Key Points -
On March 7, 2022, new U.S. export controls applicable to “cybersecurity items” took effect based on an interim final rule published by BIS on October 21, 2021 (the “Cyber Rule”). The controls under the Cyber...more
Key Points -
As part of highly coordinated U.S. government and allied and partner country responses to Russia’s further invasion of Ukraine, and Belarus’ enabling of it, BIS imposed on February 24, 2022, and March 2,...more
On September 21, 2021, the U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) published an updated sanctions advisory, providing guidance to companies on sanctions compliance obligations related to ransomware...more
12/14/2021
/ Compliance ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Cyber Attacks ,
Cybersecurity ,
Data Security ,
New Guidance ,
Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) ,
Ransomware ,
Sanctions ,
U.S. Treasury ,
Virtual Currency
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
Key Points -
On April 8, the Treasury Department removed the UAE from its list of countries requiring cooperation with an international boycott, thereby removing the UAE from the scope of the Treasury Department’s...more
- On April 28, 2020, the Bureau of Industry and Security of the U.S. Department of Commerce announced changes to the Export Administration Regulations (EAR) through three notices published on the Federal Register. The changes...more
4/30/2020
/ Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) ,
Exceptions ,
Export Administration Regulations (EAR) ,
Export Controls ,
Exports ,
Final Rules ,
General Licenses ,
Licensing Rules ,
Military End Use ,
National Security ,
Proposed Rules ,
U.S. Commerce Department
- Recent actions by the U.S. government and NGOs have intensified international focus on labor conditions in China’s Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR) and companies that allegedly source materials and labor from the...more
The new coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2, and the disease it causes, COVID-19, have created diverse, complex, and immediate challenges for world governments, multinational businesses, and other international institutions and projects....more
3/10/2020
/ Airports ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Economic Sanctions ,
Exports ,
Federal Funding ,
Health and Safety ,
Imports ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Manufacturers ,
Medical Supplies ,
Multinationals ,
New Guidance ,
Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) ,
Public Health ,
Risk Assessment ,
Supply Chain ,
Trade Relations ,
Travel Restrictions ,
Travelers
- On February 18, 2020, OFAC designated Rosneft Trading, S.A. (Rosneft Trading), a subsidiary of Russia-based Open Joint-Stock Company Rosneft Oil Company (Rosneft Oil Company), and its president, Didier Casimiro, on the SDN...more
2/21/2020
/ Blocked Person ,
Crude Oil ,
Economic Sanctions ,
Energy Sector ,
Export Controls ,
Exports ,
General Licenses ,
Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) ,
Oil & Gas ,
SDN List ,
Venezuela
• A new Executive Order signed October 14, 2019, authorizes U.S. sanctions related to the military conflict between Turkey and Syria, providing broad authority to impose sanctions against Turkish government agencies,...more
• The Commerce Department’s Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) has added 46 additional Huawei affiliates to the Entity List. The export, reexport, and transfer to these entities of commodities, software, and technology...more
8/21/2019
/ Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) ,
Entity List ,
Export Administration Regulations (EAR) ,
Export Controls ,
Exports ,
Foreign Policy ,
General Licenses ,
Huawei ,
Prohibited Transactions ,
Software ,
Technology Sector ,
Telecommunications ,
U.S. Commerce Department
• In a further escalation of U.S. sanctions on Venezuela in support of its efforts to oust the regime of Nicolás Maduro, on August 5, 2019, the Trump administration imposed comprehensive sanctions on the Government of...more
8/19/2019
/ Banking Sector ,
Blocked Entities ,
Blocked Person ,
Economic Sanctions ,
Executive Orders ,
Financial Institutions ,
Foreign Policy ,
Foreign Relations ,
General Licenses ,
Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) ,
SDN List ,
Trump Administration ,
Venezuela
• On May 20, 2019, the U.S. Department of Commerce published a 90-day Temporary General License (TGL) authorizing limited categories of exports, reexports, or transfers that are otherwise prohibited pursuant to the addition...more
5/22/2019
/ Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) ,
Entity List ,
Export Administration Regulations (EAR) ,
Export Controls ,
Exports ,
Foreign Policy ,
General Licenses ,
Huawei ,
Manufacturers ,
National Security ,
Prohibited Transactions ,
Supply Chain ,
Technology Sector ,
Telecommunications ,
U.S. Commerce Department
• On May 16, 2019, the U.S. Department of Commerce published a final rule adding Huawei and 68 other companies, mostly its non-U.S. affiliates worldwide, to the Entity List... The rule will be officially published in the...more
5/20/2019
/ Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) ,
Entity List ,
Export Administration Regulations (EAR) ,
Export Controls ,
Exports ,
Final Rules ,
Foreign Policy ,
General Licenses ,
Huawei ,
National Security ,
Technology Sector ,
U.S. Commerce Department
• On April 8, 2019, the U.S. government announced its intention to designate the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) as a Foreign Terrorist Organization, effective April 15, 2019. This unprecedented action will result...more
4/15/2019
/ Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act (AEDPA) ,
CAATSA ,
Foreign Policy ,
Iran ,
Iran Sanctions ,
National Security ,
Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) ,
SDN List ,
Terrorist Threats ,
Trump Administration ,
U.S. Treasury
• On January 28, 2019, OFAC added the Venezuelan state-owned oil and natural gas company PdVSA to its SDN List.
• As a result, U.S. persons are generally prohibited from engaging in transactions with PdVSA and entities that...more
2/6/2019
/ Blocked Person ,
Bonds ,
Capital Markets ,
Debt-Equity ,
Economic Sanctions ,
Energy Sector ,
Executive Orders ,
General Licenses ,
Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) ,
Oil & Gas ,
SDN List ,
Securities Transactions ,
State-Owned Enterprises ,
Trump Administration ,
Venezuela
• On November 27, 2018, the Trump administration issued an executive order establishing a new sanctions regime against Nicaragua.
• This occurs as the Trump Administration has articulated an approach to Latin America in...more
• As of November 5, 2018, the United States concluded the second of two wind-down periods for re-imposition of U.S. sanctions on Iran following the May 8, 2018, announcement that the United States would cease participation in...more
11/27/2018
/ Aircraft ,
Blocking Statutes ,
Cross-Border Transactions ,
Economic Sanctions ,
EU ,
Exports ,
Foreign Financial Institutions (FFI) ,
Foreign Policy ,
Foreign Relations ,
General Licenses ,
Goods or Services ,
Humanitarian Assistance ,
Imports ,
Iran ,
Iran Sanctions ,
Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) ,
Nuclear Weapons ,
Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) ,
Oil & Gas ,
Popular ,
SDN List ,
Special Purpose Vehicles ,
SWIFT ,
Trade Policy ,
Trump Administration ,
Vessels
• On August 6, 2018, following President Trump’s decision to withdraw the United States from the JCPOA, the U.S. government announced the reimposition of sanctions on Iran’s automotive sector, its trade in gold and precious...more
8/17/2018
/ Blocking Statutes ,
Economic Sanctions ,
EU ,
Executive Orders ,
International Relations ,
Iran ,
Iran Sanctions ,
Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) ,
Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) ,
SDN List ,
Secondary Sanctions ,
Trade Relations ,
Trump Administration ,
Winding Down ,
Withdrawal
• On May 21, 2018, the Trump administration imposed new sanctions on the Government of Venezuela in response to the reelection of President Maduro and the “deepening humanitarian and public health crisis” fueled by the Maduro...more
• The U.S. government has withdrawn from the Iran Nuclear Deal and reverted sanctions to the status quo ante by re-imposing secondary sanctions that restrict non-U.S. persons from engaging in a broad range of business in...more
5/10/2018
/ Controlled Foreign Corporations ,
Economic Sanctions ,
Exports ,
Foreign Financial Institutions (FFI) ,
Foreign Policy ,
Foreign Relations ,
General Licenses ,
Iran ,
Iran Sanctions ,
Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) ,
Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) ,
SDN List ,
Trade Policy ,
Trump Administration
On January 12, 2018, the U.S. administration took three actions relating to Iran -
• First, President Trump waived again the application of certain nuclear sanctions while making clear that the United States will refuse to...more
• 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
Based on certain State Department findings, effective October 12, 2017, long-standing U.S. sanctions on the Republic of Sudan administered by OFAC under the Sudan Sanctions Regulations will be terminated, and U.S. persons...more
10/13/2017
/ Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) ,
Commerce Control List ,
Commodities ,
Department of Defense (DOD) ,
Economic Sanctions ,
Executive Orders ,
Export Administration Regulations (EAR) ,
Exports ,
General Licenses ,
Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) ,
SDN List ,
Secretary of State ,
Sudan ,
Trade Restrictions ,
Trump Administration ,
TSRA
ANTICORRUPTION DEVELOPMENTS -
Alere Inc. Agrees to Pay More Than $13 Million to Resolve SEC FCPA Enforcement Action -
On September 28, 2017, Alere Inc. (“Alere”), a Massachusetts based manufacturer of medical diagnostic...more
10/10/2017
/ Anti-Corruption ,
Bribery ,
CFIUS ,
China ,
Consent Agreements ,
Corruption ,
Criminal Conspiracy ,
Criminal Convictions ,
Customs and Border Protection ,
De Minimus Quantity Exemption ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Directorate of Defense Trade Controls (DDTC) ,
Economic Sanctions ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Export Controls ,
Exports ,
False Claims Act (FCA) ,
Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) ,
International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) ,
Iran ,
ITAR ,
NCAA ,
North Korea ,
Regulatory Burden ,
Retailers ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Semiconductors ,
Suspensions & Debarments ,
Trump Administration ,
U.S. Customs ,
UK ,
Whistleblowers