Ecosunlite

Banking institutions are in a race to allow cannabis businesses ahead of imminent changes in the way cannabis is classified at the federal level, according to federal data.  Cannabis remains prohibited at the federal level, but the U.S. Health & Human Services Department (HHS) recommendation to reclassify cannabis from a Schedule I to a Schedule III changes everything.

NORML reports that there’s a spike in the number of banking institutions that are filing to work with cannabis businesses as the fear of repercussions subsides.

According to quarterly data provided by The Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN),  a bureau of the United States Department of the Treasury, over 800 banks and credit unions have filed paperwork with the U.S. government acknowledging their relationships with licensed cannabis businesses.

FinCEN reports that 812 banks and credit unions reported that they are actively working with cannabis companies during the second quarter of the FY2023.  That’s a record high since FinCEN first started tracking these numbers.  It represents a significant rise from last year’s numbers, when they identified 553 banks—only 11 percent of all U.S. banks—and 202 credit unions.

FinCEN “issued guidance to clarify Bank Secrecy Act (BSA) expectations for financial institutions seeking to provide services to marijuana-related businesses (MRBs),” the report, which is available for download, reads.  “This FinCEN guidance clarified how financial institutions can provide services to marijuana-related businesses consistent with their BSA obligations, and aligns the information provided by financial institutions in BSA reports with federal and state law enforcement priorities.”