International sanctions are a major compliance challenge for companies worldwide. The regulatory risks associated with economic sanctions, asset-freezing measures and trade embargoes are not new, but they continue to grow in...more
7/19/2018
/ Blocking Statutes ,
Bonds ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Debt Buyers ,
Debt-Equity ,
Defense Sector ,
Economic Sanctions ,
Energy Sector ,
EU ,
Financial Markets ,
General Licenses ,
Iran ,
Iran Sanctions ,
Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) ,
Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) ,
Oil & Gas ,
Popular ,
Russia ,
SDN List ,
Secondary Sanctions ,
Syria ,
Trump Administration ,
Ukraine ,
Venezuela
The Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) of the U.S. Department of the Treasury issued updated general licenses and related guidance in connection with sanctions imposed in April on certain Russian individuals and entities...more
On 12 May 2018, US President Trump will decide whether or not to renew the US sanctions relief in relation to Iran. Declining to do so would put the US in breach of, and amount to US withdrawal from, the JCPOA, the Iran...more
4/23/2018
/ China ,
EU ,
France ,
Germany ,
Iran Sanctions ,
Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) ,
Negotiations ,
Nuclear Power ,
Russia ,
Secondary Sanctions ,
Trump Administration
The Trump Administration, on April 6, 2018, imposed sanctions on a number of Russian oligarchs with vast business interests, Russian government officials, officers of Russian state-owned enterprises, and related companies....more
In 2017 there were a number of major sanctions developments in the EU and the US, with implications for businesses both in terms of keeping their compliance processes effective, and in terms of what to do if breaches are...more
2/6/2018
/ Anti-Money Laundering ,
CAATSA ,
Compliance ,
Economic Sanctions ,
EU ,
Iran Sanctions ,
Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) ,
North Korea ,
Nuclear Power ,
Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation (OFSI) ,
Russia ,
Sovereign Debt ,
UK ,
UK Brexit ,
Venezuela
As required under the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (“CAATSA”), the Trump Administration on Monday released an unclassified version of a report (the “Report”) identifying senior political figures and...more
1/31/2018
/ Anti-Corruption ,
Anti-Money Laundering ,
Banks ,
Blocked Entities ,
Blocked Person ,
CAATSA ,
Economic Sanctions ,
Russia ,
SDN List ,
Trump Administration ,
US State Departments
Yesterday, President Trump signed H.R. 3364, the “Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act,” enacting into law limited additional sanctions against Russia and, critically, restricting his ability to suspend or...more
After weeks of discussion and procedural uncertainty, the U.S. House of Representatives passed new legislation by a vote of 419–3 that, if enacted into law, will strengthen existing sanctions against Russia and also impose...more
7/29/2017
/ Congressional Authority ,
Cyber Attacks ,
Economic Sanctions ,
Energy Sector ,
Foreign Relations ,
Hackers ,
Iran ,
Iran Sanctions ,
North Korea ,
Pending Legislation ,
Russia ,
SSI List ,
Trump Administration
The U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (“OFAC”) imposed sanctions on additional Russian and Crimean persons while also issuing a general license authorizing certain transactions with a...more
Donald Trump’s election has the potential to significantly reshape U.S.-Russia relations, but whether any change occurs will depend largely on his willingness to offer Russia a clean slate and whether the U.S. Congress...more
11/23/2016
/ Economic Sanctions ,
Embargo ,
Energy Sector ,
Food Manufacturers ,
Foreign Investment ,
International Relations ,
ISIS ,
Legislative Agendas ,
NATO ,
Pharmaceutical Industry ,
Presidential Elections ,
Russia ,
SDN List ,
SSI List ,
Stock Markets ,
Syria ,
Trump Administration ,
Ukraine ,
Vladimir Putin
The U.S. Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security (“BIS”) added the Yuzhno-Kirinskoye Field, a Russian oil and gas field, to the Entity List on August 7, 2015. The action effectively prohibits all persons from...more
On July 30, 2015, the U.S. Government added dozens of Russian and Ukrainian individuals and entities to the Ukraine-related sanctions lists.1 U.S. officials have stated that these new additions are not an escalation of U.S....more
The spring and summer of 2014 saw the United States and European Union impose a range of sanctions relating to Ukraine and Russia in response to the series of events leading to the fall of the Yanukovyich government in...more
On 16 December 2014, President Obama announced that he will sign the Ukraine Freedom Support Act of 2014 (hereinafter the “Act”) into law. As discussed in our update dated 12 December 2014, the Act represents a potentially...more
As noted in previous updates, the United States and European Union continue to impose sanctions against Ukrainian and Russian individuals and entities as a result of the turmoil in Ukraine. On 11 December 2014, the US Senate...more
The EU adopted amendments to the current EU sanctions against Russia on 4 December 2014. These amendments are implemented via Council Regulation (EU) No 833/2014 (as amended) (“Regulation 833/2014”). They are intended to both...more
On 29 November 2014, the European Union (EU) published measures targeting additional individuals and organisations to be added to the scope of EU sanctions measures against Russia. These measures widen the EU sanctions in...more
Since March 2014, the United States and European Union have imposed multiple rounds of sanctions restricting certain activities with Russian and Ukrainian individuals and companies as a result of the ongoing crisis in...more
The United States and European Union implemented new sanctions against Russia on 12 September 2014 as a result of the ongoing crisis in Ukraine. While the new US and EU measures share many similarities, companies subject to...more
The U.S. Department of Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (“OFAC”) revised its guidance with respect to entities owned 50 percent or more in the aggregate by more than one blocked persons. The new guidance, issued on...more
In response to the recent round of sanctions and export restrictions imposed on Russia, Russian Federation President Putin signed a decree on 6 August 20141 (the “Decree”) effectively banning or limiting for a period of one...more
The European Union announced its intention to adopt a broad package of trade and economic sanctions against Russia, targeting access to EU capital markets, defence exports, energy related equipment and technology and...more
On July 16, 2014, the U.S. Government imposed additional sanctions against Russian and Ukrainian individuals and companies as a result of the ongoing crisis in Eastern Ukraine. In addition to adding five individuals and 11...more
In the context of an EU-wide review of export licensing for Russia, the UK Foreign Secretary William Hague announced in March 2014 that the UK Government would be suspending (i) all existing export licences and application...more
In response to recent events in Ukraine, the United States and European Union imposed yet another round of sanctions this week. In response, Russia is considering a number of countermeasures that may affect U.S. and EU...more