On October 18, 2021, the U.S. Treasury Department released a long awaited report on its first of its kind “top to bottom” review of U.S. economic and financial sanctions. The report does not make or recommend any immediate or...more
On September 9, 2019, the Trump administration implemented additional U.S. sanctions on Cuba by restricting personal remittances to Cuba and eliminating authorization for U.S. banks to process “U-turn” transactions involving...more
9/11/2019
/ Banking Sector ,
Cross-Border Transactions ,
Cuba ,
Cuban Assets Control Regulations (CACR) ,
Economic Sanctions ,
Foreign Policy ,
Fund Transfers ,
General Licenses ,
Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) ,
Personal Remittance Caps ,
Trump Administration ,
U-Turn Transactions ,
U.S. Treasury
• The U.S. Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Controls (OFAC) recently published guidance that describes the framework for an effective Sanctions Compliance Program (SCP). In its guidance, OFAC makes clear...more
5/30/2019
/ Civil Monetary Penalty ,
Compliance ,
Criminal Investigations ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Internal Controls ,
New Guidance ,
Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) ,
Risk Mitigation ,
Sanctions ,
Senior Managers ,
U.S. Treasury ,
Voluntary Disclosure
• Yesterday, May 2, the United States government allowed implementation of Title III of the Helms-Burton Act, for the first time since the law was enacted in 1996, to permit U.S. nationals to sue persons that “traffic” in...more
5/3/2019
/ Banking Sector ,
Blocked Person ,
Cuba ,
Economic Sanctions ,
Financial Services Industry ,
Foreign Nationals ,
Foreign Relations ,
General Licenses ,
National Security ,
Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) ,
Personal Jurisdiction ,
Risk Mitigation ,
Scope of Discovery Requests ,
Statute of Limitations ,
Trafficking ,
Travel Restrictions ,
Treble Damages ,
Trump Administration ,
U.S. Treasury ,
Visa Restrictions
• On November 28, 2018, OFAC designated two Iran-based individuals who helped exchange cryptocurrency (bitcoin) into fiat currency on behalf of alleged ransomware perpetrators who targeted U.S. businesses and municipal...more
1/11/2019
/ Bitcoin ,
Blocked Person ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Crypto Exchanges ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Cyber Attacks ,
Cyber Crimes ,
Cybersecurity ,
Data Privacy ,
Data Protection ,
Digital Currency ,
Digital Wallets ,
Economic Sanctions ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Financial Institutions ,
Iran Sanctions ,
Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) ,
Ransomware ,
SDN List ,
U.S. Treasury
• On April 6, 2018, the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) placed seven prominent Russian businessmen, 12 companies, 17 senior Russian government officials, and a state-owned Russian...more
4/9/2018
/ Banking Sector ,
Blocked Person ,
CAATSA ,
Economic Sanctions ,
Executive Orders ,
Financial Institutions ,
General Licenses ,
Government Officials ,
Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) ,
Russia ,
SDN List ,
State-Owned Enterprises ,
Trump Administration ,
U.S. Treasury
• On November 9, 2017, the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), the U.S. Department of State, and the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) took coordinated...more
12/22/2017
/ Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) ,
Cuba ,
Cuban Assets Control Regulations (CACR) ,
Economic Sanctions ,
Export Administration Regulations (EAR) ,
Exports ,
Financial Transactions ,
National Security ,
Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) ,
Presidential Memorandum ,
Private Sector ,
Trump Administration ,
U.S. Commerce Department ,
U.S. Treasury ,
US Department of State
• Effective October 13, 2017, President Trump declined to provide certification that the JCPOA is in the United States’ national interest. Following this “decertification,” the U.S. Congress has 60 days in which to introduce...more
11/2/2017
/ Anti-Terrorism Financing ,
Decertify ,
Economic Sanctions ,
Executive Orders ,
Foreign Policy ,
Foreign Relations ,
Iran ,
Iran Nuclear Agreement Review Act of 2015 (INARA) ,
Iran Sanctions ,
Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) ,
Legislative Amendments ,
Members of Congress ,
Nuclear Weapons ,
Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) ,
Proposed Legislation ,
SDN List ,
Sunset Provisions ,
Trump Administration ,
U.S. Treasury
On July 31, 2017, the U.S. Department of the Treasury, Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) announced the addition of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro to its list of Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons...more
8/7/2017
/ Asset Freeze ,
Economic Sanctions ,
Executive Orders ,
Foreign Policy ,
Foreign Relations ,
Government Officials ,
Obama Administration ,
Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) ,
SDN List ,
Trump Administration ,
U.S. Treasury ,
Venezuela
On October 7, 2016, the U.S. Department of the Treasury, Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) published new guidance clarifying (a) circumstances under which non-U.S. financial institutions (FFIs) may engage in U.S. dollar...more
On Monday, September 21, 2015, the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) and the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) implemented amendments to the Cuban...more
9/23/2015
/ Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) ,
Cuba ,
Cuban Assets Control Regulations (CACR) ,
Economic Development ,
Educational Institutions ,
Export Administration Regulations (EAR) ,
Financial Institutions ,
Foreign Policy ,
Obama Administration ,
Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) ,
Sanctions ,
Telecommunications ,
Trade Relations ,
Travel ,
U.S. Treasury
On February 6, 2014, the U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) published notice that it was listing eleven named parties as “Foreign Sanctions Evaders,” pursuant to Executive Order 13608 (May 1,...more
Introduction and Summary -
On January 20, 2014, the departments of State and the Treasury announced details of the United States’ plan to suspend certain sanctions against Iran pursuant to the November 24, 2013 Joint...more