How to Launch and Scale Cannabis Banking Without Sacrificing Compliance

The cannabis banking landscape continues to challenge financial institutions to do more with less certainty — managing regulatory exposure while building programs that generate real, sustainable revenue. Getting the balance right requires strong internal governance, clear lines of authority, and a compliance infrastructure that can scale alongside your business ambitions.

Join Ryne Cornacchia, Manager of Regulatory Compliance Services at Wolf & Company and Chris Van Dyck, Partner at Cogent Law, for a practical, in-depth webinar on how financial institutions can launch, manage, and grow successful cannabis banking programs — without sacrificing compliance or operational integrity.

From understanding the 2014 FinCEN Guidance to structuring your BSA Officer's authority, setting communication frameworks, and implementing efficiencies that let your team focus on what matters most, this session delivers the guidance your institution needs to move forward with confidence.

Session Agenda

This briefing addresses the end-to-end lifecycle of building a compliant cannabis banking program:

1. Board-Level Readiness — What your Board of Directors needs to understand and approve before your institution enters the cannabis banking space, including risk appetite statements and policy frameworks.
2. The 2014 FinCEN Guidance — A close examination of the ambiguities in the guidance, how regulators interpret them today, and how to structure your program within those boundaries.
3. Governance & Authority — How to define roles, reporting lines, and decision-making authority within your CRB banking program so that compliance and business development operate in alignment.
4. BSA & Compliance Communication — Best practices for structuring communication between your BSA team, compliance officers, and business development staff to avoid silos and reduce risk.
5. Technology & Third-Party Providers — How to evaluate, onboard, and leverage software platforms and service providers to implement efficiencies without introducing new compliance gaps.
6. Revenue & Scalability — How to build a cannabis banking program that is not only compliant but also revenue-generating and positioned for sustainable growth.

Why This Session Matters Now

Financial institutions that entered the cannabis banking space early gained a significant competitive advantage — but many are now confronting the operational complexity that comes with scale. Meanwhile, institutions that have been watching from the sidelines face increasing pressure from both competitive dynamics and client demand.

The regulatory environment remains in flux. Rescheduling discussions, evolving state-level frameworks, and shifting federal enforcement priorities create both opportunity and uncertainty. Institutions that wait for perfect clarity before acting risk being left behind. Those that move forward without proper governance risk enforcement actions.

This webinar provides the strategic middle ground: practical, tested frameworks for building cannabis banking programs that satisfy regulators, serve clients effectively, and generate meaningful revenue.

About the Presenting Organizations

Cogent Law has guided more than 40 financial institutions through the process of launching and scaling compliant cannabis banking programs. Partner Chris Van Dyck is a former BSA Officer and financial regulator who brings nearly a decade of hands-on experience building one of the most successful cannabis banking programs in the United States. Learn more about our Cannabis Banking practice →

Wolf & Company is a leading provider of regulatory compliance, audit, and advisory services for financial institutions. Their team supports banks, credit unions, and FinTech companies across all dimensions of BSA/AML compliance, risk management, and regulatory readiness.

Regulatory Landscape

Cannabis banking operates within a framework defined by the 2014 FinCEN Guidance, the Cole Memorandum's legacy, state-level regulatory structures, and evolving federal policy. Financial institutions must navigate SAR filing obligations, enhanced due diligence requirements, and ongoing monitoring protocols that are significantly more complex than traditional commercial banking.

This session addresses these requirements directly — not in theory, but through the lens of institutions that have successfully implemented and scaled these programs in practice.