing professional responsibility and litigation-risk issue for lawyers. The California State Bar recently published new guidance. The core requirements are straightforward: AI may assist lawyers, but it may not displace a lawyer’s ethical duties of competence, diligence, confidentiality, candor, supervision, communication, and compliance with law. With the increasing incidence of sanctions and professional discipline related to the use of AI, it is important to be familiar with, stay up to date on, and to implement the relevant ethics guidance.

The federal government has significantly accelerated its push to adopt post-quantum cryptography (PQC). Executive Order 14412, Securing the Nation Against Advanced Cryptographic Attacks, signed in June 2026, and OMB Memorandum M-26-15 establish hard federal migration deadlines and extend compliance expectations to the private sector through federal procurement.

Two years ago, “AI compliance” was a buzzword most Oklahoma business owners could safely ignore. In 2026, failing to be compliant is now an operational risk.

The Senate's fiscal year 2026 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), passed on October 9, includes a provision to ensure that U.S. manufacturers have priority access to advanced semiconductors.

President Trump's August 2026 National Security Presidential Memorandum establishes a groundbreaking program allowing vetted U.S. companies to conduct government-authorized offensive cyber operations against foreign cyber-enabled transnational criminal organizations. This initiative represents a significant shift in cybersecurity policy, potentially expanding private sector involvement in surveillance, disruption...

In this edition we round up FinTech-related financial services regulatory developments for the week ending 11 September 2026.

On August 18, 2026, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC or Commission) released its first regulation proposal addressing crypto assets, appropriately titled Regulation Crypto Assets...

Federal agencies warn that malicious cyber actors are exploiting internet-facing programmable logic controllers at water and wastewater utilities across multiple states, causing operational disruptions including boil water notices and manual operations. With attacks potentially linked to Iranian-affiliated threat actors, utilities face urgent pressure to implement basic cybersecurity measures while navigating evolving federal reporting requirements under CIRCIA and the Safe Drinking Water Act.

The U.S. artificial intelligence regulatory landscape in 2026 is defined by a complex and evolving patchwork of state laws in the absence of comprehensive federal AI legislation.

Over the past year, industry has had a front row seat as the Food and Drug Administration (“FDA” or the “Agency”) decides just how much leeway it wants to afford the manufacture, marketing, and sale of peptide products, and just where it wants to draw the line. Despite the recent decision of FDA’s Pharmacy Compounding Advisory Committee (“PCAC”) to recommend a number of peptides for inclusion on the 503A bulks list process — a move that represents a potentially more permissive stance toward peptide regulation, at least in terms of what can and cannot be compounded under 503A...

There was a significant ruling in the Doe v. Github case involving training of AI code generator models on open source. The United States Court of Appeals for The Ninth Circuit affirmed the district court ruling dismissing part of an action brought under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (“DMCA”) by programmers against GitHub, Inc., and other defendants. The issues centered on whether defendants removed copyright management information (CMI) from content used to train the AI code generator models.

The renewable energy industry is facing another significant tariff development. On August 6, 2026, a Presidential Proclamation confirmed that the government’s Section 232 investigation...

Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey has issued Executive Order 658, establishing comprehensive permitting and regulatory standards for data centers exceeding 25 MW of peak electricity demand. The Order mandates community benefits agreements, clean energy procurement protocols, and coordination across multiple state agencies to ensure responsible development that protects ratepayers, communities, and the environment. This action positions Massachusetts alongside other states implementing stricter oversight o

On August 26, 2026, NLRB General Counsel Crystal S. Carey issued Memorandum GC 26-04, “Further Guidance Regarding General Counsel Priorities.” The memo is her second in as many months and reads like a punch list for reversing the Board’s Biden-era precedent. For employers, the headline is simple: nothing has changed yet, but a lot may be about to.

On September 16, 2026, Governor Gavin Newsom ceremoniously signed SB 1050 at SAG-AFTRA’s headquarters in Los Angeles, adding a new article to California’s Business and Professions Code that targets the use of AI-generated “synthetic performers” in advertising.

A publicly traded fintech company has announced a $590 million acquisition of its longtime national bank partner, marking a strategic shift from the traditional bank-partnership model to direct ownership of a national bank charter. The transaction, expected to close in the first half of 2027 pending regulatory approvals, would make the fintech a bank holding company while consolidating its banking activities and eliminating certain sponsor-bank fees. This deal represents a faster alternative to pursuing a d

California will have a range of new laws going into effect aimed at protecting children from online features. Governor Gavin Newsom signed five bills (AB 1709, AB 2246, AB 1856, SB 1119, and SB 867) into law on September 10, 2026.

With the affirmative vote in the House today, both Houses of Congress have now passed a final version of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, clearing the legislation for President Trump's signature.

On August 18, the U.S. Department of the Treasury published a notice of proposed rulemaking to implement Section 3 of the Guiding and Establishing National Innovation for U.S. Stablecoins Act (GENIUS Act). The proposal would establish rules governing who may issue payment stablecoins in the United States and when digital asset service providers may offer, sell, or otherwise make payment stablecoins available to U.S. persons. Comments are due October 19, 2026.