Regulators and/or similar departments issue Guidance Notes (which might be known by any one of a variety of names) to the industry sectors they regulate. The legal and enforceability status of guidance notes varies by country and by issuer. In the UK, the most supported guidance notes are issued by a body representing industry interests but gain enforceability (of sorts) through a process of approval by the Treasury. This system is unusual. Note: we are able to include in this section copies of only such guidance notes as are permitted under copyright laws and specific or general licences.
The Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) is an agency of the US Department of the Treasury. It is the USA's Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) as defined by the Financial Action Task Force (FATF). It has intelligence gathering and analysis functions in addition to regulatory functions. It is empowered to order the payment of civil penalties for breaches of its regulations. In addition to the regulations, it issues "advisories" and "guidance notes" which are highly persuasive but do not have force of law. FinCEN also maintains the register of money services businesses: this is not a licensing function.