Companies in several jurisdictions have been sanctioned by the US for facilitating the sale of hundreds of millions of dollars’ worth of Iranian petrochemicals and petroleum products to buyers in East Asia. This latest tranche of sanctions underlines the determination… Read More ›

OFAC
US urges financial institutions in UAE and Turkey to be vigilant in relations with Russia
The US has reminded banks in the UAE and Turkey to be mindful of international efforts to combat Russian sanctions evasion amidst concerns in Washington that locations such as the Gulf and Turkey could harbour illicit cash linked to the… Read More ›
Whitepaper: Sanctions advisories for the maritime industry
Practical challenges and recommendations for financial institutions regarding the monitoring of AIS outages and suspicious vessel activity. Executive summary The U.S. Treasury Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) and the United Kingdom’s Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation (OFSI) advisories on… Read More ›
Illicit cryptocurrency transaction activity reaches all-time high in value, all-time low in share of all cryptocurrency activity
Cryptocurrency-based crime hit a new all-time high in 2021, with illicit addresses receiving US$14 billion over the course of the year, up from US$7.8 billion in 2020 according to blockchain analysis firm Chainalysis. Evidence suggests that cryptocurrencies have been and… Read More ›
Mashreqbank agrees US$100 million settlement for Sudanese sanctions violations
Dubai-based Mashreqbank’s agreement to pay US$100 million in penalties for its deliberate omission of payment transactions with ties to Sudan in violation of US sanctions against the African country may serve as a warning to banks with US operations to… Read More ›
Romanian bank and US parent settle with OFAC for trade finance sanctions violations
Romania’s First Bank and its parent company, US investment firm J C Flowers, have entered into a US$862,318 settlement with the US treasury department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) for apparent violations of the Iran and Syria sanctions programmes…. Read More ›
OFAC sanctions Paraguay-based individuals and entities in multi-million dollar global TBML network
The US treasury department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) has designated three Paraguayan individuals and five associated entities to the Specially Designated Nationals (SDNs) list. Their assets in US are blocked and US persons are generally prohibited from dealing… Read More ›